Highlights from Sunday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida.

I have not enjoyed being wrong this spring any more than today. On my schedule, Saturday was the last day of spring play for St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers before they headed to their initial 2010 regular season assignments. Turns out that only Springfield had a Sunday morning flight out, so the other four clubs once again hit the fields in Jupiter, Florida for intrasquad action.

So, consider this unexpected bonus coverage!

Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares game highlights as he has all along. The raw data is his, with the comments mine.

Once the regular season begins, check out our daily Cardinals Major League and Minor League Notebooks at TheCardinalNation.com, each returning for the new year.

Team summary: As an equalizer, teams “generally” faced their own pitchers in the Memphis-Palm Beach game, but Memphis still won. I am not sure what to make of that. The extended spring training club spanked young Shelby Miller and Quad Cities. I surely don’t know what to make of that, either.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were 2-2 once again. Final (I think) spring totals are 31-37-8 (.456) overall and 19-25-4 (.432) versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Quad Cities’ Jesse Simpson collected seven outs, five of them on strikeouts. He did not allow a hit in his 2 1/3 innings.

My Hitter of the Day:  Shane Robinson of Memphis (pictured) had two triples, a single and three RBI. No word if he played in centerfield or second base or perhaps both.

Monday’s schedule: Players will be boarding planes for Memphis and Quad Cities for open house, meet the fans and similar events early in the week. The Cardinal Nation subscribers can access the most recent working rosters on the main site, but be aware they will not be final until Thursday.

Memphis (5-9-3) defeated Palm Beach (8-8-1), 6-3 (pitchers generally faced their own club)

Memphis Pitching

Rich Hill – 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K’s – Does the gaudy strikeout total obscure the walks?
Scott McGregor – 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K’s – A strong outing.
Kevin Thomas – 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 K

Memphis Hitting

Shane Robinson – 3-for-4 with two triples and 3 RBIs – Player of the Day. Despite good speed, Robinson has just ten career triples in 1,159 regular-season at-bats.
Tyler Greene – 3-for-4 with a solo HR – Good to see Tyler hitting again. He batted just .194 in major league camp earlier.
Luis DeLaCruz – doubled, walked, scored twice and had an RBI – Memphis’ catcher for a day is listed on the Palm Beach working roster.
Mark Shorey – singled, walked and scored a run – Multiple mentions this week for career .287 hitter with a lifetime .799 OPS.
Amaury Cazana – singled and scored a run – Will he stay with Memphis? Passport problem has him there to start season.
Daniel Descalso – singled and walked

“Palm Beach” Pitching

Adam Ottavino – 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K’s – Hmmm. Only allowed the same total of three earned runs in 11 1/3 innings in major league camp earlier.
Brandon Dickson – 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB – Solid outing.
Tyler Norrick – 1 IP, 1 H
Matt Scherer – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
Josh Kinney – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K – May be coming around.

Palm Beach Hitting

Rich Racobaldo – 2-for-3
Tommy Pham – 1-for-2 with a walk and RBI – Doing so well this spring that getting on base twice seems like a bad day…
Jermaine Curtis and Xavier Scruggs – each doubled and scored a run
Alex Castellanos – singled and walked
Jose Martinez – RBI double and walked – May need to earn back a starting job after missing 2009.

Extended Spring Training (formerly QC2) (4-4-1) defeated Quad Cities (6-10), 3-0 (pitchers from various clubs)

Quad Cities Pitching

Shelby Miller – 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K’s – See specifics in the hitters report below.
Jesse Simpson – 2.1 IP, 0 H, 5 K’s – The top pitching performance of the day.
Kyle Heim – one perfect inning
Michael Thompson – 1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K’s
David Carpenter – one perfect inning with 2 K’s – Very nice outing for QCs closer last year.

Quad Cities Hitting

Jason Stidham – tripled – Had two three-base hits in 211 at-bats during his debut last year.
Luis Mateo, Ivan Castro and D’Marcus Ingram – each singled for QC’s only other hits

EST Pitching

Deryk Hooker – 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K’s – Should not be part of the group left behind in Jupiter.
Scott Schneider – three perfect innings with 1 K – Could easily be the pitching line of the day. Sorry, Scott!
Ramon Delgado – one perfect inning with a K
Matt Frevert – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB
Joel Pichardo – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K’s

EST Hitting

Three run rally off Shelby Miller in the second inning – Roberto DeLaCruz singled, Romulo Ruiz RBI double, C.J. Beatty RBI double, Ted Obregon RBI single
Ross Smith – singled in his only AB

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Highlights from Saturday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida.

“All good things must come to an end…”

Saturday provides the final day of spring play for St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers before they hop Sunday and Monday flights to their initial 2010 regular season assignments (except for the Palm Beach team and extended spring training players who remain in Jupiter, Florida).

In this, the last game report of the spring, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares daily highlights as he has all along. Special thanks are in order to him for all the work on our behalf. The raw data that follows is his, with the comments mine.

Once the regular season begins, check out our daily Cardinals Major League and Minor League Notebooks at TheCardinalNation.com, each returning for the new year.

Team summary: Memphis took another defeat while Springfield won against their Marlins counterparts. It is also fair to note a number of Triple-A players are in Minneapolis with the major league club. Quad Cities reversed the tables on Palm Beach after losing to them on Friday.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were 2-2 once again. Final spring totals are 29-35-8 (.453) overall and 19-25-4 (.432) versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Reliever Casey Mulligan of Palm Beach (pictured) completed his fourth consecutive scoreless outing of one inning each.

My Hitter of the Day:  Nine total bases for the repeat top hitter of the day, Palm Beach’s Xavier Scruggs. A double, triple, home run and two RBI on top of three hits on Friday is a big week for some.

Sunday’s schedule: Players will be boarding planes for Memphis, Springfield and Quad Cities for open house, meet the fans and similar events early in the week. While some versions of rosters are starting to appear, represented as season opening done-deals, don’t necessarily accept them as final because they are probably not. There may be changes between now and Thursday, when the minor league seasons open. Even so, later on Saturday, I will be posting the most recent working rosters on the main site for subscribers.

Memphis (4-9-3) lost to New Orleans, 6-4

Memphis Pitching

Lance Lynn – 5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 K’s – I hope the 2009 Pitcher of the Year in the system gets this out of his system in Florida.
Eduardo Sanchez – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB – Pitching every other day. Third straight scoreless outing after a rough game last Saturday.
Adam Reifer – 1 IP, 1 K – Also getting into a regular groove.
Pete Parise and Blake King – each threw a perfect inning with 1 K

Memphis Hitting

Ruben Gotay – 1-for-2 with a walk and RBI – His importance as insurance to the organization increased when Julio Lugo was dealt to Baltimore.
Jon Jay and Kevin Howard – RBI singles
Tyler Greene – doubled – Interesting that Donovan Solano went to Minneapolis and Greene did not.

