On a 5-3 Thursday across the St. Louis Cardinals system, our Player of the Day, center fielder Joerlin De Los Santos, topped even Matt Carpenter with his 6-for-6 performance for the Dominican Summer League Red, leading an offense that pounded out a total of 20 hits.
Results from the games played Thursday, June 28th.
Memphis 7 at Colorado Springs 5
The Redbirds rallied for a 7-5 victory over Colorado Springs (43-35) (MIL), giving them a split of the four-game road series. Memphis (48-32) leads Nashville (OAK) by 9 ½ in the American Southern Division.
All seven runs were generated once the visitors got their hosts’ starting pitcher out of the game in the seventh and reversed a 2-0 deficit. Rangel Ravelo paced the offense, going 3-for-3 with a double, walk, run scored and two RBI. He was also hit by a pitch.
But most of the results were produced by two two-run home runs, one by Carson Kelly and the other by Tyler O’Neill. The long ball was one of Kelly’s two hits in three at bats to go with a base-on-balls while O’Neill’s bomb was his only hit in five at bats. O’Neill has gone deep in three straight contests and has 21 in total in 63 games between Memphis and St. Louis.
The rally also left Dakota Hudson, newly named as the Pacific Coast League’s starting pitcher for the upcoming 2018 Triple-A All-Star Game, in line for his league-leading 11th win in 13 decisions. Hudson held the Sky Sox to six hits and two walks through six, the only damage against him occurring in a two-run third inning.
Conner Greene followed Hudson to the mound for an inning of work and was touched for two runs, one earned, on a hit and walk. Andrew Morales struck out three in 1 2/3 but yielded a run on two hits before southpaw Tommy Layne struck out his only batter for his second save.
Friday’s game: at Iowa (29-49) (CHC), 7:08 pm CT, Kevin Herget (4-6, 4.23)
Springfield 4 at Frisco 5 (10)
The S-Cards opened their three-game road series at Frisco by suffering a 5-4 walk-off loss in 10. Springfield has won only one of their seven second-half games and sit in fourth (and last) place in the North Division, 4 ½ games behind Arkansas (SEA) and Tulsa (LAD).
In the see-saw battle, the Rough Riders landed the initial blow, scoring twice in the first. But Springfield pushed across three tallies split over the third and fourth frames to go up 3-2. Frisco tied it up in the home half of the seventh before taking their second lead the next inning. The S-Cards re-knotted the game at four all in the top of the ninth but the home team had the final answer.
Two S-Cards each had two of the team’s 10 hits; Tommy Edman and Andrew Knizner both went 2-for-4. Edman swiped his 15th base of 2018 while Knizner doubled for the 10th time with a base-on-balls and two driven in. John Nogowski singled once in three at bats with two walks and a run scored in his return from the disabled list but the first baseman was one of three Springfield players to commit a miscue, along with shortstop Edman and third baseman Evan Mendoza. Right fielder Johan Mieses was hitless in five at bats in his Springfield debut.
It took a quartet of Springfield hurlers to navigate the contest, beginning with Connor Jones who gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits and three free passes over seven innings. Two of the three tallies were the products of a first-inning home run.
Ramon Santos recorded two outs, yielding a run on a hit and base-on-balls. Jacob Evans left Santos’ last runner on base and retired four batters while walking one. Yeison Medina (L, 0-3) did not record an out, allowing a bunt single to third which Mendoza bobbled that let the extra-inning’s lead-off runner score from second.
Friday’s game: at Frisco (4-3) (TEX), 7:05 pm CT, Mike O’Reilly (2-2, 4.20)
The Beach Birds capitalized on nine hits and 10 walks to fly past the Marauders, 11-2, in the decisive third game of the home series. Second-place Palm Beach (4-3) trails Fort Myers (MIN) by one game in the second-half division standings.
The score was knotted at two all until the PB-Cards poured on nine runs over the last five innings. Brian O’Keefe led the way by reaching base all five times he came to the plate. The catcher singled twice in two at bats with three free passes, crossed home four times and drove in two.
Dylan Carlson’s fourth Florida State League long ball came with Shane Billings (double) aboard and was one of his two hits in three at bats. The designated hitter worked two free passes, scored three times and knocked in two. Third baseman Taylor Bryant led the RBI category, with four while going 3-for-5.
Jake Walsh (W, 3-1) was solid in his fifth start for Palm Beach, shutting down Bradenton (2-5) over his last four innings after a two-run first frame. The Florida native gave up five hits and two walks while fanning five.
Jacob Patterson retired all five batters faced before handing the ball off to Robbie Gordon who yielded two hits in 1 1/3. Will Latcham tossed a one-two-three ninth.
Friday’s game: at third-place Jupiter (3-3) (MIA), 6:30 pm ET, TBA
Home runs by Elehuris Montero and Matt Fiedler lifted the Chiefs past the Snappers, 4-1, in the road series opener. Peoria (6-2) is just a half of a game off the pace set by Cedar Rapids (MIN) in the Western Division.
It must have been a good night for the long ball in Beloit on Thursday as three of the Chiefs’ four scores and the Snappers’ only tally came from home runs. Fiedler’s solo shot got the scoring started in the fourth while Montero’s two-run blast with Jose Martinez (walk) aboard in the seventh capped the scoring. Montero, Rayder Ascanio and J.R. Davis had two hits apiece with Ascanio and Montero touching home once.
