Cardinals Minor League Notebook – April 14, 2025

photo: RJ Yeager (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was a perfect 4-0 on Sunday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield first baseman R.J. Yeager, was 2-for-5, including two home runs, three runs scored, one walk, and four RBI. Other standouts include Ramon Mendoza, Nolan Sparks, Hancel Rincon and Brody Moore.

Games played on Sunday, April 13.

Memphis Redbirds 5 at Nashville Sounds 1

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds defeated the Sounds in Nashville in the series finale on Sunday, salvaging win two in the six-game set.

Ian Bedell made his second start of the series, and third overall for the Redbirds. The right-hander threw four innings of one-run ball over two hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. Bedell struck out more batters in this start than his previous two starts combined (four).

Ian Bedell

Andre Granillo, Oddanier Mosqueda and Matt Svanson combined for five lights-out innings from the bullpen. The trio allowed just one hit and fanned three collectively. Granillo earned his first win of the season.

Memphis scored the first two runs of the game in the third inning. Mike Antico singled and advanced on a César Prieto sacrifice bunt. José Fermín drove in Antico on a two-run home run, his first of the season.

José Fermín

The Sounds halved the gap in the fourth, but Memphis doubled their lead again in the fifth. Antico led off the frame with a double and scored his second run of the game on a two-out single from Jimmy Crooks.

Jimmy Crooks

Memphis extended its lead in the seventh. Antico reached on a fielding error and crossed home plate on a Prieto triple to extend the lead to 5-1. South Bend failed to respond.

César Prieto

The Redbirds scored five runs on 11 hits. Crooks was 3-for-5, with two RBI. Antico was 2-for-4, with a double and three runs scored. Prieto tripled. Fermín hit a two-run home run. Jose Barrero and Ryan Vilade each tallied two singles. Three of the Redbirds’ five runs scored with two outs in an inning.

Memphis did not commit an error in the final two games of the series.

The Redbirds will head home to AutoZone Park to begin a six-game set against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (MIA).

Tuesday’s game: vs. Jacksonville. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 17 at Amarillo Sod Poodles 12

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals prevailed in a slugfest with the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Sunday in Hodgetown, taking five of six in the road series.

Pete Hansen started for Springfield. The left-hander pitched 2 ⅔ innings and allowed five runs, two earned, on four hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.

Right-hander Leonardo Taveras entered in relief of Hansen and yielded three runs in 2 ⅓ innings and fanned three. Jack Ralston allowed one unearned run in two innings and struck out three. Luis Gastelum recorded four strikeouts and surrendered three runs in 1 ⅔ innings. Left-hander Nathanael Heredia recorded the final out of the game via a strikeout. Taveras picked up his second win of 2025.

Springfield’s bats were hot from the start, plating four runs in the top of the first inning. JJ Wetherholt was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a throwing error. R.J. Yeager smashed his first home run of the year to score two more and give Springfield a 3-0 lead.

R.J. Yeager

Following the home run, Dakota Harris legged out a bunt single and Ramon Mendoza walked. Brody Moore plated Harris on a single for Springfield’s fourth run.

Amarillo scored once in the second, but Springfield made it a 6-1 game in the third inning. Mendoza drew his second walk of the game with two outs and came home on Moore’s two-run blast, his first Double-A home run.

Brody Moore

Amarillo stormed into an 8-6 lead with a seven-run bottom of the third. The Cardinals answered immediately in the fourth with their own seven-run frame.

Wetherholt began the rally with a double and scored on a Leonardo Bernal single. Yeager blasted his second home run of the day to put Springfield back in front 9-8. This marked Yeager’s first multi-homer game at the Double-A level, and second of his career.

Harris followed with a single and Jeremy Rivas drew a walk. Mendoza joined the home run party with a three-run blast for Springfield’s fourth home run in as many innings to give Springfield a 12-8 lead.

Ramon Mendoza

Moore walked and scored with two outs on Wetherholt’s second hit of the inning, a single, for a 13-8 lead and the seventh run of the inning.

Amarillo came within three runs after scoring one in the home sixth. Springfield padded their lead in the eighth.

Yeager and Rivas walked, and Mendoza was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one away. Moore singled home Yeager. Darlin Moquete reached on a fielder’s choice, with Rivas scoring. Mendoza plated the Cardinals’ 16th run on Chase Davis’ groundout.

The Sod Poodles answered with three in the bottom of the eighth, but Springfield added one more insurance run in the ninth inning.

Harris and Rivas walked. Harris came in on back-to-back balks to score an unconventional 17th run.

Springfield amassed 17 runs on 12 hits. Moore went 3-for-5, including a three-run home run, three runs scored, one walk, and four RBI. Yeager was 2-for-5, including two, two-run home runs, three runs scored, one walk, and four RBI.  Mendoza hit a three-run home run, scored three times, took three free passes, and drove in three runs. Wetherholt was 2-for-4, including a walk, a run scored, and one RBI in his fourth consecutive multi-hit game. Harris drew two walks and singled twice, with three runs scored.

Defensively, third baseman Harris committed a fielding error and reliever Ralston made a pickoff error. Catcher Bernal tallied a passed ball.

The Cardinals were 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Their 17 runs marked the highest run total for the team in the young season, passing their previous high of 16, in Tuesday’s series opener at Amarillo.

Springfield is 7-2 on the season. They will return to Hammons Field for their second home series of the season, this time against the Arkansas Travelers (SEA). The six-game set begins on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: vs. Arkansas. LHP Brycen Mautz (0-0, 9.00) vs. TBA, 6:35 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 11 at South Bend Cubs 9

The High-A Peoria Chiefs won a wild series finale over the Cubs in South Bend on Sunday.

