Cardinals Minor League Notebook – June 17, 2021

photo: Tommy Jew (Palm Beach Cardinals)

A positive in the 0-5 Wednesday across the St. Louis Cardinals system was first-year outfielder Tommy Jew’s five hits, including a home run, a walk and five RBI in Palm Beach’s pair of defeats.

Results from games played Wednesday, June 16th.

Memphis 1 at Indianapolis 6

Home runs proved fatal for the Redbirds as they dropped their second straight decision to Indianapolis at Victory Field, this time 6-1.  Sixth-place Memphis (15-23) trails Durham (TB) by 10 ½ games in the seven-team Southeast Division.

Five of the six tallies charged to Redbirds’ hurlers were generated by long balls.  Tommy Parsons (L, 1-3) yielded a solo blast to his first batter faced then retired 12 of his next 14 batters before serving up a three-run bomb in his fifth and final frame.  The righty permitted six hits in all and issued one free pass.

Three Memphis relievers tossed an inning apiece:  Roel Ramirez, Evan Kruczynski and Garrett Williams.  Only Ramirez was unscored upon, allowing one hit, while Kruczynski surrendered a solo shot plus a walk and Williams was tagged for an unearned run on a two-base throwing error by third baseman Juan Yepez, a walk, hit batsman and sacrifice double play.

Justin Williams

The only Redbird with more than one of the team’s six hits was right fielder Justin Williams, who went 2-for-4 in the second start of his rehab assignment.  Williams’ eighth-inning single drove in Scott Hurst, who singled to open the frame.  Left fielder Lars Nootbaar reached base twice, going 1-for-3 with a walk.

Defensively, the cons outweighed the pros.  Yepez committed two bobbles – one fielding and the other throwing – and shortstop Evan Mendoza was charged with a fielding error.

On the plus end of fielding, two Memphis outfielders were credited with an assist.  Center fielder Hurst threw out at runner at home, saving a sixth-inning score, and Williams’ assist came at second base.

Thursday’s game:  at Indianapolis (20-17) (PIT), 6:05 pm CT, Connor Thomas (1-0, 5.28)

Springfield 2 at Wichita 8

S-Cards’ pitchers gave up 13 hits while the offense managed just six, resulting in an 8-2 defeat to Wichita at Riverfront Stadium.  Fifth and last-place Springfield (12-25) has lost the first two of six games versus the first-place Wind Surge, whom they trail by 9 ½ games in the North Division standings.

Springfield was down from the very beginning as starter Kyle Leahy (L, 0-6) yielded four runs in the first two frames.  The righty allowed five tallies in all over 4 1/3 innings on nine hits and two walks.  One of the nine hits was a home run with the bases clean.

The run charged to Ramon Santos during his 2 2/3-inning stint was also a solo shot, one of two hits and two walks given up.  Edgar Escobar yielded two hits and a base-on-balls, resulting in two tallies, one earned.

Nick Plummer

Nick Plummer represented the only Redbird with a multi-hit performance, singling and doubling in four at bats with an RBI. Luken Baker scored both of his team’s runs, one on a solo long ball and the second generated by his lead-off walk before being driven in by Plummer’s single.

Thursday’s game:   at Wichita (22-16) (MIN), 7:05 pm CT, Tyler Pike (0-1, 11.42)

Peoria 5 vs. Beloit 9

Four late scores broke open a competitive game as the Chiefs fell to the Snappers, 9-5, evening the home series at a game each with four contests on tap.  Peoria (16-22) remains in sixth and last place in West Division, 8 ½ games behind Quad Cities (KC).

The Chiefs trailed 5-3 going into the top of the seventh at which time Beloit scored four runs off a pair of Peoria relievers, busting the game wide open.  Starter Jack Ralston lasted just four innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on four hits and two free passes issued.  The right-hander fanned eight and served up one solo gopher ball.

Newcomer Cory Thompson settled things down during his two innings on the mound, striking out four and allowing two hits.  Then the seventh arrived as Enmanuel Solano and Jacob Schlesener combined to give up four scores, one earned, on two hits, two walks (both Solano) and a run-scoring wild pitch (Schlesener).  The latter tossed a clean eighth.  Nathanael Heredia struck out the side in the ninth, working around a hit and base-on-balls.

