Cardinals Minor League Notebook – June 4, 2021

Photo: Conner Capel (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Connor Capel’s bat helped Memphis to a double-header sweep, two of three victories in five games for St Louis’ minors on Thursday.  Palm Beach walked off with a win of their own but Springfield and Peoria both went down to defeat, the latter despite Brendan Donovan’s noteworthy night at the plate.

Results from games played Thursday, June 3rd

Memphis 10 vs Toledo 6 (7) – game one
Memphis 3 vs Toledo 2  (7) – game two
The Redbirds swept a pair from the Mud Hens at AutoZone Park on Thursday, 10-6 and 3-2, the latter in walk off fashion.  Memphis (10-16) takes a two-games-to-one series’ lead with three on tap and now claim sole possession of fifth place in the Southeast Division, 10 ½ games behind Nashville (MIL).

Offense propelled the home team to victory in the opener which featured a combined 16 runs and 24 hits.  All nine starters reached base, led by designated hitter Ali Sanchez who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and two driven in.

Three Redbirds garnered two hits each:  first baseman John Nogowski, shortstop Evan Mendoza and centerfielder Conner Capel.  Nogowski and Mendoza both singled twice in four at bats and crossed home twice, Nogowski adding two RBI.  Capel went 2-for-3 with a double, his first triple, a walk, a run scored and one knocked in.

Two more Memphis players contributed to the cause.  Second baseman Kramer Robertson reached base twice, doubling once in three at bats with a base-on-balls, run scored and RBI.  Right fielder Justin Toerner’s Triple-A debut saw him launch a two-run home run, his only hit in three at bats.

Justin Toerner

Tommy Parsons (W, 1-1) was the beneficiary of the offensive largess, picking up the win despite allowing six runs on 11 hits, including a solo long ball.  He did not issue a free pass.  Connor Jones faced the minimum in the seventh, striking out two.

Pitching highlighted the nightcap, a make-up contest that was washed away on June 1st.  Austin Warner toed the rubber, his first 2021 start after seven relief appearances.  The lefty limited Toledo to a two-run second inning, yielding three hits, two base-on-balls and plunking a batter over 4 1/3 frames.

Roel Ramirez recorded five outs, four via the K, giving up a hit and stranding an inherited runner.  Evan Kruczynski tossed a one-two-three seventh, putting him in line for his second win in as many decisions after his teammates walked it off in the bottom of the inning.

Contrasting with the 13 hits Memphis banged out in game one, the Redbirds accumulated just five in the finale.  Capel got his team on the board with a solo shot in the home half of the second.  The bomb was one of the centerfielder’s two hits in three at bats, adding his second triple of the season and driving in two.  For his combined efforts in the twinbill, Capel earns the Player of the Day nod.

Conner Capel

Capel’s second triple of both the day and season drove in Nogowski after the latter greeted a new Mud Hens hurler with a third-inning double.  The game remained tied at 2-2 until left fielder Rayder Ascanio opened the seventh with a moon shot over the left center wall for the walk off win.

Friday’s game:  vs Toledo (12-14)(DET), 7:10  pm CT, Connor Thomas (1-2, 4.62)

Springfield 1 vs San Antonio 9
It was a long night for S-Cards pitchers as they were drubbed by the Missions, 9-1.  Springfield (7-19) has claimed one of the first three series’ games with three yet to play.  The S-Cards, who remain in fifth and last place in the five-team North Division, trail Tulsa (LAD) by 8 ½ games.

Starter Domingo Robles (L, 0-1) was charged with the unlucky loss despite both tallies he gave up being unearned.  The 23-year-old fanned four over 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and no walks.

Robles may have been tagged with the loss but the bullpen let the game get out of hand.  Jacob Bosiokovic permitted three scores on two hits and a free pass issued against four outs recorded.  The right-hander did leave Robles’ last runner aboard.

Michael Brettell was also scored upon, allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings.  Jacob Patterson recorded the ninth’s final out, working around a base-on-balls that jammed the sacks full.

Springfield’s only tally gave them an early 1-0 lead after two but the advantage evaporated.  Luken Baker’s fourth home run of 2021 was his only hit in three at bats.  Nolan Gorman was the only S-Card with more than one of the team’s five hits, singling and doubling in four at bats.

