Cardinals Minor League Notebook – July 4, 2025

photo: Jimmy Crooks (Memphis Redbirds)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 4-1 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis catcher Jimmy Crooks, hit a seventh-inning go-ahead grand slam. Other standouts include Graysen Tarlow, JJ Wetherholt, Edward Guribe and Yaxson Lucena.

Results for games played on Thursday, June 3.

Memphis Redbirds 7 at Nashville Sounds 6

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds overcame a five-run deficit to defeat the Sounds at Nashville on Thursday.

Zach Plesac started for Memphis. The right-hander pitched 4 ⅓ innings and allowed five runs on four hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.

Zack Weiss fanned two and yielded a run in ⅔ of an inning in relief of Plesac. Andre Granillo followed with a scoreless frame. Chris Roycroft struck out a pair over two shutout innings. Oddannier Mosqueda fanned two in a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his first save of the season, and the 15th in his career. Granillo collected the win and improved to a 5-0 record.

Nashville jumped ahead 3-0 after the first three innings. Memphis plated their first run in the top of the fifth. Michael Siani singled and stole second base. Nathan Church followed with a second consecutive two-out single to bring Siani home and trim the Sounds’ lead to 3-1.

Nathan Church

Nashville answered with a three-run home fifth to extend their lead to 6-1. The Redbirds scored two in the sixth to narrow the gap to three runs.

Luken Baker led off the frame with his eighth home run of the season.

Luken Baker

With two outs, Gavin Collins connected for Memphis’ second solo blast in the inning, his second on the year.

Gavin Collins

The Redbirds completed the comeback with four runs in the seventh.

Brody Moore and Siani lined back-to-back singles. Church walked to load the bags. Jimmy Crooks unloaded the bases with a go-ahead grand slam, his 11th long ball of 2025, to give Memphis the lead at 7-6.

Jimmy Crooks

The Redbirds did not allow a run after the fifth inning in the victory.

The Redbirds scored seven runs on 10 hits. Crooks drove in four with a grand slam. Baker tallied two hits, including a solo home run. Collins drew three walks and blasted a solo home run. Church walked, singled, scored a run, and drove in a run. Siani was 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

On the bases, Siani stole his 14th bag. Church was caught stealing second base.

On defense, second baseman Bryan Torres made a throwing error. Pitcher Plesac picked a runner off first base. The Redbirds turned two double plays in the game.

Memphis is 45-37 overall, and 4-5 in the second half. They will head home to AutoZone Park to play the final three games of the set with Nashville, starting Friday.

Friday’s game: vs. Nashville, RHP Tekoah Roby (6-3, 3.42) vs. RHP Tobias Myers (1-4, 3.27) 7:04 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 6, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 3

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals edged the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Hammons Field on Thursday.

Tink Hence made his third start with Springfield, and eighth overall on the season. The right-hander tossed three shutout innings on two hits, no walks, and one strikeout. Hence threw 25 of his 42 pitches for strikes.

Zane Mills allowed two runs, one earned, with three strikeouts across 2 ⅓ innings in relief for his third win of the season. Leonardo Taveras followed with two scoreless frames. Austin Love threw the final 1 ⅔ innings and yielded a run, but held on to secure his second career save.

Springfield set the tone early with a four-run second inning. Joshua Baez walked and stole second base. Ramon Mendoza drew a walk. Noah Mendlinger singled to score Baez.

Noah Mendlinger

Dakota Harris legged out an infield single to load the bases. Mendoza touched home plate on a R.J. Yeager sacrifice fly. JJ Wetherholt drilled his 14th double of the year to bring Mendlinger and Harris home for a 4-0 Cardinals lead.

JJ Wetherholt

The Cardinals added a run in the fourth. Mendoza singled, and moved to second base on a Harris walk. Yeager lined a single to plate Mendoza and stretch the lead to 5-0.

The Naturals scored twice in the sixth to trim the Springfield lead to three. The Cardinals added an insurance run in the home eighth. Mendlinger walked, and advanced to second base on a Harris single. Harris and Mendlinger moved up on a wild pitch. Yeager brought Mendlinger to the plate on his second sacrifice fly of the game, to bring the Springfield lead back to four runs at 6-2.

