Cardinals Minor League Notebook – June 12, 2026

photo: Noah Mendlinger (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 4-3 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis UT Noah Mendlinger, collected four hits with five RBI across the DH sweep, highlighted by his first Triple-A home run. Other standouts: Quinn Mathews, Victor Scott II, Blaze Jordan, Rainiel Rodriguez, Tre Richardson III, Antoni Cuello, Beiker Rodríguez and Lucas Takahashi.

Results for games played on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

Memphis Redbirds 7 at Norfolk Tides 0 (Seven innings, game one)

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds blanked the Norfolk Tides in game one of Thursday’s road doubleheader.

Quinn Mathews made his 12th start for the Redbirds. The left-hander pitched six scoreless innings on three hits, one walk, and six strikeouts en route to his third win of the year.

Quinn Mathews

Austin Love made his Triple-A debut and threw a shutout seventh with two strikeouts to finish the game.

The Redbirds opened the scoring with a five-run top of the second inning. Bligh Madris, Yohel Pozo, and Matt Koperniak hit consecutive singles to load the bases. Noah Mendlinger connected for a double to score Madris and Pozo and put the Redbirds in front 2-0.

Noah Mendlinger

In his 2026 Memphis debut, Victor Scott II followed with a triple to bring Koperniak and Mendlinger home and double the lead to 4-0.

Victor Scott

Joshua Báez brought Scott II home via a sacrifice fly for a 5-0 lead.

Memphis added two runs in the third. Jeremy Rivas singled and scored on Mendlinger’s first Triple-A home run, a two-run shot, to extend the lead to 7-0.

The Redbirds held the Tides to just three hits in the dominant win.

Memphis scored seven runs on 13 hits. Mendlinger was 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and four RBI. Scott II went 2-for-4, including a double, a triple, a walk, run scored, and two RBI. Báez singled and notched an RBI. Pozo was 3-for-4 with a run scored.

The Redbirds did not steal a base or commit an error on defense.

Memphis Redbirds 6 at Norfolk Tides 2 (Seven innings, game two)

The Memphis Redbirds collected their 41st win and secured the doubleheader sweep without trailing in either game. This was the makeup of Wednesday’s postponement.

Bruce Zimmermann started his 13th game for Memphis. The left-hander threw 5 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits, three walks, and four strikeouts. Zimmermann earned his fifth win.

Bruce Zimmermann

Luis Gastelum fired 1 ⅓ shutout frames with a pair of strikeouts to collect his third save.

Memphis pounced early with five runs in the top of the first inning.

Thomas Saggese drew a lead-off walk and scored on César Prieto’s 10th double of the year to put the Redbirds ahead 1-0.

César Prieto

Joshua Báez reached on a fielder’s choice, with Prieto out at third. Báez stole second and came home on a two-run home run from Blaze Jordan, his 11th long ball of 2026, for a 3-0 lead.

Blaze Jordan

Matt Koperniak followed with a single and swiped second base. Ramon Mendoza lined a single to bring Koperniak home, with Mendoza advancing to third on a throwing error.

Ramon Mendoza

Andy Yerzy and Noah Mendlinger took back-to-back walks to load the bases. Saggese drew his second walk of the inning to force Mendoza home and stretch the lead to 5-0.

Norfolk scored a run in the home second for a 5-1 score.

Memphis took the run back in the third. Koperniak walked and stole second. With two outs, Mendlinger grounded a single to bring Koperniak home and move the Redbirds ahead 6-1. It was Mendlinger’s fifth RBI of the doubleheader.

The Tides plated a run in the home third to move within four runs at 6-2, but were unable to respond further as Memphis’s pitching held the Tides to three hits.

The Redbirds scored six runs on seven hits. Jordan was 2-for-4, including a double, a home run, and two RBI. Mendoza was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Prieto walked, doubled, and drove in a run. Mendlinger walked, singled, and notched an RBI. Saggese walked twice, scored a run, and collected an RBI.

On the bases, Báez stole his 12th bag. Koperniak swiped his fourth base.

On defense, third baseman Mendoza committed a fielding error.

Memphis is 41-25 on the season.  They are tied with Nashville for first place in the International League West Division.

Friday’s game: at Norfolk. LHP Brycen Mautz (0-2, 2.37) vs. RHP Christian Heberholz. First pitch is scheduled for 5:35 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 4, Amarillo Sod Poodles 13

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals lost decisively to the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Route 66 Stadium on Thursday night.

Jurrangelo Cijntje started his 12th game for the Cardinals. The switch-pitcher faced 19 hitters right-handed and one hitter left-handed. Cijntje threw 4 ⅓ innings and allowed two runs on five hits, one walk, and six strikeouts.

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Hunter Hayes surrendered five runs in 1 ⅓ innings in relief of Cijntje and took the loss. Randel Clemente yielded four runs while recording just two outs. Lefty Jack Findlay struck out three over 1 ⅔ scoreless frames. Darlin Saladin gave up two runs in the ninth inning.

