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

On Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ five clubs made the shortest of walking road trips over to the Florida Marlins’ side of the Roger Dean Stadium 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: Only Quad Cities 1 was able to collect a victory, while Springfield tied. The other three clubs, Memphis, Palm Beach and Quad Cities 2 were defeated on the scoreboard.

Combined records: The Cardinals records on the day were 1-3-1. Spring totals are now 10-20-3 overall and 6-16-1 versus external competition.

My Pitcher of the Day: Springfield’s Scott Gorgen fanned five in two scoreless innings of work.

My Hitter of the Day: Memphis’ Kevin Howard (pictured) collected eight total bases, three RBI and scored twice.

Thursday’s schedule: Once again, the Mets are the primary opponent with Memphis and Springfield entertaining their New York opponents in Jupiter, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities 1 again take the short drive to the Mets’ home in Port St. Lucie.

Quad Cities 2 will take on World Free Agent Spring Training.  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.

Memphis (1-5-1) lost to New Orleans, 9-8

Memphis Pitching

Lance Lynn – 3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K’s – Uncharacteristic tough outing for the reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Charlie Zink – 0.2 IP, 1 H, 4 ER, 4 BB – Can anyone catch his knuckleball?
Tyler Norrick – 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K – Quietly effective
Josh Kinney and Fernando Salas – one perfect inning with two K’s each – Two guys we may see in St. Louis before too long.

Memphis Hitting

Kevin Howard – three hits – single, triple and homer – 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored – Just the Player of the Day!
Donovan Solano – three hits including a double, run, RBI – Provided a pleasant surprise in limited action in big league camp – 11-for-19 (.571), though ten were singles.
Shane Robinson – two hits, an RBI and run scored – Another nice limited-time showing with St. Louis – 4-for-11 (.364) with two doubles and three RBI.
Mike Folli – tripled
Daniel Descalso – double, walk in two plate appearances
Matt Pagnozzi, Tyler Henley and Mark Shorey – singled and scored

Springfield (3-2-2) tied Jacksonville, 4-4

Springfield Pitching

Nick Additon – 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Ryan Kulik – 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Scott Gorgen – 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K’s – Pitcher of the Day
Thomas Eager – 1 IP, 1 H, no runs – Cards’ 2007 fifth-rounder had a very quiet 2009.
Eduardo Sanchez – 1 IP, no hits, no runs, 2 BB – Needs to find that elusive control.

Springfield Hitting

Steven Hill – double, triple, RBI and scored – Hill can hit anywhere. Where to play him?
Aaron Luna – three hits – single, double and triple – OBP is always fine, but an improved average could be a difference-maker.
Daryl Jones – 2-for-4, run – Needs to continue the bounceback.
Colt Sedbrook – single, walk

Palm Beach (2-5) lost to Jupiter, 6-4

Palm Beach Pitching

Justin Smith – 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER
Pedro Rodriguez – 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s
Matt Frevert – 2.2 IP, 1 H, no runs, 0 BB, 3 K’s – Very nice line that was next on my list for Pitcher of the Day. Was ranked in the top ten in the system in strikeout to walk ratio last season at 4.40.
Andrew Moss – 1 IP, 2 H, no runs
Ramon Delgado – 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K – Sixth in the system with 53 game appearances in 2009.
Michael Thompson – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s

Palm Beach Hitting

Oliver Marmol – 2-for-3, HBP, 2 runs – Sixth-rounder in 2007 has a career .200 batting average.
Domnit Bolivar – 2-for-4 with a double
Rich Racobaldo – 2-run HR

Quad Cities 1 (3-4) defeated Greensboro, 4-2

Quad Cities 1 Pitching

Eric Fornataro – 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K’s
Anthony Ferrara – two scoreless innings, no hits, 2 BB’s, 1 K
Joe Kelly – 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K – Another very strong line from a player getting a lot of kudos in camp. Last season, retired 138 opposing hitters without yielding a home run.
Daniel Calhoun – 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K’s – Also a strong performance. His 0.95 WHIP last season was fourth-best in the entire system.

Quad Cities 1 Hitting

Jarred Bogany – 3-for-4, run
Ted Obregon – 2-for-2, game-winning 3-run double
Robert Stock – single, run
Travis Mitchell – single, walk and scored two runs – Local St. Louis product making noise.

Quad Cities #2 (2-6) lost to Marlins 5^th club, 6-1

Quad Cities #2 Pitching

Angel DeJesus – two perfect innings
Tyler Lavigne – 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Kyle Heim – 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB
Keith Butler – 1.1 IP, 1 K – Did not allow a home run to any of 122 batters faced last season.
David Kington – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K
Chris Corrigan – one perfect inning

Quad Cities #2 Hitting

Cesar Valera – 2-for-3
Hector Alvarez – single, walk, run
Anthony Garcia – RBI single – 18^th-rounder in 2009 recently turned 18. Being a Puerto Rican catcher is especially good in this system.

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Highlights from Tuesday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Jupiter, Florida.

On Tuesday, it was a camp day as the St. Louis Cardinals’ Memphis and Springfield clubs were scheduled to face off while the Palm Beach and Quad Cities 1 clubs worked out but did not play.

In addition, Quad Cities 2 had external competition in Gildea’s Raiders. Gildea’s is a traveling team that regularly makes the rounds of Florida spring camps. They have visited the Cardinals yearly for at least the last decade.

Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch continues to share game highlights. As always, the raw data is his, but the comments mine.

