photo: Darlin Saladin (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 0-6 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day is FCL Cardinals starter Darlin Saladin, who pitched five scoreless innings with three hits allowed and six strikeouts. Other standouts include Juan Yepez, L.J. Jones, Max Rajcic, and Brayen Jobert.
Results for games played on Friday, August 18.
The Memphis Redbirds fell to the Tides in a 9-6 home loss on Friday. Starter Sem Robberse pitched 3 2/3 innings, gave up one run on two hits, struck out three and walked five.
Kyle Leahy surrendered five runs in two innings of relief. Ryan Helsley, on a rehab assignment from St. Louis, threw 1/3 of a scoreless inning, but allowed a hit and a walk in his nine pitches. Grant Black relinquished three runs in 2 1/3 innings and took the loss. Dalton Roach got the final two outs of the ninth.
Memphis took a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Nick Dunn singled. Tres Barrera walked. Matt Koperniak singled to score Dunn. Chase Pinder followed with a three-run home run.
Pinder goes bye-bye! pic.twitter.com/llzl5pi46U
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) August 19, 2023
Norfolk scored one in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 4-1. The Redbirds added two runs in the bottom of the fourth to widen the lead to 6-1. Kramer Robertson walked. César Prieto singled. Juan Yepez plated Robertson and Prieto on a single.
Yepez brings home a pair! pic.twitter.com/spus45FFkb
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) August 19, 2023
The Tides came back with three runs in the fifth, two in the sixth, and three in the ninth to win 9-6.
Yepez was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Prieto was 2-for-5. Pinder homered and drove in three.
In the field, Dunn made a throwing error.
The Memphis Redbirds (20-23) are 7.5 games out of first place in the International League West.
Saturday’s game: vs. Norfolk, RHP Michael McGreevy vs. RHP Garrett Stallings 6:35 CT.
The Springfield Cardinals were topped by the Wind Surge in a one run road loss on Friday. Starter Tink Hence pitched four innings, gave up five runs on six hits, struck out five and walked two. Hence took the loss, his third.
Bryan Pope threw two scoreless innings of relief. Jose Martinez tossed the final two scoreless innings.
Wichita went up 2-0 in the first inning. The Cardinals scored one run in the top of the third to cut the lead to 2-1. L.J. Jones singled and later scored on a sac fly by Noah Mendlinger.
The Wind Surge made it 3-1 in the home half of the third, then increased the lead to 5-1 in the fourth, all against the slumping Hence, whose Double-A ERA is up to 6.54.
In the seventh, Springfield’s Aaron Antonini hit a solo home run. The Cardinals shrunk the lead to 5-4 in the eighth on a two-run home run by Jones.
Jones was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Mike Antico was 2-for-4.
On the base paths, Antico stole two bases. Victor Scott II swiped his 27th bag with Springfield and 77th overall. In the field, Hence picked a runner off first base.
In the Texas League North, the Springfield Cardinals (20-23) are in third place, three games out of first.
Saturday’s game: at Wichita, LHP Alex Cornwell (1-1, 2.90) vs. RHP David Festa (2-3, 4.56) 6:05 CT.
The Peoria Chiefs were edged by the Captains in a one run road loss on Friday. Starter Max Rajcic pitched five innings, gave up one run on six hits, struck out seven and walked two.
Nathanael Heredia threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Andrew Marrero relinquished three runs, one earned, in 1 1/3 innings. Marrero took the loss.
Lake County went up 1-0 in the first inning, but Peoria took a 2-1 lead in the sixth. Nathan Church was hit by a pitch. R.J. Yeager singled. Jimmy Crooks grounded into a force out, eliminating Yeager, Church scored. Crooks came home on a double by Chris Rotondo.
The Chiefs increased the lead to 3-1 in the eighth. Rotondo walked and stole second base. He crossed the plate on an error.
The Captains rallied in the ninth with three runs to win in a walk off, 4-3.
The Peoria offense scored three runs on four hits. No Chief had multiple hits.
On the base paths, Rotondo stole his third base. Darlin Moquete swiped his fifth bag. In the field, Church, Osvaldo Tovalin, and Jeremy Rivas each made a throwing error.
The Peoria Chiefs (25-20) sit in second place in the Midwest League West, 3.5 games back of first.
