Cardinals Minor League Notebook: April 6, 2018

photo: Rangel Ravelo (Memphis Redbirds)

Results from games played Thursday, April 5th.

Memphis 8 at Round Rock 4

A five-run sixth broke open a tight contest, resulting in an 8-4 Redbirds’ victory over the Express in their 2018 Pacific Coast League opener.

Rangel Ravelo (Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports)

Memphis held a 3-1 advantage going into the inning and the Redbirds further capitalized on five hits, a walk and a sac fly to go up 8-1. The scoring was capped by a three-run bomb by second baseman Max Schrock. Schrock, The Cardinal Nation’s #15 prospect, was acquired by St. Louis in the trade that sent Stephen Piscotty to Oakland. It was his only hit in five at bats.

Player of the Day Rangel Ravelo led his team’s 11-hit attack, as the designated hitter went 3-for-4 with three runs scored out of the five hole. Carson Kelly and Patrick Wisdom each had two hits with a run scored. Wisdom doubled once, worked a base-on-balls and knocked in two. Defensively, both left fielder Tyler O’Neill and right fielder Adolis Garcia were credited with an outfield assist at home.

John Gant (W, 1-0) hurled six strong frames, permitting a run on six hits and two base-on-balls. He struck out five. Daniel Poncedeleon used a double play ball to erase the one-out single he allowed.

40-man roster pitcher Derian Gonzalez was not nearly as successful in his Triple-A debut, however. The 23-year old righty, who vaulted past Double-A Springfield to join the Redbirds, was charged with three runs on four hits and did not retire a single batter. Preston Guilmet relieved Gonzalez and pitched the final two frames, stranding one of two inherited runners.

Friday’s game: at Round Rock (0-1) (TEX), 7:05 pm CT, Dakota Hudson (season debut)


Springfield 5 at Midland 6

Springfield (0-1) could not hold a late lead, falling to Midland 6-5 in their Texas League season opener.

John Nogowski (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The S-Cards were up 5-4 with six outs to go, but the RockHounds plated two against the bullpen combination of Chris Ellis and Jacob Evans (BS, 1) (L, 0-1). Ellis pitched 3 1/3 noteworthy innings of relief, retiring 10 of 11 faced before departing after giving up a one-out single. But a single and sac fly by Evans knotted the game at five all prior to an RBI double that proved to be the difference in the game. Landon Beck replaced Evans and retired his only batter on a swinging K.

Starter Jake Woodford was pretty shaky in his maiden Double-A effort. The 21-year-old permitted two runs each in his first and fourth innings of work, the latter his last inning on the mound. Woodford, TCN’s #18 prospect, allowed seven hits and two bases-on-balls in all.

The visitors matched the home team’s 12 hits, with Tommy Edman and John Nogowski both going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Edman added an RBI while two of Nogowski’s three hits went for extra bases – a double and solo bomb accounting for one of his two driven in. In his Double-A debut, center fielder Lane Thomas singled and doubled in three at-bats with a run scored and walk, the only other S-Card with a multi-hit performance.

Friday’s game: at Midland (1-0) (OAK), 7:00 pm CT, Ryan Helsley (season debut)


Jupiter 3 at Palm Beach 2

A pitching duel was decided by the bullpens as Palm Beach (0-1) was clipped by Jupiter in their Florida State League season opener, 3-2.

Johan Mieses (Rick Scutieri/USA TODAY Sports)

The contest was knotted at zeros through six before the Beach Birds broke through for one in the home half of the seventh. The Hammerheads responded with a three-run eighth before Palm Beach closed to within one in the bottom of the frame. But that was all the offense the PB-Cards mustered on a four-hit night.

Designated hitter Johan Mieses, recently acquired by the Cardinals in the Breyvic Valera trade, led the team with a single and double in four at bats. The Dominican native touched home as well. Kramer Robertson was hitless in two at bats but reached base twice, via a free pass and on a hit-by-pitch. The shortstop scored his squad’s other tally. Right fielder Shane Billings was credited with the team’s sole RBI.

Yeison Medina was charged with the loss after plunking his first two batters faced in the eighth. Medina recorded one out as did Jacob Patterson, who jammed the sacks full with a base-on-balls before giving way to Mitchell Osnowitz (BS, 1). Osnowitz, a minor league free agent signee, surrendered a bases-clearing triple and two walks in his bumpy 1 1/3 inning Cardinals debut to finish the night.

Right-hander Anthony Shew kept the opposition off the board over the first five frames, yielding three hits and two free passes while fanning five. Jesus Cruz tossed a one-two-three sixth.

New St. Louis closer Greg Holland took the mound for the seventh, an inning that took him just seven pitches to complete. Holland fanned Jupiter’s clean-up hitter swinging before inducing identical 6-3 ground outs.

Further details on Holland’s outing can be found in TCN’s Ryan Finkelstein’s report.

Friday’s game: vs. Jupiter (1-0) (MIA), 6:30 pm ET, Evan Kruczynski (season debut)


Peoria 4 at Burlington 2

The Chiefs opened with a Midwest League road win over the Bees, 4-2, the result of a balanced offensive effort.

Jake Walsh (Johnson City Cardinals)

Seven of nine Peoria starters had at least one of the team’s 10 hits, led by three players with two hits each: Nick Plummer, Elehuris Montero and Juan Yepez. Designated hitter Plummer doubled twice in three at bats, crossed the plate once and worked a free pass. Third baseman and clean-up hitter Montero singled and doubled in four at bats, touched home once and knocked in one while first sacker Yepez drove in two, going 2-for-3 with a walk.

Five Chiefs pitchers combined on a one-hitter, which sounds impressive until you find out this quintet issued nine free passes, uncorked two wild pitches and committed a balk. Starter Jake Walsh fanned five through five scoreless and hitless frames, working around four walks to pick up the win in his full-season debut.

Relievers Kodi Whitley and Cory Malcom both retired two batters while Fabian Blanco went 1 2/3. Whitley and Blanco were each charged with a tally on two walks and a wild pitch. Blanco committed the balk. Thomas St. Clair struck out the side in a one-two-three ninth for his first full-season save.

Friday’s game: at Burlington (0-1) (LAA), 6:30 pm CT, Johan Oviedo (full-season debut)

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