Cardinals Minor League Notebook – September 10, 2021

photo: Thomas Francisco (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

On Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals system went 3-6 behind an extra-inning win by Peoria and a twin bill sweep by DSL Red. TCN’s Player of the Day, new Chiefs first baseman Thomas Francisco, had three hits, including a home run and two RBI.

Results from the games played Thursday, September 9th.

Memphis 0 at Nashville 5

The Redbirds were silenced by the Sounds at First Horizon Park on Thursday, 5-0.  Memphis (51-60) has lost the initial three of their six-game series.

Three of the four tallies permitted by Johan Oviedo (L, 1-6) during his 6 1/3-inning stint resulted from a three-run home run.  The blast halted what had been a scoreless pitching duel.  Oviedo struck out 10, yielding four hits, two walks and a plunked batter.

Jesus Cruz finished the seventh, allowing a hit which plated one of two inherited runners.  Justin Miller’s rehab outing consisted of the veteran fanning the side but also serving up a long ball with the bases empty.

Juan Yepez

Nashville’s hurlers were not prone to Long-Ball-itis so Memphis’ six hits produced a zero on the scoreboard.  Juan Yepez and Dennis Ortega each went 2-for-4, including Yepez doubling for the 21st time.  Defensively, Ortega was charged with a passed ball.

Friday’s game:  at Nashville (59-52) (MIL), 7:05 pm CT, Connor Thomas (5-3, 3.61)

Springfield 3 vs. Arkansas 4

A seventh-inning tally unraveled a 3-3 knot as the S-Cards were edged by the Travelers, 4-3, at Hammons Field.  Springfield (41-70) trails in the six-game set, one game to two.

The run came off Kyle Leahy (L, 0-8) near the onset of his third inning of work.  The tall right-hander gave up four hits in 2 1/3 frames with one free pass issued.

Domingo Robles started, going 5 2/3 innings, permitting six hits that generatedthree scores.  One of those tallies resulted from a home run while another scored with Leahy on the mound.  Freddy Pacheco tossed a one-two-three ninth.

Chandler Redmond

The home team was held to just four hits, all singles.  Chandler Redmond reached base three times batting clean-up, going 1-for-3 with two walks and two RBI. Chase Pinder, Matt Koperniak and Luken Baker, the top of Springfield’s order, all touched home once.

Friday’s game:  vs. Arkansas (61-50) (SEA), 7:05 pm CT, Dalton Roach (6-9, 5.49)

Peoria 8 at Quad Cities 5 (11 innings)

The Chiefs mounted a late rally to top the River Bandits, 8-5, at Modern Woodman Stadium.  Peoria (42-69) holds a two-games-to-one series advantage with three contests remaining.

The visitors were down 4-1 through seven but battled back to send the game into extras.  New arrival Thomas Francisco (19th Rd, 2021 draft) belted his first High-A bomb in his third game since his promotion from Class A Palm Beach on Monday.  The blast occurred with Pedro Pages (single) aboard and closed the gap to 4-3 after eight.

Thomas Francisco

The top of the ninth dawned with Francisco Hernandez beating out an infield single, his only hit in four at bats to go with a walk.  The shortstop was sac bunted to second, moving to third on a balk and scored the tying run on Jordan Walker’s 6-3 ground out.

Walker got the offense going in the 11th.  With Matt Chamberlain beginning at second base, the talented third baseman kicked off the frame singling to second.  Pinch hitter Jhon Torres worked a base-on-balls, loading the bases for Todd Lott.

Lott came through with a ground-rule double, driving in Chamberlain and Walker with Torres advancing to third.  Jacob Buchberger was issued a free pass with one away, preceding Aaron Antonini’s sac fly to center bringing Torres across home plate and moving Lott to third.

The fourth and final 11th-inning score was generated after Tyler Reichenborn singled to third, knocking in Lott.

Peoria’s offensive production was a team-wide affair with 10 players reaching base and nine either scoring or driving in a run.  Francisco and Pages each had three of 13 hits, the former going 3-for-6 with that two-run blast comprising his run scored and two RBI.  Pages went 3-for-5 with a double and RBI before Torres pinch hit for him in the 11th.

Walker, Lott and Reichenborn each had two hits, Walker and Lott in six at bats and Reichenborn had five at bats.  The first two players both doubled one time, Walker scoring twice and driving in one while Lott crossed home two times, knocking in two.

