photo: Cristhian Longa (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals system went 3-5 on Tuesday, with Memphis and both DSL clubs claiming wins. DSL Cards Red catcher Cristhian Longa is our Player of Day for his 5-for-5 game, including a double, triple and two RBI. Luke Voit continues his torrid hitting for the Triple-A Redbirds, which took all five against the Cubs’ top farm club.

Results from the games played Tuesday, July 3^rd.

Memphis 7 at Iowa 5   

Hot hitting, featuring the long ball, lifted the Redbirds over Iowa, 7-5, for a sweep of the five-game road series. Memphis (53-32) holds a commanding 12 ½-game lead over both New Orleans (MIA) and Nashville (OAK) in the American Southern Division of the Pacific Coast League.

Home runs came from rehabbing Paul DeJong and Randy Arozarena, both with a runner aboard.  DeJong reached base three times, adding a double in four at bats with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI.  It was Arozarena’s only hit in four at bats.

Luke Voit joined the home run derby, as the first baseman went 3-for-5 with a solo shot comprising one of his three driven in.  Voit’s average over his last 10 games is a torrid .476, 20 hits in 42 at bats.

Oscar Mercado also generated a three-hit performance while leading off, going 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.  But the center fielder was picked off first.

Memphis’ top three in the order, Mercado, DeJong and Voit, garnered eight of the team’s 12 hits.  Defensively, the Redbirds turned three double plays – 6-4-3, 4-6-3 and 5-4-3 – and committed one miscue.

Dakota Hudson picked up his 12^th victory in 14 decisions despite having a rare off night on the mound.  Hudson was on the wrong side of a four-run first but settled down to blank Iowa (29-54) for the balance of his six innings on just two hits over five innings.  It was the first time in over a month that the right-hander surrendered four runs in a start.  Hudson struck out six and issued one free pass.

Rehabbing St Louis relievers tossed the next two innings:  Matt Bowman and Luke Gregerson.  Bowman successfully navigated around a two-out single in the seventh but Gregerson fell prey to his own throwing error, yielding an unearned tally on two singles.  Andrew Morales earned his first save of 2018.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. Omaha (38-45) (KC), 6:35 pm CT, Kevin Herget (5-6, 4.02)

Springfield 3 at Midland 9

The S-Cards fell to the RockHounds, 9-3, in the decisive third game of the road series.  Springfield (2-10) is in fourth and last place in the North Division, 6 ½ games behind Arkansas (SEA).

Connor Jones (L, 4-3) did not finish the sixth, yielding six runs, five earned, on seven hits, seven walks (one intentional) and two wild pitches over 5 2/3.  Estarlin Arias displayed a bit of rust in his return from the disabled list, giving up two tallies on three hits and a base-on-balls with two outs recorded and allowing one of two inherited runners to cross home plate.

Jason Zgardowski was scored upon as well, permitting a run on three hits and a free pass with five batters retired.  Zgardowski let one of Arias’ last two runners touch home.  Colton Thomson pitched a one-two-three eighth.

The visitors were held to just five hits, including a solo shot by Ramon Urias.  The second baseman went 2-for-4 with a double and home run with two runs scored.  Center fielder Lane Thomas was credited with an outfield assist at home but newly-added right fielder Johan Mieses committed his first bobble.  Springfield turned two double plays.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. Frisco (8-4) (TEX), 6:30 pm CT, Mike O’Reilly (2-2, 4.00)

Palm Beach 7 at Bradenton 9

The Beach Birds’ ninth-inning rally fell short, resulting in a 9-7 defeat at Bradenton for a split of the two-game series.  Second-place Palm Beach (6-6) remains a game behind Fort Myers (MIN), which also lost.

Trailing 9-1 with three outs to go, the PB-Cards reeled off six tallies and brought the potential tying run to the plate.  But the visitors could get no further.  The offense had more walks (eight) than hits (six), including five free passes in their final frame.  Six players had one single each.

Evan Guillory (L, 1-1) had a very off night, surrendering nine runs, seven earned, on seven hits and three walks in 3 2/3.  Six of the nine tallies were produced by three third-inning home runs.  Robbie Gordon settled the Marauders down over the next 3 1/3, striking out six.  Thomas St. Clair tossed a clean eighth and is yet to be scored upon in six appearances covering six innings since his promotion from Peoria.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. Daytona (6-5) (CIN), 6:00 pm ET, TBA

Peoria 6 at Burlington 10       

Chiefs’ hurlers were pounded for 15 hits on their way to a 10-6 loss at Burlington.  Peoria (7-5) is in third place in the Western Division of the Midwest League, 3 ½ behind Cedar Rapids (MIN).

Johan Oviedo (L, 3-7) kept the Bees off the board in the first but permitted seven runs in his next 2 1/3 innings.  The prospect righty gave up eight hits and issued five free passes.

Oviedo’s final run scored with Patrick Dayton pitching. Dayton gave up two runs more on four hits and two walks over 2 1/3.  He fanned six.  Zach Prendergast recorded the sixth’s final out, leaving two inherited runners on base, but yielded a run on three hits and two walks over the final two frames.

Peoria batters gathered eight hits, including two apiece by Bryce Denton and Julio Rodriguez.  Denton went 2-for-4 with a solo blast that was one of his two runs scored while Rodriguez singled twice in five at bats and knocked in two.  Second baseman Wood Myers was hitless in four at bats with a strikeout in his full-season debut but did take part in one double play.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. eighth-place Burlington (3-10) (LAA), 5:30 pm CT, Jesus Cruz (1-1, 1.64)

Mahoning Valley 2 at State College 0       

The Spikes were shut out by the Scrappers, 2-0, in the rubber game of the home series.  State College (6-12) has sole possession of last place in the Pinckney Division, 7 ½ games in back of Mahoning Valley (13-4).

Both tallies charged to Angel Rondon (L, 0-3) in 5 1/3 came in the third, the result of two singles and a base-on-balls.  The righty struck out seven during his time on the bump, permitting six hits, the previously mentioned walk and a hit batsman.

Kevin Hamann recorded the sixth’s last two outs, leaving the bases jammed with Rondon’s runners.  Hamann retired seven and issued two free passes, with those two runners left on base by Jacob Schlesener, who recorded all four of his outs via the strikeout.

State College had five hits, including two Edwin Figuera, who singled and tripled in five at bats.  The third baseman was also charged with his fifth error of the season.

Wednesday’s game:  at second-place Auburn (11-6) (WSH), 6:30 pm ET, Jim Voyles (0-1, 4.85)

Greeneville 8 at Johnson City 2

The Appy Birds were grounded by the Reds, 8-2, for a one-game-to-two series loss.  Johnson City (6-7) is in fourth place in the West Division, two games behind Kingsport (NYM) and a game in front of Greeneville (5-8) (CIN).

Dionis Zamora (L, 0-2) gave up four runs in the first, blanked his opponents over the next three frames but yielded three more tallies in the fifth, an inning he did not finish.  Six of the seven tallies against Zamora resulted from three home runs, three of the nine hits and a walk permitted in 5 1/3.  The 21-year-old threw three wild pitches.

Enrique Perez retired five batters, working around a hit and walk.  But Colin Schmid was touched for a run on two hits, a walk and a wild pitch despite striking out five over three innings.

The JC-Cards managed just four hits but did work five free passes.  They needed help from the Reds’ defense to score one of their two tallies since one of their two runs was unearned.

Wednesday’s game:  at third-place Bristol (7-7) (PIT), 12:00 pm ET, Edwar Ramirez (0-1, 10.13)

GCL Cardinals – off  

The first-place GCL Cardinals (9-3) enjoyed a pre-holiday respite while holding a two-game advantage over the GCL Mets in the East Division.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. fifth-place GCL Astros (3-9), 12:00 pm ET, Wilfredo Pereira (1-1, 6.35)

DSL Cardinals Blue 10 at DSL Rockies 4

Seven runs over the middle innings propelled the C-Blues over the Rockies, 10-4.  The Cardinals Blue (19-8) gained a game advantage over the second-place Twins with their win combined with the Twins’ loss.

