photo: Miguel Villarroel (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 3-3 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, shortstop Miguel Villarroel, was 2-for-3, including a two-run home run and four RBI in Game 2 of Peoria’s doubleheader. Other standouts include Ixan Henderson, JJ Wetherholt, Braden Davis, Sebastian Dos Santos and Daniel Rojas.
Results for games played on Thursday, June 12.
Memphis Redbirds at Gwinnett Stripers (suspended)
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds’ game with the Stripers in Gwinnett was suspended in the bottom of the fourth inning on Thursday with the Redbirds up 6-2. It will resume on Friday at 4:05 PM CT, with a seven-inning contest to follow the conclusion of Thursday’s game.
Mike Antico, Andy Yerzy and Bryan Torres each drove in a run with singles. César Prieto launched a three-run home run. Jordan Walker began his rehab assignment.
Memphis is 35-28 on the season.
Friday’s game (following the conclusion of Thursday’s suspended game): at Gwinnett, RHP Curtis Taylor (3-1, 3.51) vs. RHP Davis Daniel (3-4, 3.08) 6:05 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals 4, Tulsa Drillers 3 (10 innings)
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals were walk-off winners in extra-innings at Hammons Field on Thursday.
Ixan Henderson made his 11th start for the Cardinals. The left-hander pitched 6 ⅔ innings, tying his season-high, and allowed one run on two hits, three walks, and five strikeouts. Henderson leads the Texas League with a 1.95 ERA across 60 innings this season.
Ixan Henderson turned in another gem tonight with just one run over 6.2 IP. His Texas League leading ERA is now down to 1.95. pic.twitter.com/x3WHsnySbT
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) June 13, 2025
Nathanael Heredia yielded one run and recorded one out in relief of Henderson. Despite throwing two shutout frames with three strikeouts, Sean Harney was charged with a blown save as Heredia’s run scored while he was on the mound. Nick Raquet allowed an unearned run in the 10th but still picked up the win to improve to 5-0 in 2025.
Tulsa scored the first run of the game in the top of the third inning.
Springfield tied the game in the home third. Darlin Moquete singled and swiped second base. Moquete advanced to third base on a Dakota Harris groundout and crossed home plate on a JJ Wetherholt groundout.
The Cardinals took the lead in the fifth. Carlos Linarez singled, and moved to seconon a Moquete groundout. Harris brought Linarez home with the second single of the frame to put Springfield in front 2-1.
Dakota Harris gives the Cards the lead with an RBI knock! pic.twitter.com/Aey2vpBDZT
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) June 13, 2025
The Drillers tied the game at two in the eighth inning. The game remained tied to force extra innings. Tulsa plated a run in the 10th.
Down to their last three outs, Springfield looked to rally. Linarez started at second base, and scored on Harris’ second RBI-single of the night to tie the game at three, with Harris to second base on the play. Wetherholt knocked in Harris with a single for the walk-off win.
WALK US OFF JJ WETHERHOLT! pic.twitter.com/Esw4MxOPi8
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) June 13, 2025
Springfield’s pitching allowed just four hits across 10 innings in the victory.
The Cardinals scored four runs on seven hits. Harris was 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. Wetherholt was 2-for-3, including two walks, a double, and two RBI. Linarez singled and scored twice.
On the bases, Wetherholt swiped his ninth bag. Moquete stole his 10th. Trey Paige tallied his first steal at the Double-A level. Ramon Mendoza was caught stealing second base.
On defense, pitcher Henderson picked off a runner at second base. The Cardinals did not commit an error.
First-place Springfield is 35-25 on the season.
Friday’s game: vs. Tulsa, LHP Pete Hansen (3-2, 4.26) vs. RHP Jared Karros (1-5, 7.08) 7:05 PM CT.
Peoria Chiefs 0 at Cedar Rapids Kernels 3 (Game one, 7 innings)
The High-A Peoria Chiefs were blanked by the Cedar Rapids Kernels in game one of Thursday’s doubleheader.
Cade Winquest started for the Chiefs. The right-hander tossed 3 ⅔ innings and allowed three runs on five hits, no walks, and three strikeouts. Winquest took the loss.
Hunter Hayes fanned two across 2 ⅓ scoreless innings in relief.
Cedar Rapids scored a run in the second and two in the fourth.
The Chiefs threatened in the sixth. Michael Curialle and Jon Jon Gazdar singled to put two runners on base for the first time in the game. However, both were stranded.
The Chiefs did not record a hit with runners in scoring position in the shutout loss.
