Cardinals Minor League Notebook – July 20, 2019

photo: Adolis Garcia (Frank Ramirez/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals system went 7-2 on Friday. Player of the Day, Memphis right fielder Adolis Garcia, powered two home runs and plated three. Springfield’s Evan Kruczynski, Palm Beach’s Edgar Gonzalez and State College’s Dalton Roach made strong mound starts.

Results for games played Friday, July 19.


Memphis 8 at Omaha 4

Adolis Garcia (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

Four long balls powered Memphis to an 8-4 victory over the unhappy Storm Chasers in Omaha on Friday.  The Redbirds fell behind 2-0 early but came back in the fourth to take the lead and keep it.  The inning began with a single by Ramon Urias, followed by a two run home run by John Nogowski.  Adolis Garcia immediately followed with a solo blast to left field.  Jose Godoy singled and scored on a single by Jose Martinez.

Garcia increased the lead in the fifth with his second long ball, a two run shot.  Omaha would add two runs in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-4.  In the eighth, the fourth Redbird home run came off the bat of Johan Mieses, a solo shot to left center.  Memphis added a final run in the ninth on a Urias single.

Godoy went 3-for-4 and the top four in the lineup, Randy Arozarena, Urias, Nogowski and Garcia, had two hits each.

Starter Harold Arauz was ejected after pitching 5 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on six hits.  The right hander struck out two and walked three.  Arauz’ first pitch after an Omaha batter launched a two-run home run in the sixth hit the next Storm Chasers batter, Nick Dini, on the head, leading to the pitcher’s immediate ejection. Dini left the game.

The fireworks resumed in the ninth when Storm Chasers pitcher Heath Fillmyer plunked Redbirds outfielder Lane Thomas. The Omaha pitcher and his manager were given the boot by the home plate umpire.

Tyler Webb followed Arauz’ ejection with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.  Mike Mayers tossed a scoreless eighth, and Hunter Cervenka hurled a scoreless ninth.  Arauz got the win.

Arozarena was caught stealing for the third time.  Garcia had an outfield assist.

Memphis is 40-59 on the season and is in last place in the PCL American North, 15 games behind the Iowa Cubs.

Saturday’s game:  at Omaha, Ryan Helsley (2-3, 5.06) 7:05 CT.


Springfield 2 at Corpus Christi 3

Evan Kruczynski (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

The Cardinals were edged 3-2 by the Hooks in Corpus Christi in a walk off on Friday.  Springfield lefty Evan Kruczynski notched his second straight seven-inning start, giving up two runs on four hits while fanning seven and walking two.  Will Latcham tossed a scoreless eighth.  Ronnie Williams surrendered the walk off run in the ninth and took the loss.

The Hooks capture a 1-0 lead in the third inning, but the Cardinals responded with two scores in the fourth to take the lead away.  Rayder Ascanio plated Justin Toerner on a single to center, and Ascanio scored on a sac fly by Dylan Carlson.

Corpus Christi tied it in the fifth, and there the score remained until the bottom of the ninth, when a walk off single brought the victory to the Hooks.

Kruczynski made an error on a pickoff attempt.

The Cardinals are 14-14 in the second half, 44-54 overall, and are in third place in the Texas League North.

Saturday’s game:  at Corpus Christi, TBA 7:15 CT.


Palm Beach 6 at Jupiter 2

Edgar Gonzalez (Palm Beach Cardinals)

The Cardinals blew past the Hammerheads at Roger Dean Stadium thanks to good pitching and a five-run fourth inning.

Jupiter scored first with a run in the second inning, but in the fourth, the Cardinals took off offensively.  Juan Yepez drew a leadoff walk and Nolan Gorman singled.  Two batters later Nick Plummer doubled to left to plate Yepez and Gorman.   Plummer scored on a single by Imeldo Diaz, along with Zach Gahagan, who reached base on a walk. Diaz came home on a Bryce Denton single.

The Hammerheads added one run in the seventh for a 5-2 lead.  In the eighth, Nick Dunn hit an RBI single to bring the final score to 6-2.  Gorman and Diaz each had two hits.

Starter Edgar Gonzalez reversed his recent struggles, tossing six innings and giving up one run on two hits.  The right hander struck out three and walked four.  Zach Prendergast surrendered one run in two innings of relief.  Edgar Escobar pitched a scoreless ninth.

