Cardinals Minor League Notebook – May 2, 2026

photo: Ramon Mendoza (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 2-2 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis infielder Ramon Mendoza, doubled and knocked in two runs in a three-hit performance. Other standouts include Blaze Jordan, Joshua Báez, Bryan Torres, Brandt Thompson, Jeremy Rivas, Gerardo Salas, Yhoiker Fajardo and Nelfy Ynfante.

Results for games played on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Memphis Redbirds 11 at Indianapolis Indians 7

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds won a back-and-forth contest over the Indianapolis Indians at AutoZone Park on Friday.

Pete Hansen started his fifth game for the Redbirds. The left-hander pitched five innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on three hits, one walk, and two strikeouts.

Ian Bedell surrendered four runs across 1 ⅔ innings and was charged with a blown save in relief of Hansen. Luis Gastelum followed with 1 ⅓ shutout frames and was also tagged with a blown save but collected his third win of 2026. Chris Roycroft tossed a scoreless ninth.

The Indians scored one run apiece in the first three innings to move ahead.

Memphis moved within one in the home third. Ramon Mendoza drew a one-out walk. Brody Moore doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Bryan Torres singled home Mendoza and Torres to narrow the score to 3-2.

Bryan Torres

The Redbirds grabbed the lead with a pair of runs in the fourth. Bligh Madris and Nelson Velázquez took back-to-back walks. Mendoza ripped a double to plate Madris and tie the game at three, with Velázquez to third base.

Ramon Mendoza

Moore brought Velázquez home with a sacrifice fly to put the Redbirds in front 4-3.

Indianapolis regained the lead with a two-run top of the sixth.

Memphis reclaimed the lead in the home half of the frame. Mendoza lined a one-out single. Torres doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Joshua Báez followed with a single to score Mendoza and Torres for a 6-5 Memphis lead.

Joshua Baez

The Indians took a one-run lead once more with a pair of runs in the seventh.

The Redbirds quickly answered and re-took the lead in the home seventh. Leo Bernal began the frame with a walk and scored from first base on a Blaze Jordan double to tie the game at seven.

Madris reached first base on a fielder’s choice, with Jordan out at second base. Colton Ledbetter singled to move Madris to second base. Mendoza lined a single for this third hit of the contest to bring Madris home and move the Redbirds in front 8-7.

Memphis added three insurance runs in the home eighth. Torres walked and Báez followed with an infield single. Báez and Torres moved up on a double steal. Bernal hit his first triple of the year to bring Torres and Báez home and extend the lead to 10-7.

Leonardo Bernal

Jordan doubled home Bernal to stretch the lead to 11-7.

Blaze Jordan

Memphis was 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position in the win.

The Redbirds scored 11 runs on 12 hits. Mendoza went 3-for-4, including a double, two walks, two runs scored, and two RBI. Torres was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two runs scored, and two RBI. Jordan walked, doubled twice, and drove in two runs. Bernal walked twice, tripled, scored twice and recorded two RBI. Báez singled twice, scored a run, and drove in two. Moore doubled, scored, and notched an RBI.

On the bases, Báez and Torres swiped their second and third bags, respectively, on a double steal. Báez was caught stealing as well.

Defensively, first baseman Madris and left fielder Velázquez each made a throwing error.

Memphis is 21-10 on the season with a one-game lead in the International League West.

Saturday’s game: vs. Indianapolis. LHP Quinn Mathews (0-2, 4.58) vs. RHP José Urquidy (0-1, 3.52) 1:05 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 5 at Northwest Arkansas Naturals 7

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals dropped a close contest to the Naturals in Northwest Arkansas for their sixth consecutive loss.

Brandt Thompson made his third start and fifth appearance for the Cardinals. The right-hander threw 4 ⅔ innings and allowed one run on three hits, two walks, and a season-high seven strikeouts.

Brandt Thompson

Domenic Picone surrendered four runs across 1 ⅓ innings in relief of Thompson. Edwin Núñez followed with a scoreless inning. Hunter Hayes yielded two runs in the ninth inning and took the loss.

Springfield opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. Travis Honeyman walked and moved to second on a disengagement violation. Miguel Ugueto was hit by a pitch. Ryan Campos’ sharp single brought Honeyman home.

Springfield doubled the lead in the second. Jeremy Rivas blasted his first home run of the season, a solo shot, for a 2-0 lead.

Jeremy Rivas

The Naturals scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth and two in the sixth to grab a 5-2 lead.