In the balanced offensive effort, all nine starters reach base and eight of them had at least one of 14 hits.  Left fielder Jean Selmo led the way, going 3-for-4 with a double, walk and three runs scored.  Carlos Soler, Freddy De Jesus, Diowill Burgos and Pablo Gomez had two hits each with Burgos going yard for the second time this season.  Soler and De Jesus joined Selmo by doubling once while Soler and Selmo each swiped one bag although Selmo was nailed in another attempt.

Julio Puello (W, 3-0) pitched six strong innings, yielding six hits and a base-on-balls resulting in two runs.  Freddy Pacheco struck out the side in the seventh but not before being touched for an unearned tally on a walk, two wild pitches and a fielding error by third baseman Ramon Mendoza.  Saniel Santana permitted a run on two hits and a free pass during his two innings on the mound.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. DSL Rockies (10-17), 10:30 am ET, Francis Ventura (1-2, 5.24)

DSL Cardinals Red 13 vs. DSL Brewers 8  

The C-Reds notched a 13-8 come-from-behind victory over the Brewers, co-leaders of the San Pedro division along with the Rangers2.  The Cardinals Red (14-13) move into a three-way tie for second with the Phillies White and Mets2, three games in back of the co-leaders.

The home Red trailed 8-1 heading into the home half of the seventh but exploded for 12 tallies over the seventh and eighth.  Catcher Cristhian Longa had a career day, going 5-for-5 with double, triple, run scored and two RBI.  Four of Longa’s teammates had two hits apiece:  Joerlin De Los Santos, Sander Mora, Adanson Cruz and Claudio Ramirez.  De Los Santos and Cruz accounted for four runs apiece, De Los Santos scored three times with an RBI and Cruz flipped those numbers by touching home once and driving home three.  The team had 15 hits in all to go with seven walks.

Starter Ludwin Jimenez following up his strong six-inning/one earned run effort against the D-backs2 on June 27^th with a less stellar effort.  The 16-year-old allowed five runs, two earned, on seven hits and a walk over four innings.  Jimenez did not aid his own cause when he committed one of the team’s four errors and threw a wild pitch.

Reliever Rodard Avelino was touched for two more runs on four hits and a base-on-balls during his two frames on the bump.  Jhon Victorino (W, 1-0) gave up a run in the first of his three-inning stanza but retired his final seven batters.

Wednesday’s game:  at DSL Brewers (16-9), 10:30 am ET, Luis Ortiz (0-1, 3.24) or Martin Cordova (2-0, 0.79)

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photo: Diego Cordero (Dominican Summer League)

The St. Louis Cardinals system went 5-4 on a Monday that included three extra-inning contests. Player of the Day Diego Cordero jumped from the Gulf Coast League to throw six-plus strong innings for Palm Beach and Memphis’ Luke Voit continued his hot hitting.

Results from the games played Monday, July 2^nd.

Memphis 7 at Iowa 3    

Coming off his Sunday cycle, Luke Voit continued his hot hitting, reaching base five times as the Redbirds flew past the Cubs, 7-3.  Memphis (52-32) has won the first four games of the series with one to play.

Batting third, Voit went 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored for nearly half of his team’s eight hits.  Lead-off batter Max Schrock doubled twice in three at bats while touching home once but Paul DeJong was hitless in four at bats including two strikeouts and added a sacrifice fly in his third rehab appearance for the Redbirds.

All three tallies charged to Chris Ellis (W, 1-0) over five innings occurred in the first, two produced by a home run.  Ellis yielded six hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Landon Beck, Tommy Layne and Edward Mujica shut down Iowa’s offense the rest of the game.

Tuesday’s game:  at Iowa (29-53) (CHC), 7:08 pm CT, Dakota Hudson (11-2, 2.10)

Springfield 6 at Midland 3      

A six-run ninth propelled the S-Cards to a 6-3 comeback win over the RockHounds, halting a six-game losing skid and evening the road series at one game apiece with one on tap.

Held scoreless through eight frames, Springfield (2-9) hit four straight singles and scored twice before Midland retired a batter in the final frame.  The visitors generated 11 hits in all, led by Chris Chinea, the newly named Texas League Player of the Week, who went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI.  Tommy Edman and Lane Thomas both went 2-for-5 while crossing home once, with Edman’s double the only S-Card hit to go for extra bases.  Defensively, Springfield executed two double plays and catcher Andrew Knizner was charged with two passed balls.

Sam Tewes hurled a quality effort in his return to Double-A, limiting his opponents to three tallies in his sixth and final inning of work.  Tewes battled control issues during his stint, however, issuing four free passes and hitting a batter against just three hits given up.

The only batter to reach against Ian McKinney (W, 3-2) over two innings was via a base-on-balls and that baserunner was eliminated on one of the aforementioned double plays.  Yeison Medina pitched a clean ninth for his fourth save.

Tuesday’s game:  at Midland (2-8) (OAK), 6:30 pm CT, Connor Jones (4-2, 4.03)

Palm Beach 4 at Bradenton 2 (10 innings)   

Palm Beach used three 10^th-inning walks to down Bradenton, 4-2, in the opener of a brief two-game road set.

The second of the three free passes was intentional but the third certainly was not. It put the Beach Birds (6-5) ahead and came before Andy Young’s sac fly that scored the game’s last tally.  Young was one of four PB-Cards with two hits apiece, along with Kramer Robertson, J.B. Woodman and Jose Godoy.  Young, Robertson and Woodman all crossed home once, Young on a solo shot.  Palm Beach had 10 hits in all.

Player of the Day Diego Cordero was impressive in his maiden full-season effort, allowing just three hits and a base-on-balls in six plus frames.  The 20-year-old yielded a first-inning score then retired 17 straight before surrendering a game-tying lead-off home run in the seventh.  Cordero threw 50 of his 73 pitches for strikes.

Will Latcham tossed two shutout frames, striking out two.  Junior Fernandez (W, 1-0) recorded four outs and needed the assistance of Jacob Patterson, who stranded two inherited runners in the bottom of the 10th for his second save.

Tuesday’s game:  at Bradenton (3-8) (PIT), 6:30 pm ET, Evan Guillory (1-0, 4.76)

Burlington 9, Peoria 8 (10 innings)      

Peoria (7-4) could not hold a late lead and suffered a 9-8 walk-off loss at Burlington in 10.  The game is the first of a two-away-and-two-home game series versus the Bees.

Down 8-4 at the seventh’s midpoint, Burlington reeled off tallies in each of the next four innings.  All five Chiefs’ hurlers were scored upon, beginning with Franyel Casadilla who gave up three runs on eight hits and a walk through three.  Levi MaVorhis and Fabian Blanco both permitted a tally with six outs recorded while C.J. Saylor allowed more runs (two) than batters retired (one).  Kodi Whitley (BS, 1) (L, 3-1) left Saylor’s last two runners on base but allowed two runs, one earned, in two innings.

Elehuris Montero and Julio Rodriguez each had three of their squad’s 11 hits.  Montero went 3-for-4 with a walk, double, two runs scored, a stolen base and two knocked in while Rodriguez drove in two in five at bats.  Nick Plummer singled and doubled in three at bats with two free passes and touched home twice to raise his batting average to .281 over his last 10 games.

Tuesday’s game:  at Burlington (2-10) (LAA), 6:30 pm CT, Johan Oviedo (3-6, 5.22)

Mahoning Valley 9 at State College 7        

In what quickly turned into a bullpen game, State College (6-11) rallied from an early deficit only to fall at home to Mahoning Valley, 9-7. The series is even at one game each with one contest yet to come.

