photo: Yariel Gonzalez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system went 6-3 on Friday. Our Player of the Day is Springfield designated hitter Yariel Gonzalez, whose 11th inning three-run home run walked off a win. Behind three home runs, Palm Beach scored 10, but Johnson City gave up 11. Trejyn Fletcher had three outfield assists.
Results for games played Friday, July 12.
The Redbirds lost a heartbreaker to Oklahoma City on Friday at AutoZone Park. The lead changed hands twice in the first six innings, but Memphis held a slim 3-2 lead heading into the ninth. Then, reliever Chris Beck gave up four runs to end the night on a losing note.
Starter Austin Warner pitched six innings and gave up two runs on six hits. The left hander struck out four and walked one. Jesus Cruz and Tyler Webb held on with a scoreless inning each. Webb pitched the ninth and surrendered the four runs on four hits. Beck was tagged with the loss and a blown save.
The Dodgers went up 1-0 in the first inning. Memphis answered with two scores in the second on Lane Thomas’ two-run home run.
Oklahoma City tied it in the fourth. In the sixth, the Redbirds took the lead 3-2 on a sac fly by Joe Hudson. Memphis could not come back in the ninth.
Thomas, Adolis Garcia, and Randy Arozarena each had two hits. Arozarena stole his third base with the Redbird. Garcia and Thomas each had an outfield assist.
Memphis will play a doubleheader on Saturday. Sunday’s game was moved to Saturday in anticipation of inclement weather due to Tropical Storm Barry.
Memphis is 36-56 on the season and is in last place in the PCL American North, 16 games behind the Iowa Cubs.
Saturday’s games: vs. Oklahoma City, Harold Arauz (4-2, 6.59)/Chris Ellis (3-4, 6.96) 4:05 CT
Springfield 9, Arkansas 7 (11 innings)
The Cardinals won Friday in dramatic walk off fashion in extra innings. The Cardinals fell behind in the first inning, following three Travelers scores against starter Tommy Parsons. Parsons pitched six innings giving up only the three runs, while keeping Arkansas off the board for the next five innings. Parsons fanned 10 Travelers and walked two. Mitchell Osnowitz and Kodi Whitley followed with two scoreless innings each. Roel Ramirez surrendered four runs, three earned, in the 11th but still received the win.
Springfield’s offense was held scoreless until the sixth inning, when Brian O’Keefe broke through with an RBI single to right. Zach Kirtley followed with a second RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2. Rayder Ascanio tied it up in the ninth with a single to center.
Neither team scored in the 10th, but in the 11th, Arkansas put up four runs against Ramirez. Not to be outdone, the Cardinals responded with six runs in the bottom half of the 11th. Kirtley blasted a two-run home run to left field. Lars Nootbaar followed with an RBI single. The final blow came from Yariel Gonzalez, who smashed a three-run home run to right center field to give the Cardinals the 9-7 walk off win.
Nootbaar led the offense with three hits. Gonzalez, Kirtley, and Ascanio each had two.
Alberto Triunfel stole his first Springfield base. Gonzalez was caught stealing for the second time. Triunfel and Ascanio both made throwing errors.
The Cardinals are 11-11 in the first half, 41-51 overall, and are tied for second place in the Texas League North.
Saturday’s game: vs. Arkansas, Evan Kruczynski (2-4, 6.99) 6:10 CT.
The Cardinals blew past the Jupiter Hammerheads at Roger Dean Stadium on Friday, putting on an offensive display that included three long balls. It was the first time Palm Beach put up 10 or more runs in consecutive games, after scoring 12 runs on Thursday.
The first of the three long balls came off the bat of Julio Rodriguez, a two-run shot in the second inning to put Palm Beach in the lead. Nick Dunn hit a two-run single in the third to increase the lead to 4-0.
The final offensive blow was struck by Palm Beach in the fourth. It began with a two-run home run by Nick Plummer. Ramon Urias drove in another on a single to center field. Following a single by Juan Yepez, Nolan Gorman thumped a two-run shot to left to bring the score to 10-0. The long ball was Gorman’s second since his promotion to Palm Beach.
The Hammerheads battled back with six runs over the next three frames, but the Cardinals hung on to win. Urias, Yepez, Dunn and Plummer each had two hits. Gorman has eight RBI over his last two games.
Starter Perry DellaValle pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on seven hits. The right hander struck out three and walked two to earn his fifth win of the season. Edgar Escobar surrendered four runs in one inning pitched. Patrick Dayton closed it down with 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings.
Palm Beach will play a doubleheader on Saturday to make up the postponed game from June 19.
Palm Beach is 8-15 in the second half and 43-44 overall. The Cardinals are in last place in the FSL South in the second half.
Saturday’s games: vs. Jupiter, TBA/TBA 3:00 CT
The Chiefs fell to the Lansing Lugnuts on Friday, their 12th consecutive loss. Peoria got on the board with a run in the second inning on an RBI single by Leandro Cedeno. Lansing took the lead away in the fourth with three runs against starter Colin Schmid.
Behind 6-1, the Chiefs did not score again until the eighth, when Brady Whalen singled to drive in one. Lansing added two more in the ninth.
Whalen had three of his team’s eight hits. Brandon Riley had two knocks.
Starter Colin Schmid pitched six innings and gave up three runs on eight hits. The left hander fanned five and walked one. Thomas St. Clair surrendered three runs in 1 1/3 relief innings. Evan Sisk finished the game and allowed two runs in 1 2/3 innings. Schmid suffered his fifth loss of the season.
Josh Shaw made a throwing error, his sixth defensive miscue of the season.
