photo: Josh Kross (Peoria Chiefs)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 4-2 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Peoria DH Josh Kross, crushed a home run and drove in five runs. Other standouts: Curtis Taylor, Yordalin Pena, Miguel Villarroel, Jason Savacool, Jan Cabrera, Alejandro Loaiza, and Jesus Perez.
Memphis Redbirds 2 at Durham Bulls 3
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds lost a close contest to the Bulls in Durham on Thursday.
Curtis Taylor made his 11th start for Memphis, his 18th appearance overall. The right-hander pitched six innings and allowed two runs on three hits, three walks, and a career-high 10 strikeouts. Taylor took the tough luck loss.
Chris Roycroft yielded a run across 1 ⅓ innings in relief of Taylor. Ryan Hernandez recorded two strikeouts for the final two outs of the bottom of the eighth inning.
Durham struck first with a run in the third inning. Memphis tied the game at one apiece in the sixth.
Nathan Church lined a double and scored on a Luken Baker single for a 1-1 game.
Baker delivers AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/gDQ0Y3tIM6
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) June 27, 2025
The Bulls regained the lead in the home half of the sixth and added an insurance run in the eighth to move ahead 3-1.
Down to their last three outs, Memphis looked to rally.
Jimmy Crooks ripped a one-out double. Matt Koperniak followed with a single to bring Crooks home and inch a run closer at 3-2.
Koperniak makes it interesting 👀 pic.twitter.com/EEaoyRbd2b
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) June 27, 2025
Memphis’ rally came up short in the loss.
The Redbirds scored two runs on eight hits, from eight different hitters. Crooks doubled and drove in a run. Koperniak tallied an RBI on a single. Church and Gavin Collins each recorded a double. Bryan Torres was the only Redbird unable to enter the hit column.
On the bases, César Prieto was caught stealing second base.
On defense, third baseman Collins committed a fielding error.
Memphis is 42-34 on the season, and 1-2 in the second half.
Friday’s game: at Durham, RHP Zach Plesac (0-3, 12.27) vs. TBA. 5:35 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals 0 at Wichita Wind Surge 5
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals were shut out for the second time in three days by the Wichita Wind Surge on Thursday.
Pete Hansen started his 14th game for Springfield. The left-hander pitched 3 ⅔ innings and allowed five runs on six hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. Hansen took the loss.
Ricardo Velez threw three shutout frames in relief of Hansen.
Luis Gastelum tossed 1 ⅓ innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Wichita plated a run in the bottom of the second to take an early 1-0 lead. Springfield looked to tie the game in the third.
Trey Paige led-off the frame with a single. Carlos Linarez doubled to put two runners in scoring position. JJ Wetherholt walked to load the bases. The rally fell short, due to a double play.
The Wind Surge scored four runs in the third inning to jump ahead 5-0.
Springfield was unable to create enough offensive momentum in the loss.
The Cardinals scored no runs on five hits. Linarez tallied the only Springfield extra-base hit, a double. Paige singled and walked. The lineup drew just two walks and struck out 10 times.
On the basepaths, Dakota Harris was caught stealing second base.
On defense, pitcher Hansen committed a pickoff error. Chase Davis threw a runner out at third base from center field.
Springfield is 43-29 on the season, and 0-3 in the second half.
Friday’s game: at Wichita, RHP Tink Hence (0-1, 1.20) vs. LHP Connor Prielipp (0-3, 3.44) 7:05 PM CT.
Peoria Chiefs 14, Beloit Sky Carp 5
The High-A Peoria Chiefs steamrolled the Beloit Sky Carp at Dozer Park on Thursday.
Jason Savacool started for Peoria. The right-hander pitched 5 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. Savacool collected his second win with the Chiefs, and holds a 2.35 ERA through three starts with the team.
Angel Gonzalez surrendered three runs across 1 ⅓ innings in relief of Savacool. Dionys Rodriguez tossed two scoreless frames to finish the game.
The Chiefs started the scoring with a three-run bottom of the second inning.
Ryan Campos drew a lead-off walk, and scored on a Josh Kross home run, his fourth with Peoria.
Josh Kross 2-run HR in Oat Milker style!
PEO 2 | BEL 0#peoriachiefs #oatmilkers pic.twitter.com/eDJT3TGhzu
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) June 27, 2025
Miguel Villarroel followed with a single and swiped second base. Won-Bin Cho looped a single to left field to score Villarroel and give the Chiefs a 3-0 lead.