Springfield (7-6-3) defeated Jacksonville, 7-4

Springfield Pitching

Nick Additon – 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K’s – Has a career ERA of 2.79 in three pro seasons.
David Kopp – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K’s – Second-rounder in 2007 working to remain healthy and demonstrate his potential.
Ryan Kulik – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K’s
Chuckie Fick – 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R
Thomas Eager – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K – Cards’ fifth-rounder in 2007 moved to relief last season. Tied for the Florida State League lead in holds with ten and was second with 52 appearances.

Springfield Hitting

Adron Chambers – 3 hits, including an RBI triple and scored 3 runs – Chambers’ 16 triples last season not only led the Cardinals system, it was tops in all of the minor leagues… and the major leagues, too! You can look it up!
Daryl Jones – home run and sacrifice fly
Andrew Brown – two hits, including a long 2-run HR – Getting hot again as camp closes.
Pete Kozma – doubled and tripled – Had 20 doubles and three triples among his 111 hits between Palm Beach and Quad Cities last season.

Quad Cities (6-9) defeated Palm Beach (8-7-1),

Palm Beach Pitching

Brian Broderick – 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K’s
Richard Castillo – 4 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K – Tough outing for our #18-ranked Cardinals prospect.
Casey Mulligan – 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K’s – Four consecutive scoreless outings after a rough opener on the 20th allows me to tag a reliever as Pitcher of the Day..

Palm Beach Hitting

I swear this list is the same characters from the day before, including…

Xavier Scruggs – 3-for-4 with double, triple, HR and 2 RBIs – Second consecutive Player of the Day nod.
Luis DeLaCruz – 2-for-3 with a double
Osvaldo Morales – 2-for-4 with a double – Tied for third among Cardinals minor league hitters with 15 home runs last season and his 82 RBI was #2 in the system.
Rich Racobaldo – 2-for-4 with an RBI
Matt Carpenter – hit a solo HR – Had only two home runs in his 251 first professional at-bats.
Jose Garcia – doubled and walked – His 27 steals in 2009 was second in the system.
Tommy Pham – 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored – My unofficial Spring MVP.

Quad Cities Pitching

Eric Fornataro – 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K’s – Sixth-rounder in 2008 has career 3.03 ERA, including an 0-5, 5.24 introduction to Quad Cities last summer. Looks to improve on the latter numbers.
Chris Notti – 2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB
Chris Corrigan – 1 IP, 2 K’s – Poised to improve upon 28-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio with Batavia last season.
LaCurtis Mayes – 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 K’s

Quad Cities Hitting

Frederick Parejo – doubled, homered and had 4 RBIs – Has a real case to the Player of the Day. Has just 62 career RBI in 666 at-bats.
Ryde Rodriguez – singled, homered and had 2 RBIs – Supposed power prospect has five home runs in 523 professional at-bats, all in 2009.
Devin Shepherd – 3-for-4 with two doubles – Did not play in 2009 and his only six extra base hits in 2008 were doubles.
Matt Adams and Robert Stock – each hit solo HR’s – Adams hit ten home runs in 245 at-bats in his first pro season last year while Stock had seven, all at Johnson City in 170 total ABs.
Ryan Jackson – doubled

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Highlights from Friday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida

Friday brought another camp day in Jupiter during which intersquad games were held. As always, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares game highlights. The raw data is his, with the comments mine.

Team summary:  5-1 was the operative score of the day, as Springfield beat their big brothers from Memphis (the ones that aren’t in Minneapolis) and Palm Beach topped Quad Cities. The Florida State League club clinched the best minor league record of the spring as Springfield evened their mark once again. Both of Saturday’s losers, Memphis and Quad Cities, will break camp with losing records this spring.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were… you guessed it, 2-2. Spring totals are now 27-33-8 overall and 18-24-4 versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Shaun Garceau, pitching for Springfield, tossed six shutout innings at Memphis, scattering six hits and just one walk.

My Hitter of the Day:  Palm Beach’s Xavier Scruggs (pictured) went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. His 59 RBI last season between Batavia and Quad Cities ranked ninth in the organization.

Saturday’s schedule: The final day of formal competition will occur as the three northern clubs prepare to break camp and head out for the regular season. Memphis and Quad Cities play their Marlins counterparts while Springfield and Palm Beach are apparently done with game action for the spring.

Springfield (6-6-3) defeated Memphis (4-8-3), 5-1 (in “7-ish” innings)

Memphis Pitching

Evan MacLane – 6.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K’s – Veteran lefty decided to return to the organization for 2010.

Memphis Hitting

Charles Cutler – 2-for-2 with a walk and RBI – Is he the best hitting catcher in the system? By how much?
Mark Shorey – 2-for-2 with a double, walk and run scored – Has been coming on strong lately.
Jon Jay – 2-for-3 – Here’s hoping he sees ample time in centerfield this season.

Springfield Pitching

Shaun Garceau – 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K – The Pitcher of the Day coming off a couple of less encouraging outings. Only pitched 30 1/3 innings in 2009.
Matt Meyer – 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Springfield Hitting

Jim Rapoport – 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored
Andrew Brown – 2-for-4 with a double and run scored – Was very hot earlier in camp.
Daryl Jones – doubled and scored – Hope he will turn it on when the season begins.
Curt Smith – singled and walked – Led Palm Beach in all three Triple Crown categories last season.
Colt Sedbrook – singled and scored – Was fourth in walks (52) in the system in 2009.
Steven Hill – singled, scored and had an RBI – With Springfield last season, made 40 starts at catcher, 30 in the outfield and 25 at first base. Also spent part of 2008 in Double-A.

Palm Beach (8-6-1) defeated Quad Cities (5-9), 5-1

Palm Beach Pitching

Jared Bradford – 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s – What looks to be a very effective outing was almost good enough to make him Pitcher of the Day.
Mark Diapoules – 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K’s – Solid relief from both who followed Bradford.
Jason Buursma – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 K

Palm Beach Hitting

Xavier Scruggs – 3-for-4 with a double and RBI – Player of the Day. Good to see you, Xavier. Where have you been?
Tommy Pham – 2-for-3 with a double and run scored – Running out of superlatives to describe his spring with the bat.
Francisco Rivera – 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI – A lot of 1B/3B love on this team today.
Roberto Espinoza – 2-for-4 – Catcher is a career .200 hitter in four professional seasons.
Chris Swauger – RBI double
Rich Racobaldo – singled and scored
Jermaine Curtis – singled, scored twice and had an RBI – Fifth-rounder in 2008 is another who hasn’t been a regular in these reports this spring.

