photo: Kyle Leahy (Allison Rhoades/Peoria Chiefs)
On the 4-4 Tuesday across the St. Louis Cardinals system, Player of the Day Kyle Leahy had a dominant six-inning scoreless start with 10 strikeouts for Peoria, but his pen couldn’t hold the lead. State College and Johnson City won behind double-digit scoring.
Results from games played Tuesday, June 25th.
The Redbirds began a nine-game homestand with a 10-4 loss to Nashville.
Starter Anthony Shew lasted just two frames, giving up three runs on five hits including a two-run home run and left with what appeared to be an injury. The five-run third off Seth Elledge in his Triple-A debut broke a 3-3 tie. Elledge permitted six hits and two base-on-balls with two outs recorded.
Also in his first game with the Redbirds, Junior Fernandez fanned five over 3 1/3 frames with two hits yielded. Chris Beck tossed two shutout frames before Tommy Layne was charged with two unearned tallies in the ninth.
Memphis (33-45) managed 10 hits with designated hitter Adolis Garcia going 3-for-4 with a stolen base while batting fifth. Edmundo Sosa and Irving Lopez posted identical marks, each going 2-for-4 with a walk and solo bomb.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Nashville (32-45) (TEX), 6:35 pm CT, Harold Arauz (3-1, 5.58)
Springfield – off
The 2019 Texas League All-Star Game took place Tuesday evening at ONEOK Field, home of the Tulsa Drillers (LAD) with the South squad prevailing over the North, 5-1.
Dylan Carlson started in center for the North team and singled once with a stolen base in four at bats with two strikeouts and two left on base. Carlson eventually played all three outfield positions after participating in the Home Run Derby.
Springfield’s only pitching representative was Austin Warner who inherited a scoreless contest to begin the third. The southpaw fanned the South’s number nine hitter before giving up a groundball single to second. Warner finished his inning with two fly outs, to right and center, respectively.
Wednesday’s game: Off
Palm Beach (2-5) made an early lead hold up at they topped the Fire Frogs, 4-2, in the road series opener.
The visitors struck in the first when Scott Hurst went yard with Lars Nootbaar (single) aboard. The second featured a lead-off home run by Nolan Gorman, his initial class A-Advanced bomb. Dennis Ortega followed with an infield single and eventually scored on Nootbaar’s double with two gone.
The Beach Birds mustered six hits in all with Hurst and Nootbaar both going 2-for-4. Defensively, Gorman committed a fielding miscue at third, his first Florida State League error.
In his Palm Beach return, Angel Rondon (W, 5-1) produced a solid effort, holding Florida to two runs on seven hits and a walk in 5 1/3. Patrick Dayton retired eight batters, stranding two inherited runners, before C.J. Saylor tossed a one-two-three ninth with two strikeouts for his first save.
Wednesday’s game: at Florida (2-6) (ATL), 6:00 pm ET, Perry DellaValle (2-3, 2.71)
Player of the Day Kyle Leahy’s 10-strikeout performance was not enough as Peoria (2-3) was clipped at Clinton, 4-2, in the first of four games between the two teams.
Leahy, our Player of the Day, was outstanding over six innings, limiting the opposition to two hits and a hit batsman while fanning 10. The right-hander’s only trouble occurred in the fifth after a lead-off single followed by second baseman Brendan Donovan’s fielding error put two on with none out. But Leahy sandwiched a 4-3 groundball out between two swinging K’s to escape the jam.
The scoreless game was finally broken in the visitor’s half of the seventh. Donovan led off with a single and scored via Juan Yepez’ sixth double of the season. Yepez raced home after Bryce Denton tripled to center, putting Leahy in line for the apparent victory.
After tossing a clean seventh, Cole Aker was not able to duplicate his feat the next inning. Aker (L, 0-3) (BS,1) was charged with three runs on three hits In 1 1/3, his last runner soring under Evan Sisk’s watch after the latter surrendered a two-run bomb.
Offensively, Donovan and Brandon Riley each had two of the team’s seven hits.
Wednesday’s game: at Clinton (2-3) (MIA), 6:30 pm CT, Colin Schmid (3-2, 4.46)
State College 13 vs. Mahoning Valley 9
A huge late rally propelled State College (7-4) past the Scrappers, 13-9, in the home series opener. The win lifts the Spikes into a second-place tie with Mahoning Valley, both teams a half game behind Batavia (MIA).
Offense was plentiful in the high octane affair, the two squads combining for 27 hits. The Spikes trailed 9-7 heading into the bottom of the eighth but exploded for six tallies to flip the score to 13-9.
Eight of nine Spikes garnered at least one of the team’s 15 hits, led by center fielder Jonatan Machado and right fielder Stanley Espinal, who both went 3-for-4. Machado added a walk and run scored but Espinal was even more productive, finishing a home run shy of the cycle with a base-on-balls, touched home three times and drove in two.
Designated hitter Pedro Pages, St. Louis’ sixth round pick in the June 2019 First-Year Player Draft, continued his hot hitting, singling twice in three at bats with two walks, two runs scored and two RBIs. Pages, who is now hitting .583, was joined in the two-hit column by left fielder Andres Luna and third baseman Brylie Ware.
Spikes’ hurlers had a tough time recording outs, as their first three pitchers each gave up three runs. Starter Jeremy Randolph lasted just two innings, yielding three hits and four free passes. Scott Politz went four frames, allowing three hits and two walks, including a three-run long ball.