Diaz was caught stealing for the second time.  Gahagan made a fielding error.

Palm Beach is 10-20 in the second half and 45-49 overall.  The Cardinals are in last place in the FSL South in the second half.

Saturday’s game:  at Jupiter, Michael Baird (0-0, 0.00) 4:30 CT.


Peoria 6 at Fort Wayne 4

Brendan Donovan (Peoria Chiefs)

The Chiefs defeated the Tin Caps in Fort Wayne on Friday.  Peoria scored first, as they have done in four straight games, on an RBI single by Edwin Figuera.  The 1-0 lead was quickly lost in the third when a two run home run by Fort Wayne’s shortstop and leadoff hitter put the Tin Caps in the lead.  Fort Wayne added another run in the fourth to take the 3-1 lead.

Brendan Donovan led off the fifth with a single, increasing his hitting streak to 10 games.  Donovan advanced to third on a bunt by Delvin Perez and a single by Brady Whalen, then came home on a sac fly from Ivan Herrera.  That score was only the start, as four more runs crossed the plate on a double by Jonatan Machado, a single by Leandro Cedeno, and a two-run double by Figuera.

Fort Wayne add one in the seventh, but the 6-4 lead held.  Donovan had a 3-for-4 game, and Figuera also had three knocks.  Herrera and Cedeno each had two hits.

Starter Michael Brettell went six innings and gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits.  The right hander struck out four and issued two free passes.  Evan Sisk surrendered one run in the seventh.  Tony Locey and Sebastian Tabata combined to toss the final two scoreless nnings.  Brettell earned the win and Tabata the save.

Brettell committed a throwing error and Sisk erred on a pickoff attempt.

The Chiefs are 5-22 in the second half, 35-61 overall, and are in last place in the Midwest League West.

Saturday’s game:  at Lake County, Connor Thomas (0-0, 0.00) 6:00 CT.


State College 6 at West Virginia 2

Dalton Roach (Robert Kell)

The Spikes came away with the Friday win at the Virginia Black Bears with an offensive surge in the later innings.  The State College offense was held scoreless until the sixth, when Martin Figueroa doubled to left field.

The Spikes took the 6-2 lead in the seventh, after scoring five runs via the long ball.  Terry Fuller immediately followed Carlos Soto’s grand slam with a solo home run to left center field.

Fuller was 3-for-4 and Figueroa and Dariel Gomez each had two knocks.

Spikes starter Dalton Roach pitched six innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits.  The right hander struck out six and walked one.  Eric Lex followed with two scoreless relief innings, and Fabian Blanco added a scoreless ninth.

Fuller and Moises Castillo each made fielding errors.  Soto had a passed ball.

The Spikes are 17-17 and are tied for third place in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division.

Saturday’s game:  vs. Williamsport, Andre Pallante (1-0, 3.09) 6:05 CT.


Johnson City 4, Bristol 7

John Witkowski (Boston College)

The Cardinals fell to the Bristol Pirates on Friday, the victim of a ninth inning bullpen failure.  The lead changed hands twice before the Pirates barreled past at the end.

The Pirates took the lead with two runs in the top of the first, but the Cardinals responded with two runs of their own in the bottom frame, via home runs by Jhon Torres and Chandler Redmond.

The Cardinals took the lead with a run in the fourth on a single by Victor Garcia.  The Pirates tied it again in the fifth.  The score remained at 3-3 until the ninth, when the Pirates put up four runs.

The Cardinals managed one run in the bottom of the ninth on a single by Zach Jackson, but the rally fell short.  Jackson and Kyle Skeels each had two hits.

Johnson City starter Francisco Justo pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up three runs on six hits.  The right hander struck out two and walked one.  John Witkowski followed with 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings.  Tyler Peck began the ninth and surrendered the four runs in 2/3 of an inning.  Alex Gallegos got the last out of the ninth.  Peck took the loss.

Redmond stole his second base of the season.  Skeels made a throwing error, and Liam Sabino had a missed catch error.  Diomedes Del Rio had two outfield assists.

Johnson City is 15-14 on the season and is in second place in the Appalachian League West.

Saturday’s game:  vs. Danville, Julio Puello (2-1, 5.00) 5:30 CT.


GCL Cardinals 3 at GCL Nationals 2

Thomas Hart

The Cardinals edged the Nationals at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on Friday.  The Cardinals fell behind 2-0 in the first inning but tied it up with one run each in the second and third innings, via an RBI single by Yowelfy Rosario and Tyler Reichenborn’s solo home run, his first as a Cardinal.

