photo: Liam Doyle (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 2-3 on Saturday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield LHP Liam Doyle, pitched five scoreless innings on just two hits with four strikeouts. Other standouts: Leo Bernal, Jesús Báez, Tanner Franklin, Anyelo Encarnación, Gabriel Chinchilla and Sebastian Rojas.
Results for games played on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
Memphis Redbirds 4, Durham Bulls 9
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds fell to the Durham Bulls at AutoZone Park on Saturday.
Jurrangelo Cijntje made his second start with Memphis. The switch-pitcher faced 23 batters right-handed and two hitters left-handed. Cijntje threw 4 ⅓ innings and allowed five runs on seven hits, three walks, and six strikeouts, taking the loss.
Brycen Mautz yielded two runs across 1 ⅔ innings in relief of Cijntje. Ryan Murphy gave up an unearned run over 1 ⅓ innings. Durbin Feltman allowed a run across the final 1 ⅔ innings.
The Bulls broke the scoreless tie with four runs in the top of the fourth inning and added a run in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead.
Memphis entered the run column in the home fifth. Colton Ledbetter and St. Louis rehabber Ramón Urías hit back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. Nolan Gorman walked to load the bases with no outs. Thomas Saggese grounded into a forceout, with Ledbetter home for a 5-1 score.
Durham scored twice in the sixth to move ahead 7-1.
Memphis answered with a three-run seventh inning. Ledbetter began the inning with a walk. Pinch-hitting for Urías, Noah Mendlinger legged out an infield single. Gorman roped a single to bring Ledbetter home for the second Redbirds run.
Gorman swats in a run! pic.twitter.com/dSVbWxiTHa
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 26, 2026
After a groundout. Leo Bernal doubled home Gorman and Mendlinger to narrow the gap to 7-4.
Chaos ball off the bat of Bernal! pic.twitter.com/pqI2gVTgZU
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 26, 2026
The Bulls added a run apiece in the eighth and ninth to pull further ahead at 9-4. Memphis was unable to respond.
The Redbirds scored four runs on 10 hits. Bernal was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Saggese singled and tallied an RBI. Gorman walked, singled, scored, and drove in one. Ledbetter went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored.
On the bases, Bernal was caught stealing third.
On defense, third baseman Gorman committed a fielding error.
Memphis is 10-16 in the second half and 57-44 overall. The Redbirds will look to secure the series split with a win on Sunday.
Sunday’s games: vs. Durham. LHP Pete Hansen (1-4, 5.01) vs. RHP Joe Boyle (1-4, 8.67) 1:05 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals 3 at Northwest Arkansas Naturals 0
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals blanked the Northwest Arkansas Naturals behind a 10-strikeout performance from a trio of pitchers.
Liam Doyle made his 16th start for Springfield. The left-hander threw five scoreless innings on two hits, three walks, and four strikeouts to earn his second win. It was the top prospect’s first scoreless outing as a professional.
Cardinals top pitching prospect Liam Doyle was strong tonight: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K. pic.twitter.com/blbjpglXbp
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) July 26, 2026
Lefty Jack Findlay and righty Nolan Sparks each fanned three across two scoreless frames. Both relievers turned in the exact same pitching line except Findlay received the save and Sparks picked up his first Double-A save.
How bizarre is this? Both Springfield Cardinals relievers tonight Jack Findlay and Nolan Sparks had the exact same lines: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K pic.twitter.com/LmyUou52r2
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) July 26, 2026
The Cardinals took the lead on the first pitch of the contest as Jesús Báez hit his 11th Double-A home run. It marked the shortstop’s third consecutive game with a long ball.
ON THE FIRST PITCH OF THE GAME. Jesús Báez crushes a no-doubter and has homered in three straight! pic.twitter.com/UL27kv52Ck
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) July 25, 2026
Springfield doubled the lead to 2-0 in the fifth. Trey Paige began the frame with his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot.
