photo: Michael Perri (Bret Jacomet photo)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 4-5 on Saturday. Our Player of the Day is Johnson City shortstop Michael Perri, who went 4-for-4 with a three-run home run, four RBI and four runs scored. Starters Evan Kruczynski, Angel Rondon and Wilfredo Pereira pitched well in losses.
Results for games played Saturday, August 4.
Memphis dropped Game 2 of the home series to the Fresno Grizzlies on Saturday. Starter Kevin Herget lost his eighth game of the season after pitching five innings and giving up eight runs on eight hits. Rehabber Dominic Leone added a scoreless sixth, but allowed a hit and a walk. Conner Greene surrendered one run in two innings pitched. Giovanny Gallegos tossed the ninth with a walk and strikeout.
The Redbirds offense scored in the fourth inning when Wilfredo Tovar hit a leadoff double and scored on a ground out by Adolis Garcia. In the fifth, Max Schrock walked and Lane Thomas drove him in on a double. In his Cardinals system debut, Justin Williams hit a solo home run in the eighth. Williams and Thomas were both 2-for-4.
Garcia stole his 10th base in 12 attempts. Patrick Wisdom was caught stealing for just the second time in 13 attempts. Williams had an outfield assist.
The Redbirds are 70-42 and are in first place in the PCL Southern.
Sunday’s game: vs. Fresno, Connor Jones (0-0, 0.00) 2:05 CT.
Springfield 0 at NW Arkansas 1
Springfield was blanked in a 1-0 road loss to the Naturals on Saturday. While the Cardinals collected seven hits, all were singles. Johan Mieses went 3-for-4.
Starter and tough-luck loser Evan Kruczynski pitched seven innings and gave up one run on six hits. Seth Elledge pitched a scoreless eighth. The lefty Kruczynski helped his cause by picking two runners off first base.
The Cardinals are 51-62 overall, 18-25 in the second half, and are in third place in the Texas League North.
Sunday’s game: at NW Arkansas, Genesis Cabrera (7-6, 4.12) 2:05 CT.
Palm Beach 7 at Jupiter 6 (10 innings)
The Cardinals came back to win a squeaker in extra innings on Saturday. Starting pitcher Jesus Cruz went just 2 2/3 innings and gave up six runs on three hits. Jacob Patterson tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Yeison Medina added two run-free frames to pick up the win. Colton Thomson pitched a scoreless 10th and earned his fourth save.
The Cardinals got on the board in the first inning when Chase Pinder led off with a single and later scored on a ground out by Dylan Carlson. The Cardinals tied the game in the ninth with five runs. Kramer Robertson singled and came in on Dylan Carlson’s double. Scott Hurst walked and Irving Lopez singled to plate Carlson. Hurst crossed home on a wild pitch. Lopez came in when Pinder walked with the bases loaded. The winning run scored in the 10th when Conner Capel scampered home on Hurst’s ground out. Lopez went 3-for-5. Carlson was 2-for-5.
The Cardinals are 58-47 overall and 19-22 in the second half to put them in third place in the FSL South.
Sunday’s game: at Jupiter, TBA 12:00 pm CT.
Peoria 2, Quad Cities 3 (10 innings)
In a pitching duel, the Chiefs were edged by the River Bandits in extra innings at Dozer Park on Saturday. Peoria scored the first run of the game in the sixth on Wood Myers’ single. The Chiefs put up their final run in the 10th on a ground out by Rayder Ascanio. Myers went 3-for-5.
Starter Angel Rondon pitched six scoreless innings and allowed three hits while fanning eight and walking two. Patrick Dayton followed with two scoreless innings of relief. Ben Yokley gave up the tying run in the ninth and was charged with a blown save. Kodi Whitley relieved with no outs in the ninth and completed the inning in scoreless fashion. Thomas St. Clair gave up the two winning runs in the 10th and took the loss. Both runs were unearned.
Brandon Benson stole his first base in his initial attempt for Peoria. Ascanio was caught stealing for the fourth time in seven tries. Ascanio and Myers made fielding errors. Catcher Julio Rodriguez picked a runner off first base.
The Chiefs are 64-46 overall, 25-15 in the second half, and are tied for second place in the Midwest League Western Division.
Sunday’s game: vs. Quad Cities, Paul Balestrieri (7-4, 4.03) 2:00 CT.
The Spikes were overwhelmed at home by Auburn on Saturday. Spikes’ starter Chris Holba pitched 5 2/3 innings and gave up five runs, two earned, on nine hits. Hector Villalobos surrendered two unearned runs in 1 1/3 innings. Troy Montemayor allowed five additional runs in his 1 2/3 innings of relief. It was bad enough that outfielder Walker Robbins took the mound for the final out of the ninth and yielded the visitors’ 21st hit of the night.
The Spikes actually took the lead in the bottom of the third with three runs, two on Kevin Woodall’s double and the third on a ground out by Stanley Espinal. The Spikes added a fourth run in the sixth when Espinal tripled and scored on a ground out by Lars Nootbaar. In the ninth, Nick Dunn doubled and scored on a fielding error, but it was far too little and too late. Dunn went 2-for-5. Nootbaar and Justin Toerner were 2-for-4. Toerner also stole his seventh base in nine attempts.
