photo: Curtis Taylor (Memphis Redbirds)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 1-3 on Saturday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis SP Curtis Taylor, threw seven strong innings without allowing an unearned run. Other standouts include JJ Wetherholt, Ramon Mendoza, Andrew Sojka, Won-Bin Cho, Bernard Mack and Alan Reyes.
Results for games played on Saturday, August 23:
Memphis Redbirds 2, Gwinnett Stripers 4
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds lost a close contest to the Gwinnett Stripers at AutoZone Park on Saturday.
Curtis Taylor made his 20th start of the season for the Redbirds. The right-hander pitched seven innings and yielded two unearned runs on three hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.
Alex Cornwell surrendered two runs in the eighth and took the loss. Gordon Graceffo threw a scoreless ninth frame.
Facing Atlanta Braves rehabber Chris Sale, the Redbirds scored a first inning run. JJ Wetherholt and Bryan Torres lined back-to-back singles. Blaze Jordan grounded into a forceout play, with Wetherholt out at third. The runners executed a double steal, Torres crossed home plate on a Matt Koperniak groundout to put Memphis in front 1-0.
Gwinnett scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to grab a 2-1 lead.
Memphis immediately tied the game in the home half of the frame. Wetherholt doubled and advanced to third on Torres’ sacrifice bunt. Jordan singled to bring Wetherholt home.
The Stripers moved in front by two with another pair of runs in the eighth. Memphis failed to answer in the eighth and ninth.
The Redbirds scored two runs on seven hits. Wetherholt was 3-for-4, including a double, a walk, and a run scored. Koperniak walked, singled, and drove in a run. Jordan singled and drove in a run. The lineup was just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base.
On the basepaths, Torres swiped his 23rd bag of 2025. Jordan stole his first base in the Cardinals organization.
On defense, third baseman Gavin Collins and pitcher Graceffo each made a throwing error.
Memphis is 65-58 overall, and 24-26 in the second half. The Redbirds will look to salvage the series finale on Sunday.
Sunday’s game: vs. Gwinnett, LHP Quinn Mathews (3-5, 3.60) vs. RHP Dane Dunning (3-1, 3.77) 1:05 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals 3 at Arkansas Travelers 5
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals dropped their fourth consecutive contest to the Travelers in Arkansas on Saturday.
In a bullpen game, Ricardo Velez made his first professional start. The right-hander pitched 2 ⅔ innings and yielded one unearned run on one hit, two walks, and four strikeouts. Velez lowered his ERA to 1.71 with the Cardinals.
Left-hander Michael Watson threw 2 ⅓ shutout frames in relief of Velez and lowered his Double-A ERA to 1.17. Austin Love fanned three and surrendered two runs across two innings. Hunter Hayes allowed two runs in the eighth inning and took the loss.
Arkansas took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Springfield jumped ahead with a two-run top of the third. Brody Moore lined a lead-off single. Jeremy Rivas doubled to move Moore to put two runners in scoring position. Moore touched home plate on a Dakota Harris sacrifice fly, with Rivas to third. Ramon Mendoza ripped a single to bring Rivas home.
Springfield added a run in the sixth. Mendoza walked and moved all the way to third base via a wild pitch and a throwing error from the catcher. Miguel Ugueto connected for a single to plate Mendoza.
The Travelers tied the game with a pair of runs in the home sixth and regained the lead with a two-run eighth. Springfield was unable to respond.
The Cardinals scored three runs on seven hits. Mendoza was 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI. Ugueto singled twice and drove in a run. Harris recorded an RBI with a sacrifice fly. Rivas tallied the lone Cardinals extra-base hit, a double, and scored a run.
On the bases, Ugueto swiped his sixth bag with Springfield.
On defense, shortstop Moore made a throwing error. Second baseman Rivas made a highlight-reel play to prevent a run from scoring in the second inning.
Heck of a play by Jeremy Rivas, robbing a base hit with a defense gem! pic.twitter.com/ZSsZbK5Goa
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) August 24, 2025
Springfield is 73-46 overall, and 30-20 in the second half. They hold a one-game lead in the Texas League North Division. The Cardinals will look to take the series finale on Sunday.
Sunday’s game: at Arkansas, LHP Ixan Henderson (9-5, 2.31) vs. LHP Reid VanScoter (4-5, 5.15) 1:35 PM CT.
Peoria Chiefs 6 at Dayton Dragons 7 (10 innings)
The High-A Peoria Chiefs’ late-inning comeback fell short in extra innings at the Dayton Dragons on Saturday.
Jose Davila made his 21st start of the season for Peoria. The right-hander threw four innings and allowed five runs on eight hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.
Left-hander Jack Findlay fired two shutout frames with a pair of strikeouts in relief of Davila. D.J. Carpenter followed with three strikeouts across two scoreless innings. Mason Burns yielded two runs, one earned, over 1 ⅓ innings and was charged with a blown save and the loss.
Dayton grabbed an early 2-0 lead after two innings.