Saturday’s games: at Lake County, Trent Baker RHP (6-7, 3.30) vs. Ethan Hankins RHP (0-7, 6.83) 3:00 CT (Game 1); at Lake County, Ian Bedell RHP (4-2, 2.23) vs. Ryan Webb LHP (2-3, 3.18) (Game 2)
The Palm Beach Cardinals suffered a ninth inning meltdown at the hands of the visiting Mighty Mussels in a 13-8 drubbing on Friday. Starter Brycen Mautz pitched three innings, gave up six runs, five earned, on seven hits and struck out six.
Angel Cuenca relieved Mautz and threw three scoreless innings of relief. After a clean eighth, Tanner Jacobson surrendered five runs to open the ninth and took the loss. Tyler Bradt yielded two more unearned runs before Ixan Henderson finally completed the final, seven-run inning.
Fort Myers took the lead with one run in the top of the first. The Beach Birds answered with three runs in the home half to pull ahead, 3-1. Zach Levenson walked and scored on a double by William Sullivan. Sullivan came home on a single by Brayden Jobert. Chase Davis plated Jobert on a double.
Palm Beach added a run in the second Chase Adkison singled and later came home on a double play by Kade Kretzschmar.
The Mighty Mussels scored two runs in the third to cut the lead to 4-3. The Cardinals answered with four runs in the bottom of the third to increase the lead to 8-3. Sullivan walked. Jobert singled. Dakota Harris was hit by a pitch. Lizandro Espinoza singled to bring in Sullivan. Joshua Baez’ double plated Jobert, Harris and Espinoza.
Fort Myers fought back with three runs in the fourth and later seven in the ninth to flip an 8-6 Palm Beach lead into a 13-8 loss.
Jobert was 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. He was the only Cardinal with multiple hits. Baez had three RBI.
On the base paths, Jobert stole two bases. Sullivan stole one. In the field, Cuenca made a throwing error. Harris and Baez each had a fielding error.
The Palm Beach Cardinals (21-23) are in second place in the Florida State League East.
Saturday’s games: vs. Fort Myers, TBA (PB) vs. John Klein RHP (0-1, 7.15) 5:00 CT.
FCL Cardinals 2, FCL Marlins 5
The Florida Complex League Cardinals were defeated by the Marlins in a 5-2 home contest on Friday. Starter Darlin Saladin pitched five scoreless innings, allowed three hits, struck out six and walked one.
Chandler Arnold relieved Saladin in the sixth and surrendered four runs to open the seventh. Arnold took the loss. Randel Clemente finished the seventh with no more runs scored. Omar Yanez relinquished one run in the eighth. Antoni Cuello tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the second inning. Samil De La Rosa singled and later came home on a ground out by Miguel Vargas. The Cardinals added a run in the sixth. Luis Pino walked, stole second base, and came home on a single by Maikel Hernandez.
The Marlins came back with four runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth to win the game 5-2.
Hernandez was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
On the base paths, Pino stole his fifth base of the season. In the field, Jonathan Mejia made a throwing error. Saladin had a fielding miscue.
In the Florida Complex League East, the Cardinals (17-31) are in last place, 13 games back of first. They have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Saturday’s game: at FCL Astros, TBA vs. TBA 9:00 am CT.
DSL Cardinals 1 at DSL Mets Orange 2 (six innings)
The Dominican Cardinals lost to the Mets Orange by one run in a shortened road contest on Friday. Starter Ronny Oliver pitched four innings, gave up one unearned run on three hits, struck out seven and walked one.
Jefferson Moran threw a scoreless fifth. Jose Suriel surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning and took the loss. Emisael Carrera secured the final two outs of the sixth and final inning.
The Mets Orange took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the fourth. Arfeni Batista doubled and scored on a single by Hancel Almonte.
The Mets Orange added one in the bottom of the sixth for the 2-1 win.
The Cardinals scored one run on three hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits. Batista’s double was the only extra base hit.
In the field, Luis Atocha and Batista each made a throwing error. Atocha picked a runner off third base.
In the Dominican Summer League South, the Cardinals (16-35) are in seventh place, 23 games back of first. The Cardinals have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Saturday’s game: vs. DSL Tigers 1, TBA vs. TBA 10:00 am CT.
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