photo: Matt Koperniak (Memphis Redbirds)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 1-4 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis CF Matt Koperniak, was 2-for-5 including a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Other standouts include Gavin Collins, Jared Young, Won-Bin Cho, Jose Cordoba, Brayden Jobert, and Anyelo Encarnacion.
Results for games played Friday, June 7.
Memphis 13 at Omaha 4 (seven innings)
The Triple-A Redbirds clobbered the Storm Chasers in a rain shortened 13-4 road victory on Friday. Starter Gordon Graceffo pitched five innings, gave up four runs on four hits, struck out four and walked one, receiving his sixth win of the season.
Andre Granillo relieved Graceffo and tossed a scoreless sixth.
Omaha took the 1-0 lead in the first inning. Memphis answered with four runs in the top the second. Thomas Saggese drew a walk and Jared Young was hit by a pitch. Gavin Collins followed with a three-run home run to left field. Matt Koperniak hit a solo home run.
GAVIN GOES BYE-BYE!!
Another @HueysRestaurant Homer! pic.twitter.com/2CBqBp7hmV
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) June 8, 2024
The Storm Chasers added a run in the home second to cut the lead to 4-2. They tied the game in the third.
The Redbirds went to town in the fourth, plating six runs to lead 10-4. Nick Dunn singled and Arquímedes Gamboa walked. Koperniak drove in Dunn and Gamboa on a double. Koperniak came home on a single by Jordan Walker. Luken Baker followed with a two-run home run. Saggese doubled and scored on a triple by Jared Young.
Storm Chasers have found the storm
AND KOPERNIAK IS BRINGING THE THUNDER pic.twitter.com/uIoqTXYt0x
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) June 8, 2024
Memphis added the final blow with three runs in the sixth. Baker walked and Alfonso Rivas singled. The two runners were driven in on a double by Young. Young came home on a single by Dunn.
The game was played in on and off rain until the beginning of the seventh inning. After a short delay in an attempt to fix the field, the game was called.
The Redbirds scored 13 runs on 13 hits. Koperniak was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Young was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Walker was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Dunn was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Collins had three RBI. Baker had two RBI and two runs scored.
On the bases, Walker stole his third base of the season. On defense, Baker and Dunn each made a fielding error. Graceffo had a throwing error.
Memphis is 31-30 on the season.
Saturday’s game: at Omaha, Zack Thompson LHP (1-1, 3.14) vs. Anthony Veneziano LHP (2-1, 3.58) 6:05 CT.
The Double-A Cardinals were blanked by the Travelers in a two-run road loss on Friday. Starter Trent Baker pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up one run on four hits, struck out four and walked two. Baker took the loss, his fourth.
Leonardo Taveras relieved Baker and surrendered one unearned run in the final 2 1/3 innings.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when Arkansas scored one run. The Travelers added a second run in the eighth.
Springfield scattered five hits. Noah Mendlinger was 2-for-3. The only extra base hit was a double by Mike Antico. The offense was 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.
On defense, Mendlinger made a fielding error.
Springfield is 32-23 on the season.
Saturday’s game: at Arkansas, Max Rajcic RHP (5-4, 5.76) vs. Blas Castano RHP (0-2, 2.81) 6:05 CT.
The High-A Chiefs fell to the TinCaps in a 6-3 road loss on Friday. Starter Pete Hansen pitched 3 1/3 innings, gave up three runs on four hits, struck out three and walked four. Hansen took the loss, his fifth of the season.
Zane Mills surrendered one run in 2 2/3 innings of relief. In his organizational debut, Osvaldo Berrios yielded two runs in the final two innings.
Fort Wayne went up 1-0 in the third inning. Peoria tied the game in the top of the fourth. Darlin Moquete tripled and scored on a single by Won-Bin Cho.
The TinCaps responded with three runs in the home fourth. In the sixth, the Chiefs cut Fort Wayne’s lead to 4-3. Leonardo Bernal drew a walk and Osvaldo Tovalin singled. Cho plated Bernal on a single. Tovalin scored on a sac fly by Joshua Baez.
Fort Wayne widened their lead with two runs in the eighth against Berrios for the final margin of 6-3.