Quad Cities Pitching

Aaron Terry – 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R
Daniel Calhoun – 4 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 K
Joe Kelly – 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s – Continuing to look good and is definitely a player to watch in 2010.

Quad Cities Hitting

Niko Vasquez – 2-for-4 with a double and run scored – Is he borrowing Tommy Pham’s bat? He has six hits in last three days including three doubles.
Matt Adams – 2-for-3 with an RBI – Two consecutive days here after having been quiet prior.
Jason Stidham – doubled

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Highlights from Thursday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida.

On Thursday, the Cardinals’ five squads remained home as the Marlins walked across from their side of the complex. As always, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares game highlights. The raw data is his, with the comments mine.

Team summary:  With camp nearing its end, the Cardinals had by far their best day of the spring as all five clubs won, from top to bottom. Prior to Thursday, their best afternoon was 3-1-1 on the 27^th, also against the Marlins. Palm Beach pulled over .500, the only one of the five to accomplish that.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were 5-0. Spring totals are now 25-31-8 overall and 18-24-4 versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Matt Frevert of Columbia, MO did not allow a baserunner and fanned three in two scoreless innings of work for Springfield. I bet the family will be traveling to see him this summer.

My Hitter of the Day:  Springfield outfielder Adron Chambers (pictured) hit a home run, tripled, scored twice and collected two RBI. Batted .365, third in the Colombian League this past winter – the country, not the city mentioned just above!

Friday’s schedule: Another camp day in Jupiter is planned during which intersquad games will be held. Saturday will be the final day of formal competition as the three northern clubs get ready to head out. Bus rides are done – for the spring, anyway!

Memphis (4-7-3) defeated New Orleans, 7-5

Memphis Pitching

Trey Hearne – 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 K
Kevin Thomas – 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K’s – Tossed three scoreless for Palm Beach last time out, but far fewer baserunners this time.
Josh Kinney – perfect inning with 2 K’s – Much better this time out after having a rough spring.
Matt Scherer – perfect inning with 1 K – Improvement here, too.
Tyler Norrick – 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Memphis Hitting

Tyler Greene – 3-for-5 with a run scored and RBI – I wonder if he heard about the Lugo trade? (grin)
Jon Jay – doubled twice, walked and scored a run – Needs to create a need for his services in St. Louis.
Amaury Cazana – doubled in his only AB
Daniel Descalso – walked and scored a run in his only PA
Kevin Howard – singled, walked, scored a run and had an RBI – The minor league vet brings his bat every day.
Mark Shorey – double, walked and scored twice – A semi-regular in these highlights.
Charles Cutler – doubled, scored a run and had 2 RBIs – Has always hit regardless of the level. Career .317 batter in two professional seasons.
Shane Robinson – tripled

Springfield (5-6-3) defeated Jacksonville, 8-4

Springfield Pitching

Gary Daley – 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – A couple of runs, but just one walk.
Blake King – 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K’s – A very strong outing. Maybe this is the year…
Thomas Eager – 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s
Adam Reifer – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Eduardo Sanchez – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K – Finished them off. Had ten saves for Springfield last season. Yielded three runs in 3 1/3 innings with St. Louis earlier in the spring.

Springfield Hitting

Adron Chambers – tripled, homered, scored twice and had two RBIs – The Player of the Day
Steven Hill – 2-for-4 with a double, homer, 3 RBIs and two runs scored – Has a very strong case, too.
Curt Smith – 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored – How many first basemen get triples? Smith had four last season between Palm Beach and Springfield. His .286 average ranked eighth in the Florida State League in 2009. How is that for a pitcher’s league? His 65 RBI last season was fourth-highest total in the Cardinals system.
Andrew Brown – single and triple – Well, no triples for first basemen besides these two, that is! Brown has three triples in the last two seasons combined after collecting seven in his 2007 debut with Batavia.
Pete Kozma – two hits and a walk, scored a run – Greater expectations for the former first-rounder in his expected return to Springfield.
Aaron Luna – two-run double

Palm Beach (7-6-1) defeated Jupiter, 3-2

Palm Beach Pitching

Arquimedes Nieto – 3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB
Ramon Delgado – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 K
Matt Frevert – two perfect innings with 3 K’s – The Pitcher of the Day
Joel Pichardo – 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K’s
David Carpenter – 1 IP, 2 K’s – Same exact line as Tuesday and third consecutive scoreless stint. What more could one ask?

Palm Beach Hitting

Chris Swauger – 2-for-4 with a double and run scored – Was our TCN Player of the Month last August based on his play with Palm Beach. Finished in the top ten in the system last year in many offensive categories (runs, hits doubles, triples, RBI, slugging).
Matt Carpenter – doubled, walked and had an RBI
Rich Racobaldo – double and a run scored – Had an 11-game hitting streak with Johnson City last summer.
Francisco Rivera – game-winning RBI single vs. a lefty
Jose Garcia – single, walk and run scored – Does the little things well as his 14 sacrifice bunts last year lead the system. His 27 stolen bases between Palm Beach and Quad Cities was second-most in the organization in 2009.
Luis DeLaCruz – RBI single

Quad Cities 1 (5-8) defeated Greensboro, 7-3

Quad Cities 1 Pitching

Jorge Rondon – 3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s – Kept a lot of baserunners from scoring at least.
Mike Blazek – 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 K’s – A serious contender for Pitcher of the Day.
Jesse Simpson – 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Jason Novak – 1 IP, 1 K – By my count, this is Novak’s fifth consecutive scoreless outing. Need to show love to single-inning guys, too!

Quad Cities 1 Hitting

Niko Vasquez – 3-for-4 with a double, 2 RBIs and a run scored – Also doubled Wednesday. Hitting more like a third baseman.
Frederick Parejo – 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI – Back in the highlights after a big weekend past.
Matt Adams – RBI double – Some readers were worried about you, Matt. Welcome!
Jason Stidham – singled, scored a run and had a sac fly – Like Parejo, had a good weekend.
Devin Shepherd – walked and singled
Luis Mateo – RBI single, good baserunning to advance on throw and scored a run
Ryan Jackson – singled and walked – Shortstop needs to grow offensively this year.
Ivan Castro – walked and scored a run

Extended Spring Training (formerly Quad Cities 2) (3-4-1) defeated Marlins 5^th club, 3-2

EST Pitching

Anthony Ferrara – 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K’s – A good day at the office for the 2008 seventh rounder.
Cale Johnson – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 K – 5.2 strikeout to walk ratio last year was fourth-best among all Cardinals minor leaguers.
Travis Lawler – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 unearned run, 1 BB, 3 K’s
Kyle Heim – one perfect inning – Was scored on last two times out, so this is good to see.
Andrew Moss – 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K’s
LaCurtis Mayes – 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K’s

EST Hitting

Ross Smith – 2-for-3, double and 2 RBIs – Haven’t seen a lot of Smith this spring. Maybe this is the start.
Yunier Castillo, Jon Edwards and Rainel Rosario – each doubled
Roberto DeLaCruz and Devin Goodwin – singled and scored a run
Michael Swinson – singled in his only AB

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Highlights from Wednesday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida as Shelby Miller stars.

