As the baseball calendar turns to the Major League All-Star break, all four St. Louis Cardinals full-season squads enjoy a brief respite before returning to action on Friday, July 19th, but rookie ball continues. The Cardinal Nation Players of the Day Facundo Velasquez and Rainiel Rodriguez led the DSL Cardinals to a Monday win. The FCL squad lost a twin bill.
Results from the games played Monday, July 15, 2024.
Triple-A Memphis – off
The Memphis Redbirds (9-9) won two and lost four against Norfolk (8-9) (BAL) last week, tumbling them from a first-place tie in the International League’s West Division standings with Iowa (CHC) to a fifth-place tie with Gwinnett (ATL), two behind West Division leader Nashville (MIL). The Redbirds are four games off the pace set by overall league leader Rochester (WSH).
A three-game home series versus seventh-place Iowa (8-10) awaits Memphis when play gets underway on Friday.
Tuesday’s game: off
Double-A Springfield – off
Springfield (12-6) just completed their second straight series in which they went 5-1, this time versus fifth-place Wichita (5-13) (MIN). The surge propelled the S-Cards past Tulsa (LAD) into first place in the North Division standings of the Texas League, a game ahead of the Drillers.
Up next is a three-game road trip to Amarillo (6-12) (AZ) beginning Friday.
Tuesday’s game: off
High-A Peoria – off
The Chiefs’ (12-9) solid 4-2 road effort at fifth-place Quad Cities (9-12) (KC) was enough for them to maintain last week’s third-place standing in the West Division of the Midwest League. Peoria sits 2 ½ games behind Wisconsin (MIL).
Friday will kick off three home games against fourth-place Beloit (10-11) (MIA).
Tuesday’s game: off
Low-A Palm Beach – off
Palm Beach (13-7) won four and lost two at home last week with Clearwater (7-14) (PHI), maintaining last Monday’s standing atop the East Division of the Florida State League. But their advantage is a slim ½ game over second-place Daytona (12-7) (CIN), whom they face for three road contests starting Friday.
Tuesday’s game: off
FCL Cardinals 3 vs. FCL Astros 8 (7) – Game 1
FCL Cardinals 2 at FCL Astros 5 (7) – Game 2
The fifth-place Florida Complex League Cardinals (17-29) dropped a doubleheader at the third-place FCL Astros (21-23), 8-3 and 5-2. Both games went seven frames. The opener was the reschedule of the July 11 suspended game with the Cardinals as the home team.
Game 1 was knotted at two all until the Astros pushed across three scores in the visitor half of the fourth. Starter Wadye Infante (L, 4-2) was charged with all five runs on seven hits and two walks in three-plus innings.
Juan Severino stranded Infante’s final base runner before being tagged for three tallies on two hits and four walks over 3 2/3 innings. Two of the three runs scored with Omar Yanez on the mound. Yanez issued consecutive free passes with the bases loaded before recording the last out.
Five Cardinals had one each of five team hits. Right fielder Luis Pino’s RBI double was the only hit to go for extra bases and his sole hit in three at bats. The two-bagger brought middle infielder Jonathan Mejia (walk) across home plate, tying the game at 1-1 after one. First baseman Justin Guerrero went 1-for-3 with one driven in and the team’s final RBI came via a groundball out by catcher Chris Lopez.
A three-run sixth untied a 2-2 knot in Game 2. Reliever Jovi Galvez (L, 0-4) retired one batter, giving up three tallies on a hit, two walks and two plunked batters. Randel Clemente recorded the final two outs but not before giving up a sac fly to former Cardinal Aledmys Diaz, who recently signed a minor league contract with the Astros.
Galvez and Clemente pitched in support of Yadiel Batista, who went the initial 3 2/3 innings, yielding two runs on three hits and three walks. Samuel Fabian retired all four batters faced, stranding two inherited runners.
The visitors outhit their hosts, six to four, but were a dismal 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. All six singles were hit by six different Florida Birds, the most productive being designated hitter Felix Taveras. Taveras reached base three times, going 1-for-1 with two walks and a run scored.
Tuesday’s game: off
DSL Cardinals 8 vs. DSL Nationals 4
Facundo Velasquez and Rainiel Rodriguez both went yard in multi-hit performances as the Dominican Summer League Cardinals (14-14) flew past the DSL Nationals (1-18), 8-3, at home. The Dominican Birds are tied with the DSL Blue Jays for fourth place in the Central Division standings of the Dominican Summer League. Both teams are 8 ½ games behind first-place DSL Arizona Red who are in a 12-game win streak.
Velasquez and Rodriguez had nearly identical lines, each going 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI. Center fielder Velasquez added a double, his fourth, while Rodriguez’ two-run bomb capped his team’s four-run seventh, bringing the score to 8-2. Velasquez currently has a nine-game hitting streak.
Four Dominican Cardinals had one hit apiece, including second baseman Bracewell Taveras who tripled for the first time this season. The triple extended Taveras’ hitting streak to five games.
Starter Jefferson Moran scattered seven hits, a walk, wild pitch and hit batsman over five innings, holding his opponents to two runs, one earned. The righty induced four groundball outs and fanned three.
Right-hander Giovanni Vargas (W, 1-1) was the pitcher of record when his team manufactured two runs in the home half of the sixth. The tallies were generated by a walk to Velasquez, single by Rodriguez, wild pitch, sacrifice fly by first baseman Christian Saez and wild pitch scoring Rodriguez.
Vargas tossed two clean innings, allowing a hit and striking out three. Jesus Garcia was touched for two runs in the first of his two innings of work. Garcia permitted three hits in all.
Defensively, Moran picked off two base runners at first and right fielder Yaxson Lucena was credited with an outfield assist at second. Catcher Rodriguez was charged with a passed ball, his second.
Tuesday’s game: vs third-place DSL Angels (20-10), 11:00 am ET/10:00 CT, RHS Keiverson Ramirez (2-0, 0.78)
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Drawing: Return to Tommy Herr’s 1987 Cardinals Seat Cushion Night
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