Peoria scored no runs on three hits, all singles. Gazdar was 2-for-3. Curialle singled. Chase Adkison and Graysen Tarlow each drew a walk.
The Chiefs did not steal a base. On defense, catcher Tarlow was charged with an error on catcher’s interference. Brayden Jobert threw out a runner at second base from right field.
Peoria Chiefs 4, Cedar Rapids Kernels 3 (Game two, 7 innings)
The Peoria Chiefs edged the Cedar Rapids Kernels in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader at Veterans Memorial Stadium. This was the makeup of the postponement from April 20. Since the game was originally slated to take place at Dozer Park, the Chiefs served as the home team in Cedar Rapids, as the Kernels will not return to Peoria for the remainder of the regular season.
In his High-A debut following his callup on Tuesday, Jason Savacool started for Peoria. The right-hander pitched 4 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs on four hits, three walks, and five strikeouts.
Left-hander Michael Watson surrendered one run across 2 ⅓ hitless innings with three strikeouts in relief of Savacool. Watson earned his second win of the season.
Peoria plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning to begin the scoring. Chase Adkison drew a lead-off walk and scored on Miguel Villarroel’s second home run of the season, a two-run shot.
The Chiefs doubled the lead with a second pair of runs in the third. With two outs, Ryan Campos singled. Chase Adkison reached base on a missed catch error, with Campos to second. Adkison and Campos advanced a base via a wild pitch. Villarroel singled in both runners for a 4-0 Chiefs lead.
Peoria held off a late Cedar Rapids rally in the victory.
The Chiefs scored four runs on three hits. Villarroel was 2-for-3, including a two-run home run and all four Peoria RBI. Campos singled and scored a run. Adkison walked and scored twice.
On the basepaths, Michael Curialle swiped his third bag. The Chiefs did not commit an error on defense.
Peoria is 25-35 on the season following the doubleheader split with Cedar Rapids.
Friday’s game: at Cedar Rapids, RHP Tink Hence – Memphis rehab (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-1, 5.71) 6:35 PM CT.
Palm Beach Cardinals 4, Lakeland Flying Tigers 3 (12 innings)
The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals won an extra-innings thriller over the Lakeland Flying Tigers at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Thursday.
Braden Davis started his ninth game for Palm Beach. The left-hander pitched 5 ⅔ innings of shutout baseball on one hit, three walks, and a career-high 12 strikeouts.
Sam Brodersen surrendered two runs across two innings in relief of Davis. Mason Burns fanned three and yielded one run over 1 ⅓ innings in a blown save. Ernie Day struck out two in a scoreless 10th inning. Charles Harrison fired a scoreless 11th and 12th to collect his first professional win.
Palm Beach broke the scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Anyelo Encarnacion and Sammy Hernandez drew back-to-back walks and advanced on a wild pitch. Encarnacion crossed home plate on a second consecutive wild pitch, with Hernandez to third base on the play. Hernandez scored on a Heriberto Carabello sacrifice fly for a 2-0 Cardinals lead.
Lakeland responded with three runs in the eighth inning to take the lead.
Down by one, Palm Beach looked to rally in the bottom of the ninth. Yordalin Pena singled and moved to second base via a balk. Pena advanced to third on an Encarnacion groundout. Hernandez reached on a fielder’s choice, with Pena home as the tying run.
The game remained tied at three to force extra innings.
The Cardinals looked for a memorable finish in the 12th. Romtres Cabrera began the inning at second base. Luis Pino was intentionally walked. Deniel Ortiz lined a single to score Cabrera for the walk-off win.
Who else but Deniel Ortiz to send us home! pic.twitter.com/n8Kch62cWe
— Palm Beach Cardinals (@GoPBCardinals) June 13, 2025
Palm Beach pitching held Lakeland to 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine Flying Tigers in the extra-innings win.
The Cardinals scored four runs on four hits, all singles. Ortiz singled, walked twice, and drove in the game-winning run. Carabello tallied a single and one RBI. Hernandez walked, scored a run, and drove in one run.
On the bases, Johnfrank Salazar swiped his third bag.
On defense, catcher Hernandez was tagged with a passed ball.
Palm Beach is 29-30 on the season.
Friday’s game: vs. Lakeland. RHP Jacob Odle (Low-A debut) vs. TBA. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 PM CT.
FCL Cardinals 7, FCL Nationals 13
The Florida Complex League Cardinals fell to the FCL Nationals on Thursday.
