Cardinals Minor League Notebook – June 23, 2025

photo: Tekoah Roby (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 2-2 on Sunday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis starting pitcher Tekoah Roby, fired six scoreless innings with five strikeouts en route to his first Triple-A win. Other standouts: Nathan Church, Brody Moore, Hancel Rincon, Josh Kross, and Cade McGee.

Results for games played on Sunday, June 22:

Memphis Redbirds 9, Norfolk Tides 0

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds clobbered the Norfolk Tides and secured the series split at AutoZone Park on Sunday to wrap up the first half of the season.

Tekoah Roby made his third start for the Redbirds, and his 13th overall on the season. The right-hander fired six scoreless innings on three hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Roby earned his first Triple-A win.

Tekoah Roby

Chris Roycroft fanned two across two innings in relief of Roby. Ryan Fernandez finished the game with a scoreless ninth inning.

Memphis set the tone early with a three-run bottom of the first inning. Nathan Church hit a lead-off triple, and scored on a José Fermín single.

Jimmy Crooks followed with a single to put two runners on. César Prieto tallied the third single of the inning to bring Fermín home for the second run of the game, with Crooks to third base on the play.

Brody Moore lined a second consecutive single to plate Crooks for a 3-0 Redbirds lead.

Memphis scored a pair of runs in the third inning to move ahead by five runs.

Matt Koperniak singled to lead-off the frame. Prieto bunted for a single, and advanced to third base on the play due to a throwing error, with Koperniak home on the play for the fourth Memphis run. Prieto crossed home plate on a wild pitch to put the Redbirds in front 5-0.

The Redbirds added a run in the fifth. Bryan Torres crushed his fourth home run on the year, a solo shot, for a 6-0 Memphis lead.

Bryan Torres

Memphis extended the lead further with a trio of runs in the eighth.

Church lined his second triple of the day, and came home on a Fermín sacrifice fly. Crooks and Luken Baker followed with back-to-back walks. Moore doubled Crooks and Baker home to stretch the Redbirds’ lead to 9-0.

Brody Moore

Memphis tallied four two-out RBI in the dominant victory.

The Redbirds scored nine runs on 14 hits. Moore was 3-for-5, including a double and three RBI. Fermín was 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and two RBI. Torres drove in one on a solo home run.

Nathan Church

Church tallied three hits, including two triples, and scored twice. The outfielder is hitting .426 with the Redbirds, and has drawn more walks (8) than strikeouts (6).

On the bases, Fermín stole two bags to increase his season total to 18. The Redbirds did not commit an error on defense.

Memphis finished the first half of the season with a 41-32 record, and a third place finish in the International League West Division.

The Redbirds will travel to Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina, to begin the second half with a six-game set against the Durham Bulls on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: at Durham (TB). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 3, Corpus Christi Hooks 1

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals finished the first half of the season with their fifth consecutive win over the Corpus Christi Hooks at Hammons Field on Sunday.

Hancel Rincon started his second game for Springfield, and 11th game overall on the season. The right-hander pitched six innings and allowed one run on one hit, three walks, and a career-high 11 strikeouts. Rincon improved to a 2-0 record with the Double-A team on his third win in total this season.

Hancel Rincón

Andrew Marrero struck out two in the seventh inning. Austin Love tossed a scoreless eighth inning. Left-hander Nick Raquet struck out the side in the ninth inning to pick up his third save.

After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning, the Cardinals tied the game in the home half of the first.

Noah Mendlinger drew a lead-off walk, and advanced to third base on a JJ Wetherholt single. Mendlinger scored on a Leonardo Bernal double-play ball to tie the game at one apiece.

Springfield took the lead in the bottom of the third.

Darlin Moquete reached base via a fielding error. Mendlinger drew his second walk of the game to put two runners on base. Moquete swiped third base, and touched home plate on the play due to a throwing error from the Hooks’ pitcher to put the Cardinals in front 2-1, with Mendlinger to second base on the play.

The Cardinals added an insurance run in the eighth.

Mendlinger singled, and advanced to second base and third base on groundouts from Wetherholt and Bernal. Joshua Baez doubled to bring Mendlinger to the plate for a 3-1 Springfield lead.

Joshua Baez

Springfield’s pitching allowed just one first-inning hit in the game en route to the victory.

The Cardinals scored three runs on six hits. Baez was 2-for-4, with a double and one RBI. Dakota Harris collected two hits, including a double. Mendlinger walked twice, scored two runs, and notched a single.

On the bases, Moquete stole his 11th base. Harris swiped his 10th.

On defense, shortstop Rivas committed a fielding error.

The Cardinals finished the first half with a record of 43-26, setting a franchise record in first-half wins.

The Cardinals’ final homestand of the first half was dominant, as the team won 11 of 12.

Springfield will travel to Equity Bank Park in Wichita, Kansas, to begin the second half with a six-game series against the Wichita Wind Surge on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: at Wichita (MIN). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 5 at Great Lakes Loons 6

The High-A Peoria Chiefs lost a close contest to the Great Lakes at Dow Diamond in Sunday’s series finale.

Jose Davila made his 13th start for the Chiefs. The right-hander threw 4 ⅓ innings and allowed five runs on four hits, two walks and a season-high eight strikeouts. Davila took the loss.