Beloit grabbed one run back in the top of the third. Peoria responded with a 10-run home half of the third.
Travis Honeyman singled, Zach Levenson walked, and Ryan Campos hit a single to load the bases with no outs. Kross drew a bases-loaded walk to force Honeyman home for a 4-0 Chiefs lead. Villarroel singled home Levenson for the fifth Chiefs run.
Brayden Jobert hit a ground ball single to bring Campos home.
Kross touched home plate via a wild pitch, with Jobert and Villarroel to second base and third base, respectively, on the play. Tre Richardson walked to load the bases once more. Jon Jon Gazdar took the second bases-loaded walk of the inning to force Villarroel home. Honeyman walked in his second trip to the plate in the frame to score Jobert. Levenson drew a fourth bases-loaded walk for Richardson to cross home plate and put the Chiefs in double-digits in the run column. Kross plated Gazdar and Honeyman with a single for a 12-1 lead. Villarroel singled home Levenson for the 10th run of the frame.
The Sky Carp scored once in the sixth, and three in the top of the eighth to put a dent in the Chiefs’ lead. Peoria added a run in the bottom of the eighth.
Levenson was hit by a pitch, and moved to second base on a Campos groundout. Levenson advanced to third on a Kross flyout. Villarroel brought Levenson home with a single to stretch the lead to 14-5.
The Chiefs were 7-for-15 with runners in scoring position in the blowout win.
The Chiefs scored 14 runs on 11 hits. Kross was 2-for-3, including two walks, two runs scored, a two-run home run, and five RBI. Villarroel was 4-for-5, with two runs scored and three RBI. Honeyman singled, scored twice, and tallied an RBI. Jobert tallied two singles, a run scored, and an RBI. Cho singled and drove in a run. Levenson drew two walks, scored three runs, and tallied one RBI.
On the bases, Villarroel swiped his 20th bag of the season. Cho stole his eighth.
On defense, pitcher Savacool and shortstop Villarroel each made a throwing error. The Chiefs turned three double plays in the game.
Peoria is 28-43 on the season, and 2-4 in the second half.
Friday’s game: vs. Beloit, RHP Chen-Wei Lin (0-2, 4.32) vs. Karson Milbrandt (0-3, 2.92) 7:05 PM CT.
Palm Beach Cardinals 6 at Daytona Tortugas 5
The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals defeated the Daytona Tortugas with a late-inning comeback on Thursday.
Jacob Odle started for Palm Beach. The right-hander tossed three innings and allowed two runs on three hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.
Nelfy Ynfante surrendered three runs across four innings in relief of Odle. Yordy Herrera pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts to pick up his second win of the season.
Palm Beach was first to score with a two-run top of the second inning.
Cade McGee began the inning with a solo home run, his sixth of the season, for the first run of the game.
Jose Suarez followed with a double, and Yordalin Pena walked to put two runners on base. Following a double play, Johnfrank Salazar doubled to plate Suarez for a 2-0 Palm Beach lead.
Daytona tied the game with a pair of runs in the home half of the second, and moved in front 4-2 with another pair of runs in the fifth. The Cardinals moved within a run in the sixth.
McGee walked and stole second base. Pena lined his second triple of the season to score McGee and inch within a run at 4-3.
Daytona added a run in the home sixth to regain the two-run lead. Palm Beach tied the game in the eighth.
McGee began the frame with a double and scored on a throwing error following a Jose Suarez lineout. Pena tallied his second triple of the game and scored on a Sammy Hernandez double to tie the game at five.
The Cardinals took a one-run lead in the ninth.
Anyelo Encarnacion drilled his fifth home run of 2025 to put the Cardinals in front 6-5.
The Cardinals slugged eight extra-base hits in the comeback victory.
Palm Beach scored six runs on 10 hits. Pena was a perfect 3-for-3, including a walk, a run scored, two triples, and an RBI. McGee was 2-for-4, including a walk, a double, a home run, three runs scored, and an RBI. Encarnacion blasted the go-ahead home run. Salazar walked and tallied one RBI with a double. Pena tallied two triples.
On the bases, Romtres Cabrera stole his fourth bag of the season. McGee swiped his 16th. Bryce Madron was caught stealing second base.
Palm Beach did not commit an error on defense.
Palm Beach is 34-37 on the season, and 2-4 in the second half.