Team summary: Springfield’s hitters got healthy, but it was at the expense of Memphis’ staff. Quad Cities 2 were victims of the traveling Raiders.

Combined records: Records on the day were 1-2. Spring totals are now 9-17-2.

My Pitcher of the Day: Quad Cities 2’s Hector Hernandez spun two perfect innings, striking out three.

My Hitter of the Day: Springfield’s Curt Smith (pictured) drove in six runs on three hits, including a grand slam. What? No triple?

Wednesday’s schedule: The Cardinals’ five clubs have a walking road trip over to the Marlins’ side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

Memphis (1-4-1) lost to Springfield (3-2-1), 15-4

(this game went 11 ½ innings to enable all scheduled pitchers to get their work in)

Memphis Pitching

Evan MacLane – 3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K’s – First outing in minor league camp since being sent down. Allowed four runs on 4 2/3 innings with St. Louis and a rough “B” game outing.
Gary Daley – 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K – Continues to exhibit steady progress and was the only Memphis hurler on the day to put a zero on the scoreboard.
Trey Hearne – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Santo Maertz – 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB
Matt Meyer – 1 IP, 2H, 1 ER, 1 K
Matt Scherer – 1 IP, 3H, 2 ER, 2 K’s
Rich Rundles – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 unearned run
Adam Reifer – 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB – Rough outing for our 20^th-ranked Cardinals prospect. Also had an up and down Arizona Fall League stint in which his control was shaky and his ERA was 7.59.

Memphis Hitting

Steven Hill – 2-for-2, HR, 2 RBIs – Can’t do much better than that, but where could he play defensively for a Memphis roster that appears set at his positions?
Kevin Howard and Colt Sedbrook – doubled
Bryan Anderson – RBI single

Springfield Pitching

Shaun Garceau – 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – The comeback continues…
Mark Diapoules – 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER
Kevin Thomas – 3 IP, no hits, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K – Has walked 50 in 153 1/3 professional innings in 2008 and 2009.
LaCurtis Mayes – 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB – 21-year-old reliever fanned 33 and walked 13 in 25 1/3 Batavia innings last summer.
Jason Buursma – 1 IP, 1 K

Springfield Hitting

Tommy Pham – 3-for-4 with triple, RBI, two runs, two walks – Extending his strong hitting this spring.
Curt Smith – three hits including 2-run double, grand slam = 6 RBI – Player of the Day!
Andrew Brown – 2-for-5 with double, two walks, two runs, RBI – Continues to produce and will be especially intriguing if third base experiment is successful.
Charlie Cutler – two doubles in 3 ABs, 4 RBI – All the catcher does is hit, but has Pags, Anderson, Hill and Cruz blocking him.
Matt Carpenter – double – 24-year-old 3B slowed considerably after mid-season arrival in Palm Beach. It was his third level in 2009.
Pete Kozma – single and two walks – Stole a base and scored a run in major league camp despite getting just one official at-bat.

Palm Beach (2-4) and Quad Cities 1 (2-4)

Both clubs worked out Tuesday, but did not play a game.

Quad Cities #2 (2-5) lost to Gildea’s Raiders, 8-3

(this game went 12 innings to enable all scheduled pitchers to get their work in)

Quad Cities #2 Pitching

Hector Hernandez – 2 perfect innings with 3 K’s – Pitcher of the Day
Travis Lawler – 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 K’s
Trevor Rosenthal – 2 IP, 3 H, an unearned run, 2 K’s – Fanned 26 in 24 innings in pro debut in Gulf Coast League pen in 2009.
Cale Johnson – 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K’s

Pitching then combined for four perfect innings with 10 K’s to finish the game.

Jason Novak – 1 IP, 2 K’s
Miguel Tapia – 1 IP, 2 K’s
Casey Mulligan and Blake King – each struck out the side in their inning of work – I don’t know about you, but I think these two are definitely ringers!

Quad Cities #2 Hitting

Jason Stidham – 2-for-2 with double, two walks, run – Middle infielder posted a .700 OPS with Quad Cities in his professional debut in 2009. Was the Cards’ eighth-round pick.
Romulo Ruiz – two-run double
Cesar Valera – double, run
Jesus Montero – double – 18-year-old making first US appearance after two VSL and one DSL seasons. Challenge is .605 career OPS.
Edgar Lara – single, walk, run – Starting fifth year in the system and should contend for Quad Cities after two seasons with Johnson City.
Anthony Garcia – RBI single in only AB – Puerto Rican catcher was taken in the 18^th round last June. Batted .235 in 51 GCL at-bats.

Releases: Earlier in the day, the Cardinals released seven minor leaguers, pitchers Justin Fiske, Andres Rosales, Jonathan Gonzalez, Reynier Gonzalez and Marco Gonzalez, first baseman Matt Arburr and catcher Blake Murphy.

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Highlights from Monday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Memphis and Springfield clubs were to entertain their New York Mets opponents at home in Jupiter, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities took a short trip to the Mets’ home in Port St. Lucie.

Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch continues to share game highlights. As always, the raw data is his, but the comments mine.

Team summary: Well, the Jupiter games could not be played due to rain, despite the major league club getting their game in against Boston. Palm Beach (win) and Quad Cities (loss) split over on the Mets’ fields.

Combined records: 1-1 on the day, 8-15-2 on the spring.

My Pitcher of the Day: Kevin Siegrist of Quad Cities (pictured) with three shutout innings. Palm Beach’s Scott McGregor also had a good case.