Hancel Rincon dazzled in his second start of the season. The right-hander fired four shutout innings and allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out two. Rincon has yet to allow an earned run across his first two starts totaling eight innings.

Hancel Rincón

Jawilme Ramirez tossed two innings in relief of Rincon and allowed one run. Tyler Bradt followed and struggled, walking four and surrendering six runs, three earned while recording just two outs. Hunter Hayes yielded one run in 1 ⅔ innings. Tanner Jacobson pitched a scoreless ninth and earned his first save of the season. Ramirez picked up his first win in the Cardinals organization.

The Chiefs kicked off the scoring frenzy in the first inning. With two out, Zach Levenson and Joshua Baez hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Baez swiped second base and Levenson came home on the play after a throwing error.

Peoria doubled their lead in the second inning. Michael Curialle smoked a ball out to left field for his second home run of the season.

Michael Curialle

The Chiefs plated three more in the fifth inning. Ryan Campos walked and Levenson hit his first double of the season to put two men in scoring position. Won-Bin Cho lined a single into center field to give Peoria a 4-0 lead with Campos and Levenson coming home.

Won-Bin Cho

The Chiefs were then beneficiaries of wildness by the Cubs pitcher. Miguel Ugueto and Brayden Jobert were plunked to load the bases. Curialle was then hit by a pitch to plate the Chiefs’ fifth run.

The Chiefs showed off their speed on the bases to score their sixth run in the sixth inning. Miguel Villarroel singled and stole second base. Campos walked. Villarroel and Campos pulled off a double-steal. That forced another South Bend throwing error which scored Villarroel and put Peoria up 6-0.

The Cubs took one run back in the home sixth, but Peoria responded immediately in the seventh. Jobert smoked a lead-off double. Curialle and Jon Jon Gazdar walked to load the bases with no outs. Villarroel reached on catcher’s interference to bring Jobert home. Levenson brought home Curialle and Gazdar on a line-drive single and extended the lead to 9-1.

Zach Levenson

Peoria barely held the eight-run lead as South Bend logged a seven-run seventh, but their bats weren’t done yet.

Ugueto led off the eighth with a single. Gazdar, Villarroel, and Campos drew consecutive two-out walks to score Ugueto. Gazdar came home on a wild pitch to give Peoria an 11-8 lead.

The Chiefs scored 11 runs on 13 hits. Levenson was 3-for-4, including his first double of 2025, two walks, two runs scored, and two RBI. Curialle was 2-for-3, including a home run, a walk, two runs scored, and two RBI. Campos was 1-for-3, with a double, a run scored, three walks, and one RBI. Gazdar doubled and walked twice. Cho singled and drove in two runs. Villarroel tallied a single and one RBI. Ugueto singled twice.

Peoria excelled on the basepaths. Villarroel swiped his second and third bags of the season. Baez stole his third base. Campos snagged his first professional steal.

Defensively, third baseman Curialle committed a fielding error. Left fielder Ugueto nailed a runner at home plate.

Peoria is 2-7 on the season. They will travel back to Dozer Park for their second home series of the year, with the opponent the Cedar Rapids Kernels (MIN). The six-game series is slated to begin on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: vs. Cedar Rapids. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 5 at Bradenton Marauders 3

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals edged the Bradenton Marauders at LECOM Park on Sunday, taking four of six in the road series.

Nelfy Ynfante started for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched 2 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs on five hits, three walks, and one strikeout.

Christian Worley entered in relief of Ynfante and retired four batters. Nolan Sparks followed and tossed four innings, allowed one run, and fanned six. Left-hander Jack Findlay picked up his first professional save with a scoreless ninth and two strikeouts. Worley earned his first career win.

Nolan Sparks

Palm Beach wasted no time scoring via Travis Honeyman’s first professional home run.

The Marauders answered with two and carried a 2-1 lead into the fourth inning, but Palm Beach wasn’t done flexing their muscles. Cade McGee singled with one out, and Josh Kross launched a two-run blast to give Palm Beach a 3-2 lead. It was Kross’ third long ball in three games.

Josh Kross

The Cardinals extended their lead by two in the fifth. Deniel Ortiz and Anyelo Encarnacion singled. Jonathan Mejia forced Ortiz out at third base. Honeyman walked to load the bags, and Encarnacion crossed the plate on a Cade McGee bases-loaded walk. Mejia came home on a sacrifice fly by Kross to make it a 5-2 lead.

Palm Beach’s five runs were all they needed to emerge victorious.

The Cardinals scored five runs on nine hits. Honeyman was 1-for-3, including a walk and his first professional home run and RBI. McGee singled and brought one home via a bases-loaded walk. Kross was 1-for-3, including a home run, sac fly, and three RBI. Kross hit a two-run home run and is the league co-leader in long balls with three. Luis Pino recorded a pinch-hit triple, the first triple of his MiLB career. Sammy Hernandez tallied two singles.

The Cardinals did not commit an error, after making two on Saturday. The pitching staff stranded 12 Bradenton men on base.

Palm Beach is 6-3 on the season. They will travel to Holman Stadium in Vero Beach, Florida on Tuesday to begin their second home series of 2025 against the Clearwater Threshers (PHI). The remainder of the six-game set will be held at Roger Dean.

Tuesday’s game: vs. Clearwater. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 5:42 PM CT.

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