Friday’s game: RHP Nolan Sparks (2-5, 4.58) vs. RHP JeanPierre Ortiz (6-0, 1.88) 5:35 PM CT.
FCL Cardinals 5 at FCL Mets 4 (8 innings)
The Florida Complex League Cardinals edged the FCL Mets in eight innings on Thursday.
Ronny Oliver made his fourth start for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched four innings and allowed two runs on two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts.
Giovanni Vargas yielded two runs across 1 ⅔ innings in relief of Oliver. Bruno Lopez tossed 1 ⅓ scoreless frames to pick up his first win of the season, the 10th of his career. Catcher Alejandro Loaiza made his professional pitching debut, and tossed a scoreless eighth inning with a strikeout to earn his first save.
The Mets scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. The Cardinals answered with a three-run second inning.
Bracewell Taveras hit a lead-off single, and Andru Arthur followed with a walk. Arthur and Taveras advanced to second base and third base, respectively, on a Paulo Asprilla groundout. Yoerny Junco was hit by a pitch to load the bags. Daniel Rojas lined a single to bring Taveras and Arthur home and put the Cardinals in front 2-1.
Rojas swiped second base, and Junco scored via a wild pitch for a 3-1 Cardinals lead.
The Mets moved within a run in the home half of the second. The Cardinals regained their two-run lead in the fifth.
Yairo Padilla walked, and moved to second base on a Christian Martin groundout. Padilla moved to third base on a Jose Cordoba flyout, and scored on a passed ball to move the Cardinals ahead 4-2.
The Mets tied the game in the fifth. The game remained tied through the seven innings of regulation, forcing an eighth frame to be played. The Cardinals took a one-run lead in the eighth.
Cordoba began the inning at second base, and advanced to third base on an Arthur groundout. Asprilla reached base on a throwing error, with Cordoba scoring the go-ahead run on the play to give the Cardinals a 5-4 lead.
The Cardinals shut down the Mets in the home eighth to secure the win.
The FCL Cardinals scored five runs on five hits, all singles. Junco was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Rojas singled and tallied two RBI. Padilla walked twice, singled, and scored a run.
On the bases, Rojas swiped his sixth bag of the season. Junco snagged his fourth. Padilla stole his 23rd base.
The FCL Cardinals are 16-18 on the season. They will play a home contest at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, with the FCL Marlins on Friday.
Friday’s game: vs. FCL Marlins. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM CT.
DSL Cardinals 7 at DSL Twins 4
The Dominican Summer League Cardinals bested the DSL Twins on Friday.
Jan Cabrera started for the Cardinals. The right-hander threw four hitless, scoreless innings, on one walk and five strikeouts.
Jarol Baez hurled three shutout frames and fanned five in relief of Cabrera. Baez collected his second win of the year.
Kriscol Peralta made his professional debut and surrendered a run in ⅔ of an inning. Ricardo Fernandez yielded three unearned runs and recorded the final four outs.
The Cardinals broke the scoreless tie with a five-run top of the fourth inning.
Edward Guribe hit a lead-off double. Sebastian Dos Santos reached base on a throwing error, with Dos Santos to second base, and Guribe to third base as a result. Brayan Amoroso walked to load the bags. Johnny Chaparro singled to plate Guribe for the first run of the game. Jesus Perez belted a grand slam, his first professional home run, to unload the bags and put the Cardinals in front 5-0.
The Cardinals added a pair of runs in the sixth.
Amoroso singled and moved to second base via a fielding error. Chaparro followed with a single to bring Amoroso home for the Cardinals’ sixth run, with Chaparro to second base on the play.
Kenly Hunter hit the third single of the game to plate Chaparro for a 7-0 Cardinals lead.
The Cardinals held off a late ninth-inning Twins rally in the victory.
The DSL Cardinals scored seven runs on 12 hits. Perez was 2-for-4, including a grand slam and four RBI. Chaparro was 2-for-3, with two runs scored and two RBI. Guribe tallied three hits, including a double, and scored a run. Yaxson Lucena recorded a double.
On the bases, Miguel Hernandez stole his sixth base of the season.
Defensively, center fielder Hunter and shortstop Hernandez each committed a fielding error. Second baseman Dos Santos also committed a fielding error.
The DSL Cardinals are 11-7 on the season. They will play a home contest with the DSL NYY Bombers on Friday.
Friday’s game: vs. NYY Bombers. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 AM CT.
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