Starter Winston Nicacio allowed all five batters he faced to reach, two on hits, one on a base-on-balls and two when he hit them.  Four scored, the last after Nicacio got the hook in favor of Gabe Gentner.

Gentner escaped that jam relatively intact but permitted three more runs, two earned, on three hits and a free pass in four innings.  Troy Montemayor (L, 0-1) gave up the go-ahead run in the sixth, the middle of his three innings on the bump, breaking a seven-all tie.  Edgar Gonzalez was charged with another score over the last two frames.

The Spikes outhit the Scrappers, 12 to 11, with four players having two hits apiece:  Nick Dunn, Edwin Figuera, Brady Whalen and Walker Robbins.  Dunn and Figuera both scored twice and Whalen and Robbins doubled, with Whalen driving in four.

Tuesday’s game:  vs. Mahoning Valley (12-4) (CLE), 7:05 pm ET, Angel Rondon (0-2, 3.06)

Johnson City 13 vs. Greeneville 12 (10 innings)         

Johnson City (6-6) scored six unanswered tallies to upend the Reds and walk off with a 13-12 victory in 10.  Each team has won one of the series’ initial two contests with one on tap.

Appy Birds’ pitchers surrendered 12 runs before they retired 11 batters, beginning with Noel De Jesus, who was charged with eight runs, seven earned, on five hits and four walks through three plus innings.  David Oca let De Jesus’ last two runners score plus four of his own while recording just one out, giving up three hits and walking three.

But the bullpen was rock solid from that point onward, combining for 6 2/3 scoreless frames. In his second professional outing, free agent signee Jacob Sylvester restored order during his 2 2/3-inning stint, stranding two inherited runners and striking out three.  Juan Alvarez and Parker Kelly both tossed two clean frames, and 20^th rounder Kelly picked up his first pro win.

The Cards pounded out 14 hits and somehow managed to win despite going just 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position.  The number two hitter, left fielder Jonathan Machado, had three hits in six at-bats, scored a run and threw out a runner at second base, while raising his team-leading batting average to .432.

The big bats in the middle of the lineup did their thing, as Dariel Gomez (fourth of the season), Leandro Cedeno (fifth) and Nolan Gorman (fourth) all went deep.  Gorman crossed home plate three times. First baseman Kevin Woodall doubled, walked twice and plated three.

The offense-heavy, extra-innings win was witnessed by 3,687 fans, setting a new single-game attendance record in Johnson City.

Tuesday’s game:  vs. Greeneville (4-8) (CIN), 7:00 pm ET, Dionis Zamora (3-1, 1.93)

GCL Cardinals 9 at GCL Mets 4  

The first-place Gulf Cardinals (9-3) rallied for a 9-4 victory over the second-place Mets (7-5), a team they now lead by two games in the East Division of the Gulf Coast League.

Starter Enmanuel Solano (W, 2-0) gave the opposition the early lead when he allowed two tallies in each of his first two innings of work.  His first-inning scores were created by two singles, a steal of home – the lead runner of a successful double steal – and a balk.  The next frame, two runs scored via a walk, RBI triple and sac fly.  But the 19-year-old held his foes scoreless over the next four innings, giving up six hits and a base-on-balls in total, and left with the score tied at 6-6 through six.

The seventh proved profitable for the visitors as they erupted for five tallies.  The 12-hit attack included eight of nine starters garnering at least one hit, paced by hot-hitting center fielder William Jimenez, who went 3-for-4 with a double and three knocked in out of the nine hole.  Third baseman Josh Shaw and designated hitter Raffy Ozuna had two hits apiece. Shaw doubled and tripled in five at bats while crossing home once and driving in two.  Ozuna stole his first two bases while going 2-for 4 with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI.

Given a five-run lead with which to work, the bullpen blanked the Gulf Mets over the final nine outs.  Chris Hunt, Wilberto Rivera and Jose Geronimo each tossed an inning.      

Tuesday’s game:  off

DSL Yankees 6 at DSL Cardinals Blue 0 

The C-Blues were shut out by the DSL Yankees, 6-0, on Monday.  The loss, combined with a Twins’ victory, drops the Cardinals Blue (18-8) into a first-place tie in the South Division.

The home team’s offense was held to just three singles, one each by Carlos Soler, Jean Selmo and Jose Zapata.  Soler drew one of the team’s two walks but was caught stealing once and picked off first another time. Catcher Zapata and first baseman Selmo were each charged with a miscue, their third and second of the season, respectively.

The errors did not impact the final score as all six tallies scored by the Yankees (13-13) were earned.  Hector Soto absorbed his second loss against three wins despite hurling a solid five-inning effort.  The righty gave up three hits and two walks, resulting in one run.

The most damage was done by the pitching duo of Miguel Yedis and Derek Diaz who gave up a combined five runs on two hits, five free passes, a hit batsman and a wild pitch over the next four outs, all of them recorded by Yedis.  Angel Ortega retired five batters, giving up a hit and two walks while stranding two of three inherited runners.  Luis Tena pitched a clean ninth.

Tuesday’s game:  at DSL Rockies (10-16), 10:30 am ET, Julio Puello (2-0, 1.25)

DSL Cardinals Red 4 at DSL Rangers2 13

The C-Reds were on the receiving end of a 13-4 pasting by the Rangers2 (16-8), co-leaders of the San Pedro Division along with the Brewers.  The fourth-place Cardinals Red (13-13) trail both squads by four games in the standings.

The game went awry right from the opening as spot starter Wilman Madera (L, 1-2) only recorded two outs.  Madera, who has started twice in eight appearances so far, yielded four runs on six hits.  Miguel Maiz slowed the Rangers2’s offense down a tad, leaving Madera’s last two runners on board while giving up two tallies on a hit and three base-on-balls over four.

But pitcher no. 3, Augusto Calderon, retired just two batters while permitting three runs, two earned, on a hit, walk and two plunked batters.  Two of his runners crossed home with Nelson Prada on the mound, as the southpaw gave up four tallies, one earned, on six hits over the last 2 2/3 innings.

The visitors mustered just five hits and one walk, with shortstop Sander Mora having the best day at the plate.  The 17-year-old Venezuelan singled and doubled in four at bats and touched home once.  Defensively, third baseman Francisco Hernandez and first baseman Cristhian Longa each committed a bobble.

Tuesday’s game:  vs. DSL Brewers (16-8), 10:30 am ET, Martin Cordova (2-0, 0.79)

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On a 5-3 Thursday across the St. Louis Cardinals system, our Player of the Day, center fielder Joerlin De Los Santos, topped even Matt Carpenter with his 6-for-6 performance for the Dominican Summer League Red, leading an offense that pounded out a total of 20 hits.

Results from the games played Thursday, June 28^th.

Memphis 7 at Colorado Springs 5

The Redbirds rallied for a 7-5 victory over Colorado Springs (43-35) (MIL), giving them a split of the four-game road series.  Memphis (48-32) leads Nashville (OAK) by 9 ½ in the American Southern Division.

All seven runs were generated once the visitors got their hosts’ starting pitcher out of the game in the seventh and reversed a 2-0 deficit.  Rangel Ravelo paced the offense, going 3-for-3 with a double, walk, run scored and two RBI.  He was also hit by a pitch.

But most of the results were produced by two two-run home runs, one by Carson Kelly and the other by Tyler O’Neill.  The long ball was one of Kelly’s two hits in three at bats to go with a base-on-balls while O’Neill’s bomb was his only hit in five at bats.  O’Neill has gone deep in three straight contests and has 21 in total in 63 games between Memphis and St. Louis.

The rally also left Dakota Hudson, newly named as the Pacific Coast League’s starting pitcher for the upcoming 2018 Triple-A All-Star Game, in line for his league-leading 11^th win in 13 decisions.  Hudson held the Sky Sox to six hits and two walks through six, the only damage against him occurring in a two-run third inning.

