photo: Matt Koperniak (Memphis Redbirds)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 2-4 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis right fielder Matt Koperniak, slugged two home runs for five RBI, his second multi-homer game in his last five. Other standouts include Curtis Taylor, Lars Nootbaar, Mason Burns, Reiner Lopez, Miguel Hernandez and Edward Guribe.
Results for games played on Thursday, July 31.
Memphis Redbirds 7 at Norfolk Tides 4
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds edged the Tides in Norfolk on Thursday.
Curtis Taylor started for the Redbirds. The right-hander pitched five innings and allowed two runs on six hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. Taylor earned his sixth win of the season.
Zack Weiss yielded two runs across 1 ⅔ innings in relief. Left-hander Oddanier Mosqueda recorded the final out of the seventh inning. Jack Ralston followed with 1 ⅔ shutout frames. Lefty Nick Raquet recorded the final out of the ninth and picked up the save in his return to Triple-A. Raquet holds a 0.76 ERA this season across Double-A and Triple-A.
The Redbirds’ bats were hot from the start as they scored four runs in the top of the first inning. JJ Wetherholt walked, stole second base, his first steal with Memphis, and Luken Baker followed with a walk. Matt Koperniak smoked his ninth home run of the season, a three-run blast, to put Memphis in front 3-0.
Koperniak starts the show with a @HueysRestaurant homer! pic.twitter.com/BkAbiHMsVD
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 31, 2025
Andy Yerzy hit an infield single. Gavin Collins walked. Bryan Torres singled to bring Yerzy home for a 4-0 lead.
Torres adds another in the first! pic.twitter.com/eenyNkf9m0
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 31, 2025
The Tides trimmed the lead in half with a run apiece in the second and third innings.
The Redbirds answered in the fourth. Baker reached base on a fielding error. Koperniak followed with his 10th home run of 2025, a two-run shot, his second long ball of the game, to move the Redbirds ahead by four once again at 6-2.
MATT KOPERNIAK IS ON FIRE!
SECOND @HueysRestaurant HOMER OF THE GAME! pic.twitter.com/TaLdgKgppW
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 31, 2025
Memphis added a run in the fifth. Collins doubled and advanced to third base on a Torres groundout. Mike Antico walked. Collins crossed home plate on a Wetherholt sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 7-2.
Memphis never trailed in the victory.
The Redbirds scored seven runs on six hits. Koperniak was 2-for-4, including a walk, two home runs, and five RBI. Koperniak has recorded two multi-home run games for the second consecutive season. Torres tallied an RBI single. Wetherholt walked twice, scored a run, and drove in a run via a sacrifice fly. Collins doubled, walked, and scored a run.
On the bases, Wetherholt stole his first two bags at the Triple-A level. Antico swiped his 14th.
Memphis did not commit an error on defense.
Memphis is 56-47 overall, and 15-15 in the second half.
Friday’s game: at Norfolk, LHP Quinn Mathews (2-4, 3.88) vs. RHP Roansy Contreras (6-2, 4.01) 5:35 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals 2, Arkansas Travelers 4
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals fell to the Arkansas Travelers at Hammons Field on Thursday.
Hancel Rincon started for Springfield. The right-hander pitched five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. Rincon took the loss.
Leonardo Taveras tossed 1 ⅔ scoreless frames with three strikeouts in relief. Michael Watson fanned three and yielded a run across 1 ⅓ innings. Austin Love tossed a scoreless ninth with a pair of strikeouts.
Arkansas took a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Springfield trimmed the deficit in half in the fourth. Rehabbing St. Louis Cardinal Lars Nootbaar and Baez singled. Ramon Mendoza was hit by a pitch to load the bases. R.J. Yeager hit a bloop single to score Nootbaar.
The Travelers pulled ahead by two again with a run in the top of the fifth.
The Cardinals moved back within one in the home fifth. Noah Mendlinger singled and moved to second on a groundout from Nolan Gorman, also on a rehab assignment as he works to rejoin the major league club. Nootbaar singled home Mendlinger to move Springfield within one at 3-2.
Lars Nootbaar tonight for Double-A Springfield: 2-5, RBI, R pic.twitter.com/f9AZ9pJ0KO
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) August 1, 2025
Arkansas added an insurance run in the eighth. Springfield failed to answer.
The Cardinals scored two runs on 11 hits, all singles. Nootbaar was 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Yeager was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Mendlinger recorded three hits and scored a run. Gorman singled in the third game of his rehab assignment with Springfield. The lineup left 10 runners on base.
The Cardinals did not record a stolen base.
Defensively, pitcher Watson committed a pickoff error.
Springfield is 62-37 overall, and 19-11 in the second half. They hold a two-game lead in the Texas League North Division.
Friday’s game: vs. Arkansas, LHP Ixan Henderson (7-4, 2.37) vs. RHP Dylan File (6-3, 4.91) 7:05 PM CT.
Peoria Chiefs 0 at Beloit Sky Carp 3 (7 innings, game one)
The High-A Peoria Chiefs were blanked by the Sky Carp in Beloit in game one of Thursday’s road doubleheader.
Gerardo Salas made his 19th start for Peoria. The right-hander pitched four innings and allowed three runs on four hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. Salas took the loss.
Mason Burns fired two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts in relief.
In the top of the first inning, Peoria had its best threat. Travis Honeyman lined a single and Zach Levenson and Graysen Tarlow walked to load the bags with two outs, but all three runners were stranded.
Beloit scored three runs in the home third. Peoria failed to respond.
The Chiefs scored no runs on two hits. Deniel Ortiz walked and doubled. Honeyman singled. Levenson drew three walks. The lineup drew more walks (8) than strikeouts (7) but went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.