My Co-Hitters of the Day: Quad Cities Michael Swinson tied with teammate Matt Adams. Swinson drew a walk to go along with his three hits while one of Adams’ three safeties was a double.

Tuesday’s schedule: As the Mets and Marlins will likely face off against each other, the Cardinals have no other organization in the area to play other than themselves. At least that is the case for the top four clubs as Quad Cities 2 will face external competition in Gildea’s Raiders. Gildea’s is a traveling team that regularly makes the rounds of Florida spring camps. They have visited the Cardinals yearly for at least the last decade.

Memphis (1-3-1) was rained out

Springfield (2-2-1) was rained out

Palm Beach (2-4) defeated St. Lucie, 7-4

Palm Beach Pitching

Shelby Miller – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s – The Cardinals first-rounder makes his first appearance in a spring game in minor league camp. Others have suggested Miller may start the season in extended spring training and join Palm Beach when it warms up. That doesn’t compute to me since EST and Palm Beach start at about the same time and play in the same place!
Scott McGregor – three shutout innings, allowing two hits
Aaron Terry – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
Jose Rada – 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER – 21-year-old Venezuelan led the 2009 Appalachian League with 23 appearances while posting a tidy 1.76 ERA. Fanned 30 and walked eight in 30 2/3 innings.
David Carpenter – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s

Palm Beach Hitting

Osvaldo Morales – walked, 2-run HR – 22-year-old was tied for third in the system with 15 home runs in 2009 and his 82 RBI was second-highest. Did most of his damage with Quad Cities.
Domnit Bolivar – 2-for-4 with a double and 3 RBIs – Starting fifth year in the system and has yet to turn 21.
Hector Alvarez – 2-for-3, 2 runs – Only has 18 regular-season runs scored and a .201 career average in 60 career games.
David Washington – doubled, RBI
Devin Goodwin – RBI single in only AB
Ryde Rodriguez – singled

Quad Cities #1 (2-4) lost to Augusta, 7-4

Quad Cities #1 Pitching

Kevin Siegrist – 3 scoreless innings with one hit and 2 K’s – See above. Has a career ERA of 3.07 in two seasons.
Mike Blazek – 2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s
Justin Edwards – 2 IP, one hit, no runs, 1 BB – Posted 3.25 ERA in 15 games, including eight tandem starts for Batavia in 2009.
Michael Thompson – 1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER
Chris Corrigan – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K – 3.80 ERA in 16 games / 7 tandem starts for 2009 Muckdogs.
Nick McCully – one perfect inning – 21-year-old placed in Quad Cities after being taken in the ninth round and struggled to a 7.20 ERA in first 20 professional innings.

Quad Cities #1 Hitting

Michael Swinson – 3-for-4 with a walk, run and RBI – Can play defense too with only one error and five outfield assists in 2009.
Matt Adams – 3-for-4 with a double, RBI, run – His .355 average between Johnson City and Batavia led the entire system in 2009.
Ryan Jackson – 2-for-3
Romulo Ruiz – 2-for-4
Jonathan Rodriguez – a 2-strike RBI single, run – 17^th round pick is an official sleeper after finishing first in the system with a .421 OBP last season and third in OPS (.858) between Gulf Coast League and Johnson City. Now 20 years old.
Kevin Moscatel – RBI single

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

On Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ five minor league squads hiked over to the western part of the Jupiter complex to the home of the Marlins’ minor leaguers.

Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch continues to share game highlights. As always, the raw data is his, but the comments mine.

Team summary: Completing a rough weekend on the diamonds, the Cardinals clubs trudged back to their clubhouse after picking up just one win, by Springfield in a slugfest. Three of St. Louis’ clubs yielded double digit run totals.

This was on the heels of a 0-4 Saturday. For the weekend, the Cardinals were outscored 88-39 in their nine games. In other words, the pitching staffs yielded an average of 9.8 runs per game! Even so, there were again a number of notable individual pitching performances on Sunday.

Combined records: 1-4 on the day, 7-14-2 on the spring.

My Co-Pitchers of the Day: Memphis’ Richard Castillo (pictured). playing up at least one level at the age of 20, had an impressive two-inning stint as Springfield’s Matt Frevert closed the one Cardinals win of the day in style.

My Hitter of the Day: Springfield’s Andrew Brown isn’t letting his new defensive assignment at third base get in the way of his hitting with three doubles on the day.

Monday’s schedule: It is a repeat of Saturday, as the top four clubs face off against their New York Mets counterparts on the same fields. Hopefully, the results will be better as Memphis and Springfield will entertain their New York opponents in Jupiter, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities again take the short trip to the Mets’ home in Port St. Lucie.

Memphis (1-3-1) lost to New Orleans, 7-5

Memphis Pitching

Brandon Dickson – 2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB
Brad Furnish – 2.1 scoreless IP, 1 H, 2 K’s – A very solid outing for an often overlooked hurler who struggled at Springfield in 2009 but excelled at Palm Beach.
Richard Castillo – two perfect innings on just 14 pitches – See above.
Matt Meyer – loss, 1 IP, solo HR, 1 BB, 1 K – Minor league Rule 5 lefty has a career 12-10 record with a 3.86 ERA in 148 games, all in relief.
Rich Rundles – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K – Minor league journeyman also added for lefty relief help.

Memphis Hitting

Amaury Cazana – 2-for-4 with an RBI – Also 2-for-3, both doubles, for St. Louis this spring with three MLB RBI.
Steven Hill – 2-for-4 with double, run, 2 RBIs – No matter how well he hits, will likely get bumped down to Springfield when Matt Pagnozzi is optioned out.
Mark Shorey – 2-run double, scored – Solid outfielder couldn’t score a big camp invite due to competition despite a career .799 OPS.

