photo: Braden Davis (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 3-2 on Sunday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Peoria’s Braden Davis, allowed just two hits and struck out eight across five strong innings in his High-A debut. Other standouts include Nathan Church, Ixan Henderson, Jeremy Rivas, Chase Davis and Sammy Hernandez.
Results for games played on Sunday, July 20.
Memphis Redbirds 0 at Toledo Mud Hens 3 (7 innings, game one)
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds were blanked by the Toledo Mud Hens in game one of Sunday’s road doubleheader.
Quinn Mathews started for Memphis. The left-hander pitched 3 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs on three hits, five walks, and seven strikeouts. Mathews took the loss.
Chris Roycroft allowed one run over one inning in relief of Mathews. Roddery Muñoz followed with 1 ⅓ scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
Memphis looked to pounce in the top of the first inning. Nathan Church bunted for a single and Luken Baker walked, but both were left on base.
Toledo scored a pair of runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. The Redbirds were unable to rally offensively in the loss.
The Redbirds scored no runs on four hits, all singles. Church was 2-for-3. Baker drew both Memphis walks. Jimmy Crooks and Gavin Collins each recorded a hit. The Redbirds were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
Memphis did not record a stolen base.
On defense, catcher Crooks was tagged with a passed ball.
Memphis Redbirds 4 at Toledo Mud Hens 3 (7 innings, game two)
The Memphis Redbirds edged the Mud Hens in Toledo to split the doubleheader and clinch the three-game series victory. This was the makeup game for Saturday’s postponement.
Max Rajcic started for Memphis. In his Triple-A debut, the right-hander pitched three innings and allowed two runs on four hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.
Matt Svanson yielded a run across two innings in relief of Rajcic and picked up his first win with the Redbirds this season. Oddanier Mosqueda followed with a shutout frame. Andre Granillo fanned a pair in a scoreless seventh inning to earn his second save.
The Mud Hens took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
The Redbirds immediately tied the game in the second. Matt Lloyd and Gavin Collins singled. Bryan Torres reached base on a fielder’s choice play, with Collins to third base and Lloyd home as the tying run on the play due to a throwing error.
Toledo grabbed a 2-1 lead in the home second.
Memphis responded with a run in the third to knot the game up at two apiece.
JJ Wetherholt and Nathan Church walked and advanced via a wild pitch. César Prieto brought Wetherholt home on a groundout.
Memphis took their first lead of the game in the top of the fifth. Wetherholt took a lead-off walk. Nathan Church belted one out of the park for a two-run home run, his fifth long ball at the Triple-A level, to put the Redbirds in front 4-2.
NATHAN CHURCH GIVES THE BIRDS THE LEAD WITH A @HueysRestaurant HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/F7eL8mAkJ4
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 20, 2025
Toledo narrowed Memphis’ lead to 4-3 with a run in the home fifth. The Redbirds’ bullpen held strong and did not allow a hit with runners in scoring position in the comeback win.
The Redbirds scored four runs on five hits. Church walked and hit a two-run home run. Lloyd tallied two singles. Collins singled and drew a walk. Prieto recorded an RBI.
Memphis did not steal a base nor commit an error on defense.
Memphis is 49-45 overall, and 8-13 in the second half after taking two of three from Toledo. They reside in ninth place in the International League West Division. The Redbirds will head home to AutoZone Park to begin a six-game set with the Gwinnett Stripers on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s game: vs. Gwinnett (ATL). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals 7 at Wichita Wind Surge 4
On Sunday, the Double-A Springfield Cardinals bested the Wichita Wind Surge to clinch the weekend road series win.
Ixan Henderson started his 16th game for Springfield. The left-hander pitched 5 ⅓ innings and allowed two runs on five hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Henderson picked up his sixth win of the season.
Zane Mills recorded the final two outs of the sixth inning without allowing a run. Left-hander Michael Watson tossed a scoreless seventh and fanned two in his Double-A debut. Austin Love fired a shutout eighth frame. Osvaldo Berrios yielded two runs in the ninth inning but held on to finish the game.
Springfield broke the scoreless tie with a three-run bottom of the third inning. R.J. Yeager lined a lead-off single. Brody Moore hit a sacrifice bunt to move Yeager to second base, and Moore reached due to a fielding error. Chase Davis singled to load the bags. Yeager crossed home plate on a Jeremy Rivas sacrifice fly. Leonardo Bernal connected for the third single of the inning to score Moore with Davis to third. Bernal was caught stealing second base as Davis came home to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Cardinals doubled their lead in the fifth with their second three-run inning. Moore doubled. Darlin Moquete walked with Moore stealing third base on ball four. Davis singled in Moore, with Moquete to third. Rivas followed with a single to bring Moquete home. Bernal drew a walk to load the bags with one out. Joshua Baez brought Davis in with a sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 6-0.
Wichita plated two runs in the sixth to trim the Springfield lead to four.
The Cardinals added an insurance run in the eighth. Ramon Mendoza started the inning with a blast, his 11th home run of the season, to move the Cardinals further ahead at 7-2.
Ramon Mendoza lifts off with his 11th long ball of the year! pic.twitter.com/Edfc5IUzRU
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) July 21, 2025
Springfield held off a late Wichita rally in the win.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on eight hits. Mendoza hit a solo home run. Rivas was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Davis went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Bernal walked, singled, and drove in a run. Moore doubled and scored twice.
On the bases, Moore swiped third base. Bernal was caught stealing second base.
On defense, shortstop Rivas made a throwing error. Pitcher Henderson picked a runner off first base.