Leviosa! Trey Paige lifts off with a solo shot to extend the lead. pic.twitter.com/dNLIfMYUcT
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) July 26, 2026
The Cardinals added a run in the sixth. Deniel Ortiz and Ryan Campos hit back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. Miguel Ugueto grounded into a double play, with Ortiz scoring to extend the lead to 3-0.
Springfield held Northwest Arkansas to 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the win.
The Cardinals scored three runs on eight hits. Báez was 2-for-4 with a home run. Paige walked and hit a home run. Zach Levenson walked and doubled. Won-Bin Cho recorded a double.
On the bases, Dakota Harris swiped his 26th bag of the year.
On defense, first baseman Paige committed a fielding error. The Cardinals turned three double plays.
Springfield is 16-10 in the second half and 47-47 overall. They will look to win the series on Sunday.
Sunday’s game: at Northwest Arkansas. RHP Chen-Wei Lin (3-5, 5.00) vs. LHP Hunter Patteson (5-4, 4.48) 2:05 PM CT.
Peoria Chiefs 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 6
The High-A Peoria Chiefs lost a close contest to the West Michigan Whitecaps at Dozer Park on Saturday, breaking their four-game winning streak.
Tanner Franklin started his 18th game of the year for Peoria. The right-hander threw five innings and allowed one run on two hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts.
Tanner Franklin left this under the Whitecaps' tree 🎄
5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 Ks 🎁 pic.twitter.com/dYvzvjve4W
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) July 26, 2026
Gerardo Salas yielded a run in the sixth in relief of Franklin. Rubén Menes surrendered three runs in the seventh and took the loss. Trey Pooser gave up an unearned run in the eighth. Patrick Galle tossed a scoreless ninth.
Peoria opened the scoring with a three-run bottom of the fourth inning. Josh Kross and Michael Dattalo singled. Anyelo Encarnación launched a three-run home run, his eighth of 2026.
Anyelo Encarnación sends one on a sleigh ride 🛷
3-run homer makes it 3-0 Chiefs! pic.twitter.com/f2aGTWHS0D
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) July 26, 2026
The Whitecaps scored a run apiece in the fifth and sixth innings, three in the seventh, and one in the eighth to jump ahead 6-3.
Down to their last three outs, the Chiefs looked to rally. Tai Peete walked and Jack Gurevitch singled to bring the tying run to the plate, though a strikeout ended the game.
The Chiefs scored three runs on seven hits. Encarnación was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Dattalo was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Kross walked, singled, and scored. Gurevitch collected two hits.
On the bases, Encarnación stole his 12th bag.
On defense, pitcher Pooser committed a fielding error. The Chiefs turned two double plays.
Peoria is 13-15 in the second half and 45-49 overall. The Chiefs will look to take five of six with a win on Sunday.
Sunday’s game: vs. West Michigan. RHP Leonel Sequera (2-5, 7.41) vs. TBA. 2:05 PM CT.
Palm Beach Cardinals 4, Tampa Tarpons 9
The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals fell to the Tampa Tarpons at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday.
Brandon Clarke started for Palm Beach, as he works to rejoin the Springfield Cardinals. The left-hander pitched 2 ⅓ innings and allowed two runs on three hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Zeke Wood struck out two and finished the third inning in relief of Clarke. Gabriel Chinchilla gave up two runs, one earned, with six strikeouts across 3 ⅔ innings. Yadiel Batista surrendered five runs over two innings and took the loss. Justin Militello secured the final out of the ninth inning.
The Cardinals opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first. Sebastian Dos Santos legged out an infield single and stole second and third base. Ryan Mitchell walked and swiped second base to put two in scoring position. Brayden Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Matthew Miura hit an infield single to bring Dos Santos home before back-to-back strikeouts left the bases loaded.
Palm Beach doubled the lead to 2-0 in the second. Trevor Haskins began with a single, then he swiped second and third base. Johnfrank Salazar brought Haskins home on a groundout.