Springfield (2-2-1) defeated Jacksonville, 12-11

Springfield Pitching

Arquimedes Nieto – 0.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER
Yoffri Martinez – 3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K’s – Doesn’t look as if control was the concern for the new Cardinal.
Adam Veres – 2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s
Ramon Delgado – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 K – Deserves some credit for slowing the bleeding. Durable reliever led the entire system with 82 innings out of the pen in 2009.
Matt Frevert – save with 1, 2, 3 ninth and a called third strike to end game – Bravo! Has a total of five saves in 52 career relief appearances across 2008 and 2009.

Springfield Hitting

Andrew Brown – three doubles, 2 RBIs and two runs – The line of the day.
Chris Swauger – tripled, homered, two RBIs and a run – Seven bases isn’t so bad, either. Quietly finished in the top ten in the system in 2009 in runs, hits, doubles, triples, RBI and slugging. Dangerfield alert!
Oliver Marmol – 2-for-3 with double, walk, two runs, RBI
Curt Smith – tripled, singled, scored and drove in a run – His .286 average was eighth-best in the Florida State League last season.
Francisco Rivera – two hits, doubled, walked, scored, drove in two
Charles Cutler – doubled and walked
Pete Kozma – singled, walked, two RBIs, run – Made a tough play in the hole with two outs and a runner on third base.
Blake Murphy – singled and walked – Nice day, but numbers game probably has his Springfield days numbered.

Palm Beach (1-4) lost to Jupiter, 11-5

Palm Beach Pitching

Houston Summers – loss, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K’s – Another knuckleball fail.
Jonathan Gonzalez – 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K – Stepped back from Palm Beach to Quad Cities during last season, but had attempted a huge leap from 2008 Venezuelan Summer League.
Andrew Moss – 0.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB
Pedro Rodriguez – two scoreless innings with 2 K’s – Newcomer hasn’t pitched in a regular season game since 2006!
Josh Squatrito – 3 hits and 3 ER with 2 K’s in 1 IP – Second tough outing in a row but impressed in relief for Batavia in his first pro season in 2009.

Palm Beach Hitting

Rich Racobaldo – 2-for-5 with a run and RBI – May need to return to Quad Cities after tearing up the Appalachian League at age 24.
Ryde Rodriguez – 2-for-5 with an RBI
Alex Castellanos – 2-for-5 with double, homer, two RBIs – Made the highlights list again. Was the Cardinals’ 10^th round pick in 2008.
D’Marcus Ingram – singled and walked – His 25 stolen bases in 32 attempts last season placed him fourth in the system.
Xavier Scruggs – doubled
Domnit Bolivar – singled in his only AB
Jason Stidham – RBI single
Roberto Espinoza – singled and scored

Quad Cities 1 (2-3) lost to Greensboro, 10-2

Quad Cities 1 Pitching

Chris Notti – 1.2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K’s – Has a 3.50 ERA across his first two pro seasons.
Zach Russell – 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K’s
Deryk Hooker – 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 K’s
Tyler Lavigne – two perfect innings, five groundballs, 1 K – In any other day, could/should have been the Pitcher of the Day.
David Kington – 1 IP, 2 hits, no runs – His eight saves in 2009 led the Appalachian League.

Quad Cities 1 Hitting

Michael Swinson – 2-for-4, scored – One of my potential breakout candidates for 2010.
Travis Mitchell and C.J. Beatty – RBI doubles
Ryan Jackson – singled twice
Yorbel Alcala – 2-for-2 – 20-year-old catcher making his first USA appearance. Was second in the 2009 Dominican Summer League with 52.4 percent caught stealing rate (44 of 84).

Quad Cities 2 (1-2) lost to Marlins 5^th club, 6-4

Quad Cities 2 Pitching

Pat Daugherty – 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 unearned run – 21-year-old lefty joined the Cards in the 12^th round of the 2009 draft.
Reynier Gonzalez – 2 IP, 2 H, no runs
Randy Santos – 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Kyle Heim – 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Keith Butler – 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 K
Jason Novak – 1.2 IP, 1 H, no runs – 48^th-rounder in 2009 draft shines.

Quad Cities 2 Hitting

Edgar Lara – 3-for-5 with a double, run, 2 RBIs – Outfielder dropped 30 points of average in second tour with Johnson City in 2009, but kept OPS in the .750-.760 range. Dominican just turned 21 this month.
Romulo Ruiz – 2-for-3 with a double, walk, RBI – Infielder has lots of potential but slowed by injury since 2007.
Hector Alvarez – 2-for-4 with walk, run, RBI
Yunier Castillo – singled and stole a base – Is he the shortstop in the system with the most upside? Some think so.

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

On Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers faced off against the New York Mets, just like their major league counterparts. Memphis and Springfield entertained their New York counterparts in Jupiter, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities took the short trip to the Mets’ home in Port St. Lucie.

Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch continues to share game highlights with this site and several others with interest in Cardinals prospects. As always, the raw data is his, but the comments mine.

Team summary: The location was irrelevant as it was a rough day for the system at any site. Memphis, Springfield, Palm Beach and Quad Cities all lost – by a combined score of 41-13. Needless to say, the Cardinals pitching had an especially rough, rough afternoon.

Team records: (0-4) on the day, (6-10-2) on the spring.