The Spikes infield played sloppily, committing four errors that led to five unearned runs. Brady Whalen erred on a pickoff, Delvin Perez made two errant throws, and Imeldo Diaz committed a throwing miscue. Catcher Cameron Knight added a passed ball for good measure.
The Spikes are 19-29 on the season and are in fourth place in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division.
Sunday’s game: at Mahoning Valley, Jacob Schlesener (1-3, 3.91) 3:05 CT.
Johnson City 18 at Greeneville 10
In a slugfest going on in Kodak, Tennessee between Johnson City and Greeneville on Saturday, the Cardinals came out on the winning side. The long ball was front and center with four Cardinals hitting balls out of the park. Donivan Williams began the barrage with a three-run blast in the fourth inning and Nolan Gorman added a solo shot also in the fourth. Michael Perri launched a three run shot in the fifth and Brandon Riley contributed a solo shot in the sixth.
The first two Cardinals runs came in the second on Zach Jackson’s double. Following the home runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth, the Cardinal hitters put up three in the seventh on Williams’ single, Carlos Soto’s double and Dariel Gomez’ single.
In the ninth, the offense sent five more runs across the plate to seal the win. Riley, Andrew Warner and Jackson walked. Riley scored when Perri was hit by a pitch. Warner came home on a wild pitch. Williams walked, and with Nolan Gorman at the plate, Jackson ran in on a wild pitch. Gorman walked. Leandro Cedeno singled and Perri scored. Williams came home on Soto’s sac fly.
In between all the scoring there was pitching. Kyle Leahy started on the mound for the Cardinals and went six innings, yielding five runs on nine hits. Leahy was the winning pitcher. Evan Sisk surrendered two runs in the seventh. Oneiver Diaz allowed three runs, two earned, in 1 1/3 innings pitched. Junior Gonzalez tossed the final 2/3 scoreless innings.
Gorman made two errors, one fielding and one throwing.
The Cardinals are 20-21 on the season and are in third place in the Appalachian League West.
Sunday’s game: at Greeneville, Colin Schmid (2-0, 5.26) 4:00 CT.
GCL Cardinals 3 at GCL Marlins 6
The Cardinals were vanquished by the Marlins on Saturday. Starting pitcher Wilfredo Pereira pitched well but took the loss. The right-hander went six innings and gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits. Alex Gallegos surrendered another three runs in the seventh. Chris Rivera pitched a scoreless eighth.
The Cardinal offense got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first. Mateo Gil doubled and scored on Ivan Herrera’s ground out. The Cardinals didn’t score again until the ninth when Herrera led off with a walk and later scored on Carlos Soler’s triple. Soler came in on William Jimenez’ ground out. Gil went 2-for-4.
Jhon Torres was caught stealing for the first time in one attempt. Zach Gahagan made a throwing error.
The Cardinals are 26-12 on the season and are in first place in the GCL East.
Sunday’s game: vs. GCL Nationals, TBA, 9:00 am CT.
DSL Cardinals Blue 5, DSL Yankees 3
The Cardinals Blue edged the Yankees on Saturday. Malcom Nunez’ double in the first inning brought the first run home. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases in the third before Diowill Burgos’ bases clearing single to right field made the score 4-3 Cardinals. An insurance run was added in the fourth as Nunez plated Darlin Moquete on a single to left field. Nunez went 3-for-4. Adanson Cruz was 2-for-3 and Sander Mora was 2-for-4.
Blue starter Inohan Paniagua tossed four innings and gave up three runs on four hits. Paniagua fanned five and walked one. Saniel Santana pitched a scoreless fifth. Victor Villanueva, Ramon Fernandez, Leonardo Taveras, Anthony Trompiz all contributed a scoreless inning of relief. Fernandez picked up his first professional win and Trompiz earned his third save.
Mora stole his 10th base and was caught stealing for the fifth time in 15 attempts.
The Cardinals Blue are 36-18 on the season and are in second place in the DSL South.
Sunday’s game: No game scheduled
DSL Cardinals Red 6 at DSL Rangers2 1
The Cardinals Red defeated the Rangers2 on Saturday. Starter Allinson Benitez won his first game of the season, pitching five innings and giving up one run on three hits. The bullpen contributed four scoreless frames to seal the win. Roy Garcia collected two outs, followed by two innings from Wilman Madera. Nelson Prada and Sebastian Tabata combined for the final 1 1/3.
The offense got on the board in the first when Joerlin De Los Santos hit a leadoff triple and scored on a ground out. Four runs in the third gave the Cardinals a comfortable lead. Three runs came home on a double by Luis Montano. Francisco Hernandez’ single plated the fourth run. Hernandez added another RBI single in the seventh for the final tally. De Los Santos and Hernandez were both 3-for-5. Montano and Franklin Soto were 2-for-5. Erik Pena was 2-for-4.
Yowelfy Rosario made a fielding error. Claudio Ramirez had an outfield assist.
The Cardinals Red are 28-25 on the season and are in fourth place in the DSL San Pedro Division.
Sunday’s game: No game scheduled
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