In the ‘Timing Is Everything’ category Peoria hurlers gave up 10 hits in all, one more than Peoria’s offense had, but held their opponents to just the one home run. That bomb came off starter Alex Fagalde (W, 3-2), who scattered six hits and a walk over six innings. Kodi Whitley permitted three hits over the next two frames while C.J. Saylor worked around a hit and base-on-balls for his first full-season save.
Friday’s game: at fourth-place Beloit (4-4) (OAK), 7:00 pm CT, Paul Balestrieri (3-3, 4.37)
State College 2 at Williamsport 4
The Spikes dropped their away-home-away series opener to the Crosscutters, 4-2. It is the 10th loss in their first 13 games for last-place State College.
Angel Rondon (L, 0-2) tossed a solid effort, permitting two runs on seven hits and a walk through 5 2/3. Jacob Schlesener retired all four batters faced, leaving Rondon’s last two runners on base. But Cory Malcom allowed two tallies on two hits and an intentional base-on-balls in the eighth.
State College managed just four hits and three walks for the game. Delvin Perez and Wadye Infante posted identical lines, going 0-for-3 with a walk and run scored. Edwin Figuera was credited with an RBI when he got plunked with the sacks jammed, forcing in Perez.
Friday’s game: vs. Williamsport (7-5) (PHI), 7:05 pm ET, Jim Voyles (0-1, 3.24)
The last-place JC-Cards (3-5) were downed by the first-place Mets, 7-3, in the first of three games between the division rivals.
Starting at his third level this season after appearing in both the Dominican Summer and Gulf Coast Leagues, Dionis Zamora (L, 0-1) pitched well in defeat. The 21-year-old yielded two runs, one earned, on three hits and two free passes over 5 1/3. One of his three hits given up was a solo home run.
Zamora’s last runner scored with Junior Gonzalez on the bump, under whom the offensive floodgates opened. Gonzalez was charged with five runs on four hits and a walk in 2/3 plus-innings. Parker Kelly retired all three batters faced but not before two inherited runners touched home. Jacob Sylvester tossed a one-two-three eighth.
Catcher Zach Jackson had half of his team’s hits, going 2-for-3 with a base-on-balls and run scored. Third baseman Nolan Gorman singled once in three at bats, worked a free pass and scored once.
Friday’s game: at Kingsport (7-1) (NYM), 6:30 pm ET, TBA
GCL Cardinals – off
The first-place Gulf Coast League Cardinals (6-2), losers of their last two games after beginning their season on a six-game winning streak, will look to get back on track against the fifth-place Astros. The Gulf Cardinals hold a slim half-game advantage over the Mets in the East Division.
Friday’s game: at GCL Astros (2-7), 12:00 pm ET, TBA
DSL Cardinals Blue 2 at DSL Mets1 1
Walks proved key in the C-Blue’s low-scoring 2-1 victory over the Mets1. It was the fifth straight win for the DSL Cardinals Blue (17-6), which lead the South Division by two games over the Twins.
With each squad’s pitching staff holding the opponents to just four hits, the game boiled down to the five free passes issued by the Mets1’ hurlers versus three issued by the C-Blues. All three of the game’s tallies were scored by a runner who reached base via a base-on-balls.
Center fielder Diomedes Del Rio opened the game with a walk and scored on first baseman Jean Selmo’s two-out double. Six innings later, designated hitter Yowelfy Rosario worked a walk with one gone. Rosario’s steal of second put him in position to score when second baseman Ramon Mendoza singled to left. That run broke a 1-1 tie and put 18-year-old Francis Ventura in line for his first win of 2018.
Ventura (W, 1-2) scattered three hits and three walks over six frames, resulting in one run. The righty fanned four. Luis Tena faced the minimum in the seventh while Angel Ortega tossed two clean innings for his first save.
Friday’s game: vs. DSL Mets1 (12-11), 10:30 am ET, Inohan Paniagua (1-1, 6.40)
Cardinals Red 13 vs. DSL Tigers1 1
The C-Reds scored in each of the first four innings on their way to a 13-1 romp over the Tigers1. The DSL Cardinals Red (12-11) are in third place in the San Pedro Division and trail the Brewers by four games.
The home team exploded for 20 hits, led by Player of the Day Joerlin De Los Santos, who was a perfect 6-for-6 with a double and three runs scored while leading off. The 17-year-old center fielder knocked in two and swiped his 11th bag of the season.
Close behind De Los Santos was designated hitter Claudio Ramirez, who reached base five times, going 3-for-3 with two walks, a double, three runs scored and drove in one. Three C-Reds had two hits each: Luis Montano, who doubled twice in four at bats, Francisco Hernandez, who went 2-for-4 with a solo shot and Sander Mora, who singled twice in six at bats with two runs scored and an RBI.
Starter Martin Cordova followed up his professional debut in which he tossed six shutout frames by limiting his opponents to a run on six hits and two walks through 5 1/3. The 19-year-old struck out six.
Rodard Avelino finished the sixth, stranding one inherited runner. Miguel Maiz fanned four over the final three innings for his first save as a professional.
Friday’s game: at DSL Tigers1 (9-14), 10:30 am ET, Ronald Suarez (0-2, 6.75)
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