photo: Eliezer Alvarez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 3-5 on Saturday. Our Player of the Day is designated hitter Eliezer Alvarez, who was 3-for-4 with six RBI for first-place Springfield. John Gant and Ramon Santos threw six scoreless innings for Memphis and Palm Beach, respectively. Peoria’s Stefan Trosclair hit a grand slam.
Results for games played Saturday, August 19.
The Redbirds shut out New Orleans at AutoZone Park on Saturday night. Starting pitcher John Gant pitched six scoreless innings, allowing six hits, striking out five and walking three. Miguel Socolovich added a scoreless seventh. Sean Gilmartin allowed just one hit in the scoreless eighth and ninth. Gant earned his sixth win of the season.
The Redbirds got on the board in the second inning on solo blast by Patrick Wisdom, his 28th home run of the season. In the third inning, three runs came home on Alex Mejia’s two run double, and a double by Aledmys Diaz. Diaz was 2-for-4. Wisdom was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
On the base paths, Breyvic Valera was picked off first base.
The Redbirds are 83-44 on the season and are in first place in the PCL American South by 22 games.
Sunday’s game: vs. New Orleans, Dakota Hudson (0-0, 4.56) 2:05 CT.
Springfield 12, Corpus Christi 5
The Cardinals won decisively against Corpus Christi in Springfield on Saturday night. Eliezer Alvarez led the offense with a 3-for-4 performance. Alvarez drove in six runs and scored two. In the first inning Alvarez plated two on a double. Also driving in single runs in that inning were Adolis Garcia on a double, a single by John Nogowski, and a double by Jacob Wilson. Alvarez drove in two more runs with his second inning single. Jesse Jenner doubled in two runs in the fifth. Alvarez again doubled for two runs in the eighth. The final Cardinals run scored in the eighth when Wilson drew a bases loaded walk.
Adolis Garcia was 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Nogowski was 3-for-4 with two runs. Darren Seferina was 2-for-4 and scored three times.
Starter Zac Gallen had a rough night, giving up five runs on seven hits while striking out one and walking three in 3 2/3 innings. Tyler Bray followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Corey Littrell pitched three scoreless frames and was the winning pitcher. Landon Beck tossed a scoreless ninth.
Seferina stole his eighth base in 10 attempts. Randy Arozarena was caught stealing for the second time in nine attempts. Anthony Garcia committed a fielding error.
The Cardinals are 71-54 overall, 36-19 in the second half, and in first place by 1.5 games in the Texas League North.
Sunday’s game: vs. Corpus Christi, Austin Gomber (8-7, 3.58) 2:10 CT.
The Cardinals shut out Bradenton at home on Saturday. Starting pitcher Ramon Santos won his fourth game of the season, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing three hits. The right hander fanned five and walked two. Eric Carter tossed a perfect seventh and eighth. Jordan Hicks added a 1-2-3 ninth including two strikeouts to earn his first professional save.
Jose Martinez drove in the first run on a second inning single. Martinez was 3-for-4. Blake Drake added an RBI double in the sixth. In the seventh, Casey Grayson grounded into a force out that scored a run. Drake was 2-for-4 and Thomas Spitz was 2-for-3.
On the base paths, Martinez stole his second base in four attempts. In the field, Vince Jackson had an outfield assist.
The Cardinals are 68-53 overall and 28-26 in the second half. They are 8 games back of first in the FSL South.
Sunday’s game: vs. Bradenton, Connor Jones (7-5. 4.19) 12:00 p.m. CT.
The Chiefs lost a close content at home against Clinton on Saturday night. Peora fell behind early, but scored six runs in the third and fourth innings to take the lead. The lead didn’t hold, however.
The four runs in the third inning came on a grand slam by Stefan Trosclair. In the fourth, Mick Fennell’s single scored two. Fennell and Danny Hudzina went 2-for-4.
Starter Ian Oxnevad pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on seven hits. The left hander struck out two and walked four. Max Almonte surrendered one run in his 1 1/3 innings of relief. Dewin Perez relinquished another run in 2 1/3 innings and took the loss. Austin Sexton got the last two outs of the ninth.
Nick Plummer was caught stealing for the seventh time in 15 attempts. Fennell was picked off first base. In a sloppy game for the defense, Fennell had a throwing error, Trosclair made a fielding error and a throwing error, and Hudzina committed a fielding error.