Peoria split the lead in half in the top of the third. Andrew Sojka crushed his first home run as a member of the Cardinals organization, a solo shot.
Andrew Sojka CRUSHED his first Peoria Chiefs HR!@CardsPlayerDev
PEO 1 | DAY 2 pic.twitter.com/yvQypRlAn7
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) August 23, 2025
The Dragons answered with three runs in the home third to widen the lead to 5-1.
The Chiefs chipped into the gap with a run in the fourth. Deniel Ortiz lined a single and scored on a Josh Kross double to move Peoria within three at 5-2.
Kross doubles in the top of the 4th, Ortiz scores!
PEO 2 | DAY 5 pic.twitter.com/UCfKoakWB6
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) August 24, 2025
After the pen kept Dayton off the board for the next four frames, Peoria’s bats surged in a four-run top of the eighth to take their first lead of the night.
Ryan Campos was hit by a pitch and moved to second base via a passed ball. Jesus Baez walked. Ortiz reached base on a fielding error to load the bags with nobody out. Travis Honeyman flied into a double play, with Campos and Baez home on the play and Ortiz out at second base.
2 runners score in the top of the 8th!!
PEO 4 | DAY 5 pic.twitter.com/X20BgWWiJy
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) August 24, 2025
Chase Adkison was hit by a pitch and scored on Won-Bin Cho’s fifth Chiefs home run of the year, a two-run shot, to put the Chiefs ahead 6-5.
2-run HR by Won-Bin Cho gives us the lead in the 8th!
PEO 6 | DAY 5 pic.twitter.com/BAbXZu1pIc
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) August 24, 2025
Dayton tied the game in the ninth and scored the walk-off run in the 10th to steal the win.
The Chiefs scored six runs on eight hits. Cho drove in two with a home run. Sojka crushed a home run. Kross doubled and drove in a run. Honeyman recorded an RBI. Campos and Ortiz each singled and scored. The lineup did not record a hit with runners in scoring position.
On the basepaths, Tre Richardson swiped his 15th bag on the year. Sojka was caught stealing second base.
On defense, first baseman Ortiz made a throwing error. Third baseman Baez committed a fielding error.
Peoria is 44-73 overall, and 18-34 in the second half. The Chiefs will look to salvage the series finale on Sunday.
Sunday’s game: at Dayton, RHP Jason Savacool (7-3, 2.89) vs. LHP Graham Osman (2-2, 6.00) 12:05 PM CT.
Palm Beach Cardinals 6, St. Lucie Mets 1
By a score of 6-1, the Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals bested the St. Lucie Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday.
Tanner Franklin started for Palm Beach in his professional debut. The 21-year-old right hander threw two scoreless innings on one hit, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Tanner Franklin is looking good so far in his pro debut. That fastball is already hitting 99 mph. Slider is sharper than I expected this early in his career. Good control. Keeping the ball down. 2 ground outs and a strikeout. #ForTheLou #STLCards
— RYAN (@RyanOnTheRight) August 23, 2025
Left-hander Bernard Mack pitched 3 ⅔ innings in long relief of Franklin and allowed one run on one hit, four walks, and four strikeouts. Mack earned his first win at the Low-A level. Alan Reyes followed with 2 ⅓ shutout frames with every out recorded via a strikeout. Charles Harrison finished the game with a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals’ bats were hot early with a two-run bottom of the first inning. Matthew Miura drew a lead-off walk and moved to third base on a Jack Gurevitch single. Rainiel Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Cameron Nickens grounded into a forceout play, with Rodriguez out at second base and Miura home. Gurevitch scored on a Christian Martin sacrifice fly.
The Cardinals extended the lead with a second pair of runs in the third. Nickens began with an infield single. Jose Suarez reached base via a throwing error from the pitcher, with Nickens scoring. Michael Dattalo reached on a second consecutive error, with Suarez to third base. Suarez crossed home plate on a Ryan Weingartner groundout to move the Cardinals further ahead at 4-0.
St. Lucie entered the run column with a run in the top of the sixth frame.
The Cardinals took the run back in the home half. Weingartner walked and swiped second base. Miura walked. Gurevitch grounded into a forceout, with Miura out at second. Rodriguez lined a single to score Weingartner for a 5-1 lead, but Rodriguez was thrown out at second base to end the inning.
Palm Beach tacked on another insurance run in the seventh. Martin and Suarez hit back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. Martin scored on a groundout from Dattalo to stretch the lead to 6-1.
Palm Beach never trailed in the victory.
The Cardinals scored six runs on eight hits, all singles. Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Nickens and Martin each tallied a hit, a run scored, and an RBI. Weingartner walked twice, scored a run, recorded a hit, and drove in a run.
On the bases, Weingartner stole two bags to increase his season total to five. Suarez was caught stealing second base.
On defense, pitcher Mack picked a runner off first base to highlight an errorless night.
Palm Beach is 57-60 overall, and 25-27 in the second half. The Cardinals will look to secure the series split on Sunday.
Sunday’s game: vs. St. Lucie. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 AM CT.
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