Cardinals Minor League Notebook: 7/19/17

(photo: Scott Hurst/Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Results from games played Tuesday, July 18th.

Memphis 1 at Oklahoma City 4

The Redbirds dropped a 4-1 decision at Oklahoma City, snapping a seven-game winning streak and evening the series at one game each with two on tap.  Memphis (61-34) is 17 ½ games ahead of Nashville (OAK) in the American Southern Division.

Marco Gonzales (L, 6-4) was not at his best, yielding a three-run third plus another score the next frame, allowing six hits, two walks and a hit batsman through six.  Trey Nielsen and Miguel Socolovich each tossed an inning.

The visitors matched their hosts’ seven hits but, unlike the Dodgers, the Redbirds’ hits were not grouped together.  Nick Martini singled twice in three at bats with an RBI, the only player with more than one hit. The right fielder drove in Gonzales who singled to open the third.

Wednesday’s game:  at Oklahoma City (51-44) (LAD), 7:05 pm CT, John Gant (1-4, 3.13)

 

Springfield 8 vs. Northwest Arkansas 3

Anthony Garcia (USA TODAY Sports Images)

The S-Cards (16-9) transformed 11 hits into eight tallies in their 8-3 victory over the Naturals, clinching the four-game set with one to play.  Springfield’s sixth consecutive win has left them atop the North Division, a game in front of Tulsa (LAD).

Three Springfield players went yard: Anthony Garcia, Jacob Wilson and Bruce Caldwell.  Those home runs generated six of their eight scores.  Garcia padded a 2-0 lead in the third with a three-run bomb, his 15th of 2017 and only hit in four at bats.  Wilson’s solo shot was part of a three-run eighth, the third baseman adding a sac fly to his 1-for-3 effort.

Caldwell was one of three S-Cards with a multi-hit performance, joining Andrew Knizner and Randy Arozarena.  Caldwell went 2-for-3 with a two-run blast and walk, touching home twice while Knizner led the hitting by singling three times in four at bats.  Arozarena singled and doubled in four at bats, scoring twice.

Sandy Alcantara (W, 5-5) put together a solid effort, holding Northwest Arkansas to a run on seven hits and three free passes in 5 2/3.  Jacob Evans retired all four batters faced, stranding two inherited.  Dailyn Martinez was touched for two runs on six hits, both tallies produced by a long ball.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. third-place Northwest Arkansas (11-14) (KC), 6:30 pm CT, Chris Ellis (2-4, 3.82)

 

Palm Beach vs. Daytona – suspended

The first of three contests for Palm Beach (12-11) versus Daytona was suspended due to rain with two gone in the bottom of the second and the Beach Birds up 1-0 with a runner on second.  The game will be completed on Wednesday, July 19th, as part of a twin bill.

The Cards are tied for fourth with Jupiter (MIA), 4 ½ in back of Fort Myers (MIN).

Wednesday’s games:  vs. Daytona (2-21) (CIN), 6:30 pm ET, Connor Jones (6-4, 4.03)

 

Peoria – off

The second-place Chiefs (15-10) look for their third consecutive series’ win as they begin six-game road trip through Eastern Division rivals Dayton (CIN) and Bowling Green (TB).  Peoria is two games behind Quad Cities (HOU) in the Western Division.

Wednesday’s game:  at Dayton (8-17), 7:00 pm ET, Evan Kruczynski (1-1, 4.50)

 

State College 9 at Williamsport 3 (7) – Game 1

State College 3 at Williamsport 1 (8) – Game 2

Scott Hurst (State College Spikes)

Center fielder Scott Hurst’s bat lifted the Spikes to a double-header sweep at Williamsport, 9-3 and 3-1, clinching the three-game series with one contest remaining.  The sweep moved State College (16-11) into a three-way tie for first with Mahoning Valley (CLE) and West Virginia (PIT).

Hurst, our co-Player of the Day, garnered five hits, accounting for six tallies over the two games.  The center fielder was one of two Spikes to go 3-for-4 in the opener, along with Bryce Denton, who finished a home run shy of the cycle with three runs scored and one driven in.  He followed that up by singling and doubling in three at bats with a base-on-balls, touching home twice.

The opener’s balanced offensive attack featured 16 hits spread among eight starters.  Denton crossed home once but it was Ricardo Bautista’s third long ball of the season that got the scoring started.  It came with two aboard in the first and was one of his two hits and two runs scored in four at bats.  Tyler Lancaster, Matt Davis and Edwin Figuera each had two hits, the latter two scoring once.

