Cardinals Minor League Notebook – June 21, 2021

photo: Jhon Torres (Trevor Travis/Peoria Chiefs)

Offense was plentiful in St. Louis’ minors on Sunday with the four squads generating 30 runs on 47 hits, resulting in three wins – for Springfield, Peoria and Palm Beach. Player of the Day Jhon Torres’ late-game heroics made the difference for the Chiefs.

Results from games played Sunday, June 20th.

Memphis 7 at Indianapolis 8 (11)

Faulty relief pitching and defense led to the Redbirds’ 8-7 road defeat to Indianapolis (23-18) (PIT).  Memphis (16-26) won only one of the six-game series, falling into the Southeast Division cellar, 12 ½ games behind Durham (TB).

Charged with holding a 6-2 lead with six outs to go, Austin Warner and Connor Jones (BS,3) combined to give up four tallies, sending the game into extras.  Warner was inconsistent, escaping a two on/one out inherited jam in the seventh only to serve up four straight one-out hits, including a two-run blast, the next frame.

Jones entered needing just one out to halt the Indians’ momentum with the lead shrunk to 6-5 but yielded an RBI single, walk and hit batsman before getting that out.  The 26-year-old faced the minimum in the ninth before handing the ball to Jesus Cruz, who worked around a free pass issued in his inning of work.

Memphis went back ahead 7-6 in the home half of the 11th after Justin Williams singled home Scott Hurst, who began the inning at second.  Tyler Webb (L, 0-1) (BS,2) made quick work of his first two batters but a base-on-balls and RBI single re-tied the contest at 7-7.  The runner at first advanced to third on the single, racing home after an attempted tag by Redbirds third baseman Rayder Ascanio when the baserunner realized no one was covering home, scoring the game winner.

Zack Thompson tossed the first three frames, blanking his opponents on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the top of the fourth.  It was the first scoreless effort for the southpaw in eight games.  But Thompson’s biggest contribution came at the plate, a bases-loaded triple with two gone putting his team up 3-0 after two innings.

Zack Thompson

Roel Ramirez pitched two frames, permitting a tally on a hit and two walks.  Returnee Brandon Dickson retired four batters, allowing a run on two hits and a free pass issued before Warner replaced him.

The offense had more walks (10) than hits (seven) with Hurst reaching base three times via free passes despite going hitless in three at bats.  The only Redbird with a multi-hit performance was catcher Tyler Heineman, who went 2-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored out of the six hole.  Ascanio joined Hurst and Heineman in reaching base three times as well.  The 25-year-old singled once in two at bats, worked two free passes and touched home twice, batting eighth.

Monday’s game:  There are no scheduled MiLB games on Mondays this season
Tuesday’s game:  at Toledo (21-20) (DET), 6:05 pm CT, Tommy Parsons (1-3, 5.83)

Springfield 8 at Wichita 7

The S-Cards built an 8-1 lead then hung on to narrowly edge the Wind Surge, 8-7.  The victory gave Springfield (15-26) a split of the six-game series at first-place Wichita (23-19) (MIN) whom they trail by 7 ½ games in the North Division standings.

The visitors scored in five of the first six frames, banging out 15 hits in all, including seven for extra bases. The hit parade was led by third baseman Brendan Donovan, who went 4-for-5 including a double and two knocked in but was caught stealing in his only attempt.

Brendan Donovan

Four Springfield players garnered two hits each:  shortstop Delvin Perez, catcher Ivan Herrera, left fielder Nick Plummer and first baseman Luken Baker.  Perez smashed his first three-bagger, touching home twice in five at bats, while Herrera launched his fourth home run of 2021, one of his two hits in three at bats with a walk, run scored and RBI.  He also was hit by a pitch.

Plummer put up numbers in several offensive columns, going 2-for-4 with a base-on-balls, run scored, an RBI and a stolen base.  Baker singled twice in five at bats, scoring once.

Center fielder Justin Toerner’s only hit in four at bats in his return to Springfield from Memphis was a two-run long ball, his second of the season.  Right fielder Alec Burleson also went yard with the bases empty, one of the two times he scored.  Both players worked a free pass.