On Wednesday, the Cardinals had a camp day in Jupiter in which intersquad games were held. As always, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares game highlights. The raw data is his, with the comments mine.

Team summary:  As one would expect, the two higher-level clubs defeated their little brothers, though the Memphis-Springfield game was tight as the Redbirds barely picked up their third win of the spring. Palm Beach had their way with Quad Cities pitching.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were of course 2-2. Spring totals are now 20-31-8 overall and 13-24-4 versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Shelby Miller (pictured), pitching for Quad Cities, tossed three perfect innings at Palm Beach, fanning six.

My Hitter of the Day:  Quad Cities’ Francisco Rivera collected a triple, home run, scored twice and added three RBI.

Thursday’s schedule: The Cardinals five squads will remain home as the Marlins walk across from their side of the complex.

Memphis (3-7-3) defeated Springfield (4-6-3), 4-3 (7 ½ innings)

Memphis Pitching

Brandon Dickson – 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s
Ryan Kulik – 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s

Memphis Hitting

Ruben Gotay – 3-run home run – Batted just .200 (4-for-20) in MLB camp but one of those hits was a home run, too. Has 12 MLB home runs in 811 career plate appearances. Also, he lost his #3 jersey to Felipe Lopez.
Daniel Descalso – RBI triple and a walk in his two plate appearances – Then went over the to MLB game where he was hit by a pitch and scored a run.
Mark Shorey – doubled
Tyler Henley – tripled and scored a run – Was a late-game substitution in the MLB game in centerfield but did not get an at-bat.
Kevin Howard – 1-for-2 with a walk and run scored – 28-year-old has a career .287/.354/.421 line in seven minor league seasons for CIN, NYY, LAD, PHI, SEA, TOR and SD. That would make StL his eighth organization.

Springfield Pitching

Scott Gorgen – 4 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K’s – His strikeout to walk ratio has eroded at each stop.
Chuckie Fick – 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K’s – On a non-Shelby day, this outing was good enough to be the Pitcher of the Day, so here’s an honorable mention for the son of Cardinals professional scout Chuck.
Matt Meyer – 1 IP, 1 H – Minor league Rule 5 signee from Cleveland serves as left-handed relief

Springfield Hitting

Jim Rapoport – 3-for-4 with a triple, stolen base and run scored – Has stolen 90 and caught 24 times in 398 career games. Lifetime batting average is just .245, but on-base mark is .322. Slugs less at .317. Surely knows what he needs to do.
Charles Cutler – 2-for-3 with a double and run scored – Catching opportunity upward right now. His combined .322 average last season between Palm Beach and Quad Cities was second highest in the Cardinals system and fifth highest among all minor league catchers.
Mike Folli – solo HR
Aaron Luna – doubled

Palm Beach (6-6-1) defeated Quad Cities 1 (5-8), 10-2

Palm Beach Pitching

Scott McGregor – 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s – In two seasons, the Cardinals’ 15^th round pick in 2008 is 11-11, 4.55.
Jason Buursma – 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER
Casey Mulligan – 1 IP, 1 K – Not a closing situation, but didn’t let down. Good.

Palm Beach Hitting

Francisco Rivera – 2-for-3 with a triple, homer, two runs scored and 3 RBIs – The Hitter of the Day.
Tommy Pham – 2-for-2 with a double, walk, 3 runs scored and two RBIs – I guess I should create a Hitter of the Spring Award just for Pham. Amazing consistency.
Rich Racobaldo – 1-for-3 with a single, RBI and a run scored
Matt Carpenter – 1-for-4 with an RBI
Osvaldo Morales – singled, scored a run and had an RBI

Quad Cities 1 Pitching

Shelby Miller – three perfect innings with 6 K’s – He doesn’t want to pitch in the Quad Cities early spring cold and is making his case for a Palm Beach assignment on the mound. Impressive.
Chris Notti – 1.2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – Ouch. Career 6-5, 3.50 ERA in two seasons.
Jose Rada – 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s
Chris Corrigan – 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER – Fanned 28 and walked 20 in 47 1/3 innings in his pro debut with Batavia last season.

Quad Cities 1 Hitting

Frederick Parejo – 1-for-2 with a triple, run scored and RBI – Was the starting centerfielder in the 2008 New York-Penn League All-Star Game, but had a quieter 2009 at Quad Cities. Still just 19 until July.
Niko Vasquez – doubled and scored a run – Third round selection in 2008 wants to put a rough 2009 behind him.
Travis Tartamella – singled in his only AB

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Highlights from Tuesday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida as the Memphis Redbirds hammered Mets ace Johan Santana.

After a rain-soaked day on Monday in which the pitchers were able to throw on the side, but the five games against the Marlins were washed out due to wet grounds, the St. Louis Cardinals again faced their New York Mets counterparts on Tuesday.

Just like the major league Cardinals, the Memphis and Springfield teams boarded buses for Port St. Lucie while the two A-level clubs entertained the Mets in Jupiter.

As always, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares game highlights. The raw data is his, with the comments mine.

Team summary: Any time any club can hang seven earned runs on a two-time Cy Young Award winner and four-time All-Star, it is a great day, let alone when it is a Triple A club doing the damage. That’s right – Memphis inflicted that pain on the Mets’ Johan Santana, assigned to Triple A Buffalo for the afternoon to get his work in prior to starting for New York on opening day.

(I readily admit that this photo of Santana was from another spring game, but it seemed too appropriate to let pass.)

Mets star Jose Reyes joined Santana as a Bison-for-a-day on Tuesday. Out the entire spring to-date due to a thyroid condition, the two-time All-Star shortstop managed just one hit, a double that could have been a triple, in five plate appearances.

The other three Cardinals teams ran into some good pitching, managing just three runs among them. Springfield encountered a two-hitter by the opposition and was shut out, Palm Beach collected two tallies while Quad Cities scored just once.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were 0-3-1. Spring totals are now 18-29-8 overall and 13-24-4 versus external competition. None of the five clubs, including Quad Cities 2 at 2-4-1, currently has an above-.500 record.

My Co-Pitchers of the Day: Springfield’s Brian Broderick and Quad Cities Scott Schneider each allowed just three baserunners in three scoreless innings.

My Hitter of the Day: Memphis Tyler Henley tripled, walked, scored twice and had two RBI, but I could easily give the award to his entire offense as eight different Redbirds collected and RBI and eight of them scored.

