Cardinals Minor League Notebook – June 1, 2025

photo: Maikel Hernandez (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, Palm Beach first baseman Maikel Hernandez, was 2-for-3, including a double, a grand slam, and six RBI. Other standouts include César Prieto, Thomas Saggese, Ramon Mendoza, Michael Watson, and Braden Davis.

Results from games played on Saturday, May 31:

Memphis Redbirds 9 at Durham Bulls 8

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds won a thriller over the Durham Bulls on Saturday.

Quinn Mathews started for the Redbirds, seeking his first win of 2025. The left-hander pitched 2 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs on two hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.

Ryan Shreve struck out a pair across 2 ⅓ scoreless frames in relief of Mathews and picked up his second win of the season. Andre Granillo fanned three across two scoreless innings. Left-hander Oddanier Mosqueda yielded three runs and recorded just two outs. Chris Roycroft surrendered three runs in an inning of work. Riley O’Brien recorded the final out of the game to collect his second save of the season.

Ryan Shreve

Memphis scored the first run of the game in the top of the second inning. Thomas Saggese singled and scored on a double by Matt Koperniak for a 1-0 Memphis lead.

Matt Koperniak

The Bulls scored a pair of runs to take a 2-1 lead. The Redbirds regained the lead with a five-run fifth.

Bryan Torres walked and advanced to second base on a Michael Siani single. José Fermín walked to load the bases. César Prieto blasted a grand slam to unload the bags and put Memphis in front 5-2.

César Prieto

Jimmy Crooks followed with a single. Saggese lined the second consecutive single and advanced to second base, with Crooks out at home on the play. Saggese scored on a fielding error for a 6-2 lead, with Koperniak reaching second base after putting the ball in play.

The Redbirds added a run in the seventh. Prieto launched his second home run of the night to extend the lead to 7-2.

Durham scored three runs in the eighth to narrow the Memphis lead. The Redbirds answered with a pair of insurance runs in the ninth inning.

Fermín doubled and Prieto walked to put two runners on. Saggese brought Fermín and Prieto home with a single, his fourth hit of the game.

Thomas Saggese

Memphis held off a ninth-inning Durham rally to win their second consecutive road series.

The Redbirds scored nine runs on 13 hits. Prieto was 2-for-3, including a grand slam, a solo home run, three runs scored, and five RBI. Saggese went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Koperniak doubled and drove in a run. Fermín singled, doubled, walked, and scored twice in his first game since May 22.

On the bases, Saggese stole his third bag. The Redbirds did not commit an error on defense.

Memphis is 31-23 on the season. They will look to take five of six from Durham on Sunday.

Sunday’s game: at Durham, RHP Curtis Taylor (3-0, 3.00) vs. RHP Joe Boyle (3-4, 1.88) 12:05 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 8, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 10 

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals lost a close contest to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Hammons Field on Saturday.

Osvaldo Berrios started his fourth game for Springfield. The right-hander tossed 2 ⅔ innings and allowed four runs on five hits, no walks, and one strikeout.

Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans started for the Naturals in a rehab outing.

Zane Mills surrendered three runs across 2 ⅓ innings in relief of Berrios and took the loss. Edwin Nuñez followed and yielded three runs in two innings. Ricardo Velez was tagged with an earned run over the final two innings of the game.

Springfield plated the first three runs of the game in the bottom of the first inning, all with two outs.

Jeremy Rivas crushed a long home run off Ragans to put Springfield in front 1-0.

Jeremy Rivas

Chase Davis and Joshua Baez followed with back-to-back singles. Dakota Harris lined a third straight single to score Davis and Baez for a 3-0 lead, with Harris to third base on the play via a fielding error.

Dakota Harris

The Naturals answered with three runs in the second and one in the third to take a 4-3 lead. The Cardinals immediately regained the lead with a trio of runs in the fourth.

Ramon Mendoza walked and moved to second base on a wild pitch. Darlin Moquete doubled to score Mendoza and tie the game at four. Nathan Church hit the second home run of the game for the Cardinals, a two-run shot, to move ahead 6-4.

Nathan Church

Northwest Arkansas plated three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to take a 9-6 lead. Springfield moved a run closer on Mendoza’s sixth home run of the season, a solo blast, to make it a 9-7 game.

Ramon Mendoza

The Naturals tacked on a run in the eighth inning. The Cardinals took the run back in the bottom of the eighth. Harris doubled and Mendoza drew a walk to begin the frame. Harris swiped third base. Moquete walked to load the bags. Harris touched home plate on a Church sacrifice fly to narrow the gap to 10-8.

Springfield stranded the tying run at second base in the bottom of the ninth inning as the late rally fell short.

The Cardinals scored eight runs on 13 hits. Church was 2-for-3, including a walk, a two-run home run, and three RBI. Rivas and Mendoza each launched a solo home run. Harris doubled, scored, and drove in a run. Baez scored a run and tallied three hits, including a double.

On the bases, Harris stole his fifth base of the season. Rivas was caught stealing second base.

On defense, Baez nailed a runner at home plate from right field. The Cardinals did not commit an error.

Springfield is 26-24 on the season. They will look to secure the series split with the Naturals on Sunday.

Sunday’s game: vs. Northwest Arkansas, LHP Pete Hansen (3-1, 2.88) vs TBA. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 3 at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4 (11 innings)

The High-A Peoria Chiefs fell to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in extra innings on Saturday.

Chen-Wei Lin started for the Chiefs. The right-hander threw four innings and allowed one run on one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts.

Chen-Wei Lin

Right-hander Tyler Bradt tossed two scoreless frames in relief of Lin. D.J. Carpenter yielded an unearned run in the seventh inning and was tagged with a blown save. Lefty Michael Watson struck out five and did not allow a hit across three scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.25. Angel Gonzalez surrendered two runs, one earned, in the 11th inning and was tagged with a blown save and the loss.

