Cardinals Minor League Notebook – April 7, 2025

photo: Won-Bin Cho (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league system was 2-2 on Sunday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Palm Beach outfielder Won-Bin Cho, was 2-for-4, including a home run, three RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Other standouts include Max Rajcic, Angel Cuenca, Zack Showalter and Joshua Baez.

Results for games played on Sunday, April 6.

Memphis Redbirds vs. Buffalo Bisons (canceled)

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds’ Sunday doubleheader against the Buffalo Bisons was canceled due to inclement weather. The Redbirds announced that these games will not be made up because the two teams are not scheduled to play again in 2025.

Memphis begins their first road trip of 2025 at First Horizon Park in Nashville, Tennessee for a six-game set against the Nashville Sounds (MIL) starting Tuesday.

Tuesday’s pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 5, Wichita Wind Surge 0 (seven innings, Game one)

The Springfield Cardinals shut out the Wichita Wind Surge in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader at Hammons Field. It was the makeup of Friday’s postponement due to inclement weather.

Max Rajcic impressed in his first start of the season. The right-hander threw five scoreless innings and allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out five. Racjic earned the win.

Max Rajcic

Right-hander Austin Love made his Springfield debut in relief and tossed a scoreless sixth.

Springfield’s bats caught fire in a three-run bottom of the second, collecting five hits. Dakota Harris and Noah Mendlinger led off with back-to-back singles. Jacob Buchberger doubled home Harris to score Springfield’s first run in his season debut.

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Brody Moore brought home Mendlinger on his first hit at the Double-A level. Chase Davis drove in Moore.

In the bottom of the third inning, Harris drew a walk, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Buchberger’s line-drive single scored Harris and make it 4-0.

The Cardinals’ fifth run came in similar fashion. Ramon Mendoza drew a one-out walk and took second via wild pitch to begin the home sixth. Darlin Moquete’s two-out single plated Mendoza.

Jack Ralston escaped a bases-loaded jam to seal the win with two strikeouts in a scoreless seventh.

This marked Springfield’s 700th win at Hammons Field.

Springfield scored five runs on eight hits. Seven hitters in the lineup tallied at least one hit.

Buchburger was 2-for-3, including a double, and drove in two runs. Davis, Moquete, and Moore each singled and knocked in one run. Mendlinger, Harris, and Leonardo Bernal also singled.

Cardinals pitchers stranded seven Wichita men on base.

Moquete stole his first of the year and his first at Double-A.

Springfield Cardinals 2, Wichita Wind Surge 10 (seven innings, Game two)

The Springfield Cardinals fell to the Wichita Wind Surge in game two of Sunday’s twin bill.

In a bullpen game, right-hander Zane Mills started for the Cardinals. He threw 1 ⅔ innings and allowed six runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out one. Mills took the loss.

Andrew Marrero made his season debut in relief of Mills and allowed two runs in one inning of work. Ryan Shreve followed Marrero and yielded two runs in two innings. Left-hander Nathaniel Heredia tossed 1 ⅓ scoreless, and right-hander Leonardo Taveras pitched a scoreless seventh.

The Cardinals’ two runs came in the bottom of the fourth inning. R.J. Yeager reached on a hit-by-pitch, Jeremy Rivas walked and Ramon Mendoza singled to load the bases with nobody out. Jacob Buchberger legged out an infield single to score Yeager. Brody Moore plated Rivas with a sacrifice fly.

Springfield scored two runs on five hits. Chase Davis went 2-for-3, including a walk. Buchberger singled and notched his third RBI of the year. Moore collected an RBI. Mendoza and Carlos Linarez also singled.

Defensively, Springfield featured a different lineup. JJ Wetherholt moved into the DH spot for the first time. Catcher Carlos Linarez made his season debut. Moore has started in three different positions in Springfield’s first three games: designated hitter, second base, and shortstop.

The Springfield defense did not commit an error through their first series (of three games).

The Cardinals are 2-1. They will travel to Hodgetown in Amarillo, Texas to begin their first road series of 2025 in a six-game set against the Amarillo Sod Poodles (ARI) on Tuesday.

Pitching probables have not been announced for Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 7, Quad Cities River Bandits 9 (12 innings)

The High-A Peoria Chiefs lost a wild extra-inning contest to the Quad Cities River Bandits in the three-game series finale at Dozer Park.

Jose Davila started in his Chiefs debut. The right-hander threw 4 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs on just one hit, walked four, and fanned six.

Two Chiefs relievers also pitched in a Chiefs uniform for the first time. Zack Showalter dominated as a tandem starter with Davila. Showalter fired four shutout innings, allowed one hit, and struck out six River Bandits.

Zack Showalter

Two position players made their professional pitching debuts as they took the mound for the Chiefs in the last two innings. Infielder Johnfrank Salazar recorded five outs and allowed five runs, three earned, on three hits. Catcher Grayson Tarlow pitched the final out of the top of the 12th inning and did not allow a run. Salazar took the loss.

