Cardinals Minor League Notebook – April 11, 2025

photo: Jimmy Crooks (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals system was 3-1 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis catcher Jimmy Crooks, was 3-for-5, including a double, a three-run home run, two runs scored, and six RBI. Other standouts include Ixan Henderson, Jonathan Mejia, Sammy Hernandez and Michael McGreevy.

Memphis Redbirds 8 at Nashville Sounds 3

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds flew past the Sounds at First Horizon Park in Nashville on Thursday.

Michael McGreevy made his third start of 2025 for the Redbirds. The right-hander threw five innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, walked one, and struck out four. McGreevy earned his second win of the season.

Michael McGreevy

Righties Nick Anderson and Andre Granillo each fired a scoreless inning in relief of McGreevy. Left-hander Oddanier Mosqueda allowed one run in the eighth. Ryan Loutos pitched a scoreless ninth.

Memphis fell behind 2-0 early, but cut the lead in the third inning. Mike Antico walked and crossed home plate on a Michael Helman single.

Michael Helman

Memphis took the lead in the sixth inning. Helman began the inning with a walk. Jimmy Crooks smacked a double to score Helman and tie the game.

Jimmy Crooks

Crooks touched home on a double play to give the Redbirds a 3-2 lead.

Memphis added a pair of runs in the seventh. Antico led off with a single. José Fermín and Bryan Torres walked to load the bases with no outs. Crooks notched his second double in as many innings, plating Antico and Fermín, and extending the lead to 5-2.

The Redbirds added insurance runs in the ninth inning. Fermín singled and took second on a pickoff error. Torres walked, and Crooks came through again with a two-out, three-run blast to put the game out of Nashville’s reach.

Memphis scored eight runs on seven hits. Crooks was 3-for-5, including a double, a home run, and six RBI. For the season, Crooks now leads Memphis with 10 RBI. Helman, Torres, Fermín and Antico singled.

Defensively, Helman racked up two outfield assists, throwing out runners at second and third base from right field.

Memphis is 6-4 on the season.

Friday’s game: at Nashville, LHP Quinn Mathews (0-1, 3.52) vs. RHP Carlos Rodriguez (1-0, 1.00) 6:35 CT.

Springfield Cardinals 8 at Amarillo Sod Poodles 4

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals won their third straight road contest over the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Thursday.

Ixan Henderson impressed in his first Double-A start. The left-hander fired five shutout innings on three hits, walked three, and fanned eight batters.

Ixan Henderson

Right-handers Ryan Shreve and Andrew Marrero each tossed two innings in relief to seal the victory.

Springfield jumped out of the gates with a two-run top of the first. Chase Davis singled, Jeremy Rivas walked, and Leonardo Bernal reached on a fielding error to load the bases with no outs. Noah Mendlinger lined a two-out single to bring Davis and Rivas home.

The Cardinals doubled their lead in the third inning. R.J. Yeager doubled and came home on Jacob Buchberger’s first home run of the season.

Jacob Buchberger

Springfield plated two more runs in the sixth. Bernal led off with a double. Dakota Harris drove in Bernal with a single. Mendlinger followed with a double, and Ramon Mendoza singled him home to extend the Cardinals lead to 6-0.

Amarillo took one run back in the home sixth, but the Cardinals scored a pair of runs in the eighth to pad the lead.

Buchberger singled and swiped second base. Darlin Moquete knocked Buchberger home via a single. Moquete stole second and touched home on a single by Rivas to make it 8-1.

Springfield held off a late Sod Poodles rally to secure the 8-4 win.

The Cardinals scored eight runs on 13 hits. Every batter tallied at least one hit. Buchberger was 2-for-4, including a home run, two runs scored, a walk, and two RBI. Rivas, Bernal and Mendlinger doubled.

On the basepaths, Mendlinger and Buchberger stole their first bags of the season. Moquete snagged his second steal. Defensively, Harris committed a throwing error.

Springfield is 5-1 on the season.

Friday’s game: at Amarillo, RHP Tekoah Roby (0-0, 0.00) vs. LHP Avery Short (0-1, 54.00) 7:05 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 2 at South Bend Cubs 3

Still looking for their first win of 2025, the High-A Peoria Chiefs dropped a close contest at the South Bend Cubs on Thursday.

