Cardinals Minor League Notebook – July 25, 2025

photo: Matt Koperniak (Memphis Redbirds)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 3-2 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis outfielder Matt Koperniak, slugged two home runs and a double for three RBI. Other standouts: Curtis Taylor, Pete Hansen, Ryan Campos, Tanner Jacobson, Deniel Ortiz and Miguel Hernandez.

Results for games played on Thursday, July 24.

Memphis Redbirds 5, Gwinnett Stripers 0

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds blanked the Gwinnett Stripers (ATL) at AutoZone Park on Thursday.

Curtis Taylor made his 15th start of the season for Memphis. The right-hander tied his career-high in innings with seven scoreless on two hits, no walks, and seven strikeouts. Taylor earned his fifth win of 2025.

Curtis Taylor

Gordon Graceffo tossed a scoreless eighth inning in relief. Ryan Fernandez fanned two in a shutout ninth to finish the win.

Memphis pounced early with a three-run first inning. Nathan Church hit a lead-off infield single. César Prieto reached base on a fielder’s choice and moved to second base along with Church scoring due to a throwing error. Prieto came home on a two-run home run by Matt Koperniak for a 3-0 Memphis lead.

Matt Koperniak

In the third, Koperniak blasted his second home run of the game and his eighth of the season, a solo shot, to extend the lead to 4-0.

Memphis stretched the lead to 5-0 with a run in the fourth. Bryan Torres singled to start the inning. Church lined a single with Torres scoring via a fielding error.

The Redbirds scored five runs on 10 hits. Koperniak was 3-for-4, including a double, two home runs, three runs scored, and three RBI. Koperniak accounted for all the Redbirds’ extra-base hits. Church and Torres each singled twice and scored a run.

The Redbirds did not steal a base nor commit an error.

Memphis is 51-46 overall, and 10-14 in the second half.

Friday’s game: vs. Gwinnett, LHP Alex Cornwell (2-5, 7.29) vs. RHP Hurston Waldrep (6-8, 4.78) 7:05 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 1 at Tulsa Drillers 2 (10 innings)

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals fell in extra innings to the Tulsa Drillers on the road on Thursday.

Pete Hansen started his 18th game for the Cardinals. The left-hander pitched 6 ⅓ shutout innings on four hits, one walk, and six strikeouts.

Pete Hansen

Nathanael Heredia recorded the final two outs of the seventh inning without allowing a run. Leonardo Taveras was charged with one run in the eighth inning and received a blown save. Michael Watson tossed a shutout ninth but allowed the winning run in the 10th, taking the loss.

Springfield broke the scoreless tie in the fifth inning. Darlin Moquete walked and swiped second base. Noah Mendlinger singled in Moquete.

The Drillers tied the game at one apiece in the eighth and loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but back-to-back strikeouts by Watson kept Springfield alive as they forced extra innings. The Cardinals stranded two runners in scoring position in the top of the 10th before Tulsa walked off the win with a run in the home half.

The Cardinals scored one run on 10 hits. Mendlinger was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Moquete was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Joshua Baez recorded two hits, including a double.

On the bases, Baez swiped three bags to increase his season total to 18. Moquete stole two bases for 15 total steals on the year.

Defensively, second baseman Dakota Harris made a throwing error. Catcher Wade Stauss committed an error on catcher’s interference.

Springfield is 59-34 overall, and 16-8 in the second half. They hold a three-game lead in the Texas League North Division.

Friday’s game: at Tulsa, RHP Hancel Rincon (4-4, 4.11) vs. LHP Luke Fox (3-3, 2.96) 7:00 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 9, West Michigan Whitecaps 5

With nine unanswered runs, the High-A Peoria Chiefs erased a 5-0 deficit to defeat the West Michigan Whitecaps at Dozer Park on Thursday.

Jason Savacool started for Peoria. The right-hander pitched 1 ⅔ innings and allowed five runs on six hits, one walk, and two strikeouts in his roughest start at High-A.

Tyler Bradt threw 2 ⅔ scoreless frames in relief. Tanner Jacobson fanned four across 2 ⅔ shutout frames. Benjamin Arias finished with scoreless eighth and ninth innings. Jacobson collected his fifth win of the season.

The Whitecaps took a 5-0 lead after two innings.

The Chiefs narrowed the gap to two runs with a three-run third inning. With two outs, Michael Curialle lined a single and stole second base. Jon Jon Gazdar legged out an infield single and moved to second, with Curialle scoring due to a throwing error. Tre Richardson followed with a double to bring Gazdar home for the Chiefs’ second run.

Tre Richardson

Ryan Campos hit a second consecutive double to score Richardson to move Peoria within two at 5-3.

Ryan Campos

Peoria grabbed the lead with another trio of runs in the fifth. Gazdar singled and came home on Campos’s second double. Zach Levenson walked, and Chase Adkison was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Graysen Tarlow came through with a single to plate Campos and Levenson and move Peoria ahead 6-5.

Graysen Tarlow

The Chiefs added a run in the sixth. Anyelo Encarnacion crushed his first High-A home run, a solo blast, for a 7-5 Chiefs lead.

Peoria extended its lead with a two-run bottom of the seventh. Levenson led off the frame with a double. Adkison lined a single to bring Levenson to the plate for the eighth Chiefs run.

Won-Bin Cho hit a ground-rule double to score Adkison for a 9-5 Peoria lead.

