Cardinals Minor League Notebook – April 8, 2026

photo: Hunter Dobbins (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals system was 4-0 on Tuesday. TCN’s Player of the Day, Memphis starter Hunter Dobbins, pitched 5 1/3 one-run innings with seven strikeouts. Other standouts include Bryan Torres, César Prieto, Jimmy Crooks, Zach Levenson, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jalin Flores, Anyelo Encarnacion, Yordalin Peña, Ian Petrutz and Ryan Mitchell.

Results for games played on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

Memphis 9 at Charlotte 4

The Redbirds defeated the Charlotte Knights by a 9-4 margin in Charlotte on Tuesday. St. Louis’ Hunter Dobbins took the mound for Memphis as he rehabs from off-season knee surgery. The right-hander pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up one run on five hits, walked one and fanned seven to earn his second win.

Hunter Dobbins

In his Triple-A debut, Hancel Rincon relieved Dobbins and surrendered three runs in two innings. Ryan Fernandez hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Gerson Moreno tossed a scoreless ninth.

Memphis took a 1-0 in the first inning. Bryan Torres singled and scored on a double by Joshua Báez. The Redbirds added two more runs in the top of the fifth. Nelson Velázquez thumped a solo home run.

Nelson Velázquez

Torres singled and stole second base. Torres advanced to third on a balk and scored on a wild pitch.

Bryan Torres

The Knights put up their first run in the home fifth to shrink the lead to 3-1.

Memphis answered with six runs in the sixth to blow up the lead to 9-1. César Prieto hit a solo home run.

César Prieto

Leo Bernal, Colton Ledbetter and Velázquez walked. Bligh Madris flied into a force out as Bernal scored, with Velázquez out at second. Ledbetter came home on a sac fly by Torres. Báez was hit by a pitch. Jimmy Crooks blasted a three-run home run to left center field.

Jimmy Crooks

Charlotte responded with one run in the seventh and two runs in the eighth to bring the final score to 9-4.

The offense scored nine runs on 10 hits. Torres was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Prieto was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Blaze Jordan was 2-for-5. Crooks had three RBI.

Torres stole his third base of the season.

Wednesday’s game: at Charlotte, LHP Quinn Mathews (0-0, 0.00) vs. Noah Schultz LHP (2-0, 1.00) 5:35 CT

Springfield 8, Tulsa 5

In their home opener, the Cardinals beat the Tulsa Drillers by the score of 8-5 at Hammons Field on Tuesday. In his 2026 debut, Chen-Wei Lin took the mound for Springfield. The right-hander pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up one run on three hits, walked four and fanned five.

Hunter Hayes relieved Lin and surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Brandt Thompson relinquished two runs, one earned, in 3 1/3 innings and received the win. Austin Love tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings with all five outs via the strikeout for his first save.

Austin Love

Tulsa went up 1-0 in the first inning.

Springfield answered with a six-run second inning. Noah Mendlinger singled. Dakota Harris walked. Miguel Ugueto singled to plate Mendlinger. Travis Honeyman walked. Jeremy Rivas singled to drive in Harris and Ugueto. Jon Jon Gazdar walked. Chase Davis walked and Honeyman came home. Zach Levenson doubled to score Rivas and Gazdar.

Jeremy Rivas

Zach Levenson

The Drillers cut the lead to 6-3 with two runs in the top of the fourth.

The Cardinals responded with a run in the home half of the inning to increase the lead to 7-3. Davis doubled. Levenson walked. Mendlinger singled to score Davis.

Tulsa added a run in the top of the fifth to make it 7-4 but Springfield came back with a run in the sixth to regain the four-run advantage at 8-4. Ugueto drew a walk and advanced to second on a ground out by Honeyman. Gazdar drove in Ugueto on a single. The Drillers added one more run in the seventh to shrink the lead to 8-5.

The offense scored eight runs on nine hits. Levenson was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Mendlinger was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Ugueto was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Rivas had two RBI.