The Chiefs scored three runs on seven hits. Cho was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Moquete was 2-for-3.
On the bases, Bernal stole his fifth base of the season. Cho and Tre Richardson were caught stealing.
Peoria is 18-26 on the season.
Saturday’s game: at Fort Wayne, Hancel Rincon RHP (2-4, 4.44) vs. Ian Lesko RHP (1-3, 6.35) 5:35 CT.
Palm Beach 8, Dunedin 10 (11 innings)
The Class-A Cardinals lost to the Blue Jays in an 11-inning tussle on Friday at Roger Dean. Starter Jose Davila pitched five innings, gave up five runs on 11 hits, struck out three and walked one.
Hunter Hayes surrendered one run in two innings of relief. Memphis rehabber Packy Naughton threw a scoreless eighth. Ettore Guilianelli yielded one run in 1/3 of an inning. Zack Showalter allowed three runs, one earned, in 2 1/3 innings, and took the loss. Augusto Calderon secured the final out of the 11th.
Dunedin took a 1-0 lead in the first, added two runs in the fourth and the fifth, and one in the top of the seventh to lead 6-0.
The Beach Birds finally got on the board in the home half of the seventh with two runs. Chase Adkison drew a walk and advanced to second on a balk. Jose Cordoba plated Adkison on a double. Cordoba came home on a double by Brayden Jobert.
Palm Beach briefly took a 7-6 lead with five runs in the eighth. Lizandro Espinoza, Trey Paige and Sammy Hernandez walked to load the bases. Espinoza scored on a wild pitch. Chase Davis walked and Paige came home. Hernandez crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Adkison scored on a ground out by Cordoba. Jobert plated Davis on a single.
The Blue Jays tied the game in the ninth against Guilianelli. The game went into extra innings. Both teams scored one run in 10th to keep the tie at 8-8. Manfred runner Miguel Villarroel scored on a single by Adkison.
In the top of the 11th, Dunedin scored two runs to take the 10-8 lead. Palm Beach failed to score in the bottom of the 11th.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on eight hits. Cordoba and Jobert were both 2-for-5 with two RBI. Adkison was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
On the bases, Adari Grant stole his fourth base of the season. On defense, Hernandez made a throwing error. Hayes made an error on a pick off. Jobert had an outfield assist at home plate. Davila and Hayes each picked a runner off first base.
Palm Beach is 32-23 on the season.
Saturday’s game: vs. Dunedin, TBD (PB) vs. Nolan Perry RHP (0-0, 0.68) 5:00 CT.
FCL Cardinals 6, FCL Marlins 7
The Florida Complex League Cardinals were edged by the Marlins by a 7-6 score at the Roger Dean Stadium complex on Friday. Starter Leonel Sequera pitched five innings, gave up five runs, three earned, on seven hits, struck out six and walked one. Sequera took the loss.
Juan Severino surrendered two runs in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Alexander Beltre threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Victor Villanueva tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Marlins took a 4-0 lead in the first inning and added a run in the second.
The Cardinals came back with four runs in the third to cut the lead to 5-4. Heriberto Caraballo and Anyelo Encarnacion singled. Yordalin Pena drew a walk. Jose Suarez plated Caraballo and Encarnacion on a single. Felix Taveras walked. Yancel Guerrero singled and Pena came home. Arfeni Batista walked and Suarez scored.
In the sixth, both teams scored two runs. Caraballo singled and crossed the plate on a double by Encarnacion. Encarnacion came home on a single by Pena.
The Cardinals had six runs on 12 hits. Encarnacion was 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Suarez was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Caraballo was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Pena was 2-for-4.
On the bases, Encarnacion stole his third base of the season. Pena was caught stealing.
On defense, Pena and Jonathan Mejia each made a fielding error. Severino made an error on a pickoff. Sequera picked a runner off first base.
The Cardinals are 11-15 on the season.
Saturday’s game: at FCL Nationals, TBD vs. TBD 9:00 am CT.
DSL Cardinals vs. DSL Phillies Red (postponed)
Friday’s game was postponed due to rain in the area. No makeup date has been announced. The rookie Cardinals are 2-0 on the young season.
Saturday’s game: vs. DSL Nationals, TBD vs. TBD 9:00 am CT.
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