Jawilme Ramirez yielded a run and recorded two outs in relief of Davila. D.J. Carpenter tossed a scoreless frame with a strikeout. Zack Showalter followed with a pair of punchouts in a shutout inning. Hunter Hayes tossed a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning.

Zach Levenson walked to begin the frame. Brayden Jobert reached base on a forceout play, with Levenson out at second base. Jobert stole second base, and moved to third base on a Miguel Villarroel single. Graysen Tarlow brought Jobert home on a sacrifice fly.

The Loons plated three runs in the bottom of the third, and another trio of runs in the fifth to move ahead 6-1. The Chiefs answered with a four-run seventh to move within a run.

Tarlow and Michael Curialle took back-to-back walks to begin the inning. Won-Bin Cho singled to score Tarlow for the Chiefs’ second run of the game.

Won-Bin Cho

With two outs, Josh Kross launched his third Chiefs home run, a three-run blast, to narrow the gap to one run at 6-5.

Josh Kross

Peoria had the tying run on base in the ninth, but was unable to score.

The Chiefs scored five runs on seven hits. Kross tallied three RBI on a three-run home run. Tarlow did not record an official at-bat, as he drew three walks, scored a run, and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Cho singled, walked, scored a run, and tallied an RBI. Levenson recorded two walks and two singles.

On the basepaths, Jobert swiped his seventh bag, and was caught stealing second base.

On defense, shortstop Villarroel made a throwing error. Center fielder Cho committed a fielding error.

Peoria is 27-41 on the season, and 1-2 in the second half. They reside in third place in the Midwest League West to start the second half, and are one game back of first place. The Chiefs will head back home to Dozer Park to begin a six-game set with the Beloit Sky Carp on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: vs. Beloit (MIA). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 7 at St. Lucie Mets 8 (11 innings)

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals fell in extra innings to the St. Lucie Mets on the road in Sunday’s series finale, the team’s third consecutive loss.

Leonel Sequera made his 14th start for Palm Beach. The right-hander tossed four innings and allowed three runs on five hits, one walk, and five strikeouts.

Yordy Herrera yielded one run across two hitless innings in relief of Sequera. Randel Clemente fanned three and gave up a run in two frames. Mason Burns allowed an unearned run with a pair of strikeouts over two innings. Left-hander Jack Findlay surrendered two unearned runs in the 11th inning, and secured just one out. Ernie Day followed and did not record an out, as he issued two walks to bring home the winning run. Findlay was charged with a blown save and took the loss.

Palm Beach struck first with a run in the top of the second inning. Luis Pino drew a walk, and scored on a Cade McGee double for the first run of the game.

Cade McGee

The Mets took a 3-1 with a three-run third inning. The Cardinals jumped back in front with three runs in the fourth.

Rainiel Rodriguez walked, and Pino followed with a single. Pino and Rodriguez advanced to second base and third base, respectively, on a McGee flyout. Jose Suarez doubled home Rodriguez and Pino to tie the game at three.

José Suarez

Suarez advanced to third base on a Bryce Madron groundout, and scored on a wild pitch to move the Cardinals ahead 4-3.

St. Lucie tied the game in the sixth, and moved in front by a run in the seventh. The Cardinals tied the game once more in the eighth.

Matt Lloyd walked, and moved to second base on a Rodriguez single. Lloyd took third base via a passed ball. Pino was hit by a pitch to load the bases. McGee brought Lloyd home with a single to tie the game at five.

The game remained deadlocked at five to force extra innings. Palm Beach grabbed the lead in the top of the 10th.

Jonathan Mejia began the inning at second base. Rainiel Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Pino lined a single to score Mejia and give Palm Beach a 6-5 lead.

Luis Piño

St. Lucie plated a run in the 10th to knot the score at six, prompting an 11th inning. The Cardinals regained the lead for the fourth time in the game in the 11th.

Suarez began the frame at second base, and Lloyd drew a walk to put two on base. Anyelo Encarnacion singled home Suarez to move Palm Beach ahead 7-6.

Anyelo Encarnacion

The Cardinals were unable to hold the lead, as the Mets pushed across two runs to walk-off the game in the bottom of the 11th.

Palm Beach scored seven runs on nine hits. McGee was 2-for-5, including a double and two RBI. Suarez singled, scored twice, and drove in two runs. Pino went 2-for-3, with a walk, two runs scored, and one RBI. Encarnacion tallied two singles and an RBI.

On the bases, McGee was caught stealing third base, and was picked off at second base.

On defense, second baseman Johnfrank Salazar committed a fielding error after entering the game in the 10th inning.

Palm Beach is 32-26 on the season, and 0-3 in the second half. They will travel to Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida, to begin a six-game series with the Daytona Tortugas on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: at Daytona (CIN). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 5:35 PM CT.

FCL Cardinals (off-day)

The Florida Complex League Cardinals were off on Saturday and Sunday, as they prepared for a home contest with the FCL Marlins on Monday.

The Cardinals enter play on Monday following two consecutive wins over the FCL Nationals.

The FCL Cardinals are 14-16 on the season, and reside in third place in the Florida Complex League East Division.

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

DSL Cardinals (off-day)

The Dominican Summer League Cardinals were off on Sunday, as they prepared for a home contest with the DSL White Sox on Monday.

The Cardinals enter play on Monday looking to snap a two-game skid.

The DSL Cardinals are 7-7 on the season. They reside in fourth place in the DSL Southeast Division.

Monday’s game: vs. DSL White Sox. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 AM CT.


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