Luken Baker

Defensively, the home team committed four miscues leading to three unearned scores.  Third baseman Imeldo Diaz, second baseman Gorman plus pitchers Robles and Bosiokovic were the culprits.

Friday’s game:   vs San Antonio (13-14)(SD),  7:05 pm CT, Kyle Leahy (0-4, 15.98)

Peoria 7 at Wisconsin 8
The Chiefs came out on the wrong end of a see-saw road contest, falling to the Timber Rattlers, 8-7.  Peoria trails in the series, one game to two, and sit in sixth place in the six-team West Division stands, 6 ½ behind Quad Cities (KC).

A two-run first gave Peoria an early advantage, but Wisconsin responded with five runs off starter Nick Trogrlic-Iverson, going up 5-2 after three.  Trogrlic-Iverson did not finish the second, all five tallies generated by five hits and four free passes issued.

Enmanuel Solano stranded two inherited runners, limiting the damage to Trogrlic-Iverson but was tagged for a run on three hits and a base-on-balls during his 3 1/3 innings of work.

That run put the hosts up 6-2 through five frames but Peoria had one last offensive push in them.  The Chiefs exploded for a five-run sixth capped by Brendan Donovan’s grand slam, going back in front 7-6 after six.

Brendan Donovan

Wisconsin had the final response, scoring a run in the seventh and eighth.  The tallies were charged to Fabian Blanco (L, 2-1)(BS, 1) who allowed five hits and retired eight batters.  Jacob Schlesener was on the mound when Blanco’s last base runner was caught stealing second.

Donovan had a big game for his team, going 3-for-5 with a double and the aforementioned blast that was one of his two runs scored and all four of his RBI’s.

Eight of nine starters either had at least one of Peoria’s ten hits or seven base-on-balls.  Centerfielder Tyler Reichenborn and shortstop Moises Castillo had two hits apiece, in three and five at bats respectively.  Brady Whalen launched his third long ball of 2021, his only hit in three at bats.

Friday’s game:  at Wisconsin (14-13)(MIL),  7:05 pm CT,  Jack Ralston (1-2, 2.21)

Palm Beach 5 vs Jupiter 4
Donivan Williams’ single drove in Tommy Jew in the ninth, giving the Beach Birds a 5-4 walk off victory over the Hammerheads.  Palm Beach (8-19) has claimed two of the first three games of the series with three to go.

The victory allowed fourth (and last) place Palm Beach to gain a game on first-place St. Lucie (NYM) whom they trail by eight games in the East Division standings.

Williams’ one-out single, his only hit in three at bats, easily brought Jew across home plate after the latter walked to open the frame.  Jew’s successful steal of second prompted an errant throw by Jupiter’s pitcher, advancing the right fielder to third.

Palm Beach generated eight hits, Todd Lott and Jacob Buchberger acquiring two apiece.  Lott doubled twice in four at bats, touching home once and Buchberger went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI.  Jew’s sole hit in three at bats was his first career long ball which came with the bases empty.

Todd Lott

Defensively, the home team committed three errors.  Shortstop Masyn Winn was charged with both a throwing and fielding bobble while third baseman Darlyn Del Villar could not field the ball cleanly once.

That Beach Birds’ defense hindered their pitching staff’s efforts, resulting in three unearned tallies.  Starter Levi Prater was tagged with one of those unearned scores, the only run he allowed along with two hits and three walks through 4 1/3 frames.  The lefty fanned seven.

That run scored with Edwin Nunez on the bump, the righty charged with a run of his own, earned, on two hits and three base-on-balls in two innings.  Hector Soto recorded seventh’s last two outs but not before Nunez’ final base runner crossed home plate.  Soto gave up two hits and a walk in his maiden 2021 effort.

Dionys Rodriguez (BS, 1) was tasked with holding a 4-2 lead after seven but could not pitch around defensive lapses leading to two unearned runs that frame to go with two hits permitted.  Will Guay (W, 2-0) worked around his own wildness, tossing a clean ninth despite walking three and throwing a wild pitch.

Friday’s game: vs Jupiter (13-14) MIA(),  6 :30 pm ET, TBA


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