photo: Lane Thomas (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
On the 3-3 Sunday across the St. Louis Cardinals system, Player of the Day Lane Thomas had three hits, including two home runs for Memphis, which lost Alex Reyes due to injury. Springfield’s offense exploded for 12 runs and Johnson City had good pitching and just enough offense to win.
Results from games played Sunday, June 23rd.
The Redbirds led from start to finish as they flew past the Dodgers, 8-2, for a three-games-to-one series’ lead with one still on tap. Memphis (32-44) has won three straight but still trail Iowa (CHC) by 10 games in the American Northern Division standings.
The offense’s 12-hit attack was spearheaded by Player of the Day Lane Thomas, who went 3-for-4 with two solo shots that were two of his three knocked in. Kramer Robertson and John Nogowski had two hits apiece. Robertson singled twice in four at bats with a run scored while Nogowski went 2-for-5 with a double, triple, run scored and three RBIs. Thomas and Robertson were caught stealing in their only stolen base attempts.
The only cloud on Memphis’ win was the early departure of starter Alex Reyes, who exited with right pectoral tightness during his first batter in the second inning. The righty gave up a hit and walk with two strikeouts – one swinging, one looking –and threw 26 pitches, 15 for strikes.
Jesus Cruz (W, 2-5) took over for Reyes faced just one over the minimum during his three-inning stint while fanning three. Tommy Layne tossed two scoreless innings but Chris Beck was charged with two tallies on five hits with five outs recorded. Chasen Shreve retired all four batters faced, two via strikeouts, stranding Beck’s final two runners.
Monday’s game: at Oklahoma City (30-44) (LAD), 7:05 pm CT, Mike Hauschild (0-1, 15.19)
Springfield 12 at Corpus Christi 5
The S-Cards finally put one in the win column for the second half, routing the Hooks, 12-5. The victory salvaged the fourth and final game between the two squads and snapped a five-game losing skid by Springfield (1-5), already four games behind co-leaders Arkansas (SEA) and Tulsa (LAD) in the North Division standings.
The visitors translated eight hits and eight walks into 12 runs, 10 earned. Springfield blew the game open with a six-run sixth that included a grand slam by Jose Godoy, his only hit in five at bats.
Justin Toerner also went yard with one aboard two innings later. The long ball was one of the right fielder’s two hits in three at bats with a walk, stolen base, three runs scored and two driven in. Third baseman Alberto Triunfel went 2-for-3 with a free pass, double and two runs scored while batting ninth.
Five Springfield pitchers navigated nine innings, beginning with Johan Oviedo. The righty surrendered a solo shot representing one of his two hits and three walks allowed in just two innings. Will Latcham and Connor Jones both recorded six outs. Latcham gave up a solo blast among three hits and Jones was tagged for a three-run long ball.
Roel Ramirez (W, 2-1) retired all six batters faced, five of them via the K. Junior Fernandez tossed a one-two-three ninth.
Monday’s game: Off
The Cards’ bats were held to just four hits as they were blanked 8-0 by the Blue Jays (4-2) (TOR). Palm Beach (1-5) won just one of the four-game series and sit in last place in the South Division standings, 4 ½ games behind St Lucie (NYM).
Griffin Roberts (L, 0-2) was unable to finish the fourth, yielding six runs on four hits and six walks in 3 1/3 innings. To record seven outs, it took the righty 82 pitches, 43 strikes.
A quintet of Beach Bird relievers covered the final 4 2/3 frames. Ramon Santos was ineffective with two runs permitted on four hits and a base-on-balls with two retired. Santos allowed both inherited runners to score.
Ronnie Williams (1 1/3) and Mitchell Osnowitz (2/3) joined forces to handle the fifth and sixth. The latter fanned two. Patrick Dayton struck out the side in the seventh, negating a hit allowed, before Ben Yokley worked around a hit in his inning on the bump.
Third baseman Zack Gahagan singled twice in four at bats and Luken Baker’s double was the only hit to go for extra bases. No. 1 prospect Nolan Gorman, off to a 2-for-10 start with his new team, did not play.
Monday’s game: Off
The Chiefs pen blew a ninth-inning lead in their 8-6 defeat by Cedar Rapids (2-2) (MIN), resulting in a split of their four-game set. Peoria (2-2) is tied for fourth with the Kernels, a game in back of Kane County (ARI) and Wisconsin (MIL) in the Western Division standings.
