photo: Max Rajcic (Springfield Cardinals)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system had a rough 0-5 Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield RHP Max Rajcic, turned in an excellent 5 ⅓ scoreless innings, and struck out a season-high seven. Other standouts: Thomas Saggese, R.J. Yeager, Jack Findlay, Tyler Bradt and Rainiel Rodriguez.
Memphis Redbirds 1, Nashville Sounds 3
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds fell to the Nashville Sounds at AutoZone Park on Thursday.
Curtis Taylor made his fourth start for Memphis. The right-hander pitched four scoreless innings on two hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.
Zack Weiss tossed 2 ⅔ innings, yielded one run and fanned three in relief of Taylor. Left-hander Oddanier Mosquera followed with 1 ⅓ scoreless frames. Roddery Muñoz
surrendered two runs in the ninth inning and took the loss.
Memphis jumped in front in the first inning. Thomas Saggese launched his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot.
Saggese gets us rolling with a @HueysRestaurant home run!
Watch here: https://t.co/HPwcO9GSPt pic.twitter.com/ripGtCzKZc
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) May 15, 2025
Nashville tied the game in the fifth and plated two in the ninth to take the lead. Memphis failed to respond.
The Redbirds scored one run on six hits. Saggese was 2-for-4, including a home run. Bryan Torres tallied two singles. Memphis did not record a hit with runners in scoring position and left seven on base.
Defensively, Matt Koperniak nailed a runner at home plate from center field. The Redbirds did not steal a base.
Memphis is 21-19 on the season.
Friday’s game: vs. Nashville, RHP Michael McGreevy (4-1, 3.74) vs. RHP Logan Henderson (5-1, 2.40) 7:05 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals 4, Amarillo Sod Poodles 5
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals lost a close contest in the final inning to the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Hammons Field on Thursday.
Max Rajcic made his seventh start for Springfield. The right-hander fired 5 ⅓ innings of scoreless baseball on two hits, two walks, and a season-high seven strikeouts.
Final line for Max Rajcic tonight: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (season-high) pic.twitter.com/2aquJ7NZBB
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) May 16, 2025
Andrew Marrero allowed one run across 1 ⅓ innings in relief of Rajcic. Luis Gastelum followed with 1 ⅓ scoreless frames. Osvaldo Berrios surrendered three runs in ⅔ of an inning. Left-hander Nathanael Heredia recorded the final out of the ninth inning. Berrios was charged with a blown save and the loss.
The Cardinals plated the first run of the game in the fourth inning. Leonardo Bernal began the frame with a single and stole second base. R.J. Yeager moved Bernal to third on a single. Ramon Mendoza hit the third single of the frame to score Bernal.
Springfield extended the lead with a pair of runs in the fifth inning.
Noah Mendlinger and Chase Davis lined back-to-back singles with one out. Bernal walked to load the bases. Dakota Harris brought Mendlinger home with a sacrifice fly. Yeager singled in Davis to stretch the Springfield lead to 3-0.
Amarillo trimmed the gap to 3-2 in the seventh and took the lead with a three-run top of the ninth.
Springfield’s final-inning comeback fell just short. Mendlinger lined a lead-off single before Davis and Bernal drew walks to load the bases with no outs. Yeager tallied his third single of the game to score Mendlinger and trim the deficit to 5-4. But that was it for the Cardinals’ rally.
Springfield scored four runs on 12 hits. Yeager was 3-for-4, plus a walk and two RBI. Mendlinger was 3-for-5, including a double and two runs scored. Mendoza and Jeremy Rivas each tallied two hits.
On the basepaths, Bernal swiped his second base of the season.
On defense, Davis threw a runner out at third base from center field. Catcher Bernal picked off a runner at second base.
Magic man Leonardo Bernal 👀
The Springfield catcher backpicks the runner at second base to end the sixth. pic.twitter.com/fGznNZ76OT
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) May 16, 2025
Gastelum stranded the bases loaded on a great play to throw out a runner at home plate.
Luis Gastelum is an A-T-H-L-E-T-E. What a play to get out of the jam. pic.twitter.com/AwRBqNRrdG
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) May 16, 2025
Springfield is 17-19 on the season.
Friday’s game: vs. Amarillo, RHP Tekoah Roby (1-2, 3.09) vs. RHP Dylan Ray (3-3, 4.31) 6:35 PM CT.
Peoria Chiefs 7 at Cedar Rapids Kernels 15
The High-A Peoria Chiefs fell to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Thursday.
Darlin Saladin started for the Chiefs and had a rough night. The prospect right-hander tossed four innings and allowed 11 runs on 12 hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. Saladin took the loss.
Dionys Rodriguez recorded just one out and surrendered four runs following Saladin. Tyler Bradt followed and struck out four across 2 ⅓ innings of scoreless pitching. Tanner Jacobson tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Chiefs fell behind 2-0 early but took the lead in the top of the third inning. Tre Richardson walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Jon Jon Gazdar advanced Richardson to third base with a single. Joshua Baez doubled to bring Richardson home.
Joshua Baez rips an RBI double to get the Chiefs on the board!
PEO 1 | CR 2 pic.twitter.com/LZzPLt7yxY
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) May 16, 2025
Gazdar touched home plate to tie the game on a Won-Bin Cho groundout. Brayden Jobert crushed his first career Chiefs home run to give Peoria a 4-2 lead.