The beneficiary of Memphis’ offensive largess was starter Domingo Robles (W, 2-2).  The lefty held Wichita to a solo blast that was one of three hits yielded through five frames but sandwiched two more bombs around a hit batsman without retiring a sixth-inning batter.

Robles departed the field at that point, replaced by Michael Brettell, who recorded five outs.  The 23-year-old tossed a clean sixth but served up two home runs totaling three runs in all before exiting.  Edgar Escobar retired all seven batters faced, striking out three, for his fourth save.

Monday’s game:  There are no scheduled MiLB games on Mondays this season
Tuesday’s game:  at second-place Tulsa (22-19) (LAD), 7:05 pm CT, TBA (Alvaro Seijas?, 1-2, 8.03)

Peoria 6, Beloit 3

Late-innings firepower by Jhon Torres was the tie breaker as the Chiefs downed the Snappers, 6-3 at Dozer Park on Sunday afternoon.  Sixth-place Peoria (17-25) dropped the series versus third-place Beloit (21-21) (MIA), two games to four, and trail first-place Quad Cities (KC) by 11 games in the West Division standings.

With the game knotted at three all, Torres opened the seventh with his second long ball of 2021 then added a run-scoring single to cap his team’s two-run eighth.  The left fielder went 3-for-5 leading off with a double, home run, two runs scored and two driven in.

Jhon Torres

Third baseman Malcom Nunez matched Torres’ three-hit effort, singling three times in five at bats in the two slot, and touching home once.  The only other Chief with more than one of the team’s 13 hits was first baseman Brady Whalen, whose three-run bomb put his squad up 3-0 after one.  Whalen went 2-for-4 with the aforementioned bomb and three RBI plus stole his first bag of the season.

Nick Trogrlic-Iverson scattered six hits through five scoreless frames before running into difficulty.  The righty allowed a lead-off double and two-run home run, triggering Cory Thompson’s entry.  Thompson (W, 1-0) (BS, 1) surrendered a game-tying long ball, his only hit allowed versus three strikeouts in two innings.

Relievers Wilfredo Pereira and Paul Schwendel split pitching duties over the final two innings.  Pereira retired all three batters faced as did Schwendel, the latter striking out two for his first save in the Cardinals’ organization.

Monday’s game:  There are no scheduled MiLB games on Mondays this season
Tuesday’s game:  at fifth-place Wisconsin (18-23) (MIL), 7:05 pm CT, Jack Ralston (1-3, 3.44)

Palm Beach 9 at Daytona 4

Four late tallies broke open a tight match as the Beach Birds flew past the host Tortugas, 8-4.  Fourth-place Palm Beach (14-28) split the six-game series at third-place Daytona (18-14) (CIN) and are nine games off the pace set by St. Lucie (NYM).

In the back-and-forth contest, Daytona broke on top with a three-run second inning, but Palm Beach responded immediately with four scores the very next frame.  The Tortugas tied the game after five only for their guests to go back up 5-4 in the home half of the sixth.  Following a quiet seventh the PB-Cards composed a four-run eighth, the big blow being Jordan Walker’s three-run home run – his only hit in four at bats.

Jordan Walker

The Beach Birds banged out 12 hits, paced by Matt Koperniak who went 3-for-5 with a double.  Masyn Winn and Carlos Soto posted nearly identical lines, both going 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.  Winn doubled once with two RBI while Soto drove in one.

The third Palm Beach player with a two-hit game was Jacob Buchberger who singled twice in five at bats, touching home once and knocking in one.  Donivan Williams reached base twice, going 1-for-2 with a double, base-on-balls and two runs scored.

Levi Prater held his opponents scoreless in four of his six frames on the mound, picking up his first professional win in three decisions.  The southpaw fanned eight, yielding eight hits and a walk generating four runs.

Will Guay tossed seventh and eighth, permitting a hit and base-on-balls.  Recent signee Sean Kealey pitched a one-two-three ninth.

Monday’s game:  There are no scheduled MiLB games on Mondays this season
Tuesday’s game:   vs. Fort Myers (25-17) (SD), 6:30 pm ET, Gustavo J Rodriguez (0-1, 6.46)


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