Ugueto stole two bases. Rivas made a fielding error. Davis had an outfield assist at third base.

Springfield is 4-0 on the season and will play Tulsa through Sunday.

Wednesday’s game: vs. Tulsa, Liam Doyle LHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Luke Fox LHP (1-0, 1.50) 6:35 CT.

Peoria 10, South Bend 1

The Chiefs walloped the Cubs in a 10-1 beatdown in their home opener at Dozer Park on Tuesday.

Starter Yhoiker Fajardo pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up one run on five hits and fanned four.

Yhoiker Fajardo

Zack Showalter relieved Fajardo and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Jason Savacool tossed the final three scoreless innings to earn his first save.

Jason Savacool

The Cubs took the initial lead of 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Peoria answered with seven runs in the bottom of the inning to go up 7-1.

Tai Peete drew a walk and stole second base. Rainiel Rodriguez singled to score Peete. Josh Kross followed with a single. Won-Bin Cho doubled to plate Rodriguez. Cade McGee walked. Jalin Flores doubled to score Kross and Cho. Anyelo Encarnacion hit a three-run home run.

Anyelo Encarnacion

The score remained 7-1 until the seventh inning, when the Chiefs added on three more runs. Rodriguez singled, stole second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Jesús Baéz singled and Rodriguez scored. Kross and Baéz advanced on a wild pitch. Cho walked. Flores walked and Kross scored. Baéz came home on a sac fly by José Suárez.

Jalin Flores

Peoria scored 10 runs on nine hits. Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Kross was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Flores and Encarnacion each had three RBI.

Peete and Rodriguez each stole a base. Baéz, Peete, and Suárez were caught stealing. Peete was picked off first base.

Peoria is 2-2 on the season and plays South Bend through Sunday.

Wednesday’s game:  vs. South Bend, Nolan Sparks RHP (1-0, 0.00) vs. Brooks Caple RHP (0-0, 0.00) 6:35 CT.

Palm Beach 8 at Bradenton 7

The Cardinals edged the Bradenton Marauders by an 8-7 score on Tuesday.

Starter Pete Hansen, on a rehab assignment from Memphis, pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up one run on no hits, walked three and struck out three.

Pete Hansen

Jovi Gálvez relieved Hansen and got the final out of the third inning. Jacob Odle surrendered five runs, none earned, in 1 1/3 innings. Robbie Knowles hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Kaden Echeman relinquished one run in 1/3 of an inning. Antoni Cuello threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and Liam Best tossed the final two scoreless innings to earn the win.

Liam Best

Bradenton scored the first run of the game in the third inning to take the lead 1-0. They added five runs in the fifth.

The Beach Birds came back with three runs in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 6-3. Jack Gurevitch drew a walk. Ryan Weingartner and Yordalin Peña singled to load the bases. Peoria rehabber Ian Petrutz followed with a single, and the bases cleared on the hit and a throwing error.

Ian Petrutz

The Marauders answered with a run in the home sixth to extend their lead to 7-3.

In the eighth, Palm Beach tacked on another run to make the score 7-4. Jonathan Mejía walked. Peña hit a ground rule double. Petrutz grounded out and Mejía scored.

The Cardinals put up four runs in the ninth to take the lead 8-7. Chase Heath drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Christian Martin walked. Ryan Mitchell doubled to score Heath. Martin came home on a ground out by Gurevitch. Mejía walked. Peña doubled to drive in Mitchell and Mejía.

Yordalin Peña

The Palm Beach bullpen held the lead. The offense scored eight runs on 10 hits. Peña was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Petrutz had three RBI. Mitchell was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Mejía was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Ryan Mitchell

Mitchell, Mejía, Heath, and Weingartner each stole a base. Heath and Odle made throwing errors. Weingartner had a fielding miscue. Peña had an outfield assist at second base.

The Cardinals are 2-2 in the early season and play Bradenton through Sunday.

Wednesday’s game: at Bradenton, TBD vs. TBD 10:00 am CT.

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