Tampa tied the game with a pair of runs in the third and grabbed a 3-2 lead with a run in the fourth.
Palm Beach regained the lead with two runs in the home fourth. Jonathan Mejía reached on a fielding error. Alex Birge reached on a fielder’s choice as both runners were safe due to a missed catch error. Haskins drew a walk to load the bases. Salazar reached on the second error of the inning, with Mejía coming home. Yairo Padilla took a bases-loaded walk to force Birge home. Once again, back-to-back strikeouts stifled a potential big inning as the Cards left the bases loaded.
The Tarpons tied the game at four and scored five runs in the top of the ninth to move ahead 9-4. The Cardinals were unable to answer.
Palm Beach scored four runs on four hits. Haskins was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Miura singled and drove in a run. Salazar notched two RBI. Padilla walked and recorded an RBI. Mitchell drew two walks.
On the bases, Dos Santos swiped two bags to increase his season total to 13. Haskins snagged two bases for 17 steals on the year. Mitchell stole a pair of bases to increase his total to 29. Miura was caught stealing second base.
On defense, catcher Birge and first baseman Salazar each made a throwing error.
Palm Beach is 15-13 in the second half and 48-46 overall. They will look to split the series with a win on Sunday.
Sunday’s game: vs. Tampa. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 AM CT.
D
SL Cardinals 9, DSL Colorado 6 (7 innings)
The Dominican Summer League Cardinals edged DSL Colorado at home in seven innings on Saturday. This was the completion of the suspended contest from July 9.
On July 9, Beiker Rodríguez started for the Cardinals. The right-hander threw three innings and allowed three runs on three hits, no walks and three strikeouts.
On Saturday, Efrén Álvarez tossed 1 ⅓ shutout frames in relief of Rodríguez and earned his first career win. Daniel Gómez yielded a run across 1 ⅓ innings. Domingo Mejía gave up two runs over 1 ⅓ frames but held on to finish the game.
The Cardinals pounced early with a three-run bottom of the first inning. Emanuel Luna hit a leadoff double. Jhon Frangenten walked. DSL All-Star Sebastian Rojas launched his fifth home run of the year, a three-run shot, to put the Cardinals ahead 3-0.
DSL Colorado scored twice in the second and once in the third to knot the game at three.
The Cardinals retook the lead at 4-3 in the home third as Luis Estrella belted his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot.
After the home run, the game was suspended due to inclement weather on July 9.
On Saturday, the game resumed in the home third. No scoring occurred again until the bottom of the fifth, when the Cardinals plated five runs.
With one away, Christopher Vargas and Misael Sánchez lined back-to-back singles. Jesús Pérez ripped a double to score Vargas. Roberth Castillo singled home Sánchez and Pérez. Héctor Cabrera followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Lucas Takahashi singled to bring Castillo home as Cabrera was thrown out at third base. Takahashi moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on the seventh consecutive hit, a Christian Sáez single, to stretch the lead to 9-3.
The Cardinals were 6-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the victory.
The DSL Cardinals scored nine runs on 14 hits. Rojas homered and drove in three. Castillo walked twice, doubled, scored, and notched two RBI. Estrella hit a solo home run. Pérez was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Sáez and Takahashi each singled and drove in a run. Sánchez was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Luna was 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored.
On the bases, Pérez swiped his seventh bag. Castillo stole his second base of the year. Sánchez was caught stealing second base.
On defense, first baseman Estrella made a throwing error. Pitcher Álvarez made a pickoff error.
The DSL Cardinals are 15-12 on the season. They are off Sunday and will play a doubleheader with DSL Colorado on Monday. The Cardinals will serve as the home team for game one and the away team for game two.
Monday’s games: vs. DSL Colorado. Pitching probables have not yet been announced for either game. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 9:00 AM CT. Game two is slated to begin shortly after the conclusion of game one.
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