Wilfredo Pereira tossed the initial five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, including a solo shot.  Diego Cordero was touched for a tally on a hit and two walks in two frames, and the lefty picked a runner off first.  Both pitchers hit a batter.

Nick Trogrlic-Iverson

Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (W, 6-5) held Quad Cities at bay during his three innings of work.  The righty allowed a hit and two walks.  Sean Kealey finished the contest yielding an unearned run on two hits.

Defensively, right fielder Chamberlain was credited with an outfield assist at home.

Friday’s game:  at Quad Cities (71-38) (KC), 6:30 pm CT, Michael YaSenka (1-8, 6.15) after opener Colin Schmid

Palm Beach 6 at Fort Myers 7  – Game 1
Palm Beach 2 at Fort Myers 11 (7 innings) – Game 2

The Beach Birds were swept by the Mighty Mussels on the road, 7-6 and 11-2, with the latter contest a seven-inning affair.  Palm Beach (33-75) awaits their first victory of the six-game series with two contests on tap.

The opener completed Wednesday’s contest suspended with two out in the home half of the fourth and the PB-Cards having just gone down 3-2.  Fort Myers scored three more times when play resumed on Thursday, all six tallies, five earned, charged to starter John Beller.

Beller struck out five in 3 2/3 frames but permitted six hits and four free passes.  His last three runners scored after Gordon Graceffo took over on Thursday.

Graceffo retired seven batters, yielding four hits but no runs charged to his stat line.  Edwin Nunez (L, 3-3) served up a home run, his only hit given up with six outs recorded.

With Palm Beach behind 6-2 through six, Ryan Holgate closed the gap to a one-run deficit with one swing of his bat.  The 70th overall pick in the recent 2021 First-Year Player Draft launched a three-run bomb, his sole hit in five at bats.  It was the right fielder’s second home run which scored Franklin Soto and Patrick Romeri after both were issued free passes.

Ryan Holgate

Osvaldo Tovalin and Mike Antico combined to knot the game at 6-6 the next frame, Antico doubling home Tovalin after the third baseman reached on a single.

Palm Beach accumulated 11 hits, paced by Brady Whalen who went 3-for-5, crossing home twice.  Soto singled and doubled in three at bats, adding that walk with a run scored and RBI.  The final player with more than one hit was L.J. Jones who singled twice in five at bats.

Palm Beach was handled in easy fashion in the finale.  Michael McGreevy tossed a clean first, yielding a hit before handing off to Levi Prater.

Prater (L, 1-8) retired five batters, surrendering two home runs accounting for four of his five runs permitted on five hits and two walks.  Nathanael Heredia left Prater’s last base runner aboard but allowed three runs on three hits and two free passes in 2 1/3 innings.

Ryan Loutos did not fare any better in the sixth as the righty gave up three scores on five hits.

Patrick Romeri

Palm Beach managed five hits and did not break onto the scoreboard until putting up single tallies in the final two frames.  Patrick Romeri doubled once in two at bats with a base-on-balls and run scored.  Wade Stauss and Jones both went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Stauss’ hit was a double.  Noah Medlinger singled once in three at bats and scored his team’s other run.

Friday’s game:  at Fort Myers (55-52) (MIN), 7:00 pm ET/6:00 pm CT, Jose Moreno (1-5, 6.10)

FCL Cardinals 5 at FCL Astros 11

The Florida Complex League Cardinals (22-25) could not hold an early lead in their 11-5 road loss to the FCL Astros (26-23).

The visitors led 4-3 midway through five but a two-run bottom of the fifth left the Florida Birds trailing by a tally.  Three outs later, the game was tied 5-5 but the proverbial wheels fell off in the home half of the inning when the Astros scored six more times.

Lefty Hayes Heinecke ‘s (L, 0-1) third pro appearance did not go swimmingly as he was charged with four scores, two earned, on three hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning.  Bryan Pope yielded two more unearned runs before the sixth’s end, with both tallies the result of a long ball.  Zane Mills retired the side in order during his inning on the bump.

Austin Love pitched the first, surrendering a solo blast.  Gustavo J Rodriguez gave up two runs on five hits, a walk and hit batsman over two frames.  Chris Gerard (BS,1) was responsible for the Astros’ two-run fifth, as the former Hokie yielded three hits.