Darlin Saladin made his first start of the season. The right-hander pitched four innings and allowed one unearned run on one hit, walked three, and fanned three.

Darlin Saladin

Tyler Bradt tossed two hitless innings with a pair of strikeouts but was charged with one unearned run in relief of Saladin. Hunter Hayes followed and allowed one run over two innings. Hayes took the loss.

Peoria opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning via a Joshua Baez walk. Baez stole second and scored on a South Bend throwing error that allowed Zach Levenson to reach base.

The Cubs clawed back, taking a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning, when the Chiefs strung together a rally to tie the game.

Miguel Villarroel drew a one-out walk and Ian Petrutz singled and advanced to second base on another Cubs error. Villarroel moved up to third base on the play. Braden Jobert loaded the bases on a hit by pitch. Baez plated the tying run by reaching on catcher’s interference, South Bend’s third error.

South Bend took the lead in the home eighth and held it to win the game.

The Chiefs scored two runs on three hits. Jon Jon Gazdar recorded the lone extra-base hit for Peoria, a double. Petrutz and Baez each singled.

On the bases, Jobert stole his first of the season. Baez swiped his second bag.

Defensively, shortstop Villarroel made a throwing error. First baseman Johnfrank Salazar committed a throwing error. Baez threw out a runner at second base.

Peoria is 0-5 on the season.

Friday’s game: at South Bend, RHP Gerardo Salas (0-1, 5.40) vs RHP Nick Dean (0-0, 0.00) 6:05 CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 18 at Bradenton Marauders 6

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals steamrolled the Bradenton Marauders in their highest-scoring game of the young season on Thursday.

Leonel Sequera dazzled in his second start on the mound for Palm Beach. The right-hander tossed four shutout innings and allowed one hit, one walk, and struck out four. Sequera has yet to allow an extra-base hit this season.

Leonel Sequera

Jack Findlay and Samuel Fabian pitched the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, and each allowed three runs. Yordy Herrera struck out four across two scoreless frames, and Sam Brodersen threw a scoreless ninth. Herrera picked up his first win of 2025.

Palm Beach came out of the gates strong in a nine-run top of the first.

Christian Martin and Jonathan Mejia led off the game with singles, and Cade McGee walked to load the bases with nobody out. With two outs and no runners home, Luis Pino drew a bases-loaded walk for Palm Beach’s first run. Sammy Hernandez and Jose Cordoba each took free passes to give Palm Beach a 3-0 lead. Deniel Ortiz knocked home Pino and Hernandez on a single. Martin tallied his second hit of the inning with a double, scoring Cordoba. Mejia cranked his first home run of the season, a three-run shot, to make it 9-0.

Jonathan Mejia

In the fourth inning, Palm Beach loaded the bases with no outs for the second time following a Bryce Madron walk, Pino single, and Hernandez walk. Cordoba plated Madron to give Palm Beach a double-digit lead.

The Cardinals had another impressive offensive showing in the fifth inning.

Martin opened the frame by reaching on a hit-by-pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Mejia walked, and McGee doubled home Martin. Yordalin Pena walked to load the bases again for Palm Beach. Madron and Pino walked to bring two more runs home, extending the lead to 13-0. Hernandez singled home Pena and Madron. Cordoba smacked his first double of the season, plating Pino and Hernandez. Cordoba advanced to third base on a passed ball, and touched home on an Ortiz sacrifice fly, capping an eight-run fifth and an 18-0 Cardinal lead.

Sammy Hernandez

Palm Beach scored all the runs they needed in the first five innings of the rout of Bradenton.

The Cardinals scored 18 runs on 13 hits. Eight out of the nine hitters tallied at least one hit and one RBI. Every hitter scored at least one run. The Cardinals drew 13 walks, five of which were with the bases loaded.

Mejia was 3-for-5, including a three-run home run and a walk. McGee was 2-for-4 including a double and two walks.  Martin was 2-for-4, including a double, a walk, three runs scored, and two RBI. Hernandez drew three walks, scored twice, and drove in three runs.

The Cardinals were 7-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

On defense, Mejia committed a throwing error.

Palm Beach is 4-2 on the season.

Friday’s game: at Bradenton, RHP Jason Savacool (0-1, 0.00) vs. RHP Carlos Castillo (0-0, 0.00) 5:30 PM CT.

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