The Chiefs fell behind 2-0 early but evened the score in the fifth inning. Tre Richardson reached on a fielding error, and advanced to second on another error, caused by a pickoff attempt. Jon Jon Gazdar and Zack Levenson walked to load the bases. Joshua Baez singled to plate Richardson and Gazdar.

The score stayed tied at two, forcing extra innings.

Peoria allowed two runs in the 10th inning but strung together another rally to tie the game again.

Levenson started the inning at second base, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Baez walked, and Levenson crossed home plate on a Chase Adkinson sacrifice fly. The Chiefs scored their fourth run on a throwing error which plated Baez.

The Chiefs surrendered one run in the 11th but stormed back to re-tie the score after two quick outs to begin the bottom of the inning.

Trey Paige opened the inning at second base, and Ryan Campos drew the Chiefs’ second-straight lead-off walk in extras. Paige scored on the River Bandits’ fourth error of the game, knotting the score at five.

Against the non-pitchers, the River Bandits made it 9-5 going into the bottom of the 12th. This time, the deficit was too large to make up.

Michael Curialle launched his first home run of the season to make the final 9-7.

Michael Curialle

Peoria scored seven runs on 10 hits. Baez went 3-for-5, including a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Adkinson was 1-for-4, including a double, a walk, and an RBI on a sac fly. Campos walked and collected the Chiefs’ first triple of the season. Curialle was 2-for-5, including a two-run home run and a walk. Miguel Ugueto, Paige and Gazdar each tallied one hit.

On the basepaths, Baez swiped his first base of the season. Ugeuto and Paige were caught stealing.

The Chiefs are 0-3 this season.

The Chiefs’ first road trip of 2025 will begin at Four Winds Field in South Bend, Indiana for a six-game set starting Tuesday against the South Bend Cubs (ChC).

Pitching probables have not been announced for Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 11, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 10

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals won a Sunday thriller over the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to take their first series of the season.

Braden Davis started for Palm Beach in his professional debut. The left-hander went four innings and allowed two runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Angel Cuenca

Right-hander Angel Cuenca impressed in his season debut. He pitched three shutout innings in relief of Davis and struck out four. Yordy Herrera allowed five runs, four earned in ⅔ innings of work. Sam Broderson recorded one out via strikeout.

Samuel Fabian made his Palm Beach debut in the ninth inning and earned his first win despite allowing one run.

The Mighty Mussels struck first in the third inning on a solo home run, but Jose Cordoba answered with his own solo blast in his first at-bat of the season to tie the ballgame.

Jose Cordoba

Fort Myers took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth. Palm Beach answered and took their first lead of the game in the home half. Deniel Ortiz walked and stole second. Jonathan Mejia singled, and Won-Bin Cho reached base on a fielder’s choice. Ortiz scored on the play.

Josh Kross tripled to bring home Mejia and Cho.

Josh Kross

Christian Martin singled to bring home Kross and give Palm Beach a 5-2 lead.

Ortiz drew his second walk in the seventh, and Cho extended the Cardinals’ lead to 7-2 with his first home run of 2025.

Won-Bin Cho

Fort Myers rallied with a six-run eighth inning and a two-run ninth to take a 10-7 lead. Palm Beach responded with a comeback of their own in the bottom of the ninth.

Cordoba reached base on a fielding error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Bryce Madron and Ortiz took back-to-back walks to load the bases with no outs. Cordoba scored on the second wild pitch of the inning. Madron touched home on a Mejia groundout.

Cade McGee sent everybody home with a two-run blast, his second home run of the year and third of the day for Palm Beach in the wild 11-10 finish.

Cade McGee

The Cardinals scored 11 runs on nine hits. Five of their nine hits went for extra bases.

Cho was 2-for-4, including a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored. Cordoba homered and scored twice. Kross drove in two on a triple. Madron walked and doubled. Martin singled twice, driving in one run. McGee’s lone hit was a two-run walk-off home run. Mejia singled.

Five of Palm Beach’s RBI came with two outs.

Defensively, outfielder Cordoba threw out a runner at second base from left field, his first outfield assist of 2025. Catcher Kross threw out two runners from behind the plate. Palm Beach committed five errors in the game. Kross and Mejia each made a throwing error, Peña committed a fielding miscue and Martin was charged with two errors, one of each.

Palm Beach excelled on the bases. Ortiz stole two bags, and Cho one.

Cho raised his batting average to .429. Martin is hitting .417 and McGee is at .364 after three games.

Palm Beach is 2-1 for the season. They will travel to LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida to begin a six-game series against the Bradenton Marauders (PIT) on Tuesday.

Pitching probables for Tuesday have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 PM CT.

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