Jefferson Moran made his fourth start for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched 2 ⅓ innings and allowed one run on two hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
Antoni Cuello struck out three across 1 ⅔ innings in relief of Moran. Jovi Galvez surrendered six runs, five earned, over 1 ⅓ innings. Ronny Oliver yielded three runs, two earned, across 2 ⅔ innings, and took the loss. Bruno Lopez fanned three and allowed three runs in the ninth inning.
The Cardinals scored the first run of the game in the second inning. Daniel Rojas walked and swiped second base before Alejandro Loaiza lined an RBI double.
The Nationals tied the game at one apiece in the third.
The Cardinals regained the lead in the home third. Bracewell Taveras and Paulo Asprilla hit back-to-back singles. Rojas lined the third consecutive single of the inning to score Taveras.
The Cardinals added to the lead in the fourth. Yairo Padilla singled and scored on a Yancel Guerrero double to extend the lead to 3-1.
The Nationals trimmed the lead to one run in the top of the fifth inning.
The Cardinals widened the score with a four-run home fifth. Paulo Asprilla began the inning with a single and moved to second on the play via a throwing error. Asprilla scored on Rojas’ first home run of the season, the second of his career. Yaisel Ramos blasted a solo home run for the Cardinals’ sixth run. Facundo Velasquez walked, and moved to third base on a Padilla single. Guerrero singled in Velasquez to stretch the lead to 7-2.
The Nationals stormed back to tie the game at seven with a five-run sixth inning.
The Nationals recorded back-to-back three-run frames in the eighth and ninth to add to their lead. The Cardinals were unable to rally.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on 15 hits. Rojas was a perfect 3-for-3, including two walks, two runs scored, a two-run home run, and three RBI. Ramos walked and hit a solo home run. Guerrero tallied two singles and two RBI. Loaiza walked, doubled, and drove in a run. Padilla was 4-for-6 with a run scored.
On the basepaths, Padilla stole two bags to increase his season total to 20. Rojas swiped his fifth bag. Taveras snagged his second. Ramos was caught stealing second base.
On defense, catcher Asprilla, shortstop Padilla, and third baseman Guerrero each made a throwing error. Velasquez nailed a runner at second base from center field.
The FCL Cardinals are 11-13 on the season. They will play two road games with the FCL Mets on Friday at St. Lucie Sports Complex.
Friday’s games: Pitching probables have not yet been announced for either game. First pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 9:00 AM CT. Game 2 should follow at 11:00 AM CT.
DSL Cardinals 3, DSL Mets Orange 5
The Dominican Summer League Cardinals lost a close home contest to the DSL Mets Orange on Thursday.
Jan Cabrera started for the Cardinals. The right-hander threw four innings and allowed one run on four hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.
Briam Reyes fired 1 ⅔ scoreless innings with no hits allowed in relief of Cabrera. Brailyn Paulino yielded two runs across 2 ⅓ innings and was charged with a blown save. Reiner Lopez allowed two unearned runs to score in the ninth inning and took the loss.
The Cardinals plated the first run of the game in the third inning. Sebastian Dos Santos tripled and scored on a wild pitch.
The DSL Mets Orange responded with a run in the fourth to tie the game.
The Cardinals regained the lead at 2-1 in the home fourth. Yeferson Portolatin drew a walk and stole second base. Johnny Chaparro lined a single to bring Portolatin home.
The Cardinals added a run to their lead with a run in the sixth. Portolatin drew his second walk and swiped his second bag. Dos Santos doubled in Portolatin.
The Mets Orange rallied with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game at three, and a pair of runs in the ninth. The Cardinals failed to answer.
The DSL Cardinals scored three runs on seven hits. Dos Santos was 2-for-4, including a double, a triple, a run scored, and one RBI. Chaparro was 2-for-4 with one RBI. Portolatin took three walks and scored twice. Kenly Hunter tallied two singles. The lineup drew more walks than strikeouts, at a 7-6 margin.
On the bases, Hunter swiped two bags to increase his total to seven. Portolatin stole his fourth base. Cristofer Lebron was caught stealing second base.
On defense, third baseman Portolatin committed two errors, one fielding and one throwing. Pitcher Cabrera picked off a runner at first base. The Cardinals turned two double plays.
The DSL Cardinals are 5-3 on the season. They will play a road contest with the DSL Mets Orange on Friday.
Friday’s game: at DSL Mets Orange. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 AM CT.
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Peoria Chiefs (off-day)
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DSL Cardinals:
Memphis Redbirds (off-day)
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