Wednesday’s schedule: The Cardinals have a camp day in which intersquad games will be held. I am hearing there will be an 11 a.m. start.

Memphis (2-7-3) tied with Buffalo, 9-9

Memphis Pitching

Adam Ottavino – 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – First outing since being sent down from St. Louis could have been better.
Rich Rundles – 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K – Veteran lefty was the only Redbirds pitcher to keep Buffalo off the board.
Tyler Norrick – 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Josh Kinney – 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – Continues to get beaten up. If he is healthy, there could be a real problem.
Fernando Salas – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER – Needs to stand out in case he is under consideration to replace Blake Hawksworth due to injury. A shutout inning would have been better.
Matt Scherer – 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – Once was on the 40-man roster, but was never called up.

Memphis Hitting

Bryan Anderson – 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI – Remember him? Injuries in St. Louis could open the door a crack after he received just one at-bat in MLB spring training.
Amaury Cazana – 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored – Where will he play this year? I am not talking position, I mean which country?
Daniel Descalso – 2-for-5 with a double, run scored and RBI – Had the game-winning walkoff home run for St. Louis on Monday.
Shane Robinson – 2-for-4 with a run scored – Just keeps producing. Seeing some time at second base.
Tyler Henley – tripled, walked, scored twice and had two RBIs – Hitter of the Day
Mark Shorey – doubled, walked, scored a run and had an RBI – Not giving any ground in outfield battle.
Tony Cruz – doubled and had an RBI – Catcher is having a nice spring and may get to stay in Triple A for awhile to continue to prove his mettle.
Kevin Howard – RBI single – Minor league veteran may be playing a lot at third for the Redbirds this season.
Tyler Greene and Jon Jay – singled, scored a run and had an RBI

Check out the following video of the Memphis battery of Adam Ottavino and Tony Cruz doing battle against Reyes.

Springfield (4-5-3) lost to Binghamton, 1-0

Springfield Pitching

David Kopp – 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K – Comeback from injury continuing well.
Brian Broderick – 3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB – Co-Pitcher of the Day.
Blake King – 1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K – The walks didn’t stay away long.
Adam Reifer – 1 IP, 1 BB – Not sure if we should read anything into the order with Reifer apparently pitching the eighth and Sanchez the ninth.
Eduardo Sanchez – 1 IP, 1 BB – Identical line to Reifer. Francisco Samuel out with shoulder pain.

Springfield Hitting

Adron Chambers – singled and stole a base – Has stolen 40 but caught 25 times over three professional seasons.
Aaron Luna – had the only other Springfield hit
Pete Kozma, Matt Carpenter, Daryl Jones, Andrew Brown and Jim Rapoport – all walked – A’s for effort

Palm Beach (5-6-1) lost to St. Lucie, 4-2

Palm Beach Pitching

Rich Hill – 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K’s – Major leaguer facing A-level hitters. Hmmm…
Ramon Delgado – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K’s
Joel Pichardo – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 K
Matt Frevert – 1 IP, 2 K’s – 28^th rounder in 2009 quietly ranked in the top ten in the system in WHIP (6^th at 0.99), strikeouts per nine innings (6^th with 11.21) and strikeout to walk ratio (tied for 9^th at 4.40). Sleeper alert!
David Carpenter – 1 IP, 2 K’s – Only starting his second full season on the mound and doing nicely.

Palm Beach Hitting

Tommy Pham – 2-run HR – Owner of one of the Cardinals hottest sticks this spring.
Osvaldo Morales – 2-for-3 with a double
Jose Garcia – tripled and scored a run – Had five of his career eight triples in four pro seasons last summer.
Ryan Jackson – singled in his only AB

Quad Cities 1 (5-7) lost to Savannah, 8-1

Quad Cities 1 Pitching

Deryk Hooker 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K’s – Not terrible, but I keep expecting Hooker to dominate at this level.
Scott Schneider – 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 K – My Co-Pitcher of the Day was our Batavia Pitcher of the Year for 2009.
Zach Russell – 1.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1BB – Bumpy outing for the former 49^th rounder in 2007.
Michael Thompson – 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K
Aaron Terry – 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER

Quad Cities 1 Hitting

Jon Edwards – 2-for-2 with a double – Has always been streaky, but needs longer, more consistent play to realize great potential.
Ted Obregon – doubled – An oft-forgotten middle infielder.
Michael Swinson – walked twice and scored a run – Keep an eye on him…

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Highlights from Sunday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida.

On Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ enter their final week of camp by once again facing the Mets. This time, Memphis and Springfield boarded the bus for Port St. Lucie while the A-level clubs stayed home.

As always, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares game highlights. The raw data is his, with the comments mine.

Team summary: It was a tie day all around as each pair of clubs split in both game locations. Behind an offensive explosion, Springfield won on Mets soil while Palm Beach took a home victory. Both clubs pulled their organization spring-best records to .500 with the wins.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were 2-2. Spring totals are now 18-26-7 overall and 13-21-3 versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Quad Cites 1’s Aaron Terry spun two perfect innings.

My Hitter of the Day: Springfield’s Chris Swauger (pictured) apparently liked twos on the day as he had two singles, two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in five at-bats.

Monday’s schedule: The Cardinals five squads are “visitors” to their Florida Marlins counterparts as they take the short walk over from their side of the Jupiter complex.

Memphis (2-7-2) lost to Buffalo, 7-2

Memphis Pitching

Evan MacLane – 4 IP, 4 H, four unearned runs, 1 BB, 2 K’s – Our 2009 Memphis Starting Pitcher of the Year came back for the PCL title defense.
Oneli Perez – 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s – That makes 7 runs, six earned, yielded in his last 4 2/3 innings. He fared better in big league camp (in very limited action – two ER in 3 1/3 innings pitched).
Rich Rundles – 1.2 IP, 1 H, no runs, 2 K’s
Matt Scherer – one perfect inning

Memphis Hitting

Mark Shorey – 2-for-4 with a double and run scored – Has to continue to hit like this to keep in the crowded outfield hunt. The 25-year-old left-handed hitter was named the MVP of the Colombian winter league playoffs.
Shane Robinson – 2-for-4 with a triple, run scored and RBI – Three triples in two days is the same total as he had all last season. Robinson has ten three-baggers in his four-year professional career.
Tony Cruz – 2-for-4 with an RBI – On fire. Four for his last seven on Saturday and Sunday.
Jon Jay – doubled and walked – Good to see. Obviously not sulking over being sent down.
Tyler Henley – singled and scored

Springfield (4-4-3) defeated Binghamton, 11-6

Springfield Pitching

Shaun Garceau – 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – Yielded 2 ER in 3 IP last time out.
Chuckie Fick – 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K’s
Blake King – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – No walks is a good thing. Only had one in his last outing of two innings.
Jason Buursma – 1 IP, 1 BB – Had an 11-1 strikeout to walk ratio with Quad Cities to start last season, but it dropped to 20-15 after he joined Palm Beach.