Connor Thomas (W, 1-0) permitted five hits during his two innings on the bump and was the pitcher of record when his teammates mounted their comeback. Fabian Blanco, the sole State College pitcher not scored upon, struck out two in the ninth.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Mahoning Valley (7-4) (CLE), 7:05 pm ET, Michael Baird (2-0, 0.00)
Johnson City 14 at Greeneville 6
Johnson City (4-2) kicked off a three-game road series with a 14-6 pasting of the Reds.
The Appy Birds exploded for 18 hits with three players collecting three hits each – designated hitter Zach Jackson, first baseman Todd Lott and catcher Brandon Purcell. Jackson and Lott both went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored, with Jackson adding a triple and RBI, while Purcell drove in three on a 3-for-4 effort that included a double.
Five of the visitors’ tallies were generated by three long balls, one each by third baseman Chandler Redmond, left fielder David Vinsky and second baseman Liam Sabino. Redmond’s and Vinsky’s bombs came with one aboard.
18-year-old Jose Moreno recorded just three outs, surrendering six runs on five hits and two walks in one plus innings. Three of the six tallies were generated by one home run.
Enrique Perez and Tyler Peck each tossed a clean frame, Perez leaving Moreno’s final runner aboard. Jake Sommers (W, 1-0) retired all six batters faced, striking out three while Saniel Santana worked around three hits for 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Leonardo Taveras fanned all four batters faced, stranding an inherited runner.
Wednesday’s game: at Greeneville (3-4) (CIN), 6:30 pm ET, Francisco Justo (1-0, 1.80)
GCL Mets 11 at GCL Cardinals 8
A six-run third inning proved an insurmountable obstacle as the Gulf Birds (0-2) were clipped by the Mets, 11-8.
Ludwin Jimenez (L, 0-1), making his first start since being promoted from the DSL Cardinals Red, lasted just 2 1/3 innings. The 17-year-old permitted seven tallies on seven hits, two walks, two wild pitches and a plunked batter.
Both runs charged to Hector Soto during his 2 2/3-inning stint were produced by a home run, one of two hits yielded to go with a wild pitch and four strikeouts. The righty stranded an inherited runner. Roy Garcia, Wilman Madera, Anthony Trompiz and Martin Cordoba each recorded three outs with Trompiz surrendering a solo shot and Cordoba giving up a run on two hits.
The Gulf Cardinals banged out 14 hits, led by Yowelfy Rosario’s perfect day at the plate. The third baseman went 4-for-4 with a run scored out of the seven slot. Alongside Rosario was lead-off batter Franklin Soto, who finished a long ball shy of the cycle with three hits in four at bats, including a walk, double and triple plus four runs scored.
Center fielder Trejyn Fletcher followed up his 3-for-5 professional debut effort on Monday by taking part in three runs. The second-round selection in the June 2019 First-Year Player Draft went 2-for-5 with a double, two-run blast that accounted for his run scored and two of his three RBIs. Luis Montano and William Jimenez each went 2-for-5 and touched home once. Montano doubled with two driven in and Jimenez went yard with the bases empty.
Wednesday’s game: Off
DSL Cardinals Blue 6 at DSL Yankees 4
The Cardinals Blue (13-5) rallied twice for a 6-4 victory over the Yankees (10-9). It was the C-Blue’s fifth win in their last six games.
Down 4-2, after seven the Blue scored three times in the last two innings. Right fielder Darlin Moquette went 3-for-5 with a double and RBI, raising his batting average to .406. Shortstop Darlyn Del Villar reached base four times, singling and doubling in two at bats with two free passes, crossed home twice and knocked in one.
The final two Cardinals Blue players with more than one of the team’s nine hits were center fielder Hansel Otamendi and catcher/first baseman Luis Rodriguez. Moquette and Otamendi each swiped a bag, Moquette’s ninth and the latter’s fourth.
Gustavo J. Rodriguez pitched a strong five-inning effort, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits and a walk while fanning six. The righty was in line for second win of 2019 after his teammates rallied with two tallies in the visitor half of the sixth for a 3-2 lead.
But William Miranda (BS, 1) yielded two runs in the bottom of the inning, setting the stage for the second and final rally. Ronald Suarez (W, 1-0) shut down the Yankees on a hit and walk over the next two frames before Cristoffer Zapata hurled a one-two-three ninth for his fourth save.
Wednesday’s game: vs. DSL Nationals (2-16), 10:30 am ET, Engels Martinez (1-0, 9.90)
DSL Phillies White 3 at DSL Cardinals Red 0
The Cardinals Red (8-13) managed just four base runners in their 3-0 loss to the Phillies White.
Luis Andujar’s single with two gone in the eighth broke up the opposition’s no-hit bid and was his squad’s only hit.
Edgar Manzo (L, 0-1) tossed a solid effort, yielding three runs, two earned, on five hits and two free passes in 5 2/3 innings. The Mexico native fanned six. Ramon Fernandez scattered four hits and a base-on-balls over the final 4 1/3 frames and stranded Manzo’s last runner.
Wednesday’s game: at DSL Phillies White (14-7), 10:30 am ET, tandem – Yonael Dominguez (1-0, 6.75)/Miguel Yedis (0-1, 7.71)
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