The Chiefs are 3-18 in the second half, 33-57 overall, and are in last place in the Midwest League West
Saturday’s game: vs. Great Lakes, Michael Brettell (2-6, 5.43) 6:35 CT.
State College 6 at Tri-City 4 (10 innings)
After falling behind early, the Spikes came back to beat the Tri-City ValleyCats in extra innings on Friday. The Spikes were held scoreless until the sixth, behind 2-0. Carlos Soto gave State College a 3-2 lead with a three-run home run to right center field.
The Spikes added a run in the ninth on a wild pitch to make it 4-2. Tri- City tied it up with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
In the 10th, Matt Duce hit an RBI double to break the tie, and Brylie Ware plated a run on a single to make it 6-4. Tri-City failed to score in the bottom of the frame.
Martin Figueroa had two hits.
Starter Enmanuel Solano pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on three hits. The right hander struck out three and walked four. Hector Villalobos pitched 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings. Leonardo Taveras surrendered two runs, one earned, in the ninth. Taveras was charged with the blown save but also got the win. Junior Gonzalez pitched a scoreless 10th to earn his first save.
Andrew Warner stole his first base of the season. Jonatan Machado was caught stealing for the second time. Figueroa committed a fielding error and Dariel Gomez made a throwing error. Solano picked a runner off second base.
The Spikes are 15-13 and are in third place in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division.
Saturday’s game: vs. Staten Island, Jacob Schlesener (1-2, 3.76) 6:05 CT.
The Cardinals were the victims of a shellacking at the hands of the Bristol Pirates on Friday. Johnson City starter Jose Moreno pitched four innings and gave up seven runs on 11 hits. The right hander struck out three and walked two. Wilberto Rivera surrendered two runs in two innings of relief. Enrique Perez pitched a scoreless seventh. Alex Gallegos allowed two runs in the eighth. Moreno took the loss.
The Cardinals offense managed just four singles by Todd Lott, Kyle Skeels, Aaron Antonini, and Raffy Ozuna.
Liam Sabino was caught stealing for the first time. Trejyn Fletcher had three outfield assists, all at third base. Terry Fuller had an outfield assist at first base. Antonini had a passed ball.
Johnson City is 13-9 on the season and are in first place in the Appalachian League West.
Saturday’s game: at Elizabethton, Michael YaSenka (0-0, 1.08) 5:30 CT.
The Cardinals defeated the Astros at in Jupiter on Friday. The Cardinals took the lead with three runs in the first inning. After a wild pitch scored one, a triple off the bat of Yowelfy Rosario plated two.
In the fourth inning, the Astros scored twice. It remained 3-2 until the bottom of the eighth, when a wild pitch scored the fourth and final run for the Cardinals.
Starter Merandy Gonzalez, on a rehab assignment from Springfield, pitched a scoreless first inning. Jake Walsh, also on a rehab assignment (from Palm Beach) added a scoreless second. Nathanael Heredia tossed the next five innings, giving up two runs on three hits. Hector Soto hurled the final two scoreless innings.
William Jimenez and Franklin Soto each stole a base. Francisco Hernandez made a throwing error. Joerlin De Los Santos had an outfield assist.
The GCL Cardinals are 6-9 on the season and are in fourth place in the GCL East.
Saturday’s games: at GCL Marlins, TBA/TBA 9:00 am CT.
DSL Cardinals Red 11 at DSL Phillies White 6
The Cardinals Red surged in the late innings to defeat the Phillies on Friday. The Red fell behind 3-0 in the fourth, but the offense cut the lead to 3-1 in the fifth on a sac fly Juan Sanchez. The Phillies answered with two in the bottom of the fifth to increase the lead to 5-1.
In the sixth, a fielding error allowed a Red run to score to make it 5-2. Then in the seventh, the Cardinals tied it up with three runs. Luis Andujar doubled, and Albert Inoa walked. Sander Mora plated Andujar and Inoa on a double. Mora later scored on a wild pitch.
The Cardinals took the lead 6-5 in the eighth on a run scored on a double play. In the ninth, a five run outburst gave the Cardinals a commanding lead. It began with leadoff walks by Roblin Heredia and Diowill Burgos. Fernando Brazoban reached on a fielding error. Claudio Ramirez walked, and Heredia scored. Juan Sanchez then doubled to plate Burgos and Brazoban. Albert Inoa singled, Ramirez and Sanchez scored.
Starter Henry Gomez pitched four innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on five hits. Jesus Jaquez surrendered two runs, one earned, in the fifth. Hector De Los Santos allowed one unearned run in his 2 2 2/3 innings pitched. Ramon Sanchez tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings and earned the win.
The Cardinals Red are 14-21 and are in seventh place in the DSL San Pedro Division.
Saturday’s game: No game scheduled.
DSL Cardinals Blue 6, DSL Orioles2 0
The Cardinals Blue blanked the Orioles on Friday, behind excellent pitching from starter Wilmer Ortega. Ortega delivered five scoreless innings on only one hit. The right hander struck out four. William Miranda, Americo Lugo, Cristoffer Zapata, and Luis Tena each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Ortega earned his third win.
Neither team scored until fourth inning, when the Cardinals put four runs on the board. Back to back doubles by Brandon Hernandez and Leudy Pena resulted in Hernandez scoring. Luis Rodriguez’ single plated Pena. Elvin De Jesus drove in two on a double.
The Cardinals added to their lead in the eighth on a two-run home run by Jose Rodriguez.
Hernandez and Jose Rodriguez each had two hits.
Catcher Jose Zapata was caught stealing for the second time. Carlos Arcia was picked off second base.
The Cardinals Blue have a record of 21-11 and are in second place in the DSL South.
Saturday’s game: No game scheduled.
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