The Chiefs’ bullpen did not allow a run in the dominant comeback win.

The Chiefs scored nine runs on 12 hits. Campos was 2-for-5, including two doubles, a run scored, and two RBI. Encarnacion blasted a solo home run. Tarlow singled and collected two RBI. Richardson was 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Levenson doubled, walked twice, and scored two runs. Cho doubled and drove in a run.

On the bases, Curialle swiped his fifth bag. Richardson stole his 13th and was caught stealing third base.

On defense, left fielder Brayden Jobert threw a runner out at home plate to highlight an errorless night on defense.

Peoria is 38-54 overall, and 12-15 in the second half.

Friday’s game: vs. West Michigan, RHP Jose Davila (3-4, 5.80) vs. RHP Preston Howey (5-1, 2.65) 7:05 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 3, Jupiter Hammerheads 2

On Thursday, the Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals edged the Jupiter Hammerheads at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to complete the three-game series sweep.

Jacob Odle started for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched 3 ⅔ scoreless innings on three hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.

Jacob Odle

Christian Worley struck out a pair across 1 ⅓ shutout frames in relief. Yadiel Batista allowed a run across three innings of long relief and was charged with a blown save but also picked up his first win at the Low-A level. Zeke Wood tossed a scoreless ninth inning to collect his first professional save.

Palm Beach struck first with a run in the second inning. Jose Suarez drew a leadoff walk. Sammy Hernandez grounded into a forceout play, with Suarez out at second base. Hernandez stole second and scored on a Jose Cordoba single.

In the third, Rainiel Rodriguez launched his fourth home run with the Cardinals, a solo shot, to move Palm Beach ahead 2-0.

Rainiel Rodriguez

Jupiter scored a run apiece in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game at two. Palm Beach regained the lead with a run in the home eighth.

Deniel Ortiz crushed his 10th home run of 2025, a solo blast, to give Palm Beach a 3-2 lead.

Deniel Ortiz

The Cardinals’ pitching staff did not allow a hit with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 Hammerheads on base in the one-run victory.

The Cardinals scored three runs on seven hits. Ortiz was 2-for-4 with a home run. Rodriguez walked and blasted a go-ahead home run. Cordoba tallied two singles and an RBI.

On the basepaths, Hernandez swiped his seventh bag. Jonathan Mejia snagged his 15th. Cade McGee stole his 21st bag of the season. Cordoba recorded his first steal of 2025 and was caught stealing third base.

On defense, pitcher Odle picked a runner off first base. Catcher Rodriguez was tagged with a passed ball. The Cardinals turned two double plays in an errorless game.

Palm Beach is 45-45 overall, and 13-12 in the second half after three consecutive wins over Jupiter. The Cardinals will travel to Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida, to begin a six-game set with the Daytona Tortugas starting on Friday.

Friday’s game: at Daytona, RHP Ruben Menes (2-4, 4.31) vs. RHP David Lorduy (1-2, 2.62) 5:35 PM CT.

DSL Cardinals 8 at DSL NYY Bombers 10

The Dominican Summer League Cardinals lost a close high-scoring contest to the DSL NYY Bombers in a Thursday road match.

All four Cardinals pitchers were scored upon. Jan Cabrera made his eighth start of th season. The right-hander threw four innings and allowed two runs on four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Cabrera took the loss.

Ricardo Fernandez recorded just two outs and yielded four runs, two earned, in relief of Cabrera. Kriscol Peralta surrendered three runs over 2 ⅓ innings. Jarol Baez allowed an important insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The NYY Bombers took a 6-0 lead after five innings before the Cardinals entered the run column in the top of the sixth. Miguel Hernandez connected for his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot.

Miguel Hernandez

The NYY Bombers added two runs in the home sixth to move ahead 8-1.

The Cardinals narrowed the gap to four with a three-run seventh. Johnny Chaparro walked and Sebastian Dos Santos singled. Kenly Hunter drew a walk to load the bags with no outs. Hernandez singled to score Chaparro. Dos Santos touched home plate on a wild pitch. Yaxson Lucena brought Hunter home on a sacrifice fly to inch the Cardinals closer at 8-4.

The NYY Bombers took a run back in the bottom of the seventh.

The Cardinals trimmed the gap to just one in the eighth. Yeferson Portolatin lined a leadoff double and moved to third base on a wild pitch. Juan Pablo Cabrera and Chaparro took back-to-back walks to load the bases. Hunter legged out an infield single to score Portolatin. Hernandez lined a single to bring Cabrera home. Edward Guribe hit a double, the third consecutive hit, to plate Chaparro and Hunter to move the Cardinals within a run at 9-8.

The NYY Bombers scored an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. The Cardinals failed to answer.

The DSL Cardinals scored eight runs on 10 hits. Hernandez was 3-for-5, including a home run and three RBI. Guribe doubled and drove in two runs. Hunter singled twice, walked, scored two runs, and recorded an RBI. Lucena drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Portolatin doubled and scored a run.

On the bases, Hunter swiped two bags to increase his season total to 16. Cristofer Lebron stole his eighth.

On defense, second baseman Dos Santos and third baseman Portolatin each made a throwing error. Pitcher Fernandez picked a runner off second base.

The DSL Cardinals are 19-18 on the season and reside in third place in the DSL Southeast Division, three games back of first place. The Cardinals will have a rematch with the DSL NYY Bombers on Friday.

Friday’s game: at DSL NYY Bombers. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 AM CT.

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