Cardinals Minor League Notebook – August 19, 2019

photo: Harrison Bader (Frank Ramirez/The Cardinal Nation)

On Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals system went 4-5. Player of the Day Harrison Bader went 3-for-6 including two home runs in Memphis’ sweep of Iowa. GCL reliever Luis Tena retired all 10 batters faced, fanning four, and stranding three inherited runners.

Results from games played Sunday, August 18th.


Memphis 14 vs. Iowa 2

Harrison Bader (Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports)

The Redbirds played a little long ball (make that a lot of long ball!) in their 14-2 trouncing of Iowa (66-59) for a four-game sweep.  Second-place Memphis (59-66) has closed to within seven games of the first-place Cubs but have an elimination number of nine.

Four Redbirds launched home runs, led by Player of the Day Harrison Bader, who went 3-for-6 with two solo blasts comprising two of his three runs scored and three RBIs.  Dylan Carlson hit his first Triple-A bomb, putting his team up 1-0 after one before Edmundo Sosa went yard with the bases empty as well.  The home run fest was capped by John Nogowski’s three-run long ball that was part of his team’s five-run sixth.

Memphis had 14 hits in all with Max Schrock joining Bader by going 3-for-4 with a double, run scored and three driven in.  Nogowski and Carlson had two hits each with a walk and touched home twice. Nogowski knocked in three while Carlson smashed his first three-bagger and drove in two.

Austin Warner (W, 3-2) tossed a solid effort, yielding two runs on one home run that was one of three hits and four walks allowed over five innings.  Three relievers shared the final four frames:  Jesus Cruz (1 IP), Zac Rosscup (2 IP) and Mike Mayers (1 IP).

Monday’s game:  vs. Round Rock (75-49) (HOU), 6:35 pm CT, Genesis Cabrera (4-5, 6.59)


Arkansas 7 at Springfield 1

Bryan Dobzanski (Palm Beach Cardinals)

The S-Cards were easily handled by the Travelers on Sunday, 7-1, preventing a three-game series sweep by the home team.  Springfield (26-30) is in third place in the North Division standings, five games behind co-leaders Arkansas (31-25) (SEA) and Tulsa (LAD).

Alex FaGalde took the loss, his fourth against three wins, permitting three runs on five hits and a base-on-balls through 4 2/3 frames.  All three tallies were generated by one home run.

Ronnie Williams recorded the fifth’s final out, leaving FaGalde’s last runner on, but he could not finish the next inning. Williams surrendering two long balls accounting for three runs before departing in favor of Bryan Dobzanski.  Dobzanski retired four batters, stranding an inherited runner.  Jacob Patterson and Roel Ramirez each went an inning, with Patterson yielding a run on two hits.

Springfield managed six hits with Chance Capel going 2-for-4 out of the six hole.  Kramer Robertson went 1-for-3 and reached on a throwing error, thus setting him up to score the only run on a double by Yariel Gonzalez, the latter’s only hit in four at bats.

Monday’s game:  Off


Palm Beach 3 at Daytona 7

Luken Baker (Palm Beach Cardinals)

Palm Beach (19-38) fell at Daytona (26-33) (CIN), 7-3, in the decisive third game of the road series.

Miscues on both sides played a big role in the scoring as only four of the 10 total runs were earned.

Diego Cordero (L, 2-5) yielded five runs, one earned, on a whopping 11 hits and a free pass in 5 2/3.  Up from the GCL club as long relief help, Ludwin Jimenez tossed the final 2 1/3, giving up two runs on three hits and a base-on-balls while stranding two inherited runners.

Dennis Ortega and Cole Kreuter each had two of the team’s seven hits with Ortega walking once and Kreuter driving in one.  Luken Baker reached base twice, going 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored.

Monday’s game:  Off


Wisconsin 7 at Peoria 3

Carlos Soto (State College Spikes)

The Chiefs were officially eliminated from second-half postseason contention with their 7-3 loss to the Timber Rattlers on Sunday.  Peoria (16-39) has lost both of the first two games of the series with two yet to play.

Parker Kelly (L, 3-4) held his opponents to a single tally through six frames before permitting three more scores in the seventh.  The right-hander allowed seven hits and two walks in all.

Sebastian Tabata was tagged for two runs, one earned, on two walks and two wild pitches in 1 1/3, but left Kelly’s final runner on base.  Evan Sisk allowed an unearned tally in his inning of work.

The home team generated just five hits, two by catcher Carlos Soto, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, double and solo shot that was one of his two runs scored.

Monday’s game:  vs. Wisconsin (30-35) (MIL), 6:35 pm CT, Dalton Roach (1-1, 5.52)


State College 4 vs. Auburn 3 (7) – Game 1       
State College 3 vs. Auburn 1 (7) – Game 2

Matt Duce (State College Spikes)

The Spikes swept a home double-header over the Doubledays, 4-3 and 3-1, for a three-games-to-one series lead with one game on tap.  Third-place State College (33-30) moves to two games in back of West Virginia (PIT) in the tight Pinckney Division standings.