Springfield never trailed in the win.

The Cardinals scored six runs on eight hits. Mendlinger was 2-for-3, including a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI. Yeager singled and drove in three runs, two via sacrifice flies. Wetherholt doubled for the Cardinals’ only extra-base hit and drove in two runs.

On the bases, Baez stole his 11th bag and was also picked off at first base.

On defense, left fielder Mendlinger committed a fielding error. Catcher Leonardo Bernal was tagged with an error on catcher’s interference.

Springfield is 48-30 overall, and 5-4 in the second half, one-game back of first place in the Texas League North Division. They will travel to Arvest Ballpark for the final three games in the six-game series with the Naturals, starting Friday.

Friday’s game: at Northwest Arkansas, RHP Max Rajcic (2-3, 4.41) vs. RHP Ben Kudrna (1-6, 5.49) 7:05 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 3, South Bend Cubs 2 (10 innings)

The High-A Peoria Chiefs walked off a win in extra-innings over the South Bend Cubs at Dozer Park on Thursday.

Chen-Wei Lin started for Peoria. The right-hander pitched four innings and allowed two runs on four hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts.

Hunter Hayes fanned three across two shutout frames in relief of Lin. Mason Burns threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout in his High-A debut, in his hometown of Peoria.

Mason Burns

Tyler Bradt followed with two scoreless innings. Tanner Jacobson slammed the door in the 10th inning to pick up his fourth win of 2025.

Peoria scored the first run of the game in the second inning. Chase Adkison doubled and scored on a Graysen Tarlow single.

Graysen Tarlow

The Cubs responded with a two-run third inning to take the lead. The Chiefs tied the game in the fourth.

Miguel Villarroel reached base on a fielding error, and scored from first on a Tarlow double.

The game stayed deadlocked at two apiece to force extra innings. Following a scoreless top of the 10th, the Chiefs looked to win in the home half of the frame.

Zach Levenson started the inning at second base. The first batter of the inning, Josh Kross, doubled to bring Levenson home and walk off the game in favor of the Chiefs.

Josh Kross

The Chiefs scored three runs on nine hits. Tarlow was 3-for-4, including a double and two RBI. Villarroel tallied two singles and a run scored. Adkison recorded two hits with a double and a run scored. Kross drove in the winning run on a double.

The Chiefs did not steal a base in the win.

On defense, third baseman Michael Curialle made a throwing error. Catcher Tarlow showed off his strong right arm by nailing a runner at second base from behind the dish.

Peoria is 33-44 overall, and 7-5 in the second half. They are one game back of first place in the Midwest League West Division. The Chiefs will travel to Four Winds Field for the final three games of the series with South Bend, starting Friday.

Friday’s game: at South Bend, RHP Jose Davila (3-3, 5.89) vs. RHP Erian Rodriguez (2-3, 3.52) 6:05 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 4, Jupiter Hammerheads 7

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals fell to the Jupiter Hammerheads at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Thursday.

Jacob Odle made his fourth start for Palm Beach, and eighth overall of the season. The right-hander tossed three innings and allowed three runs on three hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.

Nelfy Ynfante surrendered four runs across 2 ⅔ innings in relief of Odle and took the loss. Sam Brodersen fanned two in 1 ⅓ innings. Ernie Day followed with a scoreless inning. Zeke Wood made his affiliated ball debut and pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout.

Jupiter took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Palm Beach moved within two runs in the second.

Jose Suarez was hit by a pitch. Yordalin Pena and Bryce Madron walked to load the bases with no outs. Sammy Hernandez flied into a double play, with Madron out at second base, Pena to third base, and Suarez home for the Cardinals’ first run.

Palm Beach narrowed the gap to one run in the third. Jonathan Mejia hit a lead-off single. Deniel Ortiz was hit by a pitch. Ortiz and Mejia executed a double steal. Cade McGee was the second hit batsman of the inning to load the bases. Mejia scored on a Suarez groundout.

The Cardinals tied the game at three apiece in the fourth. Madron and Anyelo Encarnacion walked and moved up on a wild pitch. Mejia brought Madron to the plate on a sacrifice fly.