Peoria outhit their opponents 12 to 9 but the game difference proved to be four unearned scores.  Ninth-place hitter Matt Chamberlain led the effort, going 3-for-4 with a solo long ball that was one of his two runs scored.

Matt Chamberlain

Right fielder Jhon Torres went yard as well, another solo bomb which gave Peoria a brief 1-0 lead after one.  Torres added a single to his home run in five at bats, touching home once and knocking in two.  Leandro Cedeno and Imeldo Diaz had two hits each in four at bats and Diaz scored once.

It was a poor night for Peoria on the field as they were charged with three errors.  Shortstop Francisco Hernandez and center fielder Tyler Reichenborn were both tagged with their third miscues and second baseman Diaz committed his first bobble of 2021.

Thursday’s game:  vs. third place (3-way tie) Beloit (18-20) (MIA), 6:35 pm CT, Connor Lunn (2-1, 4.91)

Palm Beach 9 at Daytona 10 (10 innings) – Game 1  
Palm Beach 3 at Daytona 4 (7) – Game 2   
The Beach Birds were swept in a double-header on Wednesday, 10-9 in 10 and 4-3 in the seven-inning finale.  Palm Beach (11-26) remains firmly in fourth and last place in the East Division standings, nine in back of co-leaders Jupiter (MIA) and St. Lucie (NYM).

Twice Palm Beach had the opportunity to close out the opening game win, but the bullpen failed both times.  The opener completed the Tuesday, June 15th contest suspended in the visitor half of the fourth with Palm Beach trailing 3-2.  When play resumed on Wednesday, each team notched a four-run fifth. The 7-6 score held until the top of the ninth, when Palm Beach scored twice to go up 8-7.

A home run off Hector Soto (L, 0-1) (BS,1) in the bottom of the frame sent the game into extra innings.  Palm Beach recaptured the lead in the 10th, 9-8, but Soto again could not hold the lead, yielding another two tallies for the walk-off loss.

Levi Prater yielded three runs on three hits and four walks in his three-inning Tuesday start before rain halted the affair.  Right-hander Gianluca Dalatri took the mound when play resumed on Wednesday, allowing one hit in one inning in his scoreless pro debut a year after being signed as an undrafted minor league free agent.

Edwin Nunez was handed a 6-3 fifth-inning lead but surrendered four tallies on four hits and two walks, recording just one out.  He also hit a batter.  Edgar Manzo held Daytona in check over the next 3 2/3 innings, giving up a hit and walk while stranding three inherited runners.  Soto was tasked with closing the game out in the ninth but failed to do so.

Edgar Manzo

Home runs were plentiful for Palm Beach as three long balls generated six tallies.  Player of the Day Tommy Jew garnered five hits in the twin bill, going 4-for-5 with a solo bomb, run scored and three knocked in.  One of third baseman Jordan Walker’s two hits in four at bats was a two-run bomb, one of the two times he crossed home plate while Todd Lott’s only hit in five at bats was a three-run blast.

Matt Koperniak reached base four times, going 3-for-4 with a base-on-balls and run scored.  The Beach Birds mustered 13 hits in all.

After an offensive explosion featuring a combined 19 runs on 25 hits in the opener, the finale garnered nine hits in all.  Masyn Winn had half of his squad’s four hits, singling twice in with a walk and RBI.  Jew added his fifth hit on the day, going 1-for-3 with a base-on-balls and two driven in.  Patrick Romeri reached base three times, working two free passes plus a hit in two at bats while scoring once.

Tommy Jew

Starter Gustavo J. Rodriguez did not finish the second, permitting three runs on three hits and two walks against just five outs recorded.  But the difference in the game was yielded by Will Guay in his third and final inning of work.  Guay struck out six in 3 1/3 frames, allowing the winning run on two hits and a base-on-balls while leaving Rodriguez’ last two runners aboard.  Dionys Rodriguez fanned all three batters faced.

Thursday’s game: at Daytona (17-21) (CIN), 7:05 pm ET, John Beller (0-3, 5.53)


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