The opener required a four-run rally resulting in the walk-off win.  Five of State College’s eight hits came in the seventh, including Matt Duce’s two-run bomb scoring Pedro Pages (single) and bringing his team within one run.  Triples by Donivan Williams and Stanley Espinal were sandwiched around Brylie Ware’s game-tying single with Espinal knocking in Ware for the winning margin.

Enmanuel Solano (W, 2-7) went the distance for the Spikes, permitting three runs on four hits, including a two-run blast.

Brylie Ware (State College Spikes)

The home team led all the way in the finale with Ware the only Spike with more than one of the team’s nine hits.  The third baseman singled twice in two at bats with an RBI on a sac fly.  Espinal singled in his only at bat, worked a free pass and touched home once.

A quartet of State College pitchers held Auburn to a lone score on five hits. NYPL All-Stars Andre Pallante and Hector Villalobos both allowed a hit in their respective two innings of work, with the former hitting one batter and the latter picking up his third win in four decisions.  Connor Lunn tossed the fifth and sixth, yielding a run on three hits.  Eric Lex faced the minimum, striking out two, for his third save.

Monday’s game:  vs. sixth-place Auburn (21-40) (WSH), 7:05 pm ET/6:05 pm CT, TBA


Johnson City 6 at Pulaski 7 (8) – Game 1           
Johnson City 1 at Pulaski 8 (7)  – Game 2

Jhon Torres (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Appalachian League’s two division leaders went head-to-head on Sunday in Pulaski with Johnson City twice coming out on the losing end, 7-6 and 8-1.  Johnson City (29-29) maintains a slim half game lead on second-place Bristol (PIT) in the West Division, where the top four teams are separated by just 1 ½ games.

In Game 1, the visitors blew two chances for the win, failing to hold a 5-4 lead in the seventh and a 6-5 lead in the final frame.  Blake Drake (L, 0-1) (BS,1) allowed all three scores, two earned, on four hits and two walks, one intentional, including a solo bomb in one plus innings.  Julio Puello pitched the first six frames, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks.

The offense managed just five hits but was assisted by eight free passes.  Left fielder William Jimenez compiled an unusual line, going 0-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored.  Right fielder Jhon Torres went 2-for-3 with a solo shot comprising one of his two RBIs.

Offense, defense and pitching appeared to just roll over in the nightcap, the Cards mustering just two hits against three errors and all three pitchers serving up a home run.  Starter Will Guay (L, 1-1) gave up four runs, one earned, on two hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings.  Enrique Perez and Wilberto Rivera both surrendered two-run home runs with four outs recorded.

Both hits occurred in the second when Johnson City scored its only run.  Zach Jackson doubled with one out, coming home on Raffy Ozuna’s two-out double.

Monday’s game:  at first-place (East Division) Pulaski (39-19) (NYY), 6:30 pm ET/5:30 pm CT, Jake Sommers (2-3, 4.43)


GCL Cardinals 6 at GCL Nationals 2

Tyler Reichenborn (Tennessee Wesleyan University)

The Gulf Cardinals scored in four straight frames on their way to a 6-2 victory over the third-place Nationals (21-22).  The fifth-place GCL Cardinals (20-26) trail the Marlins by seven games in the East Division standings with an elimination number of five.

The balanced offense featured eight of nine starters either scoring or having at least one of the team’s 11 hits.  Three Gulf Cardinals garnered two each:  center fielder Tyler Reichenborn, right fielder Luis Montano and designated hitter Jean Selmo.  Reichenborn went yard with the bases empty. The center fielder also reached base via a hit-by-pitch.  Montano went 2-for-5, crossing home once while Selmo singled and doubled in four at bats, knocking in one.

Reliever Luis Tena (W, 1-0) was truly stellar in relief, retiring all 10 batters faced, fanning four, and stranding three inherited runners.  Martin Cordova pitched the initial four innings, holding the Nationals to a run on three hits, a walk and a balk.  Anthony Green, who provided the bridge between Cordova and Tena, allowed a tally on two hits and three walks in 1 2/3 frames before giving way to Tena.

Monday’s game:  at second-place GCL Mets (23-22), 12:00 pm ET/11:00 am CT, TBA


DSL Cardinals Blue – off

The Cardinals Blue (39-18), which begin a seven games in six days stretch to finish their regular season, are tied with the Rockies atop the South Division standings with the Phillies Red three games back.  Only two of those six contests are at home but the Cardinals Blue are almost equally successful on the road – 21-9 home versus 18-9 away.

The Rockies host the C-Blue one more time on Friday, the 23rd after the Cardinals Blue and P-Red meet in a road twin bill on Wednesday, the 21st.  August 23rd is the fifth game of the week and last game of the season for the Rockies, which play the Phillies Red at home on Tuesday, the 20th.  The P-Red have six contests remaining, including four at home.

Monday’s game:  at ninth- and last-place Nationals (19-40), 10:30 am ET/9:30 am CT, Reinys Portillo (2-4, 3.19)


DSL Cardinals Red – off

The Cardinals Red (28-38) are seventh in the eight-team San Pedro division and have six games remaining.

Monday’s game:  vs. fifth-place DSL Mets2 (31-35), 10:30 am ET/9:30 am CT, TBA


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