The Chiefs are 59-65 overall on the season, 29-25 in the second half to put them six games back of first place in the Midwest League West and one game ahead in the wild card race.
Sunday’s game: vs. Clinton, Evan Kruczynski (2-3, 4.25) 2:00 CT.
The Spikes were defeated by the Doubledays at Auburn on Saturday. State College took an early lead, but a six run fourth inning by Auburn put them in a hole from which they couldn’t climb. Starter Paul Balestrieri had a tough start, pitching 3 2/3 innings and giving up seven runs on eight hits. The right hander struck out two and walked two and was tagged with his third loss of the season. Steven Farinaro added 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Scott Hurst was 4-for-5. Yariel Gonzalez was 2-for-4 and plated four, via a sac fly and a three run double. Edwin Figuera was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Joshua Lopez plated a run on a fourth inning double.
Wood Myers stole his second base in four attempts. Gonzalez stole his second in base in four attempts also. Hurst made a throwing error.
The Spikes are 30-27 on the season and are 3.5 games back of first place in the NY-Penn Pinckney Division and three games out of the wild card.
Sunday’s game: at Auburn, Andrew Summerville (3-0, 1.73) 1:05 CT.
Johnson City 1 at Bluefield 6
The Cardinals were blanked by the Blue Jays in Bluefield. Johnson City offense was scarce, with the only run scoring on a third inning single by Julio Rodriguez. Rodriguez was the only Cardinal with multiple hits, going 2-for-4.
Starter Franyel Casadilla pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on 13 hits. The right hander fanned three and walked none and suffered his fifth loss of the season. Juan Alvarez added 1 2/3 innings of relief and surrendered one run on two hits. Jake Dahlberg pitched a scoreless eighth.
Carlos Talavera was caught stealing for the fifth time in 10 attempts. Pitcher Alvarez made a fielding error.
The Cardinals are 30-25 on the season and are 3.5 games back of first place in the Appalachian League West but one game ahead in the wild card race.
Sunday’s game: at Elizabethton, Edwar Ramirez (2-6, 7.11) 5:00 CT.
GCL Cardinals 8 at GCL Marlins 10
The Cardinals were topped by the Marlins in a high scoring game on Saturday. Jordan Schafer, rehabbing from an injury in Spring Training that led to elbow surgery, drove in two runs, and was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. Michael Brdar drove in two runs on a seventh inning double. Edmundo Sosa, also rehabbing an injury, was 2-for-5 with an RBI, as was Dariel Gomez. Donivan Williams plated a run on a fifth inning single.
Starter Noel De Jesus pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on six hits. Enrique Perez surrendered six runs on three hits in his one inning of relief. Perez was the losing pitcher. Wilberto Rivera relinquished two runs, one earned in one frame. Kevin Hamann pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Sanel Rosendo was caught stealing for the third time in four attempts and committed a throwing error. De Jesus picked a runner off first base.
The Cardinals are 23-21 on the season and 3.5 games back of first place in the GCL East.
Sunday’s games : at GCL Astros, TBA 9:00 a.m. CT (Game 1 doubleheader), TBA (Game 2 following Game 1)
DSL Cardinals 5 at DSL Phillies Red 12
The Cardinals were clobbered by the Phillies Red team on Saturday. Starter Dionis Zamora suffered his third loss of the season after pitching four innings, and giving up three unearned runs on four hits. The right hander struck out two and walked one. Roy Garcia surrendered five runs, four earned, on five hits in the fifth. Leonardo Taveras pitched a scoreless sixth. Rodardo Avelino started the seventh and gave up four runs in 2/3 of an inning. Jose Geronimo finished the seventh and pitched a scoreless eighth. Cardinals pitching gave up 12 runs on 15 hits.
The Cardinals bats scored five runs on 14 hits. Yowelfy Rosario was 3-for-5 with two RBI. Alexander Samuel plated a run and was 3-for-4. Freddy DeJesus was 2-for-4 with one run driven in. Victor Garcia was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Extra base hits were a double by Garcia, and a triple from Carlos Soler.
The Cards committed six errors. Raffy Ozuna made two fielding errors and Pablo Gomez had one. DeJesus had two throwing miscues and Rosario one.
The Cardinals are 27-36 on the season and are 17.5 games back of first place in the DSL South.
Sunday’s game: Off.
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