Cardinals Minor League Notebook – August 31, 2025

photo: Joshua Baez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 4-1 on Saturday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield outfielder Joshua Baez, crushed a walk-off two run home run to highlight a three-hit, four RBI performance. Other standouts: Quinn Mathews, Bryan Torres, Blaze Jordan, Jeremy Rivas, Won-Bin Cho and Chase Heath.

Results for games played on Saturday, August 30.

Memphis Redbirds 8 at Oklahoma City Comets 2

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds extinguished the Comets in Oklahoma City on Saturday for their 70th win in 2025.

Quinn Mathews made his 19th start for the Redbirds. The left-hander pitched 5 ⅓ scoreless innings on two hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts. Mathews earned his fourth win of the season.

Quinn Mathews

Skylar Hales yielded a run across 1 ⅔ innings in relief of Mathews. Osvaldo Berrios allowed a run over one frame. Alex Cornwell finished with a scoreless ninth.

The second batter of the game, Bryan Torres, crushed his seventh home run of the season to put the Redbirds in front 1-0.

Bryan Torres

Memphis extended its lead with a four-run top of the third.

JJ Wetherholt doubled and took third on a wild pitch. Torres singled home Wetherholt for his second RBI in as many innings.

Blaze Jordan blasted his third home run with Memphis, a two-run shot, to stretch the lead to 4-0.

Blaze Jordan

Matt Lloyd went back-to-back with Jordan with his seventh long ball of 2025 for a 5-0 Redbirds lead.

The Redbirds added a pair of runs in the fourth to break the game open further.

Michael Siani drew a lead-off walk and scored on Mike Antico’s first triple of the season.

Wetherholt followed with a walk to put runners on the corners. Torres grounded into a double play, with Antico home to widen the Memphis lead to 7-0.

The Redbirds plated another insurance run in the seventh.

Matt Koperniak belted his 14th home run of the season, a solo shot, to grow the lead to 8-0.

Memphis belted four long balls as part of their 11 hits that led to eight runs. Torres was 2-for-5, including a home run, a single, two runs scored, and two RBI. Jordan blasted a two-run home run. Koperniak went 2-for-4 with a home run. Lloyd belted a home run. Antico walked, tripled, scored and drove in a run. Wetherholt doubled and scored.

On the bases, both Siani and Antico swiped their 20th bags of the season.

On defense, pitcher Mathews picked a runner off second base to highlight an errorless night.

Memphis is 70-59 overall, and 29-27 in the second half. They will look to take five of six in Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Sunday’s game: at Oklahoma City, TBA vs. RHP Christian Romero (4-4, 5.46) 6:05 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 8, Midland RockHounds 7 (10 innings)

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals walked off the Midland RockHounds in extra innings for the second consecutive night at Hammons Field. Saturday was their fifth consecutive win as they are one victory away from the franchise single-season record.

Ixan Henderson started his 23rd game for Springfield. The left-hander threw 4 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs on three hits, two walks and two strikeouts.

Tyler Bradt pitched 2 ⅓ scoreless, hitless frames with two strikeouts in relief of Henderson. Randel Clemente followed with a shutout frame. Edwin Nuñez did not record an out in the ninth, and was tagged with four runs, including the tying run. Left-hander Michael Watson allowed the tying run to score but completed the ninth without a run of his own crossing the plate. Zane Mills gave up an unearned run in the 10th but still picked up his fifth win thanks to the offense.

The Cardinals grabbed an early lead with a two-run bottom of the first inning. In his Double-A debut. Jon Jon Gazdar hit a lead-off double. Rehabbing St. Louis Cardinal Victor Scott II was hit by a pitch, but he remained in the game. Scott II and Gazdar advanced on a Leonardo Bernal groundout. Joshua Baez lined a single to bring Gazdar and Scott II home.

Midland tied the game at two in the fifth.

The Cardinals answered with a four-run sixth. Scott II and Bernal walked. Scott II was caught stealing third, with Bernal advancing. Zach Levenson singled to score Bernal. Levenson advanced to second base via a wild pitch and came home on Jeremy Rivas’s ninth home run on the year, a two-run shot. Dakota Harris followed with a single and a steal of second base. Trey Paige hit his fourth triple of the season to bring Harris to the plate to extend the lead to 6-2.

Jeremy Rivas

The RockHounds stormed back for four runs in the ninth to knot the score at six apiece. Midland plated a run in the 10th for their first lead of the night.

In the home 10th, Bernal began at second base and moved to third on a wild pitch. Baez blasted his 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot, for the 8-7 walk-off victory.

Joshua Baez

The Cardinals scored eight runs on 11 hits. Baez was 3-for-5, including a home run and four RBI. Rivas was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Levenson singled, scored, and drove in a run. Paige tripled and tallied an RBI. Gazdar was 2-for-5 including a double in his Springfield debut.

On the basepaths, Rivas swiped his 19th bag. Harris stole his 22nd. Scott II was caught stealing third base.

On defense, Baez nailed a runner heading back to first base from right field to highlight an error-free performance.

Springfield is 78-47 overall, and 35-21 in the second half. They hold a two-game lead in the Texas League North Division. The Cardinals hope to complete a six-game sweep on Sunday.

