photo: Paul Balestrieri (Allison Rhoades/Peoria Chiefs)
Of course, the no-hitter spun by Peoria’s Paul Balestrieri leads the way, but the St. Louis Cardinals system had a good Thursday across the board, sweeping all five games played.
Results from the games played Thursday, June 7th.
Starter Dakota Hudson and a trio of relievers combined on a three-hitter as the Redbirds blanked the Rainiers, 6-0, in the decisive third game of the series. Memphis (37-24) sits atop the American Southern Division, a healthy 6 ½ games in front of Nashville (OAK).
Hudson (W, 7-2) bounced back from a rare sub-par outing last time out against New Orleans with six impressive frames. The 23-year-old held Tacoma (29-32) (SEA) to three hits and two walks with four strikeouts, nine ground- and four fly-ball outs.
The tall right-hander was joined in the shutout by a couple of rehabbing St. Louis hurlers, Matt Bowman and Greg Holland. Bowman began his rehab stint with a one-two-three seventh featuring two ground- and one fly-ball out. Holland, appearing in his first game for Memphis after two Palm Beach efforts at the start of the season, sandwiched two walks around a fly out and pop out before another fly out to left finished the eighth. Andrew Morales worked around back-to-back free passes to handle the ninth.
Five Redbirds each garnered two of the team’s 12 hits: Max Schrock, Patrick Wisdom, Tyler O’Neill, Alex Mejia and Carson Kelly. Schrock and Kelly both touched home once while Wisdom scored twice. Schrock, Mejia and O’Neill all knocked in one with Wisdom and O’Neill working a free pass.
The only one of the 12 hits to go for extra bases was a double by Oscar Mercado. The designated hitter went 1-for-4 with a walk, double, run scored and two RBI.
Friday’s game: vs. Reno (27-34) (ARI), 7:05 pm CT, Kevin Herget (3-5, 3.97)
Springfield 5 at Northwest Arkansas 3
Two late tallies broke a 3-3 tie, sending the S-Cards to a 5-3 victory over the Naturals. The win both gives Springfield (30-29) a two-games-to-one series lead with one game remaining and moves them into a first-place tie with Arkansas (SEA) with 11 games remaining in the first half.
Thomas Spitz tripled to begin the eighth, the second of his two hits in four at bats. A tie-breaking sac fly by Tommy Edman brought Spitz across home for Edman’s second RBI. The shortstop earlier launched his fourth bomb to give his team a 3-1 advantage. It was his only hit in three at bats.
Lane Thomas relaunched the scoring when he singled with two gone, his sole hit in four at bats. Evan Mendoza’s double drove Thomas in for the final score.
The visitors took a 2-0 lead after four, thanks in part to Mendoza’s first Double-A home run. The third baseman went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two knocked in. Chris Chinea was the final S-Card to go 2-for-4, as he doubled for the ninth time this season and scored.
Connor Jones pitched a quality effort, yielding six hits and three walks over six, resulting in three tallies. Jones fanned four. Chris Ellis picked up his fourth win against no losses with a one-two-three seventh before Colton Thomson tossed the final two frames for his second save.
Friday’s game: at Northwest Arkansas (28-31) (KC), 7:05 pm CT, Anthony Shew (2-1, 5.82)
Palm Beach 3 at Fort Myers 3 (suspended)
The series finale between the Beach Birds and the Miracle was suspended due to rain with the game tied at three all. Palm Beach (33-21) has won the first three contests and risen to the top of the South Division, a half of a game ahead of Jupiter (MIA).
The game will be resumed in Palm Beach on Monday at 5 PM. The originally scheduled nine-inning game will follow.
The game was in the home half of the seventh with a runner at second and one gone. Eric Carter was on the mound, having recorded two outs and given up a single.
Ian Oxnevad went the initial 5 2/3, permitting three runs on seven hits and three bases-on-balls. Two of the three tallies allowed were generated by two home runs. Oxnevad’s final stat line was aided when Carter stranded his last two base runners.
Palm Beach has seven hits so far. Second baseman Andy Young is the only one with a multi-hit effort. Young is 2-for-3 with a solo bomb and scored twice. Johan Mieses doubled with a run scored and RBI.
