Cardinals Minor League Notebook – September 6, 2021

photo: Patrick Romeri (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals farm system went 2-2 on Sunday. TCN Player of the Day, Palm Beach center fielder Patrick Romeri, had four hits, including two home runs and four RBI. Osvaldo Tovalin and Dionys Rodriguez joined him to lead the Beach Birds to a 10-inning win. Peoria’s Masyn Winn made his mound debut.

Results from games played Sunday, September 5th.

Memphis 4 at Gwinnett 3

Memphis (51-57) won the Long Ball Battle at Gwinnett (61-47) (ATL), with the 4-3 victory earning the visitors a series split.

The four Redbirds’ tallies were generated by three home runs.  Conner Capel was the first of three Memphis players going yard, with the center fielder’s solo shot giving his team a short-lived 1-0 lead midway through two.  Capel went 2-for-3, touching home twice and was the only Redbird with a multi-hit performance.

Conner Capel

Capel singled to open the fifth with Memphis trailing 2-1 but shortstop Evan Mendoza changed that negative equation into a positive with a bomb to right center.  The home run was Mendoza’s first of the season and only hit in three at bats.

Kramer Robertson provided what proved to be the insurance score.  The Redbirds’ third baseman unloaded over the center field wall to kick off the sixth, putting his team up 4-2.  Robertson went 1-for-4 from the two slot.  A single by Nolan Gorman provided the team’s fifth and final hit.

Starter T.J. Zeuch tossed a quality effort, holding the Stripers to three runs on seven hits, including two solo bombs.  The righty issued two free passes, striking out five, for his first win as a Redbird.

Tommy Parsons pitched the seventh, walking one with a K before Jesus Cruz took over for the eighth and ninth.  Cruz (S, 3) retired all six batters faced.

Monday’s game:  Off

Springfield 4 at Tulsa 9

Starter Michael Brettell did not finish the second as the S-Cards were handled by the Drillers, 9-4.  Springfield (40-68) settled for a split of their six-game set at Tulsa (58-50) (LAD).

Brettell (L, 1-5) recorded five outs, yielding five runs on five hits and three free passes issued.  Kyle Leahy stranded two inherited runs but gave up four tallies on four hits and two walks, including a home run with the bases empty in 4 1/3 innings.

Edgar Escobar and Kevin Marnon both tossed a one-two-three frames with one and two strikeouts, respectively.

Lead-off batter Justin Toerner provided much of his team’s offense, smashing his sixth and seventh Double-A long balls of 2021.  One of the center fielder’s home runs occurred with Julio Rodriguez (single) and Moises Castillo (plunked) aboard, giving Toerner four RBI to go with two runs scored in a 3-for-4 performance.

Justin Toerner

Right fielder Leandro Cedeno has two more of Springfield’s seven hits, singling twice in four at bats, batting sixth.

Monday’s game:  Off

Peoria 2 at West Michigan 4

The Chiefs (40-68) were topped by the Whitecaps on Sunday, 4-2, leaving the visitors with only one win in six tries at West Michigan (53-55) (DET).

Starter Logan Gragg (L, 2-6) lasted just three frames, allowing three tallies on four hits and a base-on-balls.

Shortstop Masyn Winn pitched the fourth and in his first official mound appearance, looked really good out there by all accounts.  The righty retired all three batters faced, fanning one, throwing 10 of his 14 pitches for strikes.

Masyn Winn

Nick Trogrlic-Iverson recorded six outs, serving up a solo bomb accounting for one of his two hits allowed.  Diego Cordero and Leonardo Taveras both tossed a clean frame, Taveras walking one.

Peoria matched West Michigan’s six hits but half of the Chiefs’ hits belonged to Jhon Torres.  The right fielder went 3-for-4 with a triple, run scored and RBI.  Third baseman Jordan Walker singled once in four at bats, touched home one time with three strikeouts.

Monday’s game:  Off

Palm Beach 10 at Dunedin 9 (10 innings)

Patrick Romeri’s big offensive day led the Beach Birds past the Blue Jays, 10-9 in 10 innings.  Palm Beach (33-72) won two of their six-game set at Dunedin (50-58) (TOR).

Romeri, our Player of the Day, went yard twice, going 4-for-5 with a two-run bomb and solo shot accounting for two runs scored and three of his four RBI.  A third key hit by the center fielder was his 10th-inning double, driving in Osvaldo Tovalin. The latter had singled home Mack Chambers who began the frame at second.

Patrick Romeri

Elijah Cabell also launched two long balls, with one of his home runs generated with a runner aboard.  The left fielder went 2-for-5, touched home twice and knocked in three.

Tovalin accounted for four scores, going 3-for-5 with a double, crossing home two times and drove in two.  Shortstop Mack Chambers scored all three times he reached base after working three free passes and swiping his first bag.  Palm Beach had 12 hits in all.

Although four Beach Birds pitchers gave up nine tallies on nine hits, it should be noted that five of the nine runs were unearned due to defensive lapses.  Catcher Wade Stauss committed his first pro bobble whereas second baseman Franklin Soto was charged with his 29th of the season – both throwing.

Starter Dionys Rodriguez had a noteworthy day on the mound.  The 21-year-old carried a no-hitter into the sixth, with the only batters reaching against him to that point coming on a base-on-balls and hit-by-pitch.

Dionys Rodriguez

Rodriguez surrendered a solo shot with one away followed by his final free pass issued, taking a one-hitter into the seventh.  The righty was removed, however, after serving up a lead-off home run and double to his first two batters, exiting with eight K’s and a 7-2 lead.

But a combination of a faulty bullpen and defense allowed five runs in the last two frames of regulation for a 7-7 tie after nine.  Roy Garcia retired four batters, permitting four runs, one earned, on a hit and two walks while leaving Rodriguez’ final runner on.

Two of Garcia’s four tallies scored with Inohan Paniagua on the bump.  Paniagua (W, 3-1) (BS,1) was charged with two scores, one earned, on four hits, three walks – one intentional – and a balk in 1 2/3 innings.   Andre Granillo was tagged with an RBI single in the 10th, the tally unearned, but held on for his first professional save.

Monday’s game:  Off

FCL Cardinals – off

Sunday is a scheduled day off in the Florida Complex League.

Monday’s game:  FCL Cardinals (22-22) at FCL Nationals (22-25), 10:00 pm ET/9:00 am CT, TBA

DSL Cardinals Blue – off

Sunday is a scheduled day off in the Dominican Summer League.

Monday’s game:  DSL Cardinals Blue (12-26) vs. DSL Mets1 (17-21), 10:30 am ET/9:30 am CT, TBA

DSL Cardinals Red – off

Sunday is a scheduled day off in the Dominican Summer League.

Monday’s game:  DSL Cardinals Red (17-18) at DSL Cubs Red (16-21) , 10:30 am ET/9:30 am CT, TBA

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