Springfield Hitting

Adron Chambers – 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored – Was Shorey’s Colombian teammate, finishing third in the winter league in average, .365, first in triples with 6, second in hits, and fourth in slugging at .529.
Chris Swauger – 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored – The Player of the Day and another Colombian league player this past winter.
Pete Kozma – 2-for-5 with a run scored and RBI
Antonio DeJesus – 2-for-4 with a double, walk, two runs scored and an RBI
Matt Carpenter – 2-for-4 with three runs scored – Four for his last seven and hit a home run the day before that!
Colt Sedbrook – 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored – Second consecutive day he was on base twice.
Daryl Jones – 2-for-5
Steven Hill – doubled and had two RBIs
Curt Smith – singled and walked

Palm Beach (5-5-1) defeated St. Lucie, 7-5

Palm Beach Pitching

Kevin Thomas – 3 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K’s – Kept those baserunners from crossing the plate.
Houston Summers – 2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB – Last knuckleballer remaining after Charlie Zink was released.
Jose Rada – 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 K
Joel Pichardo – 1 IP, 1 K
Matt Frevert – 1 IP, 2 H, one unearned run, 1 BB

Palm Beach Hitting

Tommy Pham – 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, three runs scored and RBI – On base in four of five plate appearances. His career OBP is just .294, so here is hoping there is more where that came from.
Francisco Rivera – 2-for-2
Rich Racobaldo – 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs – On base six times over the last three days and collected four RBI in the process. Drove in 42 in 249 at-bats in 2009 between Johnson City and Quad Cities.
Ryde Rodriguez – doubled and scored a run
Jason Stidham – doubled, walked, and scored a run – On base six times the last three days also and scored each day.
Osvaldo Morales – doubled
Jesus Montero – game-winning RBI triple in his only AB
Jose Garcia – double and RBI

Quad Cities 1 (5-6) lost to Savannah, 11-4

Quad Cities 1 Pitching

Anthony Ferrara – 2.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K’s – Rough day at the office.
Jesse Simpson – 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K’s
Jorge Rondon – 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s
Aaron Terry – two perfect innings – Maybe he should have started… Struck out 37 and walked nine in 28 innings of relief between Johnson City and Batavia in his 2009 professional debut.

Quad Cities #1 Hitting

Frederick Parejo – 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored – RBIs in each of the last three days. Home run on Friday and on base twice each of the next two days.
Niko Vasquez – 2-for-4 with a run scored and 2 RBIs
D’Marcus Ingram – doubled and scored a run
Jon Edwards – double and RBI
Devin Shepherd – singled in his only AB

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Highlights from Saturday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida.

On Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ five squads were “home” as their Florida Marlins counterparts take the short walk over from their side of the Jupiter complex.

As always, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares game highlights. The raw data is his, with the comments mine.

Team summary: The Cardinals had just their second winning day of the spring and their best overall to date. Memphis finally collected their second win in camp whiile Palm Beach and Quad Cities 1 were also victorious. Quad Cities 2 tied their Marlins counterpart. Completing the table-turning, the Cardinals’ winningest team this spring, Springfield, was the only one to take a loss on Saturday as their pitching blew a gasket. The other clubs rode their strong pitching to success.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were 3-1-1. Spring totals are now 16-24-7 overall and 11-19-3 versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Gary Daley, pitching for Memphis, allowed just two baserunners in four shutout innings. How can one not root for a turnaround by the Cards’ third-round selection in 2006 who has 202 strikeouts with 188 walks in 247 1/3 career innings and mid-90’s heat?

My Hitter of the Day: Memphis’ centerfielder Shane Robinson (pictured) was on base four times, including via a pair of triples. Let’s see… The major league team needs a reserve centerfielder and it is Robinson’s natural position. He went 4-for-11 (.374) in big league camp, including two doubles. Shane also walked three times, drove in three and was hit twice by pitches. Maybe he is trying to suggest he deserved more of a chance?

Sunday’s schedule: The Cardinals enter their final week of camp by facing the Mets. This time, Memphis and Springfield board the bus for Port St. Lucie while the A-level clubs stay home.

Memphis (2-6-2) defeated New Orleans, 9-2

Memphis Pitching

Gary Daley – four shutout innings on one hit, one walk and one strikeout – The Pitcher of the Day.
Trey Hearne – 2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
Josh Kinney – 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB – Needs to start putting up goose eggs.
Tyler Norrick – 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 K
Fernando Salas – one perfect inning with 2 K’s – Pitched better in big league camp this spring than some still there (9 Ks to 1 BB, 2.45 ERA).

Memphis Hitting

Shane Robinson – 3-for-3 including two triples, a walk, 2 runs and an RBI
Tony Cruz – 2-for-3 with a double, a HBP, two runs and two RBIs – If he keeps hitting like this, it will be tough to send him back down to Springfield when the Molina-Pagnozzi dominoes eventually fall.
Amaury Cazana – 2-run HR – Will he return to Mexico? Will he ever play for Memphis again?
Mark Shorey – doubled and scored
Donovan Solano – 1-for-2 with a walk and RBI
Mike Folli – 1-for-2 with an RBI
Tyler Henley – singled and scored – Note Henley is with Memphis while Jones is with Springfield.

Springfield (3-4-3) lost to Jacksonville, 13-3

Springfield Pitching

Scott Gorgen – 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K’s – Rough outing for the 2009 Arizona Fall League participant.
Ryan Kulik 3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 K – After a 43-10 strikeout to walk ratio in 2008, it zoomed up to 71-46 last season. Not a positive trend.
Thomas Eager – 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K – Fifth-round pick in 2007 has yet to turn the corner.
Eduardo Sanchez – 1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 K’s – Not what one would hope to see from a legitimate closer candidate.

Springfield Hitting

Andrew Brown – 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI – Getting listed here more days than not this spring.
Matt Carpenter – 2-for-3 with a walk
Curt Smith – RBI double
Daryl Jones and Colt Sedbrook – singled, walked and scored – Since being sent down from big league camp (1-for-5), Mr. Jones, the organization’s 2008 Player of the Year, has been quiet. (Nothing against Jones, but our pick that year was David Freese.)
Aaron Luna – single, walk, RBI
Tommy Pham – walked twice

Palm Beach (4-5-1) defeated Jupiter, 7-2

Palm Beach Pitching

Mark Diapoules – 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K’s – Nice showing. Last season, he made 15 appearances with Palm Beach before injury and return to Quad Cities. In the Florida State League, he posted a 5.72 ERA as walks were a problem (28 in 39 1/3 innings).
Arquimedes Nieto – 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 unearned run, 1 BB, 4 K’s – His 116 strikeouts last season was fourth-highest among all Cardinals minor leaguers. His 22 starts between Quad Cities and Palm Beach ranked ninth in the system.
Ramon Delgado – 1.1 perfect innings with a K
David Carpenter – one hitless inning, one walk, one K – Tied for seventh in appearances in the organization with 52 at Quad Cities despite it being only his first full season after converting from catcher.