My Pitcher of the Day: Palm Beach’s Miguel Tapia posted a pair of shutout innings, something no other Cards minor league pitcher at any level on the day could claim.

My Hitter of the Day: Springfield’s Curt Smith was most productive. His three RBI led the system on Saturday.

Sunday’s schedule: The Cardinals’ five squads will hike over to the western part of the Jupiter complex to the home of the Marlins’ minor leaguers.

Cardinals top prospect day. Each of the players from The Cardinal Nation / Scout.com Top 40 Cardinals prospect list from this past off-season (2010) or most recent prior listing will be noted below.

Memphis (1-2-1) lost to Buffalo, 7-1

Memphis Pitching

Ryan Kulik – 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER
Charlie Zink – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
Nick Additon (#23) – 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Justin Fiske – 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB
Tyler Norrick (#26 in 2008) – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER 2 BB, 1 K

Memphis Hitting

Mark Hamilton (#19) – 3-for-4
Bryan Anderson (#13) – singled and walked
Mike Folli – tripled and scored the Redbirds’ only run
Amaury Cazana (#23 in 2007) and Shane Robinson (#33 in 2009) – 1-for-2

Springfield (1-2-1) lost to Binghamton, 12-6

Springfield Pitching

Brian Broderick – 2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K’s
David Kopp (#34 in 2009) – 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Thomas Eager – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 unearned run
Casey Mulligan (#31) – allowed all five batters he faced to reach base, allowing 5 ER
Jason Buursma – 1 scoreless inning, 1 BB, 1 K
Adam Reifer (#20) – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Blake King (#34 in 2008) – one perfect, six pitch inning

Springfield Hitting

Curt Smith (#39 in 2009) – 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs scored, a HBP and 3 RBIs
Aaron Luna (#24) – 2-for-4 with an RBI
Pete Kozma (#14) – two hits
Antonio DeJesus – tripled and had 2 runs scored
Adron Chambers (#29) – singled and was HBP in his two plate appearances, stole a base and scored a run

Palm Beach (1-3) lost to St. Lucie, 9-2

Palm Beach Pitching

Jared Bradford – 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 K’s
Eric Fornataro – 0.1 IP, 3 BB, 2 ER
Scott Schneider (#37) – 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Miguel Tapia – two hitless innings with a walk and 2 K’s
Joel Pichardo – 0.1 IP, 2 hits, 2 unearned run, 1 BB, 1 K
David Carpenter – one perfect inning, 1 K

Palm Beach Hitting

Xavier Scruggs – 2-for-3 with a walk and RBI
D’Marcus Ingram (#39 in 2008) – 1-for-2 with two BB’s
Ryde Rodriguez – singled and was HBP
Domnit Bolivar – singled
Jason Stidham – walked twice and scored

Quad Cities 1 (2-2) lost to Savannah, 13-4

Quad Cities 1 Pitching

Joe Kelly (#32) – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 unearned run, 3 K’s
Anthony Ferrara (#33) – 1.2 IP, 2 H, 4 unearned runs, 2 BB, 2 K’s
Travis Lawler – 2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Hector Hernandez – 1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Andres Rosales – 1 IP, 2 BB, 2 K’s

Quad Cities 1 Hitting

Matt Adams (#38) – 2-for-4 with a stolen base
Michael Swinson (#39) – homered and walked in his two plate apps and scored twice
Niko Vasquez (#34) – singled and had three RBIs
Travis Tartamella – doubled and scored
Travis Mitchell – singled and scored
Luis Mateo – singled

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

On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers faced off against each other as the top two minor league clubs, Memphis and Springfield met, as did Palm Beach and Quad Cities 1. Quad Cities 2 squad faced a traveling team, the Long Island Storm.

The Storm field travel teams of various age groups from the Long Island and New York City area. They compete in various invitational leagues and tournaments nationwide. Former Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year Reid Gorecki, now in the New York Yankees system, and his brother Ryan are among the Storm’s instructional staff.

Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch continues to share game highlights with this site and several others with interest in Cardinals prospects. As always, the raw data is his, but the comments mine.

Team summary: Palm Beach won while Quad Cities 1 and 2 both lost. Memphis and Springfield tied.

Team records: (1-2-2) on the day, (6-6-2) for the spring.

My Co-Pitchers of the Day: Memphis’ Gary Daley (pictured) and Springfield’s Shaun Garceau, two players with a lot to prove in 2010. If they can maintain control, look out!

My Hitter of the Day: Springfield’s Tommy Pham repeats from Thursday. On fire early in camp.

Saturday’s schedule: The Mets are the common opponent, with games in two locations. Memphis and Springfield entertain their New York counterparts in Jupiter, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities make the short bus ride to Port St. Lucie. (That is a short ride, not a short bus!)

Memphis (1-1-1) tied Springfield (1-1-1), 4-4 (5 innings)

Memphis Pitching

Gary Daley – two perfect innings, one strikeout – With results like this, he may continue to receive starting opportunities. Coming off uneven 2009 with 58 BB in 88 IP, while fanning 79. Also had Arizona Fall League stint with 8.03 ERA.
Kevin Thomas – 1.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K’s
Marco Gonzalez – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER

Memphis Hitting

Brendan Ryan – 1-for-5 with a run scored – First official game action of the spring. Will be chomping at the bit to see action for St. Louis.
Shane Robinson – 1-for-3 – Went 4-for-11 with two doubles in major league camp earlier this spring.
Mark Hamilton – 1-for-2 with a run scored
Kevin Howard – 1-for-2 with a run scored and RBI – Newcomer infielder continues to stand out in the daily highlights.
Jose Martinez – game-tying 2-run double – Could be a force if healthy, but has Descalso ahead of him at 2B in Memphis.