The winning run scored in the seventh on a single by Joerlin De Los Santos.  Rosario and William Jimenez each had two hits.

Rehabber Jake Walsh started for the Cardinals but didn’t finish the first inning.  Walsh gave up two runs, one earned, on two hits, but the bullpen tossed scoreless ball the rest of the way. Thomas Hart relieved Walsh and went 3 1/3 innings to earn the win, his second in two professional decisions.  Conner Coward followed with two frames, Tyler Statler one, and Luis Ortiz closed with two more to earn the save.

Jimenez stole his third base of the season but was also caught stealing. Luis Montano was picked off and caught stealing.  Rosario was caught stealing for the third time this season.

Walsh made an error on a pickoff attempt.  Pablo Gomez committed a throwing error. Hart picked a runner off second base.

The GCL Cardinals are 10-12 on the season and are in fourth place in the GCL East.

Saturday’s game:  at GCL Mets, TBA 9:00 am CT.


DSL Cardinals Red 10, DSL Rangers2 7

The Cardinals Red claimed a 10-7 victory over the Rangers2 on Friday.  The Red offense put up one run in the first inning on a triple by Sander Mora.  In the third, Luis Andujar drove in a run on a sac fly, and Endri Salas added an RBI single.

The Rangers plated two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 3-2.  In the bottom of the fourth a wild pitch score increased the Cardinal lead to 4-2.  The Rangers made it 4-3 with a run in the top of the fifth.

Smith Vargas’ RBI triple and a double by Fernando Brazaban in the sixth made the score 6-3 in favor of the Red.  The Rangers weren’t done, however, and put up four runs in the seventh to take the lead, 7-6.

The Cardinals responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth.  Mora plated one on a single.  A wild pitch brought another run home.  Albert Inoa single to score Mora, and Inoa came home on a double by Andujar.  The 10-7 lead held for the Cardinals’ win.

Vargas and Mora each had two hits.

Cardinal starter Henry Gomez pitched five innings and gave up three runs on four hits.  The right hander fanned three.  Brayan Ramirez surrendered four runs, three earned, in 1 1/3 innings of relief.  Oliver Lopez blew the save by allowing inherited runners to score in the seventh but pitched scoreless ball in the eighth and ninth to get the win.

Inoa and Mora each stole a base.  Endri Salas was caught stealing.  Ramirez made a throwing error.

The Cardinals Red are 17-23 and are in seventh place in the DSL San Pedro Division.

Saturday’s game:  at DSL Rangers2, TBA 9:00 am CT.


DSL Cardinals Blue 8 at DSL Mets1 6

The Cards got by the Mets1 by a two-run edge on Friday.  The Cardinal offense got on the board first with one run in the second inning, when Jose Zapata led off with a single and later scored on a sac fly by Darlin Moquete.  The Cardinals added two in the fourth on an RBI single by Moquete and a wild pitch.

The lead increased to 4-0 in the fifth.  Zapata was hit by a pitch and scored on a single by Diego Velasquez.  The lead increased further with two additional scores in the sixth on a Zapata RBI single and a sac fly off the bat of Fernando Diaz.

In the bottom half of the sixth, the Mets finally got on the board with three runs and added a run in the seventh to cut the lead to 6-4.

The Cardinals made it 7-4 in the eighth with a run that came home on an error by the Mets pitcher on a pickoff attempt.  The Mets scored two in the bottom frame to pull to within a run at 7-6.

The Blue scored one run in the top of the ninth on a triple by Moquete and that was the end of the scoring as the Cardinals took home the victory.

Zapata and Moquete each had two hits.

Luis Tena took the mound initially for the Blue but pitched only one scoreless inning.  Right hander Yordy Richard then tossed 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on seven hits.  Richard ultimately was awarded the win.  Eduar Pimentel followed Richard and surrendered three runs in two innings pitched. Americo Lugo hurled the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his first professional save.

Elvin De Jesus stole his seventh base of the season.  Erik Pena stole his fifth base.  Velasquez had a throwing error and Darlyn Del Villar committed a fielding error.

The Cardinals Blue have a record of 23-13 and are in third place in the DSL South.

Saturday’s game:  vs. DSL Phillies Red, TBA 9:00 am CT.


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