Palm Beach Hitting

Rich Racobaldo – 2-for-2 with a double, two runs, RBI
Jason Stidham – two hits, run, two RBIs – Did you know the 22-year-old was born at Lakenheath, United Kingdom? I didn’t.
Domnit Bolivar – two hits, run – To be in the know, work on pronunciation of the 20-year-old Venezuelan shortstop’s name – “DUG-nee BO-lee-var”.
Jose Garcia – tripled and scored
Frederick Parejo – single, walk, RBI
Osvaldo Morales – RBI single

Quad Cities 1 (5-5) defeated Greensboro, 1-0 (10 innings)

Quad Cities 1 Pitching

Kevin Siegrist – four hitless innings, 1 BB, 3 K’s – Could mount a very strong argument for repeating as Pitcher of the Day (also won on 3/22). Seven shutout innings over his last two outings. Impressive. Has a 3.07 ERA in his first two seasons. Was with Batavia in 2009.
Mike Blazek – 4 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 K’s – A shame this fine outing is almost lost among the other standout performances. Blazek led the New York-Penn League with 13 wild pitches last season, but seemed to be right on the mark on this day.
Andrew Moss and David Kington – 1 IP, 1 H each

Quad Cities #1 Hitting

Niko Vasquez – singled and scored the game’s only run
Jonathan Rodriguez – singled and walked
Devin Goodwin – doubled and walked in his two plate appearances – Second baseman taken in 33^rd round in 2009 looking for playing time.
Travis Tartamella – singled in his only AB – 22-year-old catcher batted just .183 in his rookie season at Johnson City.

Quad Cities 2 (2-4-1) tied Marlins 5^th club, 1-1

Quad Cities 2 Pitching

Cale Johnson – 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K – Last season, he was fourth among Cardinals relievers with a 5.2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio.
Hector Hernandez – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Chris Corrigan – two hitless innings, two walks, one K
Keith Butler – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K’s – His 1.02 WHIP in 2009 ranked as eighth-best in the system.

Quad Cities 2 Hitting

Rainel Rosario – 2-for-4 with an RBI – 21-year-old Dominican had a .758 OPS with Johnson City last season, his second in the US.
Anthony Garcia – doubled in his only AB – Seems to be doing well with the bat in his playing time.
Jesus Montero – singled and walked in two plate appearances
Yunier Castillo – singled and scored a run – Encouraging to see the defensive standout appearing again among the offensive highlights.

Roster move: Adam Ottavino was optioned to Memphis on Saturday.

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Highlights from Friday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida.

On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ top four clubs once again faced each other as Memphis took on Springfield and Palm Beach opposed Quad Cities.

As always, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares game highlights. The raw data is his, with the comments mine.

Team summary: Memphis missed getting their second win of the spring as they tied Springfield in a shortened, five-inning game. As they should, Palm Beach defeated Quad Cities in the other intersquad contest behind 2009 top draft pick Shelby Miller and a big day from a pair of outfielders.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were 1-1-2. Spring totals are now 13-23-6 overall and 7-18-2 versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Palm Beach’s Justin Edwards tossed a pair of perfect innings and added a strikeout as well.

My Hitter of the Day: Palm Beach’s Kyle Conley (pictured) had a double, home run and four RBI.

Saturday’s schedule: The Cardinals’ five squads are “home” as their Marlins counterparts take the short walk over from their side of the Jupiter complex.

Memphis (1-6-2) and Springfield (3-3-3) tied 1-1, 5 innings

Memphis Pitching

Matt Meyer – 0 2 IP, 1H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K’s
Rich Rundles – struck out the side
Matt Scherer – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s
Casey Mulligan – one scoreless inning with two walks

Memphis Hitting

Shane Robinson – doubled and scored a run
Jim Rapoport – RBI single – Led the system with 71 walks last year, but his OBP of .358 did not crack the top ten.
Daniel Descalso – singled and walked in two plate appearances

Springfield Pitching

Blake King – two hitless innings with a walk and a strikeout – Will this be the year he puts it together?
Jason Buursma – 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s
Adam Reifer – one perfect inning – This is very important to see. It will be very interesting to see who closes for both Memphis and Springfield this season as there are a number of candidates. Surely Reifer is among them.

Springfield Hitting

Adron Chambers – walked twice and HBP in his three plate appearances
Matt Carpenter – solo home run – A sort of under-the-radar prospect was pushed in his first season at 24. Wouldn’t be the first to struggle a bit at Palm Beach only to rebound.

Palm Beach (3-5-1) defeated Quad Cities (4-5), 7-4

Palm Beach Pitching

Shelby Miller – 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s – Touched by a solo home run. Other than that, he had what looks to be a good outing.
Justin Edwards – two perfect innings, 1 K – Allowed just one home run in 221 batters faced last season.
Pat Daugherty – 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 K
Jason Novak – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K

Palm Beach Hitting

Ryde Rodriguez – 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI – Ryde, where have you been?
Kyle Conley – doubled, homered and had 4 RBIs – Ditto for you, Kyle. Great to see these two in the highlights. Conley was the organization’s Minor League Player of the Month last August.
Alex Castellanos – 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI – Continues to appear in these reports almost daily
Frederick Parejo – 2-run HR – Still just 19 years old. Very young for this level.
Jose Garcia – singled, walked and scored two runs – An organizational favorite is another under-the-radar guy.
Xavier Scruggs – RBI single and was HBP
Rich Racobaldo – singled and walked and had an RBI
Luis De La Cruz and Jason Stidham – singled, walked and scored – Last season, De La Cruz had a major league camp invite and was selected to the New York-Penn League All-Star Game. The 20-year-old needs to stay healthy to restore his prospect luster at a position that needs standouts.