Springfield Pitching

Shaun Garceau – two perfect innings, two strikeouts – Has all the talent. If focused on the game, could be the comeback player of the year.
Mark Diapoules – two innings, one hit
Jose Rada – one IP, 3 hits, 4 runs, 2 ER

Springfield Hitting

Tommy Pham – 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI – On base eight times in three days. If I remember correctly, Pham was a fast starter in previous springs, too.
Charles Cutler – 1-for-2 with a triple, run scored and RBI – Could put pressure on projected returning Springfield catchers Tony Cruz and Steven Hill.
Francisco Rivera – 1-for-2 with an RBI
Andrew Brown – singled and walked in two plate appearances – Getting a tryout at third base. If he sticks, he can move up quickly.
Aaron Luna – RBI double and scored – Second base experiment is apparently over.

Palm Beach (1-2) defeated Quad Cities 1 (2-1), 4-1

Palm Beach Pitching

Scott McGregor – 2 IP, 3 hits, 1 unearned run, 2 BB
Aaron Terry – 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K’s – The 2009 42nd rounder was our Johnson City Reliever of the Year before moving up to Batavia at the end of the season.
LaCurtis Mayes – 1 IP, 1 K

Palm Beach Hitting

Alex Castellanos – solo HR – Now listed as an outfielder.
Devin Goodwin and Luis DeLaCruz – singled and walked in two plate appearances
Jared Bogany and Ryde Rodriguez – RBI singles
Rich Racobaldo – singled and scored – Our 2009 Johnson City Player of the Year had a 1.061 OPS there, but struggled after leaping over Batavia to Quad Cities.

QC1 Pitching

Justin Edwards – 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB
Michael Thompson – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K’s
Santo Maertz – 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB – 2009 New York-Penn League All-Star posted a 3-1 record with three saves and a 1.45 ERA. Fanned 36 and walked 11 in 31 innings for Batavia.

QC1 Hitting

Luis Mateo – doubled
Niko Vasquez, Devin Shepherd and Kevin Moscatel (RBI) – all 1-for-2
Edwin Gomez 1-for-2 with a run scored – Coming back after appearing in just six games between the Gulf Coast League Cardinals and Batavia in 2009 after suffering a broken hamate bone in his left hand.

Quad Cities #2 (1-1) lost to the Long Island Storm, 7-1

QC2 Pitching

The last four pitchers were taken in the June 2009 First-Year Player Draft. Rounds noted below.

Kevin Siegrist – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 unearned run, 1 BB, 2 K’s
Trevor Rosenthal (21st round) – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 unearned run
Cale Johnson (41st round) – 2 IP, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 1 K
Nick McCully (9th round) – 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 ER
Chris Corrigan (30th round) – 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K

QC2 Hitting

Cesar Valera – 2-for-4 – Venezuelan shortstop signed for $500,000 in 2008 and debuted in the 2009 Gulf Coast League.
Rainel Rosario – RBI triple
Yunier Castillo, Romulo Ruiz, David Washington and Hector Alvarez – all singled

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

On Thursday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers had their first games against external competition. Their opponents were the Florida Marlins, their Jupiter, Florida complex co-habitants.

As he has been doing the last few seasons, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch is sharing game highlights with this site and several others with interest in Cardinals prospects. As always, the raw data is his, but the comments mine.

It was the first of ten spring dates in which all five clubs play, compared to just seven dates ahead in which there will be no fifth contest.

Team summary: The Cardinals bookended the Marlins as Memphis at the top won, their first “W” of the spring in two tries, and both Quad Cities teams took victories. Springfield and Palm Beach were defeated.

My Pitcher of the Day: Springfield’s Scott Gorgen – two perfect innings, two strikeouts.

My Hitter of the Day: Springfield’s Tommy Pham – 3-for-4 with a triple, HR and also walked. On base six times between Wednesday and Thursday.

Friday’s schedule: In a rematch of Wednesday’s action, the Cardinals’ top two minor league clubs, Memphis and Springfield will meet, as will Palm Beach and Quad Cities 1. Quad Cities 2 squad will face a traveling team, the Long Island Storm.

The Storm field travel teams of various age groups from the Long Island and New York City area. They compete in various invitational leagues and tournaments nationwide. Former Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year Reid Gorecki, now in the New York Yankees system, and his brother Ryan are among the Storm’s instructional staff.

New! Player links: For more player information, click on the highlighted player names to head over to TheCardinalNation.com. There, you can view the detailed player profile pages for each of these players and several hundred more Cardinals farmhands.

Who else’s Cardinals spring training report offers that kind of integration and depth?

Memphis (1-1) defeated New Orleans, 6-5

Memphis Pitching

Trey Hearne – 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 K’s

Brandon Dickson – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Chuckie Fick – 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K’s

Matt Meyer – one perfect inning. Meyer was taken from the Cleveland Indians in the Rule 5 draft. Because he was taken in the minor league phase, the Cardinals can roster him anywhere they choose and would have no motivation to return him.

Matt Scherer – earned the win with a scoreless inning, allowing one hit. Once highly-thought of enough in the organization to have been placed on the 40-man roster, Scherer’s fortunes dropped since. He did not even score an invite to big league camp as an NRI.

