Cardinals Minor League Notebook – June 2, 2024

photo: Matt Koperniak (Palm Beach Cardinals)

The St. Louis Cardinals system went 2-2 on Saturday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis CF Matt Koperniak, went 3-for-5 including two home runs and drove in six. Other standouts include Jimmy Crooks, Matt Lloyd, Arquímedes Gamboa, Alejandro Loaiza, Gordon Graceffo and Trent Baker.

Results from games played on Saturday, June 1.

Memphis 11, Nashville 3

On Saturday, the Memphis Redbirds (30-26) obliterated the Nashville Sounds (29-27, MIL) at AutoZone Park.  Starter Gordon Graceffo earned his fifth win this season, throwing six innings, allowing two runs on six hits while walking three and striking out six.

Gordon Graceffo

The Redbirds struck first in the fourth with Arquímedes Gamboa’s two-RBI single followed by Matt Koperniak’s three-run bomb to right-center field.

Matt Koperniak

The Sounds earned two back with a two-run blast to left field.

Koperniak extended the lead with his second three-run moonshot of the day and Jordan Walker went back-to-back with his first homer this season.

Gamboa extended the lead with a two-RBI double in the seventh.

Arquimedes Gamboa

Brandon Komar took over the mound in the ninth and allowed a solo longball to left field.

Connor Thomas and Nick Raquet each threw two hitless innings with Thomas allowing one walk.  Komar pitched one inning, yielding one run on one hit while striking out three.  The Redbirds gave up three runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out nine.

Koperniak went 3-for-5 including two homers, six RBI, and two runs scored.  Gamboa was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, four RBI, and two runs scored.  Jordan Walker hit 1-for-4 with a homer, an RBI, and a run scored.  Memphis totaled 11 runs on 12 hits with five walks and seven strikeouts.

Sunday’s game: vs. Nashville, LHP Zack Thompson (1-0, 1.82) vs. Taylor Clark RHP (1-0, 2.70) 1:05 CT.

Springfield 8 at Wichita 2

On Saturday, the Springfield Cardinals (29-21) dominated the Wichita Wind Surge (19-30, MIN) 8-2 at Riverfront Stadium.  Starter Trent Baker earned his third win this season, throwing 6 1/3 innings, and allowing two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out four.

Trent Baker

The Cardinals struck first in the top of the second with a Jimmy Crooks RBI single.

Jimmy Crooks

The Wind Surge tied it in the bottom of the second with an RBI single.

Springfield regained the lead in the third when Jeremy Rivas came home after Mike Antico forced an error by the opposing catcher by stealing second.  Matt Lloyd and Jimmy Crooks each followed up that play with an RBI double.

In the sixth, R.J. Yeager’s RBI single and Noah Mendlinger’s RBI double gave the Cardinals a 6-1 lead.

Baker allowed a solo shot to the first batter he faced in the seventh.

Yeager’s sacrifice fly and Chandler Redmond’s RBI single extended Springfield’s lead to 8-2.

Crooks went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored.  Lloyd was 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and three runs scored.  Yeager went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.  The Cardinals totaled eight runs on 13 hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Leonardo Taveras threw a scoreless 2/3 of an inning.  Jack Ralston closed the game, throwing two innings, and yielding one hit and one walk while striking out one.  Springfield allowed two runs on six hits while walking three and striking out five.

Sunday’s game: at Wichita, TBD vs. Andrew Morris RHP (0-1, 3.38)

Peoria at Lansing (postponed)

The Peoria Chiefs (16-33) game at the Lansing Lugnuts (25-24, OAK) was postponed due to inclement weather.  It will be made up as part of a double-header on Sunday.

Sunday’s games: at Lansing, Pete Hansen LHP (0-3, 4.93) vs. TBD 12:05 CT (Game 1).  at Lansing, RHP Hancel Rincon (2-3, 3.99) vs. Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang RHP (0-0) (Game 2).

Palm Beach 3, Tampa 5 (10 innings)

The Palm Beach Cardinals (29-21) were defeated by the Tampa Tarpons (19-31, NYY) in extra innings by a score of 5-3 on Saturday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.  Starter Chen-Wei Lin threw six innings, allowing three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out seven.

Chen-Wei Lin

Tampa struck first in the third with a two-RBI single.

The Cardinals cut the deficit in half with Kade Kretzschmar’s RBI single.

The Tarpons added an insurance run in the fifth with an RBI single.

Chase Davis brought the game to within one with a solo shot to right-center field.

Chase Davis

Palm Beach tied the game in the bottom of the ninth when Jose Cordoba reached on an error that plated Lizandro Espinoza.

Luis Gastelum took over the mound in the ninth, and in the 10th, he allowed two RBI singles that gave Tampa a lead that Palm Beach could not overcome.

Memphis rehabber Packy Naughton pitched two innings, allowing no runs on one hit while striking out two.  Luis Gastelum took his first loss this season, throwing two innings, and yielding two runs, one earned, on three hits while striking out one.  Palm Beach gave up five runs, four earned, on nine hits while walking one and striking out 10.

Davis went 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored.  Kretzschmar was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Trey Paige hit 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.  The Cardinals totaled three runs on nine hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Sunday’s game: vs. Tampa, TBD vs. Luis Serna RHP (2-3, 4.78) at 11:00 CT.

FCL Cardinals 5, FCL Astros 9

The Florida Complex League Cardinals (10-12) fell to the FCL Astros (8-12, HOU) 9-5 on Saturday at Roger Dean Stadium Complex.  Starter Nelfy Ynfante threw 1 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits while walking two and striking out three to take his first loss this season.

The Astros struck first in the second with an RBI double, a two-RBI triple, a two-RBI single, and an RBI double.

The Cardinals earned one back in the third with Alejandro Loaiza’s solo homer to left field. The Cardinals continued to claw back into the game with Loaiza’s two-RBI single in the fourth and Yaisel Ramos stole home during the next at-bat.

Alejandro Loaiza

Samuel Fabian relieved Ynfante and allowed a solo home run in the fifth. Juan Severino replaced Fabian and in the top of the seventh, he allowed an RBI single and an RBI triple.

In the bottom of the seventh, Jonathan Mejia’s RBI single brought the deficit down to four, but it was not enough.

Loaiza went 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBI, and a run scored.  Travis Honeyman hit 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.  Mejia was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.  The Cardinals totaled five runs on eight hits with four walks and 12 strikeouts.

Fabian threw 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits while walking two and striking out four.  Severino gave up two runs on three hits while walking one and striking out three.  Randal Clemente threw two scoreless innings, yielding one hit and a walk while striking out two.  The Cardinals allowed nine runs on 15 hits while walking six and striking out 12.

The Cardinals are off Sunday.

Monday’s game: at FCL Marlins (12-6, MIA), TBD vs. TBD 11:00 CT.

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