The Hammerheads moved in front with a four-run sixth inning. The Cardinals plated a run in the seventh. Ortiz singled and stole second base. Pena doubled in Ortiz.

Yordalin Peña

Palm Beach was unable to rally further in the 7-4 loss.

The Cardinals scored four runs on four hits. Pena doubled for Palm Beach’s only extra-base hit, walked twice, and drove in a run. Mejia walked, singled, scored a run, and drove in a run. Suarez scored a run and tallied an RBI. Hernandez recorded an RBI.

On the basepaths, Mejia swiped two bags to increase his season total to 10. Ortiz stole two bases for 23 on the year.

On defense, shortstop Encarnacion committed two errors, one throwing, and one fielding.

Palm Beach is 35-41 overall, and 3-8 in the second half. They will play the remaining three games with Jupiter at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, serving as the road team.

Friday’s game: at Jupiter. RHP Nolan Sparks (2-5, 5.14) vs. TBA. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 PM CT.

FCL Cardinals (off-day)

The Florida Complex League Cardinals were off Thursday, as they prepared for a road contest with the FCL Nationals on Friday.

The Cardinals are 17-22 on the season and are in fourth place in the Florida Complex League East, 7.5 games back of the FCL Astros.

Friday’s game: at FCL Nationals. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 AM CT.

DSL Cardinals 12, DSL Twins 7

Behind 12 runs of offense, the Dominican Summer League Cardinals bested the Twins in a home contest on Thursday.

Jan Cabrera made his fifth start for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched five innings and allowed one run on five hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Cabrera picked up his second career win.

Jan Cabrera

Kriscol Peralta fired a scoreless sixth inning in relief of Cabrera. Ryan Rodriguez surrendered four runs and recorded just two outs. Reiner Lopez yielded two runs with a pair of strikeouts across the final 2 ⅓ innings to finish the game.

The Cardinals jumped ahead with a two-run bottom of the first. Yeferson Portolatin drew a lead-off walk and stole second base. Portolatin moved to third on a Miguel Hernandez flyout, and scored on a wild pitch. Juan Rujano walked and swiped second base. Edward Guribe and Yaxson Lucena took the second and third consecutive walks to load the bags. Rujano crossed home plate on a wild pitch for a 2-0 Cardinals lead.

The Cardinals extended the lead to 6-0 with four runs in the second. Portolatin drew his second walk of the game and scored on Royelny Strop’s first career double. Hernandez followed with his first professional triple to bring Strop home. Rujano walked. Guribe doubled to score Hernandez, with Rujano to third. Rujano touched home plate via a Lucena sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals took a 10-run lead in the fourth with their second four-run inning of the game.

Hernandez walked and moved to third on a Rujano double. Guribe connected for his second home run of the season, a three-run blast, to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 9-0.

Edward Guribe

Lucena reached base on a fielding error, and moved to second base on the play. Cristofer Lebron and Jesus Perez walked to load the bags. Portolatin brought Lucena home with a sacrifice fly for the 10th run of the game in just the fourth inning.

The Twins entered the run column with a run in the fifth. The Cardinals regained the double-digit lead with a pair of runs in the home fifth.

Rujano singled, and scored on Lucena’s second home run, a two-run shot, to break the lead further open at 12-1.

Yaxson Lucena

The DSL Cardinals scored 12 runs on eight hits. Guribe was 2-for-4, including a walk, a double, a three-run home run, and four RBI. Lucena walked, scored twice, hit a two-run home run, and drove in three runs. Strop doubled and recorded his first career RBI. Hernandez walked, tripled, scored twice, and drove in a run. Portolatin drew two walks, scored two runs, and tallied an RBI. Rujano was 2-for-4, with a double, three walks, and four runs scored.

On the bases, Portolatin swiped his 11th bag. Rujano stole his second base. Johnny Chaparro recorded his first professional stolen base.

The Cardinals did not commit an error.

The DSL Cardinals are 14-9 on the season and hold a one-game lead in the DSL Southeast Division. They will play a road contest with second-place DSL Miami on Friday.

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

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Dominican Summer League Cardinals Notebook – 2025 Week 4

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