Springfield answered with three runs in the eighth to tie. Noah Mendlinger was hit by a pitch. Honeyman and Ugueto followed with back-to-back singles to load the bags. Zach Levenson grounded a single to plate Mendlinger and Honeyman. Ugueto later came home, as well.

Zach Levenson

Northwest Arkansas scored twice in the ninth to take a 7-5 lead. Springfield was unable to respond.

The Cardinals scored five runs on seven hits. Rivas was 2-for-4 with a home run, the team’s lone extra-base hit. Levenson singled and drove in two. Campos notched a hit and an RBI. Honeyman walked, singled and scored twice.

The Cardinals did not steal a base.

On defense, pitcher Thompson made a pickoff error.

Last place Springfield is 7-18 on the season.

Saturday’s game: at Northwest Arkansas. LHP Liam Doyle (0-2, 9.26) vs. RHP Henry Williams (2-1, 5.01) 6:35 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 6 at Great Lakes Loons 0

The High-A Peoria Chiefs bested the Great Lakes Loons on Friday behind shutout pitching and a five-run ninth inning.

Yhoiker Fajardo made his third start in his fifth game overall for Peoria. The right-hander tossed 3 ⅔ scoreless innings on four hits, one walk, and a season-best seven strikeouts. Fajardo lowered his ERA to 1.37.

Yhoiker Fajardo

Gerardo Salas struck out two over 3 ⅓ innings of scoreless relief. Dominic Freeberger pitched two shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts and collected his second save.

Peoria struck first with a run in the top of the third inning when Tai Peete doubled and scored on a Rainiel Rodriguez single.

Rainiel Rodriguez

The Chiefs took the 1-0 lead into the top of the ninth inning, looking for some insurance.

With one out, Josh Kross and Cade McGee hit back-to-back singles and moved up on a wild pitch. José Suárez reached on a fielder’s choice, with McGee to third and Kross out at home. Won-Bin Cho ripped a double to bring McGee and Suárez home.

Won-Bin Cho

Ian Petrutz followed with a single to bring Cho in for a 4-0 lead. Miguel Villarroel hit a second consecutive single to score Petrutz. Villarroel came all the way around to score on the play on the heels of two errors in a wild sequence.

Miguel Villarroel

Peoria did not allow a hit with runners in scoring position in the win.

The Chiefs scored six runs on 11 hits. Cho doubled, scored, and drove in a run. Petrutz hit an RBI single and scored. Rodriguez notched an RBI single. Peete was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Kross was 2-for-3 with a double plus a walk.

On the bases, Suárez was caught stealing second and was picked off first.

The Chiefs did not commit an error on defense.

Peoria is 11-13 on the season, 3 ½ games out of first in the Midwest League West.

Saturday’s game: at Great Lakes. RHP Nate Dohm (0-0, 2.25) vs. RHP Christian Zazueta (0-1, 4.76) 5:35 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 2, Clearwater Threshers 7

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals fell to the Clearwater Threshers at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Friday.

Ty Van Dyke started his fifth game for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched 4 ⅔ innings and allowed four runs on five hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Van Dyke took the loss while giving up his first earned runs of the year.

Alex Breckheimer yielded two runs across an inning in relief of Van Dyke. Nelfy Ynfante tossed the final 3 ⅓ innings without allowing a run.

Clearwater opened the scoring with a run in the first inning.

Palm Beach tied the game in the third. Heriberto Caraballo reached on a fielding error and moved to second on a Jonathan Mejía walk. Jack Gurevitch grounded into a forceout with Mejía out at second. Chase Heath lined a single to score Caraballo.

Chase Heath

The Threshers scored three in the fourth to grab a 4-1 lead.

Palm Beach narrowed the gap to two with a run in the home fourth. Luis Pino singled and Caraballo walked. Mejía lined a single to bring Pino home.

Jonathan Mejia

Clearwater plated two runs in the sixth and one in the ninth to extend their lead to 7-2. Palm Beach was unable to answer.

The Cardinals scored two runs on five hits, all singles. Heath walked, singled and notched an RBI. Mejía singled, walked and drove in a run. Pino was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Caraballo walked twice and scored.

The Cardinals did not swipe a bag.

On defense, second baseman Trevor Haskins and third baseman Gurevitch each committed a fielding error. Pitcher Van Dyke picked a runner off first base. Catcher Alex Birge was tagged with a passed ball.

Palm Beach is 15-10 on the season and holds a two-game lead in the Florida State League East.

Saturday’s game: vs. Clearwater. RHP Ethan Young (0-1, 6.88) vs. RHP Gage Wood (0-2, 3.45) 5:00 PM CT.

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