Conner Greene followed Hudson to the mound for an inning of work and was touched for two runs, one earned, on a hit and walk.  Andrew Morales struck out three in 1 2/3 but yielded a run on two hits before southpaw Tommy Layne struck out his only batter for his second save.

Friday’s game:  at Iowa (29-49) (CHC), 7:08 pm CT, Kevin Herget (4-6, 4.23)

Springfield 4 at Frisco 5 (10)

The S-Cards opened their three-game road series at Frisco by suffering a 5-4 walk-off loss in 10.  Springfield has won only one of their seven second-half games and sit in fourth (and last) place in the North Division, 4 ½ games behind Arkansas (SEA) and Tulsa (LAD).

In the see-saw battle, the Rough Riders landed the initial blow, scoring twice in the first.  But Springfield pushed across three tallies split over the third and fourth frames to go up 3-2.  Frisco tied it up in the home half of the seventh before taking their second lead the next inning.  The S-Cards re-knotted the game at four all in the top of the ninth but the home team had the final answer.

Two S-Cards each had two of the team’s 10 hits;  Tommy Edman and Andrew Knizner both went 2-for-4.  Edman swiped his 15^th base of 2018 while Knizner doubled for the 10^th time with a base-on-balls and two driven in.  John Nogowski singled once in three at bats with two walks and a run scored in his return from the disabled list but the first baseman was one of three Springfield players to commit a miscue, along with shortstop Edman and third baseman Evan Mendoza.  Right fielder Johan Mieses was hitless in five at bats in his Springfield debut.

It took a quartet of Springfield hurlers to navigate the contest, beginning with Connor Jones who gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits and three free passes over seven innings.  Two of the three tallies were the products of a first-inning home run.

Ramon Santos recorded two outs, yielding a run on a hit and base-on-balls.  Jacob Evans left Santos’ last runner on base and retired four batters while walking one.  Yeison Medina (L, 0-3) did not record an out, allowing a bunt single to third which Mendoza bobbled that let the extra-inning’s lead-off runner score from second.

Friday’s game:  at Frisco (4-3) (TEX), 7:05 pm CT, Mike O’Reilly (2-2, 4.20)

Palm Beach 11 vs. Bradenton 2

The Beach Birds capitalized on nine hits and 10 walks to fly past the Marauders, 11-2, in the decisive third game of the home series.  Second-place Palm Beach (4-3) trails Fort Myers (MIN) by one game in the second-half division standings.

The score was knotted at two all until the PB-Cards poured on nine runs over the last five innings.  Brian O’Keefe led the way by reaching base all five times he came to the plate.  The catcher singled twice in two at bats with three free passes, crossed home four times and drove in two.

Dylan Carlson’s fourth Florida State League long ball came with Shane Billings (double) aboard and was one of his two hits in three at bats.  The designated hitter worked two free passes, scored three times and knocked in two.  Third baseman Taylor Bryant led the RBI category, with four while going 3-for-5.

Jake Walsh (W, 3-1) was solid in his fifth start for Palm Beach, shutting down Bradenton (2-5) over his last four innings after a two-run first frame.  The Florida native gave up five hits and two walks while fanning five.

Jacob Patterson retired all five batters faced before handing the ball off to Robbie Gordon who yielded two hits in 1 1/3.  Will Latcham tossed a one-two-three ninth.

Friday’s game:  at third-place Jupiter (3-3) (MIA), 6:30 pm ET, TBA

Peoria 4 at Beloit 1       

Home runs by Elehuris Montero and Matt Fiedler lifted the Chiefs past the Snappers, 4-1, in the road series opener.  Peoria (6-2) is just a half of a game off the pace set by Cedar Rapids (MIN) in the Western Division.

It must have been a good night for the long ball in Beloit on Thursday as three of the Chiefs’ four scores and the Snappers’ only tally came from home runs.  Fiedler’s solo shot got the scoring started in the fourth while Montero’s two-run blast with Jose Martinez (walk) aboard in the seventh capped the scoring.  Montero, Rayder Ascanio and J.R. Davis had two hits apiece with Ascanio and Montero touching home once.

In the ‘Timing Is Everything’ category Peoria hurlers gave up 10 hits in all, one more than Peoria’s offense had, but held their opponents to just the one home run.  That bomb came off starter Alex Fagalde (W, 3-2), who scattered six hits and a walk over six innings.  Kodi Whitley permitted three hits over the next two frames while C.J. Saylor worked around a hit and base-on-balls for his first full-season save.

Friday’s game:  at fourth-place Beloit (4-4) (OAK), 7:00 pm CT, Paul Balestrieri (3-3, 4.37)

State College 2 at Williamsport 4       

The Spikes dropped their away-home-away series opener to the Crosscutters, 4-2.  It is the 10^th loss in their first 13 games for last-place State College.

Angel Rondon (L, 0-2) tossed a solid effort, permitting two runs on seven hits and a walk through 5 2/3.  Jacob Schlesener retired all four batters faced, leaving Rondon’s last two runners on base.  But Cory Malcom allowed two tallies on two hits and an intentional base-on-balls in the eighth.

State College managed just four hits and three walks for the game.  Delvin Perez and Wadye Infante posted identical lines, going 0-for-3 with a walk and run scored.  Edwin Figuera was credited with an RBI when he got plunked with the sacks jammed, forcing in Perez.

Friday’s game:  vs. Williamsport (7-5) (PHI), 7:05 pm ET, Jim Voyles (0-1, 3.24)

Johnson City 3 at Kingsport 7         

The last-place JC-Cards (3-5) were downed by the first-place Mets, 7-3, in the first of three games between the division rivals.

Starting at his third level this season after appearing in both the Dominican Summer and Gulf Coast Leagues, Dionis Zamora (L, 0-1) pitched well in defeat.  The 21-year-old yielded two runs, one earned, on three hits and two free passes over 5 1/3.  One of his three hits given up was a solo home run.

Zamora’s last runner scored with Junior Gonzalez on the bump, under whom the offensive floodgates opened.  Gonzalez was charged with five runs on four hits and a walk in 2/3 plus-innings.  Parker Kelly retired all three batters faced but not before two inherited runners touched home.  Jacob Sylvester tossed a one-two-three eighth.

Catcher Zach Jackson had half of his team’s hits, going 2-for-3 with a base-on-balls and run scored.  Third baseman Nolan Gorman singled once in three at bats, worked a free pass and scored once.

Friday’s game:  at Kingsport (7-1) (NYM), 6:30 pm ET, TBA

GCL Cardinals – off 

The first-place Gulf Coast League Cardinals (6-2), losers of their last two games after beginning their season on a six-game winning streak, will look to get back on track against the fifth-place Astros.  The Gulf Cardinals hold a slim half-game advantage over the Mets in the East Division.

Friday’s game:  at GCL Astros (2-7), 12:00 pm ET, TBA

DSL Cardinals Blue 2 at DSL Mets1 1

Walks proved key in the C-Blue’s low-scoring 2-1 victory over the Mets1.  It was the fifth straight win for the DSL Cardinals Blue (17-6), which lead the South Division by two games over the Twins.

With each squad’s pitching staff holding the opponents to just four hits, the game boiled down to the five free passes issued by the Mets1’ hurlers versus three issued by the C-Blues.  All three of the game’s tallies were scored by a runner who reached base via a base-on-balls.

Center fielder Diomedes Del Rio opened the game with a walk and scored on first baseman Jean Selmo’s two-out double.  Six innings later, designated hitter Yowelfy Rosario worked a walk with one gone.  Rosario’s steal of second put him in position to score when second baseman Ramon Mendoza singled to left.  That run broke a 1-1 tie and put 18-year-old Francis Ventura in line for his first win of 2018.

Ventura (W, 1-2) scattered three hits and three walks over six frames, resulting in one run.  The righty fanned four.  Luis Tena faced the minimum in the seventh while Angel Ortega tossed two clean innings for his first save.

