Cardinals Minor League Notebook – April 4, 2026

photo: Dakota Harris (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals system was 3-1 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield 1B Dakota Harris, hit two home runs and plated seven. Other standouts include Matt Koperniak, Bligh Madris, Rainiel Rodriguez, Won-Bin Cho and Tai Peete.

Results for games played on Friday, April 3, 2026.

Memphis 5, Norfolk 4

The Redbirds edged the Tides to increase their 2026 record to 7-0. Starter Bruce Zimmermann pitched six innings, gave up two runs on five hits, and fanned nine to earn his first win.

Bruce Zimmermann

Gerson Moreno surrendered one run in the seventh. Ryan Fernandez threw a scoreless eighth. Ian Bedell yielded one run in the ninth but received his first save.

Norfolk scored first with a run in the first inning and added another in the top of the third.

Memphis put up a run in the home third to shrink the lead to 2-1. The Redbirds added single runs in each of the next three half innings to take a 4-2 lead.

The Tides came back to cut the lead to 4-3 in the seventh, but Memphis extended their edge to 5-3 in the eighth on Matt Koperniak’s home run.

Matt Koperniak

In the top of the ninth, Norfolk made it 5-4, but the bullpen held it for the Redbirds win.

The offense scored five runs on eight hits. Koperniak was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Bligh Madris drove in two and scored two runs. Koperniak and Madris each hit a long ball.

Bligh Madris

Bryan Torres was caught stealing and Leonardo Bernal made a throwing error.

The Redbirds continue their homestand against the Tides through Sunday.

Memphis is the only team in the International League with no losses in the early season.

Saturday’s game: vs. Norfolk, Brycen Mautz LHP (0-0, 1.80) vs. Levi Wells RHP (0-1, 2.25) 1:05 CT

Springfield 10 at Amarillo 1

In their season opener, the Cardinals pounded the Sod Poodles in a 10-1 lashing on Friday. Springfield starter Jurrangelo Cjintje pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowed one hit, walked two and fanned seven to earn his first win in the organization.

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Hancel Rincon relieved Cjintje and surrendered one run in 2 1/3 innings. Edwin Nuñez tossed a scoreless ninth.

The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when the Cardinals put up six runs, which included a grand slam from Dakota Harris. Zach Levenson’s RBI double and a run scored on a double play made up the other scores.

Dakota Harris

Springfield was not done in the sixth, as four more runs came home on a Jeremy Rivas RBI single and a three-run home run by Harris for a total of seven RBI for the infielder.

Amarillo avoided being shut out with a lone run in the eighth.

Harris was 2-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBI. Levenson was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Mendlinger was 2-for-5 and Miguel Ugueto was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Rivas drove in one and scored twice.

Springfield is 1-0 and plays Amarillo through Sunday.

Saturday’s game: at Amarillo, Braden Davis LHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Josh Grosz RHP (0-0, 0.00) 7:05 CT.

Peoria 8 at Cedar Rapids 2

The Chiefs defeated the Kernels in the first game of the season in Cedar Rapids on Friday.  The starting pitcher for the Chiefs was 2025 Competitive Balance Round B draft pick Tanner Franklin.

The right hander Franklin pitched 3 2/3 innings, gave up two unearned runs on one hit, walked two and fanned nine on 62 pitches.

Tanner Franklin

Franklin was relieved by Sam Brodersen, who got the final out of the fourth via a strikeout, with one walk. Nolan Sparks pitched the next four scoreless innings with one hit allowed, one walk and four punchouts. D.J. Carpenter tossed a scoreless ninth to close it out. Sparks earned the win.

Nolan Sparks

Peoria took the lead with a two-run second inning. Won-Bin Cho doubled and stole third base. Jalin Flores drove in Cho on a single. Flores scored on a double by Cade McGee.

Tai Peete

The Chiefs added six runs in the top of the fourth for an 8-0 lead. Cho walked and stole two bases. McGee singled Cho home. José Suárez singled. Tai Peete followed with a two-run home run to left field. Josh Kross drew a walk and Rainiel Rodriguez blasted a ball out of the ballpark to make it 8-0.

Rainiel Rodriguez

Cedar Rapids put up two runs in the home fourth cut the lead to 8-2. Neither team scored in the remaining innings.

Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with two RBI. McGee was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Peete plated three. Cho doubled and walked, stole three bases and scored two runs.

Won-Bin Cho

Jose Cordoba was picked off first base. McGee made a fielding error.

The 1-0 Chiefs play the Kernels through Sunday.

Saturday’s game: at Cedar Rapids, Leonel Sequera RHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Adrian Bohorquez RHP (0-0, 0.00) 1:05 CT.

Palm Beach 4, St. Lucie 8

The Cardinals fell to the St. Lucie Mets by the score of 8-4 at Roger Dean Stadium on Friday. In his professional debut, Cade Crossland started for Palm Beach and pitched four innings, gave up three runs on five hits and struck out two. Crossland took the loss.

Crossland was relieved by Jake Shelagowski. The right-hander surrendered three runs in two innings. Kaden Echeman threw two perfect innings with two strikeouts. Liam Best was charged with two runs in the ninth.

Kaden Echeman

The Mets scored three runs in the first. The Beach Birds put up two in the fourth to shrink the lead to 3-2. Jack Gurevitch walked. Cameron Nickens doubled to center field. Chase Heath drove in Gurevitch and Nickens on a single.

Chase Heath

St. Lucie added three more runs in the fifth for a 6-2 lead. In the seventh, Palm Beach posted two to cut the lead to 6-4. Trevor Haskins drew a walk. Heriberto Caraballo and Ryan Mitchell singled to load the bases. Gurevitch walked, sending Haskins home. Nickens walked to score Caraballo.

The Mets added two more runs in the ninth for the final score of 8-4.

The Cardinals offense scored four runs on seven hits. Nickens was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Caraballo was 2-for-4. Heath drove in two runs.

Shortstop Ryan Weingartner made three errors, one fielding and two throwing. Mitchell had an outfield assist at third base.

The Cardinals are 1-1 and play St. Lucie through Sunday.

Saturday’s game: vs. St. Lucie, TBD (PB) vs. Cam Tilly RHP (0-0, 0.00) 5:00 CT.

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Memphis Redbirds Notebook – 2026 Week 1

Not yet a member?

Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

Follow Marilyn Green on Bluesky @mrlyn59.bsky.social.

© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.