Rich Rundles – picked up the save with a scoreless 9th, allowing one hit with a strikeout. A professional since 1999, Rundles pitched for Springfield for part of the 2006 season. After that, he made his MLB debut with a total of nine appearances for the 2008 and 2009 Indians.

Memphis Hitting

Daniel Descalso – 2-for-5 with an RBI and run scored. Texas League All-Star, Team USA Olympian and Arizona Fall League invitee would have to do a lot this season to top his 2009.

Tyler Henley – 2-for-4 with a walk and run scored. One of my dark horses in the system will need another good season to fight through the crowded outfield scrum to start for Memphis.

Daryl Jones – singled, scored a run and had two walks. His 2009 was wrecked by injury. It is time to step forward. Drafted in the same 2005 class as Colby Rasmus.

Donovan Solano – 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBIs. Quietly gets the job done.

Colt Sedbrook – singled and walked in his two plate appearances

Mark Hamilton – walked, scored a run and had an RBI. Waiting to see if he gets time in the outfield as first base is nowhere to play in this system.

Kevin Howard – walked and singled and made a key tough play at 3rd.

Amaury Cazana – go-ahead triple and walked. Will he play in Mexico for a third straight year? Nothing against him personally, but why do the Cardinals keep him around? He can hit, but they obviously don’t have much in the way of plans for the 30-something Cuban native.

Jose Martinez – 1-for-4. Nice to see the former top prospect back in action after a long period of personal tragedy followed by shoulder problems.

Springfield (1-1) lost to Jacksonville, 12-7

Springfield Pitching

Scott Gorgen – two perfect innings, two strikeouts. Didn’t set the 2009 Arizona Fall League on fire, but was one of the more inexperienced pros there.

Brad Furnish – 2 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 ER, 1 K

Arquimedes Nieto – 1.2 IP, 5 hits, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s

Blake King – 0.1 IP, 3 hits, 3 unearned runs, 2 BB, 0 K’s. Discouraging to see the walks return. Hopefully, it won’t become a 2010 pattern.

Yoffri Martinez – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Recent free agent signee was not lights out in his Cardinals debut. The 24-year-old had been released by Pittsburgh last August and has yet to reach Double-A.

Jason Buursma – two scoreless innings, one hit

Springfield Hitting

Adron Chambers – 2-for-5. Coming off a big 2009 and finished third in the Colombian Winter League in average (.365), first in triples (6), second in hits, and fourth in slugging (.529).

Curt Smith – 2-for-3 with a run scored. That makes him 4-for-6 in his first two days. Was the 2008 Applachian League Most Valuable Player.

Chris Swauger – homered

Tommy Pham – 3-for-4 with a triple, HR and also walked. On base six times between Wednesday and Thursday.

Francisco Rivera – singled, homered and two RBIs

Matt Arburr – hit a solo HR

Palm Beach (0-2) lost to Jupiter, 10-0

Palm Beach Pitching

Adam Veres – took the loss, 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Jonathan Gonzalez – 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Pedro Rodriguez – 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 unearned run. His first outing as a Cardinal. The 22-year-old Venezuelan was signed in late October as a minor league free agent. The right-handed Tommy John veteran pitched in winter ball for Caribes and inked his first deal with the Red Sox as a 16-year-old in 2004.

Houston Summers – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 unearned run, 1 BB, 1 K. Another veteran free agent signee. The 22-year-old former catcher converted to pitching in 2007 and features the knuckleball, so I imagine there may have been a wild pitch or passed ball or perhaps some of both behind that unearned run.

Ramon Delgado – 2 IP, 1H, 1 ER, 2 K’s

Matt Frevert – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER

Palm Beach Hitting

Rich Racobaldo – 2-for-4 with a double. A 2009 Appalachian League All-Star with Johnson City.

Xavier Scruggs – doubled

Osvaldo Morales – 2-for-2 with a double

Jason Stidham – doubled

Ivan Castro and Frederick Parejo – singled. Parejo will be a player to watch this year after he followed up his solid 2008 (New York-Penn League All-Star) with a quiet 2009. Still just 19 years old.

Quad Cities #1 (2-0) defeated Greensboro, 5-0

QC1 Pitching

Five pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout.

Mike Blazek – 2 IP, 2 hits, 4 K’s

Deryk Hooker – 2 perfect IP, 2 K’s. Could have been pitcher of the day along with Gorgen, but I expect Hooker to be able to handle this level of play.

Chris Notti – 2 IP, 1 hit, 2 K’s

Zach Russell – 2 IP, 1 hit

Andres Rosales – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K

QC1 Hitting

C.J. Beatty and Travis Tartamella – each doubled and scored a run. From what I hear, if Beatty is half as charismatic on the field as he is off, the Cardinals really have something here. Too early to tell on the field as he missed 70 percent of his games with Johnson City in 2009 due to elbow and wrist ailments.

Ross Smith – singled and walked in his two plate appearances

Travis Mitchell – singled and scored a run

Robert Stock and Devin Shepherd – RBI singles. Stock, the Cardinals’ second-rounder in 2009, was the All-Star catcher in the Appalachian League before his late-season promotion to Quad Cities.

Luis Mateo – bases-loaded walk

Niko Vasquez, Edwin Gomez, Yorbel Alcala – singled

Quad Cities #2 (1-0) defeated Marlins 5th team, 3-0

QC2 Pitching

Five pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout.