Friday’s game:  vs. DSL Mets1 (12-11), 10:30 am ET, Inohan Paniagua (1-1, 6.40)

Cardinals Red 13 vs. DSL Tigers1 1 

The C-Reds scored in each of the first four innings on their way to a 13-1 romp over the Tigers1.  The DSL Cardinals Red (12-11) are in third place in the San Pedro Division and trail the Brewers by four games.

The home team exploded for 20 hits, led by Player of the Day Joerlin De Los Santos, who was a perfect 6-for-6 with a double and three runs scored while leading off.  The 17-year-old center fielder knocked in two and swiped his 11^th bag of the season.

Close behind De Los Santos was designated hitter Claudio Ramirez, who reached base five times, going 3-for-3 with two walks, a double, three runs scored and drove in one.  Three C-Reds had two hits each:  Luis Montano, who doubled twice in four at bats, Francisco Hernandez, who went 2-for-4 with a solo shot and Sander Mora, who singled twice in six at bats with two runs scored and an RBI.

Starter Martin Cordova followed up his professional debut in which he tossed six shutout frames by limiting his opponents to a run on six hits and two walks through 5 1/3.  The 19-year-old struck out six.

Rodard Avelino finished the sixth, stranding one inherited runner.  Miguel Maiz fanned four over the final three innings for his first save as a professional.

Friday’s game:  at DSL Tigers1 (9-14), 10:30 am ET, Ronald Suarez (0-2, 6.75)

Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation: Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2018 Week 12

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photo: Diomedes Del Rio

On a 3-5 Thursday across the St. Louis Cardinals system, the three complex clubs notched wins. Our Player of the Day is Dominican Summer League Blue center fielder Diomedes Del Rio who plated five and missed a cycle only because he hit two doubles and no singles! Del Rio is batting .474 in the young season.

Results from the games played Thursday, June 21st.

New Orleans 2 at Memphis 1 (10) 

The Redbirds began a four-game home series versus the second-place Baby Cakes with a 2-1 loss in 10.  Memphis (43-30) still leads the American Southern Division by 6 ½, although New Orleans is in the midst of a five-game winning streak.

The low-scoring affair featured a combined 11 hits and Adolis Garcia had the key one for his team.  Garcia’s fourth-inning single drove in Luke Voit after the latter reached base as the lead runner on back-to-back walks.  A double by Tyler O’Neill was the only one of Memphis’ five hits to go for extra bases.

Taking the place of John Gant, who was recalled to St. Louis earlier in the day, Daniel Poncedeleon retired nine of the 10 batters he faced in his scheduled short start.  Poncedeleon issued one free pass and struck out three.

Landon Beck (1 2/3) and Sean Gilmartin (2 1/3) combined for four scoreless frames but a run against Conner Greene (BS, 2) (L, 0-1) in the eighth sent the game into extras.  Greene did not retire any of his three batters faced in the 10^th, allowing two hits and three walk.  Edward Mujica prevented further damage by inducing a double play ball before ending the 10^th with a strikeout, but the offense could not rally.

As misfortune would have it, Mujica was the runner placed on second and he was unable to score on a single to center by Oscar Mercado. After Mercado swiped second, the right men were up – Tyler O’Neill and Luke Voit – but they could get either runner home.

Friday’s game:  vs. New Orleans (36-36) (MIA), 7:05 pm CT, Chris Ellis (0-0, 4.00)

Arkansas 7 at Springfield 3      

The S-Cards fell to the Travelers, 7-3, in the first of four games between the two squads at Hammons Field.  Springfield (0-3) sits in fourth and last place in the early part of the Texas League’s second-half schedule, 2 ½ games in back of their guests.

Mike O’Reilly blanked Arkansas through five innings but departed with two gone in the sixth after giving up three runs.  O’Reilly yielded two hits and three free passes while fanning six.

Ian McKinney (L, 2-2) recorded two outs, giving up three hits and a walk that not only plated O’Reilly’s last base runner but led to three of his own doing.  All three scored with Colton Thomson on the mound.  Yeison Medina restored order with 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball, but it was too late.

Springfield generated 10 hits but only four reached scoring position.  Andrew Knizner accounted for two of his squad’s three scores, going 3-for-4 with a solo shot and two RBI.  Tommy Edman and Luke Dykstra each had two hits.

Friday’s game:  vs. Arkansas (2-0) (SEA), 7:10 pm CT, Connor Jones (4-2, 4.11)

Charlotte 10 at Palm Beach 1   

First-half division champion Palm Beach (0-1) began the second half of its season by absorbing a 10-1 home pounding at the hands of the Stone Crabs.

Starter Sam Tewes (L, 1-1) did not finish the fifth, surrendering eight runs on 12 hits, including a grand slam and solo bomb.  Tewes did not issue a free pass.

Eric Carter recorded five outs without allowing a batter to reach base but Robbie Gordon was charged with two runs, one earned, on three hits over two.  Newcomer Thomas St. Clair pitched a clean ninth.

The Beach Birds had six hits. Dylan Carlson singled twice in four at bats and scored the only run.

Friday’s game:  vs. Charlotte (1-0) (TB), 6:30 pm ET, Jake Walsh (2-1, 3.00)

Peoria – postponed        

Peoria’s second half opener versus Burlington was rained out Thursday evening.

The postponed contest has been rescheduled as part of a Friday evening double-header at Dozer Park. As is always the case in the minors, both games will be of seven innings duration.

Friday’s games:  vs. Burlington (0-0) (LAA).  Game 1 – 6:00 pm CT, Johan Oviedo (2-6, 5.82)/Zach Prendergast (5-2, 2.37)

State College 3 at West Virginia 4       

The Spikes were edged by the Black Bears, 4-3, in the road series opener.  State College (3-4) is in a three-way tie for third with Batavia (MIA) and West Virginia, three games in back of Mahoning Valley (CLE).

Winston Nicacio (L, 0-1) held the opposition scoreless through five but could not finish the sixth.  The righty gave up three runs on four hits and four walks through 5 1/3.  All three runs scored with other pitchers on the mound.

Brett Seeburger (BS, 1) inherited a bases-loaded with one out jam and walked both batters he faced.  Edgar Gonzalez served up an RBI single to his first batter, scoring Nicacio’s final runner plus one of Seeburger’s as well.  Seeburger’s tally was unearned due to a throwing error by left fielder Lars Nootbaar.  Gonzalez permitted three hits in all over 1 2/3.  Gabe Gentner pitched an uneventful eighth.

State College outhit West Virginia, 10 to seven, but went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.  Oddly, no Spikes were credited with an RBI, as the Bears tried to help their cause. The three State College runs scored on a wild pitch, passed ball and a throwing error.

Wadye Infante reached base all four times up, going 3-for-3 with a double, hit-by-pitch and a stolen base out of the seven hole.  Lead-off batter Edwin Figuera also had three hits, adding a double to two singles in five at bats.

Friday’s game:  at West Virginia (3-4) (PIT), 7:05 pm ET, Angel Rondon (0-0, 0.00)

Johnson City 10 at Bluefield 11

The Appy Birds’ rally fell just short as they were clipped by the Blue Jays, 11-10, in the decisive third game of the season-opening series.  Johnson City (1-2) is tied for fourth with Greeneville (CIN), with both teams trailing Elizabethton (MIN) and Kingsport (NYM) by two games.

Down 10-2 after seven, the visitors did not give up, putting up a four spot in each of the last two frames but never tying the game up thanks to an eighth-inning score against the pen.  Home runs by Michael Perri, Carlos Soto and Sanel Rosendo accounted for five of the 10 runs, the only hits of the game for each player.  Jonatan Machado and Zach Jackson both went 2-for-4. Machado also walked with two runs scored and one knocked in while Jackson hit two two-baggers.  The team had 10 hits in all.