Friday’s game: vs. Daytona (32-23) (CIN), 6:30 pm ET, TBA
Paul Balestrieri threw a no hitter as the Chiefs shut out the Cougars, 8-0 in the rubber match of the three-game series. Peoria (34-26) clings to a half game lead over Clinton (SEA) in the Western Division of the Midwest League. Quad Cities (HOU) and Kane County (30-28) (ARI) on their heels.
Balestrieri’s dominant performance was just the fourth solo no-hitter in franchise history. The only player to reach against the righty resulted from a two-base error by first baseman Yariel Gonzalez in the initial inning of play. Balestrieri (W, 2-2) struck out six with a whopping 15 ground outs to five fly-ball outs. It took the obvious Player of the Day just 100 pitches to complete his masterpiece and he threw 65 of them for strikes.
Scott Hurst quickly put the Chiefs on the scoreboard with a first-inning solo shot, his only hit in four at bats. Peoria added three more in the third before scoring two tallies each in the seventh and ninth.
Peoria banged out 13 hits in all with five Chiefs having two hits apiece: Angel Moreno, Yariel Gonzalez, Nick Plummer, Matt Fiedler and Jose Martinez. Moreno blasted his first home run of 2018 with Dennis Ortega aboard in the ninth, one of his two runs scored and three RBI. Fresh off the disabled list, Nick Plummer had what may have been his best night at the plate all season, as the left fielder went 2-for-4 with a walk, double and four knocked in.
Friday’s game: vs. third-place Quad Cities (32-28), 7:00 pm CT, Johan Oviedo (1-5, 6.47)
DSL Cardinals Blue 10 at DSL Angels 6
Continuing their offensive barrage, the DSL Cardinals Blue (4-1) used a seven-run sixth to fly past the DSL Angels, 10-6. They have scored a whopping 58 runs over their first five contests. The C-Blues’ third straight win moves them into a first-place tie in the South Division with the DSL Nationals.
Once again miscues proved key, as six of the visitors’ 10 tallies were unearned due to four Dominican Angels’ bobbles. The C-Blues matched their hosts’ 10 hits with four players having two hits apiece: Yowelfy Rosario, third baseman Pablo Gomez, centerfielder Carlos Soler and Diomedes Del Rio. Both of Rosario’s hits went for extra bases, with the 17-year-old shortstop doubling and tripling in four at bats with a run scored. He struck out twice and committed his second error of 2018, one of his team’s two miscues.
Del Rio displayed power when he muscled a pitch over the wall in the sixth with a runner aboard. The designated hitter added a double and fanned once. First baseman Freddy De Jesus also went yard in the sixth, his blast coming with Gomez and Soler on base.
Hector Soto (W, 1-0) was solid in his first start of 2018, striking out seven over five innings. The Mexican native, who spent 2017 primarily in the bullpen, yielded three runs on four hits, including a solo shot. Soto did not issue a free pass.
Opening day starter Dionis Zamora followed Soto to the mound and tossed two scoreless frames before giving up an eighth-inning run. The righty exited with one gone in the ninth and two aboard, having allowed six hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Both runners crossed under Luis Tena’s watch via a ground out and wild pitch.
Friday’s game: vs. DSL Angels (2-3), 10:30 am ET, TBA
DSL Cardinals Red 10 vs. DSL Mets2 5
The DSL Cardinals Red rallied for a 10-5 home victory over the DSL Mets2. The C-Reds have “only” scored 39 runs in their first five contests. At 3-2, they are in a three-way tie for second in the San Pedro Division with the DSL Brewers and DSL Mets2. All three squads trail the DSL Phillies White by a game.
Right-hander Wilfredo Pereira put his squad in a 4-0 hole by the time his day finished after four frames. But the 19-year-old had ‘help’ from his defense’ as two of his four runs allowed were unearned. Pereira gave up five hits and did not walk a batter.
But the C-Reds’ bats flipped that script the very next inning, scoring five times to make a winner out of Hector De Los Santos (W, 1-0). De Los Santos pitched the rest of the game, scattering two hits and four walks that generated just one run. It was a positive follow-up to his two-inning relief effort on Opening Day.
The home team produced an interesting final stat sheet in which they had more walks (eight) than hits (six). Shortstop Franklin Soto was the only player with more than one hit, singling and tripling in five at bats with a run scored and four RBI.
Designated hitter Claudio Ramirez’ only hit in three at bats was his first professional long ball, a two-run blast. The 17-year-old worked a free pass and touched home three times.
Friday’s game: at DSL Mets2 (3-2), 10:30 am ET, TBA
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