Springfield opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Rainiel Rodriguez hit his second Double-A home run, the first at home, to put the Cardinals in front 1-0.

Rainiel Rodriguez

Amarillo tied the game in the top of the second.

Springfield immediately reclaimed the lead in the home half of the frame. Miguel Villarroel and Dakota Harris hit back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. Jose Cordoba reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases. Brody Moore grounded into a forceout, with Villarroel coming home for a 2-1 Cardinals lead.

Amarillo put together back-to-back five-run fifth and sixth innings to pull ahead 11-2.

The Cardinals chipped into the large deficit with a pair of runs in the home seventh. Moore lined a double and scored on Rodriguez’s second home run of the game, a two-run shot, for an 11-4 score.

The Cardinals were unable to rally further in the loss.

Springfield scored four runs on 11 hits.  Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI. Moore doubled, scored a run, and notched an RBI. Trey Paige collected two hits, including a double. Harris was 2-for-4 with a double. Villarroel singled twice and scored a run. The lineup did not draw a walk and struck out seven times.

On the bases, Villarroel swiped his second bag with Springfield.

The Cardinals did not commit an error.

Springfield is 26-33 on the season.

Friday’s game: vs. Amarillo. LHP Braden Davis (0-3, 5.44) vs. LHP Adonys Perez (0-1, 3.29) 7:05 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 16 at South Bend Cubs 7 (Seven innings)

The High-A Peoria Chiefs clobbered the Cubs in South Bend in a rain-shortened contest on Thursday.

Tanner Franklin made his 12th start for Peoria and struggled. The right-hander pitched three innings and allowed five runs on five hits, two walks and two strikeouts.

Bobby Olsen struck out two in a scoreless fourth inning in relief of Franklin and collected his third win of 2026. Ty Van Dyke made his first professional relief appearance and yielded two runs with two strikeouts over the final two innings the Chiefs played on defense.

Peoria’s bats were hot early in a four-run top of the first inning. Jack Gurevitch walked and Josh Kross singled. José Suárez hit a ground ball single to bring Gurevitch home. Suárez stole second base to put two Chiefs in scoring position. Tre Richardson III snapped out of his mini-slump with a double to score Kross and Suárez for a 3-0 lead. Richardson III swiped third base and scored on a sacrifice fly from Anyelo Encarnación to extend the lead to 4-0.

Tre Richardson

The Cubs made it a one-run game with three runs in the home second.

Peoria answered with a pair of runs in the third. Kross launched his ninth home run of the year, a solo shot, to move the Chiefs in front 5-3.

Josh Kross

Suárez was hit by a pitch and moved to third on the second double of the game from Richardson III. Encarnación brought Suárez home on his second sacrifice fly of the evening for a 6-3 lead.

The Cubs came within one once more at 6-5 with a pair of runs in the home third.

The Chiefs pulled ahead with six runs in the fourth. Sammy Hernandez walked and stole second. Luis Pino drew a second consecutive walk. Jesús Báez cleared the bases with a three-run home run, his 13th of the season, to extend the Peoria lead to 9-5.

Jesus Baez

Suárez singled and Richardson III walked to put two on base with two away. Encarnación crushed the second three-run blast of the frame, his fifth home run of the year, to widen the Chiefs’ lead to 12-5.

South Bend plated a pair of runs in the fifth to dent the score to 12-7.

Peoria added four runs in the top of the sixth. Suárez hit his 10th double of 2026 and stole third. Richardson III lined a sharp single to score Suárez. Richardson III stole second base. Encarnación drew a walk, with Richardson III stealing third base on ball four to put runners at the corners. Encarnacion took third base as Richardson III crossed home plate via a wild pitch. Encarnación scored on a Cameron Nickens sacrifice fly. Hernandez legged out an infield single and Pino was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Hernandez took third base on a wild pitch. Báez brought Hernandez home via a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 16-7.

The game was called in the bottom of the seventh due to inclement weather.

The Chiefs scored 16 runs on 14 hits. Encarnación walked, scored twice, hit a home run, and drove in a team-high five runs. Richardson III was a perfect 4-for-4, including two doubles, a walk, three runs scored, and three RBI. Suárez went 3-for-4 with a double, four runs scored, and an RBI. Kross was 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored. Báez homered and tallied four RBI.

The Chiefs were active on the bases. Richardson III swiped three for 11 steals on the year. Suárez stole two bags to increase his season total to 15. Hernandez snagged his fifth bag. Encarnación stole his sixth.

On defense, catcher Hernandez made a throwing error.

Peoria is 31-29 on the season.

Friday’s game: at South Bend. RHP Leonel Sequera (1-4, 9.19) vs. RHP Jostin Florentino (0-3, 6.88) 6:05 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 0, St. Lucie Mets 2

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals were held scoreless by the St. Lucie Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Thursday.