It was an awful night for JC-Cards’ hurlers, who allowed a combined 21 hits.  Those hits were split pretty evenly between just two pitchers, Junior Gonzalez and Juan Alvarez.  Gonzalez (L, 0-1) yielded seven runs on 11 hits in 3 2/3 while Alvarez was touched for four tallies on 10 hits, including a two-run bomb.

Friday’s game:  vs. Kingsport (3-0) (NYM), 7:00 pm ET, TBA

GCL Cardinals 8 at GCL Nationals 5

The Gulf Birds’ six-run first lifted them past the GCL Nationals, 8-5, in West Palm.  The Cardinals (3-0) lead the East Division, a game up on the Mets.

Rehabbing John Nogowski led the team’s 13-hit onslaught, going 4-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI.  Raffy Ozuna and Brandon Benson posted nearly identical lines, each going 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.  The only difference between their respective performances was a double by Benson.

Enmanuel Solano (W, 1-0), making his first Gulf Coast League start after three successful outings for the DSL Cardinals Blue, hurled six quality frames.  Both tallies charged to the 19-year-old occurred in the third on two of the six hits and the only walk he allowed.

Cole Aker, St. Louis’ 18^th round selection in the recent June First-Year Player Draft, had a successful professional debut with two scoreless frames.  The righty yielded a hit and walk.

Reliever Wilberto Rivera had a rough 2018 debut, permitting three runs on two hits and a base-on-balls while recording just two outs. Right-hander Jose Geronimo, up from the DSL Cardinals Red, retired his only batter for his first save.

Friday’s game:  at GCL Mets (2-1), 12:00 pm ET, TBA

DSL Cardinals Blue 8 vs. DSL Phillies Red 6

The C-Blues rebounded from consecutive pastings by the Twins with an 8-6 victory over the Phillies Red.  The DSL Cardinals Blue (12-5) are in second place in the South Division, a game behind the Twins.

The home team generated 13 hits, led by Player of the Day Diomedes Del Rio, who had a massive day at the plate.  The center fielder went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and solo shot, a sac fly, one run scored and five driven in.

Three other players also had multi-hit games:  Right fielder Diowill Burgos singled three times in five at bats, first baseman Freddy De Jesus and second baseman Ramon Mendoza.  De Jesus singled and doubled in four at bats with a free pass, touched home once and one knocked in while Mendoza went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored.

Righty Julio Puello went the initial three innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on a hit and three walks with three strikeouts.  Puello also hit a batter.

Josue Ramirez followed Puello to the mound and was credited with the win.  Ramirez tossed three frames, allowing a run on two hits while fanning three.  It was the longest outing to date in five appearances for the 17-year-old who is in his first year of professional ball.  Ramirez plunked a batter too.

Reliever Miguel Yedis faced seven batters but recorded just three outs, yielding three tallies on three hits and a free pass.  Freddy Pacheco struck out two over the final two innings, stranding one of two inherited runners, for his third save.

Friday’s game:  at DSL Phillies Red (5-12), 10:30 am ET, TBA

DSL Cardinals Red 13 at DSL Phillies White 8

A big fourth inning launched the C-Reds over the DSL Phillies White, 13-8.  The DSL Cardinals Red (7-10) are in a three-way tie for fourth with the Dbacks2 and Phillies White, 5 ½ games in back of the Brewers.

The C-Reds scored 11 times that inning and all tallies were earned.  The visitors garnered 12 hits and eight walks in total with two players having three hits apiece in five at bats:  shortstop Sander Mora and second baseman Franklin Soto.  Both crossed home once, and Soto tripled and drove in three.  Left fielder Alexander Samuel went 1-for-2 with two walks and three runs scored, with his only hit a grand slam that capped the scoring in the fourth.

Ludwin Jimenez started, permitting five hits and two walks that produced three runs through 3 2/3 frames.  Miguel Maiz (W, 2-0) retired seven batters, matching Jimenez’ four K’s and leaving Jimenez’ last three runners on base.

Rodard Avelino did not record an out, surrendering three runs on four walks.  His last two runs scored with Gabriel Contreras pitching.  Contreras walked three and retired two, yielding two tallies of his own.  Dionys Rodriguez pitched the final 2 1/3, holding the opposition scoreless on a hit.

Friday’s game:  vs. DSL Phillies White (7-10), 10:30 am ET, TBA

Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation: Memphis Redbirds Notebook – 2018 Week 11

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photo: Diego Cordero (Dominican Summer League)

Tuesday marked a bumpy 2-7 ride for the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system. Player of the Day Diego Cordero spun six scoreless innings in the Gulf Coast League Cardinals’ opening day win, but Johnson City dropped its season opener. Peoria’s All-Stars came up short in their contest.

Results from the games played Tuesday, June 19^th.

Memphis 4 at El Paso 7   

The Redbirds dropped the series finale at El Paso, 7-4, splitting the four-game set.

Kevin Herget (L, 3-6) was charged with all seven tallies during his 5 2/3 innings on the bump.  The righty surrendered two gopher balls to El Paso (35-37) (SD), accounting for four runs and two of his seven hits allowed.  Herget issued two free passes.  Hector Mendoza recorded four outs and Conner Greene worked around two walks for a clean eighth.

Luke Voit and Wilfredo Tovar each singled twice in four at bats for Memphis (43-29). Voit drove in one and Tovar touched home once.  The Redbirds mustered just six hits overall, two against their closer, former St. Louis farmhand Robert Stock.

Wednesday’s game:  Off

Springfield 1 at Tulsa 5   

A four-run third resulted in the S-Cards’ 5-1 road loss at Tulsa.  Springfield has won one of the series’ initial three games with one to go.

In a bullpen game, Jacob Evans made just his second start in 24 appearances this season. Evans (L, 0-5) fell an out shy of three complete frames.  The lefty was charged with four runs on four hits and two walks.  He hit one batter as well.

Ramon Santos was a bright spot for Springfield.  The 23-year-old retired all 13 batters faced for a season-high 4 1/3 innings.  Santos struck out five and stranded an inherited runner.  Colton Thomson was touched for a run on two hits in the eighth.

Springfield outhit Tulsa, eight to six, but went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left five on base.  Tommy Edman was the sole S-Card with more than one hit, singling twice in four at bats and scoring the only run.

Wednesday’s game:  at Tulsa (1-0) (LAD), 11:05 pm CT, Jake Woodford (3-7, 4.88)

Palm Beach 2 at Daytona 7 (7) – Game 1   
Palm Beach 2 at Daytona 4 (7) – Game 2

With the first-half title already clinched, Palm Beach (39-25) opened what was to be a three-game series at Daytona by suffering a double-header sweep, 7-2 and 4-2.

Austin Warner took his third loss in six decisions in the opener, yielding five runs on five hits and two walks in 4 2/3.  The lefty fanned seven.  Junior Fernandez recorded the game’s final four outs, permitting two tallies, one earned, on two hits and a plunked batter.

The visitors mustered just two runs despite matching their hosts’ seven hits.  Jose Godoy and Juan Yepez both went 2-for-3, as Godoy doubled and scored.  Yepez’ time on the base paths was unproductive as the first baseman was caught stealing and picked off first.

The finale was a make up of the June 18 contest which was postponed due to wet grounds.  The Beach Birds made a bullpen start with John Kilichowski being first up.  Kilichowski went the initial 2 1/3, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks.

Both runs scored with Robbie Gordon on the mound.  Gordon allowed a hit and walk before he recorded the third’s final out.  Four of the six outs recorded by Jacob Patterson were strikeouts but Will Latcham (L, 3-3) permitted two runs in the home half of the sixth, breaking a 2-2 tie.

Two of the three hits generated by Palm Beach for the game occurred in the fifth when they scored both of their unearned runs.  Kramer Robertson’s eighth double of 2018 knocked in Danny Hudzina (error) and Ryan McCarvel (single).  Robertson swiped third, his fifth stolen base of the season, but was stranded there.