Daniel Castano fanned nine in 5 1/3, surrendering three runs in eight hits to improve his record to a perfect 6-0.  Noel Gonzalez worked around two hits over 1 2/3, leaving Castano’s last runner aboard.

Game 2 was a low-scoring affair, each team manufacturing just five hits.  Hurst had two, singling and doubling in three at bats with a walk.  The Cal State Fullerton product scored both his squad’s first and last runs.  The second of right fielder Brandon Benson’s two singles in three at bats knocked in Hurst for an insurance run in the eighth.

Reliever Spencer Traynor picked up his third win in four decisions despite being charged with his second blown save.  The right-hander entered the game with one gone in the seventh and his team clinging to a 1-0 lead.  But one of his two free passes plus two singles sent the game into extras.  Traynor tossed a one-two-three eighth.

Levi MaVorhis went the initial 3 2/3, permitting two hits and a base-on-balls, striking out four.  Leland Tilley retired four straight, leaving on one inherited runner.  Colton Thomson used three K’s to maneuver around a hit and walk in 1 1/3.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. Williamsport (14-12) (PHI), 7:05 pm ET, Sam Tewes (2-2, 4.30)

 

Johnson City 6 at Burlington 3

Jake Walsh (Johnson City Cardinals)

A four-run third resulted in the JC-Cards’ 6-3 win over Burlington in the road series opener.  Johnson City (11-15) is tied for third with Kingsport (NYM), five behind Elizabethton (MIN) and Greeneville (HOU).

The Appy Birds banged out 11 hits, led by Chase Pinder and J.D. Murders, who had three apiece.  Pinder doubled once in five at bats with a run scored and two RBI while Murders touched home once in four at bats with his first stolen base.  Catcher Julio Rodriguez doubled twice in four at bats, scored one and knocked in two, the only other player with more than one hit.

Reliever Jake Walsh was perfect over 3 1/3 frames and was credited with the victory, his third in as many decisions.  Thomas St. Clair tossed the final two innings for his second save.

Both pitched in relief of Alvaro Seijas, who was unable to finish the fourth.  Seijas yielded all three (earned) tallies over 3 2/3 in that inning, giving up six hits and two walks in all and hitting a batter.

Wednesday’s game:  at Burlington (9-16) (KC), 11:00 am ET, Johan Oviedo (1-1, 3.57)

 

GCL Cardinals at GCL Mets

The contest between the GCL Cardinals (10-8) and GCL Mets (5-12) was suspended due to rain in the top of the first after Delvin Perez had worked a free pass.  The game is scheduled to be completed on Sunday, July 23.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. GCL Nationals (12-5), 12:00 pm ET, Winston Nicacio (1-2, 7.24)

 

DSL Cardinals 12 at DSL Phillies Red 2

Their bats were hot and starter even hotter as the DSL Cardinals (15-22) rolled to a 12-2 victory over the DSL Phillies Red (15-22). The win moves the Dominican Birds into a three-way tie for fifth, along with the Phillies Red and Yankees.  All three trail the division-leading DSL Twins by 11.

For the second straight start, 18-year-old Enmanuel Solano tossed a one hitter. The only batter to reach against him through six innings was his second batter faced whom he hit with a pitch.  The righty, our co-Player of the Day, retired the next 17 straight before running into trouble when he allowed a walk-RBI triple sequence to his first two faced.  A sac fly scored the second tally, ending Solano’s day.  He fanned two with 11 ground- to three fly-ball outs.

Two relievers took care of the last eight outs:  Roy Garcia and Anthony Trompiz.  Garcia recorded five outs, issuing two free passes and Trompiz worked around shortstop Raffy Ozuna’s fielding error in the ninth.

The en fuego offense generated 12 runs, all earned, on 18 hits and eight base-on-balls. Second baseman Franklin Soto led the charge, singling four times in six at bats, crossing once and driving in three.

Three players had three hits apiece:  left fielder Alexander Samuel, third baseman Pablo Gomez and catcher Ivan Herrera.  Samuel accounted for five runs, scoring three with two RBI, with his triple the only one of the 18 hits to go for extra bases.

Wednesday’s games:  doubleheader vs. first-place DSL Twins (26-11).  Game one – 10:30 am ET, TBA


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