Reynier Gonzalez – 2 IP, 1 H, 1BB, 2 K’s

Pat Daugherty – 0.2 IP, 1 K

Randy Santos – 1.1 IP, 1 H

Kyle Heim – 2 IP, 2 H

Tyler Lavigne – 2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K

QC2 Hitting

Edgar Lara – 2-for-4 with a double and run scored. Ranked in the top ten in the 2009 Appy League in these categories: 1st in games (64), 7th in doubles (16), 5th in home runs (9), 10th in walks (26).

Hector Alvarez – 3-for-4 with a run scored

Rainel Rosario – singled and had two RBIs. Great bounceback candidate after missing half the 2009 season with Johnson City due to a blood clot or cyst above his right knee.

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Highlights from Wednesday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games from Jupiter, Florida.

On Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers had their first games. This was intersquad action before they take on the Florida Marlins Thursday in the first of 2 ½ weeks of spring game competition.

As he has been doing the last few seasons, Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch will be sharing game highlights with this site and several others with interest in Cardinals prospects. As always, the raw data is his, but the comments mine.

Both lower-level clubs took close wins in day one as Quad Cities won on a grand slam.

My Pitcher of the Day: Jesse Simpson, Palm Beach
My Hitter of the Day: Xavier Scruggs, Palm Beach

Springfield (1-0) defeats Memphis (0-1), 5-4

Memphis pitching

Charlie Zink – 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s. I watched Zink pitch BP the other morning and find his knuckleball release amazing. He barely strides toward the plate at all (see photo).

David Kopp – 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. The oft-injured righty has been rehabbing hard all winter. Someone to watch closely this spring.

Nick Additon – 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K’s

Thomas Eager – 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB

Adam Reifer – one perfect inning. Will his secondary offerings improve enough so hitters can’t sit on his fastball?

David Carpenter – one perfect inning with two K’s. The less-heralded of the former catcher-to-pitcher converts proved his durability last season. His 52 appearances for Quad Cities tied for seventh-most in the system and his 12 saves was sixth.

Memphis hitting

Kevin Howard – 1-for-3, 2 RBI’s. Veteran minor leaguer seems slated to play third for the Redbirds.

Jim Rapoport – 2 walks, scored a run. Continues to draw walks. His 71 free passes at Springfield last season was by far the most in the system as the next closest was 54 (Niko Vasquez).

Mark Shorey, Colt Sedbrook and Tony Cruz – 1-for-3

Mike Folli – 1-for-3, run scored, diving play on ground ball up the middle.

Springfield pitching

Richard Castillo – 2 IP, 0 hits, 1 BB, 1 K. A very encouraging start for a young man (age 20) from whom much is still expected.

Eric Fornataro – 1.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Scott Schneider – 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 unearned run, 1 BB, 1 K

Miguel Tapia – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K

Joel Pichardo – one perfect inning

Springfield hitting

Pete Kozma – RBI single and scored. Ex-first-rounder had a cup of coffee in MLB camp earlier, going 0-for-2 with a stolen base and run scored.

Curt Smith – 2-for-3 with a HR and a walk. Great 2008 debut and now fighting to rise above considerable 1B competition (Arburr, Brown, Hamilton).

Blake Murphy – 2-for-2 with a double, walk and RBI

Tommy Pham – singled and walked

Rich Racobaldo – doubled, scored and was HBP

Charlie Cutler – singled in his only AB. Cutler’s .322 batting average last season between Quad Cities and Palm Beach was second in the entire system to Matt Adams (.355).

Quad Cities (1-0) defeated Palm Beach (0-1), 8-7

Palm Beach pitching

Joe Kelly – 2 IP, 0 hits, 2 BB, 2 K’s. Minor league pitching coordinator Dyar Miller has been among the coaches calling out the converted closer as a pitcher impressing early in camp.

Andrew Moss – 2 IP, 2 hits, 2 unearned runs, 1 BB, 1 K

Jesse Simpson – two perfect innings, 3 K’s. His 1.01 walks per nine innings last season was seventh-stingiest in the system. Simpson pitched at Batavia.

Justin Smith – 2 IP, 0 hits, 1 unearned run, 2 BB, 1 K

Josh Squatrito – took the loss, 1 IP, 4 hits, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s

Palm Beach hitting

Jose Garcia – 2-for-5, run scored, 2 RBIs. A player Jeff Luhnow told me could be one to step forward this season.

Xavier Scruggs – 2-for-4, 2 runs, HR, walk, 2 RBIs. Scruggs finished tied for eighth in the system in 2009 with 59 RBI between Batavia and Quad Cities.

Osvaldo Morales – 2-for-3

Ivan Castro – solo HR

D’Marcus Ingram – 1-for-4

Quad Cities pitching

Daniel Calhoun – 2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB

Angel DeJesus – 2 IP, 5 hits, 5 runs, 3 ER, 2 K’s

Anthony Ferrara – 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K’s

Keith Butler – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K’s

Jason Novak – winning pitcher with a perfect 8th inning

Hector Hernandez – struck out two in a perfect 9th inning for the save. Lefty was taken in the 10^th round in 2009 and remained in the Gulf Coast League all summer.

Quad Cities hitting

Niko Vasquez – Grand Slam to cap a 5-run 9th inning. The shortstop-turned-third baseman has just seven career regular season home runs – four in 2008 and three last season.

CJ Beatty, Ted Obregon and Jonathan Rodriguez – all singled in the 9th to set up the heroics by Vasquez.

Devin Shepherd doubled. Back after a year away. Was taken in the 11th round in 2008, them played in the GCL that summer (.272/.346/.325). Haven’t seen him do anything more than take BP cuts this spring, but he has the look of a player (see photo).

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