Brayden Jobert launches a MOONSHOT! 🚀
PEO 4 | CR 2 pic.twitter.com/kbL5e5Kbgf
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) May 16, 2025
The Kernels regained the lead with a six-run home third inning. Cedar Rapids added another run in the fourth, and six more in the fifth to extend their lead to 15-4.
Peoria chipped into the deficit in the sixth inning on Michael Curialle’s fourth home run of 2025.
Michael Curialle goes LONG BALL! 💣
PEO 5 | CR 15 pic.twitter.com/E1R1X3nzEa
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) May 16, 2025
The Chiefs tacked on another run in the seventh. Baez led off with his second double and scored on a Cho single to make it 15-6.
Peoria scored their seventh run of the game in the top of the eighth inning. Johnfrank Salazar lined a one-out single, and advanced to second on a Richardson single. Trey Paige hit the third consecutive single of the frame to score Salazar and trim the deficit to 15-7.
Trey Paige cashes in with an RBI single! Salazar scores!
PEO 7 | CR 15 pic.twitter.com/iq0nDCads2
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) May 16, 2025
The Chiefs were unable to rally further in the loss.
Peoria scored seven runs on 14 hits. Baez was 2-for-5, including two doubles, two runs scored, and one RBI. Richardson was 2-for-3, including a double, a walk, and a run scored. Jobert launched a two-run home run. Curialle blasted a solo home run. Gazdar and Ryan Campos each recorded two singles.
On the bases, Baez stole his 14th base. Cho swiped his fourth bag. Campos was picked off at second base.
On defense, left fielder Jobert threw out a runner at home plate.
Peoria is 13-22 on the season.
Friday’s game: at Cedar Rapids, RHP Gerardo Salas (1-3, 7.09) vs. RHP Jeremy Lee (2-2, 8.20) 6:35 PM CT.
Palm Beach Cardinals 0 at Tampa Tarpons 8
The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals were blanked by the Tarpons in Tampa on Thursday, taking their fifth consecutive defeat.
Leonel Sequera made his eighth start for Palm Beach. The right-hander recorded just two outs and allowed six runs on six hits, two walks, and no strikeouts. Sequera took the loss.
Left-hander Jack Findlay was dominant in relief of Sequera. The 22-year-old fanned four across 3 ⅓ scoreless innings. Randel Clemente followed with two scoreless frames. Ernie Day yielded two runs in 1 ⅓ innings. Christian Worley recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning.
The Tarpons pounced early with a six-run bottom of the first and that score remained until the eighth inning when the Tarpons added two more runs to extend the lead to 8-0.
Palm Beach scored no runs on nine hits. Jose Suarez recorded the only extra-base hit for the Cardinals, a double, and drew a walk. Martin and Luis Pino tallied two hits.
Palm Beach was 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.
Martin swiped his eighth base of the season. Travis Honeyman was caught stealing second base.
On defense, Honeyman nailed a runner at home plate from center field. Catcher Josh Kross recorded a passed ball.
Palm Beach is 18-19 on the season. The Cardinals are off on Friday, as the originally scheduled game was moved up to Wednesday as part of a doubleheader, and they will continue the series with Tampa on Saturday.
Saturday’s game: at Tampa, RHP Braden Davis (0-0, 5.19) vs. RHP Greysen Carter (1-2, 5.96) 5:30 PM CT.
FCL Cardinals 3, FCL Marlins 6
The Florida Complex League Cardinals fell to the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium Complex on Thursday.
Jefferson Moran made his second start for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched 2 ⅔ innings and allowed one unearned run on one hit, three walks, and three strikeouts.
Antoni Cuello struck out three and yielded two runs over 1 ⅓ innings in relief of Moran. Samuel Fabian followed and surrendered three runs, two earned, in 2 ⅓ innings. Alan Reyes fanned three across 2 ⅓ scoreless frames. Bruno Lopez tallied the final out of the ninth inning via a strikeout. Cuello took the loss.
The Cardinals scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Yoerny Junco hit a one-out double, and advanced to third base on a balk. Junco crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
The Marlins tied the game in the top of the third inning.
The Cardinals answered with a run in the home third. Yairo Padilla drew a walk and stole second base. Rainiel Rodriguez reached on a fielder’s choice, with Padilla to third. Bracewell Taveras singled in Padilla to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
The Marlins plated two runs in the fourth, and another in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead.
The Cardinals trimmed the lead to one in the bottom of the fifth, on Rodriguez’s fifth home run of the season and third in three games.
The Marlins scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to extend the lead to 6-3. The Cardinals failed to answer.
The Cardinals scored three runs on eight hits. Rodriguez was 2-for-4, including a home run plus a walk. Junco and Hancel Almonte doubled. Taveras recorded two singles.
On the bases, Padila swiped his seventh bag. Facundo Velasquez stole his first base of the year. Daniel Rojas snagged his second base.
Defensively, the rookie Cardinals had four miscues. First baseman Almonte committed two fielding errors. Second baseman Taveras missed a catch. Catcher Paulo Asprilla made a throwing error.
The FCL Cardinals are 4-5 on the season. The Cardinals will travel to CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches Complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, to play the FCL Nationals on Saturday.
Saturday’s game: at FCL Nationals. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 AM CT.
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