Wednesday’s game:  Cancelled

Peoria – off for the 2018 Midwest League All-Star Game    
East 3, West 2 (10 innings)

The 2018 Midwest League All-Star Game took place on Tuesday at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing Michigan, home of the Lugnuts (TOR).

The East squad walked off with a 3-2 10^th-inning victory over Peoria’s West squad.  Five Chiefs took part in the game:  first baseman Yariel Gonzalez, second baseman Irving Lopez, third baseman Elehuris Montero, catcher Dennis Ortega and reliever Bryan Dobzanski.  Gonzalez, Lopez and Montero comprised the majority of the West’s starting infield while Ortega made it into the game as a reserve.

Gonzalez, the only Chief to play the entire game, singled once in four at bats and scored both of his squad’s runs.  Montero, Lopez and Ortega were all hitless in two at bats but Ortega was credited with a pick off at first base.

Dobzanski was the sole Peoria representative out of the bullpen, thanks to Thomas St. Clair’s promotion to Palm Beach.  The right-hander began the bottom of the ninth charged with the task of sending the game into extras and came through by retiring both of his batters, one via the K.

Wednesday’s game:  Off

Mahoning Valley 7 at State College 4     

The Spikes’ bullpen could not hold a late lead as State College (2-3) fell to Mahoning Valley, 7-4.  The Spikes will try to salvage the third and final game of the series on Wednesday.

The home team led 2-0 after six, but a seven-run seventh flipped the script.  It took three relievers to navigate that inning, beginning with Chris Holba (BS, 1) (L, 0-1).  Holba had pitched a clean sixth but retired just one batter the next frame, yielding three runs, two earned, on two hits and a base-on-balls.  Troy Montemayor gave up two hits and two walks, resulting in four runs, although only one was earned.  Jacob Schlesener recorded the inning’s final out, but not before allowing all three inherited runners to score.  Schlesener finished the game with two scoreless frames.

The bullpen’s collapse was aided by State College’s defense, which committed three miscues, all by third baseman Edwin Figuera, including one in the crucial seventh.  A wild pitch and hit batsman by Schlesener did not help matters.

That spoiled a fine outing by Jake Dahlberg, who held the Scrappers to four hits through the first five innings.  Dahlberg fanned four and picked off a runner at first.

State College matched Mahoning Valley’s 11 hits but were an egregious 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position.  Eight of nine starters had at least one hit with three Spikes having two apiece:  Wadye Infante, Wood Myers and Joe Gomez.  Myers and Gomez each doubled once with Myers scoring a run.

Wednesday’s game:   vs. Mahoning Valley (5-0) (CLE), 7:05 pm ET, Franyel Casadilla (0-0, 3.18)

Johnson City 7 at Bluefield 8         

Johnson City (0-1) scored first but Bluefield scored last as the Appy Birds suffered an 8-7 walk-off loss in the season opener.

David Oca began the eighth, asked to hold a 6-5 advantage, but could not deliver, yielding a game-tying tally.  After his team pushed across another run to go back up 7-6, Oca (BS, 1) (L, 0-1) allowed two more runs for the walk-off loss.  The lefty gave up five hits in all with a walk and four K’s.

Oneiver Diaz went the first five, permitting three runs on four hits and four free passes.  Two of the three tallies were generated by one long ball.  Hector Villalobos (BS, 1) bridged the gap between Diaz and Oca, allowing two tallies on three hits and two walks.

The JC-Cards banged out 13 hits, paced by two Appy Birds garnering three hits each:  Jonatan Machado and Leandro Cedeno, who both went 3-for-5.  Machado doubled with two runs scored while Cedeno was one of three Johnson City players to go yard.  Nolan Gorman and Brian Sanchez both homered, all three long balls coming with the bases clean.

Wednesday’s game:  at Bluefield (1-0) (TOR), 7:05 pm ET, TBA

GCL Cardinals 10 at GCL Astros 0    

The GCL Cardinals (1-0) kicked off their 2018 season with a 10-0 road thumping of the Astros.

The contest was tight until the fifth when the Gulf Birds erupted for seven tallies, expanding their lead to 8-0.  10 of 11 Gulf Cardinals reached base with nine either getting a hit or scoring a run.  Four players had two hits each:  shortstop Raffy Ozuna, catcher Ivan Herrera, right fielder Victor Garcia and center fielder William Jimenez.  Ozuna and Herrera both took part in four scores. Ozuna touched home twice with two RBI and Herrera scored once and drove in three.  A triple by Ozuna was the only one of the team’s 12 hits to go for extra bases.

Player of the Day Diego Cordero shone in his first start on American soil, holding the Gulf Astros scoreless during his six-inning stint.  The lefty gave up three hits and three walks with four strikeouts, two ground- and six fly-ball outs.

22-year-old right-hander Perry DellaValle hurled a clean seventh, working around a hit and walk in his professional debut.  Chris Hunt pitched the final two frames, permitting a hit and free pass.

Wednesday’s game:   vs. GCL Marlins (1-0), 12:00 pm ET, TBA

DSL Twins 13 at DSL Cardinals Blue 4

The DSL Cardinals Blue (11-4) were thumped by the Twins, 13-4, leading to a tie atop the South Division between the two squads.      

Angel Cuenca was charged with six runs, two earned, on seven hits, three walks and a hit batsman through four plus innings for his first loss in two decisions. Derek Diaz, who faced seven batters and recorded three outs, yielded four runs on two free passes and two plunked batters.  The 17-year-old also let two of three inherited runners score.

Three of Diaz’ runs scored under Saniel Santana’s watch.  The righty went 2 2/3 innings, giving up three tallies on three hits and two base-on-balls.  Anthony Trompiz retired his only batter, leaving Santana’s last two base runners aboard.

The C-Blues had more errors – five – than hits – four – with center fielder Diomedes Del Rio gathering half of his team’s hits.  Del Rio continued his impressive start to 2018 by going 2-for-3 with two walks, two triples, a run scored and an RBI.  The 20-year-old stole his fourth base of the season.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. DSL Twins (11-4), 10:30 am ET, Hector Soto (2-0, 2.61)

DSL Cardinals Red 8 vs. DSL Cubs2 6

The C-Reds scored in six of eight innings on their way to an 8-6 home win over the DSL Cubs2.  The DSL Cardinals Red (5-10) move into a tie for seventh with the DSL Tigers1, with both teams trailing the DSL Brewers by six games.

The balanced offense featured five players with two hits apiece:  Sander Mora, Franklin Soto, Luis Montano, Francisco Hernandez and Joyser Garcia.  All five players scored at least one run with Soto, Montano and Hernandez each driving in one.

Jose Moreno (W, 1-1) had a noteworthy performance, blanking the Cubs on two hits and five walks through six innings.  The 17-year-old righty struck out five and hit one batter.

Unfortunately, the bullpen was not nearly as effective.  Rodard Avelino did not retire any of the four batters he faced, giving up three runs, two earned, on three walks and a plunked batter.  Hector De Los Santos was touched for three tallies on five hits and two free passes over 2 2/3.  Sebastian Tabata left De Los Santos’ final two runners aboard by retiring his only batter for his first professional save.       

Wednesday’s game:   at DSL Cubs2 (6-9), 10:30 pm ET, tandem – Ludwin Jimenez (0-1, 4.38)/Luis Ortiz (0-0, 2.08)

Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation: Palm Beach Cardinals Notebook – 2018 Week 11

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Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system. Annual members may purchase our new 193-page 2018 Prospect Guide for less than half price. Our limited edition printed version is sold out.

© 2018 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

photo: Anthony Shew (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

St. Louis’ minors went 3-2 on Monday with Anthony Shew’s quality effort pitching Springfield to victory. Memphis won behind Dakota Hudson’s strong start while the DSL Cardinals Blue put one in the win column. State College fell and though Palm Beach’s contest was postponed, they still picked up a playoff berth.