Springfield is 58-32 overall, and 15-6 in the second half after taking two of three from Wichita and hold a three-game lead in the Texas League North Division. The Cardinals will travel to ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a six-game set with the Tulsa Drillers on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s game: at Tulsa (LAD). TBA vs. RHP Patrick Copen (3-3, 2.30) 7:00 PM CT.
Peoria Chiefs 3 at Quad Cities River Bandits 4
The High-A Peoria Chiefs lost a close road contest to the Quad Cities River Bandits in Sunday’s series finale.
Braden Davis started for the Chiefs. In his High-A debut, the left-hander threw five solid innings and allowed one run on two hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts.
Tanner Jacobson fired two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Benjamin Arias surrendered two runs in the eighth and recorded just one out in the bottom of the ninth inning before allowing the winning run to blow the save and take the walk-off loss.
Peoria’s bats were hot early as they scored two runs in the first inning. Travis Honeyman and Ian Petrutz singled. Ryan Campos grounded into a forceout, with Petrutz out at second and runners on the corners. Campos stole second base to put two runners in scoring position. Zach Levenson lined a two-out single to bring Honeyman and Campos home for a 2-0 Chiefs lead.
Levenson doubles, 2 score in the 1st!
PEO 2 | QC 0 pic.twitter.com/gQvHzYAdSF
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) July 20, 2025
Quad Cities plated a run in the fourth to trim the Peoria lead to 2-1.
The Chiefs regained the two-run lead with a run in the eighth. Honeyman and Petrutz again led off with back-to-back singles. Campos scorched a double to score Honeyman for a 3-1 Peoria lead, with Petrutz thrown out at home.
The River Bandits tied the game at three with a two-run eighth. After the Chiefs stranded the go-ahead run at second base in the top of the ninth, the River Bandits walked off the win in the home ninth.
The Chiefs scored three runs on 10 hits. Campos was 2-for-4, including a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Levenson singled and drove in two runs. Honeyman hit three singles and scored two runs. Petrutz tallied two singles. The Chiefs’ lineup did not draw a walk and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
On the bases, Campos swiped two bags to increase his season total to nine.
On defense, Won-Bin Cho nailed a runner at home plate from left field to highlight an error-less game.
Peoria is 37-52 overall, and 11-13 in the second half after winning two of three from Quad Cities. They are tied for fourth place in the Midwest League West Division and 4.5 games back of first place. The Chiefs will return to Dozer Park for a six-game home set with the West Michigan Whitecaps, beginning Tuesday.
Tuesday’s game: vs. West Michigan (DET). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM CT.
Palm Beach Cardinals 3 at St. Lucie Mets 2
The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals edged the Mets in St. Lucie to take the series finale on Sunday.
Nelfy Ynfante made his sixth start of the season for Palm Beach. The right-hander pitched five innings and allowed two runs on two hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Ynfante earned his third win of 2025, and the 15th of his career.
Yordy Herrera tossed two shutout frames in relief. Alan Reyes followed with a scoreless inning in his Palm Beach return. Charles Harrison threw a scoreless ninth to collect his second professional save.
St. Lucie scored a pair of runs in second inning to take the lead.
The Cardinals answered with a three-run top of the fourth inning to move in front. Bryce Madron walked and Deniel Ortiz singled with the runners advancing a base each. Cade McGee reached base on a fielder’s choice, with Ortiz to third base and Madron out at home. McGee swiped second base, with Ortiz scoring with a wild pitch to put Palm Beach in the run column. Yordalin Pena walked. Jose Suarez advanced the runners with a groundout. Sammy Hernandez lined a two-out single to plate McGee and Pena to give Palm Beach a 3-2 lead.
The Cardinals’ pitching did not allow a hit with runners in scoring position and stranded five Mets on base in the one-run victory.
The Cardinals scored three runs on five hits, all singles. Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Pena walked, scored a run, and tallied a hit. Madron was 1-for-2 with two walks. Ortiz recorded a hit and a run scored.
On the basepaths, McGee swiped his 20th bag on the year. Jose Cordoba was caught stealing second base. Madron was caught stealing third base.
On defense, pitcher Ynfante picked a runner off second base. The Cardinals did not commit an error.
Palm Beach is 42-45 overall, and 10-12 in the second half after taking two of three in St. Lucie. They reside in third place in the Florida State League East Division, 4.5 games back of first place. The Cardinals will head home to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to play four games in three days with the Jupiter Hammerheads, starting Tuesday.
Tuesday’s game: vs. Jupiter (MIA). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 PM CT.
FCL Cardinals (off-day)
The Florida Complex League Cardinals were off Sunday, as they prepared for a home contest with the FCL Astros on Monday.
The Cardinals enter Tuesday with momentum following a doubleheader sweep of the FCL Marlins on Saturday.
The FCL Cardinals are 23-29 on the season, in fourth place in the FCL East Division, and are eliminated from playoff contention.
Monday’s game: vs. FCL Astros. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM CT.
DSL AL All-Stars 10, DSL NL All-Stars 8
The American League All-Stars won over the National League All-Stars in the Dominican Summer League All-Star Game on Sunday.
Third baseman Edward Guribe and pitcher Branneli Franco were the Cardinals’ representatives on the NL squad. Guribe did not record a hit in one at-bat and Franco pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout.
DSL Cardinals (off-day)
The Dominican Summer League Cardinals were off Sunday, as they geared up for a road contest with DSL Colorado on Monday.
The Cardinals will look to get back on track after falling to the DSL Marlins on Friday.
The DSL Cardinals are 18-16 on the season and are in second place in the DSL Southeast Division, one game back of the Marlins.
Monday’s game: at DSL Colorado. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 AM CT.
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