Cooper Hjerpe started for Palm Beach in the second game of his rehab assignment as he works to rejoin the Double-A Cardinals. The left-hander tossed two scoreless innings on no hits, one walk, and one strikeout.

Cooper Hjerpe

Xavier Cruz made his Palm Beach debut and yielded two unearned runs and fanned six across 2 ⅔ innings for the tough-luck loss. Anthony Watts followed with 1 ⅓ shutout frames. Antoni Cuello fired 2 ⅔ shutout frames with a pair of strikeouts. Kaden Echeman recorded the final two outs of the ninth inning.

Palm Beach looked to strike first in the bottom of the second inning. Yordalin Peña single and moved to second on a passed ball. Trevor Haskins walked. Haskins and Peña swiped second base and third base, respectively, on a double steal. Neither runner could score as a strikeout and a groundout halted the momentum.

The Mets plated both runs of the game in the top of the fifth inning. The Cardinals were unable to rally as they left seven runners on base and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

Palm Beach scored no runs on four hits. Peña was 2-for-3 with a walk. Ryan Weingartner walked and hit the team’s lone extra-base hit, a double. Haskins walked and singled.

On the basepaths, Haskins stole two bags to increase his season total to eight. Peña stole his 12th bag. Facundo Velásquez was caught stealing second base.

On defense, third baseman Michael Dattalo and pitcher Cuello each committed a fielding error. Haskins nailed a runner at home from left field.

Palm Beach is 31-29 on the season.

Friday’s game: vs. St. Lucie. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 PM CT.

FCL Cardinals 1, FCL Nationals 4 (Seven innings)

The Florida Complex League Cardinals fell to the FCL Nationals in Thursday’s seven-inning rookie ball contest.

Jan Cabrera made his fourth start in his sixth appearance with the Cardinals. The right-hander threw 3 ⅓ innings and allowed two runs on four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Cabrera took the loss.

Jarol Baéz yielded two runs across 1 ⅔ innings in relief of Cabrera. Alejandro Lóaiza threw a scoreless sixth frame. Owen Rice struck out the side in a shutout seventh.

The Nationals opened the scoring in the first, plated two runs in the fourth, and added a run in the fifth to move ahead 4-0.

The Cardinals entered the run column in the sixth as Sebastian Dos Santos launched his sixth home run of the season, a solo shot.

Sebastian Dos Santos

The Cardinals were unable to answer further in the loss.

The FCL Cardinals scored one run on just two hits and one walk. Dos Santos walked and hit a solo home run. Miguel Hernández singled. That was it for the offense.

The Cardinals did not steal a base or commit an error.

The FCL Cardinals are 9-18 on the season. They are off Friday and will play a road doubleheader with the FCL Marlins on Saturday.

Saturday’s game: at FCL Marlins. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. Game one is scheduled to start at 9:00 AM CT, with game two to follow shortly after the conclusion of game one.

DSL Cardinals 7, DSL Marlins 1 (Seven innings)

The Dominican Summer League Cardinals bested the DSL Marlins in seven innings on Thursday.

Hendrick Caña made his second start. The left-hander threw four innings on three hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. The run scored against him was unearned.

Hendrick Cana

Beiker Rodríguez fired three shutout frames with two strikeouts to finish the game, lower his ERA to 1.17, and collect his second win.

Beiker Rodriguez

The Marlins struck first with a run in the top of the second inning.

The Cardinals answered with four runs in the home half of the frame. Jesús Pérez was hit by a pitch and stole second. Lucas Takahashi lined a single to score Pérez. Jhonny Chaparro ripped a double to plate Takahashi. Christian Sáez walked. Sáez and Chaparro advanced on a wild pitch. Emanuel Luna singled to score Sáez and Chaparro and widen the lead to 4-1.

Emanuel Luna

In the third, Pérez doubled and took third base on a pickoff error. With two outs, Diego Conseción doubled home Pérez for the fifth Cardinals run.

The Cardinals plated two insurance runs in the fourth. Michael Cordero was hit by a pitch. Luis Estrella grounded a single. The runners advanced on a wild pitch. Takahashi legged out an infield single to bring Cordero home. Chaparro walked to load the bags. Conseción drew a bases-loaded walk to force Estrella home and stretch the lead to 7-1.

The Cardinals held the Marlins hitless with runners in scoring position.

The DSL Cardinals scored seven runs on eight hits. Takahashi was 2-for-3, including a walk, a run scored, and two RBI. Conseción walked, doubled, and drove in two runs. Luna doubled and tallied two RBI. Chaparro walked, scored a run, doubled, and recorded an RBI. Pérez doubled and scored twice.

On the bases, Pérez stole his third bag of the year.

On defense, first baseman Sáez committed a missed catch error. Pitcher Caña picked a runner off first base.

The DSL Cardinals are 6-2 on the season. They are in first place in the DSL Southeast Division. The Cardinals will continue their homestand with a game against the DSL NYY Bombers on Friday.

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

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