Results from the games played Monday, June 18^th.

Memphis 5 at El Paso 2

Five unearned runs lifted the Redbirds over the Chihuahuas for a two-games-to-one series lead with one contest remaining. Memphis (43-28) holds a comfortable 8 ½-game lead over New Orleans (MIA) in the American Southern Division of the Pacific Coast League.

All five tallies came in the first and were unearned due to a throwing error by El Paso’s second baseman that allowed Max Schrock to reach with one gone. Schrock advanced to second after Tyler O’Neill was hit by a pitch and raced home on Patrick Wisdom’s double. A sac fly by Carson Kelly scored O’Neill before Wisdom touched home via Alex Mejia’s single. Adolis Garcia capped the scoring with his eighth home run of 2018. Memphis managed just two more hits the rest of the way. Defensively, Garcia committed his fourth miscue and Kelly was called for his third passed ball.

That was more than sufficient offense for Dakota Hudson (W, 9-2), who scattered eight hits and two walks over six frames, resulting in one run allowed. The 23-year-old threw 63 of his 104 pitches for strikes.

Andrew Morales battled control issues, issuing almost as many free passes (four) as he recorded outs (five). Morales permitted two hits and was charged with a run. Edward Mujica left the sacks jammed full of Morales’ runners before pitching a clean ninth for his sixth save.

Tuesday’s game: at El Paso (34-37) (SD), 7:05 pm MT, Kevin Herget (3-5, 3.86)

Springfield 3 at Tulsa 2

Springfield (1-0) began the second half with a 3-2 road victory over Tulsa, evening the series at one game apiece with one game on tap. The win also ended a four-game losing streak by the S-Cards.

Springfield led 1-0 after one, but the Drillers responded with single scores in the third and fourth against Anthony Shew (W, 4-2). The score remained 2-1 in favor of the home team until the seventh when Victor Roache’s RBI single tied the game followed by Blake Drake’s walk that forced across the winning run.

Six S-Cards each had one hit, including the starting pitcher. Edmundo Sosa’s double was the only one to go for extra bases, and the shortstop joined Lane Thomas and Andrew Knizner by scoring a run. Right fielder Drake was credited with an assist at home.

Player of the Day Shew tossed a strong effort, giving up six hits and three walks through 6 2/3. He struck out five and also hit a batter. Veteran southpaw Tommy Layne recorded four outs, leaving Shew’s last two runners aboard. Yeison Medina tossed a one-two-three ninth for his third save.

Tuesday’s game: at Tulsa (0-1) (LAD), 7:05 pm CT, TBA

Palm Beach – postponed

Due to a Jupiter loss, Palm Beach’s (39-23) quest to clinch the first-half South Division title was completed – despite their series opener at first-place Daytona (North Division) being postponed due to wet grounds.

The contest has been rescheduled as part of a double header on Tuesday, June 19^th.

Tuesday’s games: at Daytona (35-29) (CIN). Game 1 – 6:00 pm ET, Sam Tewes (1-0, 4.50)/TBA

Peoria – off

Peoria enjoys the Midwest League All-Star break having clinched a post-season berth. The All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, June 19^th, at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing Michigan, home of play-off bound Lugnuts (TOR).

Peoria has six representatives named to the Midwest League West All-Star squad. First baseman Yariel Gonzalez, second baseman Irving Lopez, and third baseman Elehuris Montero were elected as starters, and catcher Dennis Ortega and pitchers Bryan Dobzanski and Thomas St. Clair are also on the roster. However, the latter’s Monday promotion to Palm Beach means he will be unable to participate.

Tuesday’s game: All-Star Game, 7:05 p.m. ET

Mahoning Valley 4 at State College Spikes 1

The Spikes were held to just three hits in their 4-1 home series opening defeat to the Scrappers. State College (2-2) is in a four-way tie for second, two games in back of undefeated Mahoning Valley.

Jim Voyles took the loss despite yielding just a solo shot during his 4 1/3 innings on the bump. The tall right-hander allowed two hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

Kevin Hamann (1.2 IP) and Michael Baird (2 IP) both took the mound in relief. Hamann gave up a hit and base-on-balls before Baird issued a free pass but then picked off the runner at first in his professional debut. However, Patrick Dayton did not fare as well as the other two relievers, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk.

The Spikes’ ninth-inning tally was unearned. Back-to-back singles by Delvin Perez and Justin Toerner plus a throwing error by the Scrappers’ right fielder brought Perez across. Center fielder Wadye Ynfante had his team’s third hit but was caught stealing.

Tuesday’s game: vs. Mahoning Valley (4-0) (CLE), 7:05 pm ET, Jake Dahlberg (season debut)

Johnson City Cardinals

The Cardinals’ Appalachian League entry will take the field for the first time in 2018 this evening at Bluefield at 7:05 p.m. ET. The starting pitchers have not yet been announced.

To view the season-opening Johnson City roster, click here.

Gulf Coast League Cardinals

The Gulf Coast League Cardinals will open their 2018 season at noon ET on Tuesday at the Astros complex in West Palm Beach. Starting pitchers have not been announced.

The Cardinal Nation will post the GCL Cards initial roster as soon as it is made available today.

DSL Cardinals Blue 4 at DSL Rockies 1

Right-hander Inohan Paniagua tossed five-plus shutout frames as the DSL Cardinals Blue flew past the DSL Rockies, 4-1. The victory was the fifth straight for the C-Blues (11-3), which sit atop the South Division, a game in front of both the Nationals and Twins.

After two starts in which the 18-year-old made it through just 0.2 and 1.2 IP, Paniagua spun a strong effort, limiting the opposition to four hits and two walks. The Dominican native departed after permitting a lead-off double to start the sixth.

Larimel Soriano stranded Paniagua’s base runner, yielding just a hit and base-on-balls over 2 1/3 innings. Soriano was charged with an unearned run. Freddy Pacheco fanned three over the last 1 2/3 for his second save.

The visitors were likewise held to just five hits but four went for extra bases, which made all the difference. First baseman Freddy De Jesus doubled home shortstop Darlyn Del Villar (walk) in the first before designated hitter Diomedes Del Rio’s triple plus a passed ball led to the team’s second score in the third. The next inning, right fielder Diowill Burgos tripled with one gone and scampered home after third baseman Yowelfy Rosario lined a double to left. The final score came after Del Rio opened the eighth by working a free pass, advanced to third via Del Villar’s single and scored on a double play.

Tuesday’s game: at DSL Twins (10-4), 10:30 am ET, Hector Soto (2-0, 2.61)

DSL Brewers 18 at DSL Cardinals Red 7

C-Reds’ hurlers gave up double digit runs for the second consecutive time to the second-place Dominican Brewers, losing this time 18-7. The DSL Cardinals Red (4-10) are tied with the DSL Tigers1 for seventh (and last) in the San Pedro Division, seven games behind the DSL Rangers2.

Eight of the nine scores allowed by Ronald Suarez (L, 0-2) over 4 2/3 innings occurred in the first three frames, although only five of the runs were earned. The righty permitted nine hits, a walk and tossed two wild pitches.

Dionys Rodriguez, the first of four Cardinals Red relievers, yielded two runs on three hits and a free pass in 2 1/3. Gabriel Contreras gave up three runs on two hits and two walks in eighth before southpaw Nelson Prada was charged with four runs on three hits and two walks in just a third of an inning. Rodriguez, Contreras and Prada each hit a batter. Sebastian Tabata retired both batters faced.

The home team managed seven hits, with center fielder Adanson Cruz garnering three. Cruz went 3-for-4, including his second triple of 2018, walked, touched home once and knocked in one. First baseman Cristhian Longa singled once in four at bats with a sac fly and three RBI.

Tuesday’s game: vs. fourth-place DSL Cubs2 (6-8), 10:30 am ET, TBA

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