Jake Burns

Jake Burns’ three-hit day topped the Florida Cardinals’ nine-hit offense.  The catcher went 3-for-4 with a solo bomb that was one of his two RBI.  Ramon Mendoza doubled once in three at bats, crossing home once, joining Burns as the only FCL Cardinals with a multi-base hit.

Defensively, the team’s sole miscue, a fielding bobble by first baseman Jose Zapata, was costly, resulting in four unearned tallies.

Friday’s game:  at FCL Marlins (22-26), 12:00 pm ET/11 am CT, TBA

DSL Cardinals Blue 6 vs. DSL Rockies 10

An eight-run sixth flipped the Dominican Summer League Cardinals Blue (13-28) to the wrong end of a 10-6 decision to the DSL Rockies.

Starter Henry Gomez took the loss, his sixth in as many decisions, after permitting a run on five hits and two walks over four innings.  The righty plunked one batter.

Esteban Contreras tossed a one-two-three fifth but retired only one more batter.  The 18-year-old surrendered a three-run long ball making up one of his two hits and a walk allowed.

Frankely Guzman fared even worse, serving up a grand slam comprising four of his five scores permitted on three hits and two base-on-balls in 1/3 of an inning.

Marlyn Almonte recorded the sixth’s last out, and proceed to retire seven batters in all but yielding a run on four hits and two free passes issued.  Oliver Lopez faced the minimum in the ninth, the sole C-Blue hurler not scored upon.

The C-Blue finally got on the scoreboard in the ho9me half of the sixth via back-to-back solo shots by Luis Pino and Fernando Diaz.  Diaz led his team’s 10-hit effort, going 3-for-4 with a walk, home run, two runs scored and two driven in.

Fernando Diaz

Pino and Diego Velasquez each went 2-for-4 with an extra base hit.  Pino smashed the aforementioned long ball, working a free pass, and Velasquez doubled once with a run scored.

Friday’s game:  at DSL Rockies (28-13), 10:30 am ET/9:30 am CT, TBA

DSL Cardinals Red 6 at DSL Tigers 0 (7 innings) – Game 1
DSL Cardinals Red 7 vs. DSL Tigers 3 (7 innings) – Game 2

The DSL Cardinals Red (20-19) swept a double-header vs. the DSL Tigers, 6-0 and 7-3, both in seven innings.

It was all Cardinals Red in Game 1 as the pitching and hitting coalesced for a 6-0 victory.  Starter Yonael Dominguez composed his second consecutive impressive outing, limiting the Tigers to five hits over five innings.  The 19-year-old righty picked off a runner at first and did not issue a free pass.

Yonael Dominguez

18-year-old right-hander Darlin Saladin pitched the last two frames, giving up a hit.  Saladin has allowed just seven hits and one run, earned, over his five most recent appearances totaling 10 innings.

The Cardinals Red’s 10-hit attack was a balanced one, with four players acquiring two hits apiece:  Romtres Cabrera, Lizandro Espinoza, Jeremy Ramos and Maikel Hernandez.  Cabrera and Hernandez went 2-for-4 with run scored, and Cabrera drove in one.

Ramos singled twice in three at bats, touching home once and knocking in one but Espino’s two singles in three at bats produced not further results.  Batting clean-up behind Cabrera, Felix Taveras was responsible for three tallies, going 1-for-3 with a walk, run scored and two RBI.

The C-Red required a rally to claim the second contest which made up the August 17th postponement.  The Dominican Tigers struck first, scoring three times off starter Engels Martinez.  Martinez yielded four hits, a walk and a hit batsman in 3 1/3 frames.

His final run scored with Americo Lugo on the mound after Lugo inherited a bases-loaded jam.  The 21-year-old retired both batters faced.

Trailing 3-0, the C-Red scored three times spanning the fourth and fifth, tying the contest a 3-3, before a four-run sixth gave them a decisive advantage.  Six Cardinals Red players each had two of 12 team hits, including their two through four batters – Cabrera, Samil De La Rosa and Taveras.  All three doubled once in four at bats, Taveras adding a triple.  Collectively, the trio scored four runs and drove in five.

Romtres Cabrera

Angel Luna and Juan Severino shared pitching duties over the final three innings, with Luna tossing a one-two-three fifth.  Severino (W, 2-1) maneuvered around a hit and two free passes issued for two scoreless innings.

Friday’s game:  vs. DSL Tigers (15-26), 10:30 am ET/9:30 am CT, TBA


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