Sunday’s game: vs. Midland, LHP Brycen Mautz (7-3, 3.10) vs. RHP Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang (6-11, 3.98) 6:05 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 5, South Bend Cubs 4 (10 innings)

The High-A Peoria Chiefs also won in walk-off fashion in extra-innings over the South Bend Cubs at Dozer Park on Saturday.

Tanner Franklin started for the Chiefs in his High-A debut. The right-hander tossed 2 ⅓ innings and allowed a run on no hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.

Gerardo Salas struck out three and yielded three runs across 5 ⅔ frames in long relief of Franklin. Aaron Holiday threw a hitless and scoreless ninth and 10th and collected his first win with Peoria.

South Bend took a 2-0 lead with single runs in the third and fourth innings.

Peoria immediately claimed the lead with four runs in the home fourth. Jesus Baez and Won-Bin Cho singled and Deniel Ortiz walked to load the bases. Baez scored on a Tre Richardson sacrifice fly to put Peoria in the run column, with Cho to third base on the play.

Andrew Sojka laced a double to score Cho, with Ortiz to third. Anyelo Encarnacion followed with a single to plate Ortiz and Sojka and move the Chiefs ahead 4-2.

Anyelo Encarnacion

The Cubs scored twice in the fifth to tie the game at four, a score that remained through nine innings. After stranding two South Bend runners in scoring position in the 10th, the Chiefs won in the home half.

Jose Cordoba started at second base. With two outs, Cho singled to bring Cordoba home for the 5-4 Chiefs walk off.

Won-Bin Cho

The Chiefs scored five runs on nine hits. Sojka was 2-for-4 with a double, the lone Chiefs extra-base hit, and an RBI. Encarnacion drove in two with a single. Cho was 2-for-5 with a run scored and the walk-off RBI single. Richardson walked and drove in a run via a sacrifice fly. Ortiz and Baez each recorded two hits and a run scored. The lineup tallied three hits with runners in scoring position.

On the basepaths, Baez stole his second bag with Peoria. Ortiz was picked off first base.

On defense, first baseman Ortiz committed a missed catch error.

Peoria is 49-74 overall, and 23-35 in the second half. They will look to finish the sweep over the Cubs on Sunday.

Sunday’s game: vs. South Bend, RHP Jason Savacool (7-3, 2.86) vs. RHP Yenrri Rojas (5-4, 2.04) 6:35 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 4 at Jupiter Hammerheads 1 (Game one, seven innings)  

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals won a close contest over the Jupiter Hammerheads in the opener of Saturday’s twin bill. It was the reschedule of Friday’s rainout.

Ty Van Dyke made his fourth career start. The right-hander pitched 3 ⅔ innings and allowed one run on four hits, one walk, and two strikeouts. The 22-year-old holds a 0.77 ERA through his first 11 ⅔ innings.

Bobby Olsen dominated in relief of Van Dyke as he threw 3 ⅓ shutout frames on just one hit, no walks, and four strikeouts to collect his second win.

Bobby Olsen

Jupiter plated the first run of the game in the home first. It was their only run as Van Dyke and Olsen combined for the final six scoreless innings.

Palm Beach took the lead with a two-run fifth. Jose Suarez and Matthew Miura walked and advanced via a wild pitch. Suarez scored on a Yordalin Pena groundout. Miura scored on the second wild pitch of the frame to put Palm Beach in front.

The Cardinals added two insurance runs in the seventh. Pena walked and came home on Chase Heath’s first professional home run, a two-run blast, for a 4-1 Cardinals lead.

Chase Heath

The Cardinals scored four runs on just three hits. Heath drove in two on his first career home run. Pena walked twice, scored, and drove in a run. Rainiel Rodriguez doubled.

On the bases, Jack Gurevitch swiped his fifth bag but was caught stealing home. Ryan Weingartner was picked off and caught stealing second. Pena was caught stealing second base.

Defensively, pitcher Van Dyke committed a pickoff error.

Palm Beach Cardinals 1 at Jupiter Hammerheads 9 (Game 2, seven innings)

Palm Beach fell to the Jupiter in game two to split Saturday’s doubleheader.

Bernard Mack made his second start for Palm Beach. The left-hander pitched 2 ⅔ innings and allowed three runs on two hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Mack took the loss.

Yordy Herrera surrendered five runs and recorded just two outs in relief. Bruno Lopez followed with 1 ⅔ shutout frames with a pair of strikeouts. Alex Breckheimer yielded a run over one inning.

The Hammerheads took an 8-0 lead after four innings.

The Cardinals entered the run column in the sixth. Chase Heath hit a no-doubt solo home run, his second career long ball and second of the twin bill, to put Palm Beach on the board.

The Cardinals scored one run on four hits. Heath hit his second home run of the doubleheader for the team’s lone run. Rodriguez doubled. Weingartner and Matthew Miura singled.

Rodriguez was picked off second base.

Catcher Heath was tagged with a passed ball.

Palm Beach is 59-64 overall, and 27-31 in the second half. They will look to secure a series split with a win on Sunday.

Sunday’s game: at Jupiter. RHP Nelfy Ynfante (4-6, 4.89) vs. TBA. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 AM CT.

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