Quad Cities Pitching

Scott McGregor – 2.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s – Rough day for Scott.
Chris Notti – 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K’s
LaCurtis Mayes – 1 IP, 1 H – A guy to watch, especially if he can continue to keep the walks under control.
Miguel Tapia – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB

Quad Cities Hitting

Devin Shepherd – 2-run HR in his only AB
Niko Vasquez – solo HR (off Miller) – Former shortstop has seven minor league home runs in 704 career at-bats. Would be nice to see a third baseman with power.
Ted Obregon – singled in his only AB – Another shortstop to be considered among those at this position, deep at these levels.
Ivan Castro – 1-for-2 with a run scored

Releases and other news: On Friday, the  Cardinals announced their second group of minor league player releases for the spring. The most prominent of the ten now ex-Cardinals is former second-round draft pick Brad Furnish. The others are pitchers Tyler Lavigne, Randy Santos, Adam Veres, Santo Maertz, Charlie Zink, Pedro Rodriguez and Yoffri Martinez along with outfielders Travis Mitchell and Edwin Gomez. The Cardinal Nation subscribers can read up on all ten players here.

In addition, after their day off changing clubhouses, Tyler Greene and Jon Jay should be appearing in the Memphis highlights later this weekend as the two were cut from the big club on Friday.

The Roster Matrix is up to date on all players, though team assignments will not be changed until the full-season rosters are finalized around April 4. 287 players are currently under contract.

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Highlights from Thursday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida.

On Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ top four clubs once again found the Mets as their primary opponent with Memphis and Springfield entertaining their New York opponents in Jupiter, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities 1 again took the short drive to the Mets’ home in Port St. Lucie.

Quad Cities 2 welcomed the World Free Agent Spring Training club.  WFAST is a 17-day spring camp for free agents, offering instruction from independent league coaches and of course, game competition for young men looking for professional contracts. The Cardinals minor leaguers play a game against WFAST each spring.

As always, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch shares game highlights. The raw data is his, with the comments mine.

Team summary: Memphis and Springfield fell while Palm Beach worked a tie and both Quad Cities clubs outscored their competition.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were 2-2-1. Spring totals are now 12-22-4 overall and 7-18-2 versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Randy Santos of Quad Cities 2 spun three shutout innings, striking out four.

My Hitter of the Day: Quad Cities 1’s Jarred Bogany (pictured) singled, doubled, drove in two and scored.

Friday’s schedule: Once again, the Cardinals have no external opponents to play. As such, we are pretty much guaranteed to have a 2-2 day as Memphis will take on Springfield and Palm Beach will face Quad Cities.

Memphis (1-6-1) lost to New Orleans, 8-1

Memphis Pitching

Brandon Dickson – 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – opposite field solo HR
Brad Furnish – 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K’s – Rough outing for the lefty.
Oneli Perez – 2.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 K’s – Could be on the bump with more outings like this.
Pete Parise – 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER – May not get to close to start this year depending on who else makes the team.

Memphis Hitting

Bryan Anderson – 2-for-3, solo HR – Will presumably see more time for Memphis if Pags starts with St. Louis due to Yadier Molina’s injury.
Shane Robinson and Daniel Descalso – singled and walked – Not much else to say about a team that has not been winning so far this spring.

Springfield (3-3-2) lost to Binghamton, 3-2

Springfield Pitching

David Kopp – 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – Continuing his comeback from imjury.
Brian Broderick – 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER
Richard Castillo – 2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K’s
Chuckie Fick – 2 perfect innings, 2 K’s – Almost the Pitcher of the Day.

Springfield Hitting

Aaron Luna – 2-for-3 – Has been hitting all spring.
Andrew Brown – double – Ditto. His offense may be ready for Memphis, but third base experiment is still early.
Antonio DeJesus – single, HBP, scored – Good to see him here. Is a .252 career hitter, but batted just .229 with Springfield last season.
Tommy Pham – RBI single in his only AB – Another hot bat.

Palm Beach (2-5-1) tied with St. Lucie, 4-4

Palm Beach Pitching

Jared Bradford – 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s – Had a 14-to-2 strikeout to walk ratio last season between Gulf Coast League and Palm Beach.
Scott Schneider – 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K’s – Our 2009 Batavia Starting Pitcher of the Year. His 0.91 WHIP last season was second-best in the entire system.
Yoffri Martinez – 1 IP, 0 R
Houston Summers – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 unearned run, 1 BB – Knuckleballer has a much better outing.
Jose Rada – one perfect inning – Led the Appalachian League with 23 appearances in 2009 and posted a nice 1.76 ERA, too.
Joel Pichardo – one perfect inning with a strikeout

Palm Beach Hitting

D’Marcus Ingram – 2-for-5, run, stolen base – His 25 swipes in 32 attempts last season ranked fourth in the organization.
Frederick Parejo – 3-run HR – 19-year-old has just three home runs in 666 professional at-bats during the regular season.
Alex Castellanos – RBI double, scored
Oliver Marmol – single, HBP in two plate appearances
Rich Racobaldo – single, walk, stolen base

Quad Cities 1 (4-4) defeated Savannah, 8-6

Quad Cities 1 Pitching

Deryk Hooker – 3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K’s – Another solid outing. The first time around, Hooker reached Quad Cities for four starts in 2008 and was very strong (1.61 ERA).  Still just 20 years old.
Zach Russell – 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K’s – In 61 career innings, he has 61 walks and 67 strikeouts, but no free passes on this day.
Jesse Simpson – two perfect innings, 2 K’s – His 1.01 WHIP in 2009 ranked seventh in the system.
Aaron Terry – 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER
Jorge Rondon – 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
David Carpenter 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s – His 12 saves last season with Quad Cities was the sixth-most in the organization.

Quad Cities 1 Hitting

Jarred Bogany – 2-for-3, double, two RBIs, run – Only a .250 hitter in his first two seasons, but seems to be hot this spring.
Luis Mateo – 2-for-4, double, 2 RBIs – 19-year-old 2B quietly posted a .912 OPS in 93 at-bats with Johnson City last season.
C.J. Beatty – 2-for-2, run, RBI – Can’t do much better than that!
Travis Tartamella – doubled in his only AB
Jonathan Rodriguez – doubled
Michael Swinson and Devin Shepherd – both singled, walked, scored

Quad Cities #2 (2-4) defeated WFAST, 7-3 (six innings)

Quad Cities #2 Pitching

Randy Santos – 3 IP, 1 H, no runs, 1 BB, 4 K’s – A stellar performance. His 15 wild pitches led the Appalachian League last season, so he needs a good backstop.
Nick McCully – 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Brett Zawacki – one perfect inning – Great to see him out there after a pair of knee surgeries last summer.

Quad Cities #2 Hitting

Travis Mitchell – two hits
Romulo Ruiz – walked twice, scored twice – A much better player than his career line of .167/.229/.269 would indicate.
Rainel Rosario – singled, scored twice, RBI
Cesar Valera – 2-run triple, walk, scored
David Washington – single, two walks in three plate appearances – Looking to rebound from a rough introduction in the Gulf Coast League in 2009 (.165 in 85 at-bats).
Hector Alvarez – 3-run HR

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