On the basepaths, Won-Bin Cho swiped his 10th bag of the season. The Chiefs did not commit an error on defense.
Peoria Chiefs 1 at Beloit Sky Carp 3 (7 innings, game two)
The Peoria Chiefs lost a close Game 2 to the Beloit Sky Carp and were swept in Thursday’s road doubleheader. This was the makeup for Wednesday’s postponement.
Jason Savacool made his eighth start with the Chiefs. The right-hander tossed 4 ⅓ innings and allowed one unearned run on four hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.
Hunter Hayes threw the remaining 1 ⅔ innings and surrendered two runs, taking the loss.
The Chiefs struck in the top of the third inning. Won-Bin Cho launched his first home run with the Chiefs in 2025, a solo shot, to move the Chiefs ahead 1-0.
Won-Bin Cho hits a solo bomb to right! 💣
PEO 1 | BEL 0 pic.twitter.com/fYdVSwOqhl
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) August 1, 2025
Beloit tied the game at one apiece in the home third and plated two in the sixth to take the lead. Peoria was unable to rally in the loss.
The Chiefs scored one run on five hits. Cho hit a solo home run. Levenson was 2-for-3 with a double. Travis Honeyman recorded two singles.
The Chiefs did not record a stolen base.
On defense, third baseman Brayden Jobert made a throwing error. Pitcher Hayes committed a pickoff error. Second baseman Tre Richardson made a sparkling catch in the third inning.
Might be tied now, but Tre Richardson is making plays at 2nd base tonight!
PEO 1 | BEL 1 pic.twitter.com/5he4kbafk0
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) August 1, 2025
Peoria is 39-59 overall, and 13-20 in the second half.
Friday’s game: at Beloit, RHP Jose Davila (3-5, 5.91) vs. RHP Nick Brink (4-3, 3.72) 6:05 PM CT.
Palm Beach Cardinals 2 at Daytona Tortugas 4
The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals dropped a tight contest to the Tortugas in Daytona in Thursday’s series finale.
Jacob Odle made his 12th start for Palm Beach. The right-hander pitched a career-high 4 ⅓ innings and allowed one run on three hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.
Alan Reyes recorded the final two outs of the fifth inning. Left-hander Yadiel Batista surrendered three runs, two earned, on 2 ⅔ innings and took the loss. Christian Worley secured the final out of the eighth inning.
Daytona scored the game’s first run in the fifth inning.
Palm Beach answered with a two-run sixth. Jonathan Mejia reached on a fielding error and advanced to second. Heriberto Caraballo also reached on a fielding error and took second base, with Mejia to third. Jose Suarez lined a double to score both runners.
Daytona scored two in the seventh and added a run in the eighth for a 4-2 lead. The Cardinals were unable to rally in the close loss.
The Cardinals scored two runs on just two hits. Suarez doubled and drove in both Palm Beach runs. Jose Cordoba walked twice and singled. Johnfrank Salazar drew a free pass. The lineup drew just three walks and went down on strikes 13 times.
On the basepaths, Cordoba stole two bases to increase his steal total with Palm Beach to four. Salazar swiped his fifth. Suarez snagged his 14th base. Cade McGee was caught stealing second base.
On defense, second baseman Christian Martin committed a fielding error. Suarez nailed a runner at second base from left field. The Cardinals turned two double plays.
Palm Beach is 48-48 overall, and 16-15 in the second half after the series split with Daytona. They will head home to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to begin August with a four-game set against the Jupiter Hammerheads, starting Friday.
Friday’s game: vs. Jupiter (MIA), RHP Nelfy Ynfante (3-4, 6.03) vs. TBA. 5:30 PM CT.
DSL Cardinals 4, DSL Phillies Red 3
Behind strong relief pitching, the Dominican Summer League Cardinals erased an early deficit to defeat the DSL Phillies Red at home on Thursday.
Jan Cabrera started his ninth game for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched 1 ⅔ innings and allowed three runs on six hits, no walks, and five strikeouts.
Reiner Lopez dominated in 3 ⅓ shutout frames with four strikeouts and earned his third career win. Jesus Garcia followed with three scoreless innings and four strikeouts. Briam Reyes tossed a scoreless ninth to collect his first professional save.
The Phillies Red scored the game’s first run in the top of the first inning.
The Cardinals tied the score in the home first. Kenly Hunter hit a lead-off double and moved to third on a Royelny Strop groundout. Hunter crossed home plate on a sacrifice fly from Miguel Hernandez.
The Phillies pushed across two runs in the second to move ahead 3-1.
The Cardinals flexed their muscles in the third inning to grab the lead. In his first professional plate appearance, Lucas Takahashi drew a walk. He then stole second. With two outs, Hernandez drilled his fifth home run of 2025, a two-run shot, to tie the game at three. Edward Guribe followed with a go-ahead solo home run for a 4-3 Cardinals lead.
The Cardinals stranded the Phillies Red’s potential tying run at third base in the ninth in the one-run victory.
The DSL Cardinals scored four runs on six hits. Hernandez hit a two-run home run and drove in three. Guribe blasted a solo home run. Hunter doubled and scored a run. Takahashi walked, stole a base and scored a run in his first professional game.
On the bases, Sebastian Dos Santos snagged his eighth. Cristofer Lebron swiped his ninth. Johnny Chaparro was caught stealing second base.
The Cardinals did not commit an error on defense.
The DSL Cardinals are 21-21 on the season and reside in third place in the DSL Southeast Division, five games back of the Marlins. The Cardinals will continue their homestand with a contest against the DSL Mets on Friday.
Friday’s game: vs. DSL Mets. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 AM CT.
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