Peoria had taken its second lead of the day in the home half of the eighth via Bryce Denton’s grand slam to go up 6-4. But the combination of Freddy Pacheco and Edgar Escobar handed the lead and win right back via a four-run ninth. Pacheco had worked around a walk for a clean eighth but the righty sandwiched two more free passes around an RBI triple plus a wild pitch that scored the tying run the next frame. Escobar served up a two-run double before recording his only out.
That spoiled a fine performance by Alvaro Seijas, who held the Kernels to two runs on four hits and a base-on-balls through six innings. Seijas finished with the score knotted at two all but Sebastian Tabata gave Cedar Rapids their first lead in the two-run seventh by yielding three hits.
The only Chief with more than one of the team’s eight hits was Juan Yepez, who doubled twice in four at bats with an RBI out of the three hole. Denton’s bomb came with Delvin Perez (single), Ivan Herrera (walk) and Brady Whalen (error) aboard.
Monday’s game: Off
State College 5 at West Virginia 8
The Spikes could not overcome Jacob Schlesener’s shaky start, falling to the Black Bears, 8-5, for a three-game sweep by West Virginia (6-4) (PIT). The defeat places State College (6-4) in a three-way tie for second with the Black Bears and Batavia (MIA), all of which trail Mahoning Valley (CLE) by a game in the Pinckney Division standings.
Schlesener (L, 0-1) put his squad in an immediate hole by yielding a five spot in his initial inning on the bump. The lefty allowed seven runs in all on six hits and four walks over 4 1/3 frames. Two of the six hits were home runs with a runner on.
Rodard Avelino followed Schlesener to the mound and likewise had difficulty finding the strike zone. The 20-year-old did not give up a hit in 1 1/3 innings but issued four free passes resulting in one run permitted. Logan Gregg fanned four over the final 2 1/3.
The visitors managed just five hits but benefited from the 10 free passes issued by West Virginia’s pitching staff. While no Spike had more than one hit, Andres Luna generated the most results, going 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, run scored and two RBIs. First baseman Dariel Gomez reached base four times, singling once in one at bats with three free passes and touching home twice.
Monday’s game: Off
A big third combined with a strong pitching effort propelled the JC-Cards over the Braves, 3-2, in the rubber game of the three-game series. Johnson City (2-2) is in second place in the East Division, 1 ½ games behind Kingsport (NYM).
The Appy Birds used some focused hitting and canny base running to score all three of their runs in the third. Left fielder Diomedes Del Rio opened with a single and raced to third on second baseman Ben Baird’s single to right. Right fielder Terry Fuller hit into a force at second, which brought Del Rio across the plate and tied the game at one all.
Fuller promptly stole second, putting him in easy position to score on a double to left by shortstop Mateo Gil. Third baseman Chandler Redmond’s two-out double to left drove in Gil for the final tally. Johnson City mustered just two more hits the rest of the day.
Tasked with holding Danville (3-2) in check, starter Wilfredo Pereira and reliever Will Guay were up to the challenge. Pereira limited the Braves to two runs, one earned, on four hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. The 20-year-old Panamanian surrendered a second inning solo shot and unearned tally in his final inning on the bump.
Guay truly earned his first professional save with 3 1/3 frames of shutout ball. The righty, St. Louis’ 24th-round selection in the recent draft, struck out five while allowing two hits plus a walk and stranded an inherited runner.
Monday’s game: Off
Gulf Coast League Cardinals
The rookie-level GCL Cardinals, which came within one victory of claiming the 2018 Gulf Coast League Championship title, begin their 2019 campaign at home versus the Nationals on Monday, June 24th.
See the full GCL roster (and all the others, too!) here at The Cardinal Nation. Local reporter Paul Ivice’s in-depth team reports will return a week from today, for TCN members.
Monday’s game: vs. GCL Nationals, 12:00 pm ET, TBA
DSL Cardinals Blue – off
The Dominican Summer League does not play on Sundays.
Monday’s game: DSL Cardinals Blue (11-5) at DSL Angels (8-10), 10:30 am ET, Reinys Portillo (1-1, 1.93)
DSL Cardinals Red – off
Monday’s game: DSL Cardinals Red (8-11) vs. DSL D-backs2 (10-9), 10:30 am ET, Diorys Guerrero (0-0, 5.11)
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