Michael Watson

Peoria took the lead on the second batter of the game. Ian Petrutz rocketed his third home run of 2025, a solo shot, to put the Chiefs ahead 1-0.

Ian Petrutz

The Chiefs doubled the lead with a run in the third. Trey Paige singled, and Brayden Jobert walked. Chase Adkison drove in Paige on a single for a 2-0 Peoria lead.

Chase Adkison

Wisconsin scored a run in the fifth and seventh innings to knot the game up at two. The game remained tied through nine frames to force extra innings.

The Chiefs broke the tie and regained the lead in the top of the 11th inning. Miguel Villarroel started the inning at second base and scored with two outs via a Johnfrank Salazar single for a 3-2 Chiefs lead.

Johnfrank Salazar

Peoria could not hang onto the lead as Wisconsin scored two in the bottom of the 11th to walk-off the game.

The Chiefs scored three runs on seven hits. Petrutz hit a solo home run. Adkinson and Salazar each singled and drove in a run. Zach Levenson recorded a walk and a double. The Chiefs were just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners on base.

On the bases, Cho stole his fifth bag. Jon Jon Gazdar was caught stealing second base.

On defense, pitcher Carpenter made a throwing error.

Peoria is 19-30 on the season. They will look to take the series finale on Sunday.

Sunday’s game: at Wisconsin, RHP Jose Davila (2-2, 6.58) vs. LHP Anthony Flores (1-2, 4.37) 1:10 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 11, St. Lucie Mets 1 

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals stomped the St. Lucie Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday.

Braden Davis made his eighth start for Palm Beach. The left-hander pitched a career-high six innings of scoreless baseball on one hit, four walks, and three strikeouts. Davis earned his first professional win.

Braden Davis

Sam Broderson allowed one run across two innings in relief of Davis. Mason Burns struck out the side in the ninth inning.

Mason Burns

After stranding two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the third inning, the Cardinals erupted for six runs in the fourth.

Luis Pino smoked his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot, to break the scoreless tie and give Palm Beach a 1-0 lead.

Luis Piño

Deniel Ortiz lined a double, and Cade McGee was hit by a pitch. Anyelo Encarnacion walked to load the bases. Bryce Madron singled in Ortiz for the second run of the game. Pinch-hitting for Christian Martin, Maikel Hernandez blasted a grand slam, his first home run at the Low-A level, to clear the bags and extend Palm Beach’s lead to 6-0.

Maikel Hernandez

Palm Beach added to their lead in the fifth. Ortiz hit a triple, and crossed home plate on a wild pitch for a 7-0 Cardinals lead.

Deniel Ortiz

The Cardinals entered double digits in the scoring column with a four-run sixth inning. Encarnacion walked and stole second base to begin the frame. Romtres Cabrera and Madron walked to load the bases with no outs. Encarnacion came home on a wild pitch to stretch the lead to 8-0, with Madron and Cabrera advanced to second base and third base, respectively. Hernandez doubled home Cabrera and Madron for a 10-0 lead. Hernandez advanced to third base via a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball to break the game further open at 11-0.

Palm Beach slugged six extra-base hits and held St. Lucie to just three hits in the dominant win.

The Cardinals scored 11 runs on eight hits. Hernandez was 2-for-3, including a double, a grand slam, two runs scored, and six RBI. Pino launched a solo home run. Ortiz recorded a triple, a double, and two runs scored. Madron singled, walked, scored twice, and drove in a run. Cabrera walked and scored a run in his Palm Beach debut.

On the basepaths, Encarnacion recorded his ninth steal. McGee was caught stealing second base.

On defense, pitcher Davis picked off a runner at first base. Catcher Josh Kross was charged with a passed ball.

Palm Beach is 23-27 on the season. They will look to take two out of three from St. Lucie at home.

Sunday’s game: TBA vs. LHP Franklin Gomez (0-1, 3.86) 11:30 AM CT.

FCL Cardinals 0, FCL Nationals 4 (6 innings) 

The Florida Complex League Cardinals fell to the Nationals in a rain-shortened contest on Saturday.

Ruben Menes made his third start for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched three innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits, no walks, and four strikeouts. Menes took the loss.

Right-hander Keiverson Ramirez fanned four across 1 ⅔ scoreless frames in relief of Menes. Bruno Lopez recorded the final out of the fifth inning. Jefferson Moran surrendered two runs, one earned, and recorded just one out in the sixth inning prior to the game being called due to weather.

Keiverson Ramirez

The Cardinals looked to score the first run of the game in the second inning. Andru Arthur walked and swiped second base. Arthur advanced to third base via a wild pitch and was unable to score.

The Nationals scored a pair of runs in the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. The Cardinals entered the hit column in the fourth as they aimed to rally.

Bracewell Taveras and Arthur hit back-to-back singles. Arthur and Taveras advanced to second base and third base, respectively, on a wild pitch. Both runners were left on base.

The Nationals doubled their lead in the sixth inning to move ahead 4-0.

The Cardinals were unable to answer in the six-inning loss.

The Cardinals scored no runs on three hits, all singles. Taveras, Arthur, and Yairo Padilla each recorded a hit.

On the bases, Padilla swiped two bags to increase his season total to 14 steals. Arthur stole his fourth base.

On defense, third baseman Taveras and pitcher Moran each made a throwing error.

The FCL Cardinals are 9-9 on the season. They are off on Sunday and will play a contest with the FCL Marlins as the road team at Roger Dean Stadium Complex on Monday.

Monday’s game: Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM CT.

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