Cardinals Minor League Notebook – May 21, 2019

photo: Malcom Nunez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

On a 1-3 Monday for the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, the upper minors were held to two combined runs and Palm Beach lost a low-scoring squeaker. Peoria salvaged the night with 18-year-old co-Players of the Day Ivan Herrera and Malcom Nuñez reaching base safely seven times between them.

Results for games played Monday, May 20th.


San Antonio 4, Memphis 0

Ryan Meisinger (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

Memphis slid to 21-23 as they were held to five hits in a 4-0 blanking at the hands of the homestanding Missions. In fact, the Redbirds dropped all five at the Brewers’ top affiliate.

Hitting highlights were few and far between, as shortstop Edmundo Sosa doubled for the club’s sole extra base hit, Ramon Urias singled, walked, and was plunked, and Drew Robinson coaxed a pair of free passes. Center fielder Lane Thomas gunned down a runner at third base.

Reliever Ryan Meisinger (now 0-4, 3.29) made the spot start for the Redbirds, going three innings and fanning six with no walks, but allowing one unearned run that unjustly tagged him with the loss. Lefty Hunter Cervenka logged two perfect innings with two whiffs, and erstwhile major leaguer Dominic Leone was shelled for three runs on a single, double, and homer in just one inning in his 2019 Memphis debut.

Tuesday’s game: at Nashville, Genesis Cabrera (1-3, 6.95) 6:35 CT.


Tulsa 5 at Springfield 2

Harold Arauz (Reading Fightin’ Phils)

Springfield led until the seventh inning, when Tulsa scored four to flip the outcome and send the host S-Cards to a 5-2 defeat. Harold Arauz had a much-needed fine start for Springfield (18-26), going 5 2/3 innings and permitting only one unearned tally. The righty conceded just five singles and two walks, against six strikeouts. Ineffective relievers Jacob Patterson and Ronnie Williams allowed six baserunners and four runs while retiring only one batter in the fateful seventh frame.

At the plate, Randy Arozarena singled, doubled, and walked to lead the modest Springfield attack. Catcher Jose Godoy also had a pair of hits for the S-Cards, who had more total bases than the victorious Drillers but went 1-for-11 with men in scoring position. Among the top prospects, Dylan Carlson singled and stole his seventh base, while Elehuris Montero doubled in four at-bats.

Tuesday’s game: vs. Tulsa, Johan Oviedo (1-0, 5.94) 6:30 CT.


Lakeland 2, Palm Beach 1

Edgar Gonzalez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Palm Beach (27-16) was stymied at the plate in a 2-1 loss to the Flying Tigers, collecting just one extra base hit in Monday night’s narrow road defeat. Lars Nootbaar, Jose Martinez, and Justin Toerner had two singles apiece, and Nootbaar added a walk, but the hits weren’t bunched enough to count, as none of the three registered a run or RBI. Center fielder Scott Hurst doubled, walked, scored his club’s only run, and gunned an opponent at third base.

Starter and loser Edgar Gonzalez acquitted himself well with six innings of two-run baseball (eight strikeouts, one walk). But without offensive support, the righty’s record fell to 3-6 with a 3.18 ERA on the season, as he needed 94 pitches on the night. In his season debut, 23-year-old southpaw Eli Kraus twirled two bullpen innings and allowed two hits and no walks while fanning a trio of Tigers.

Tuesday’s game: at Lakeland, Perry DellaValle (2-2, 2.17) 5:30 CT.


Peoria 7 at Wisconsin 4

Ivan Herrera (Peoria Chiefs)

Peoria scored three in the first, was challenged in the middle of the game, but salted it away with two runs in the ninth, in a 7-4 win over the host Timber Rattlers. The Chiefs raised their record to 19-23 as co-Players of the Day Malcom Nuñez and Ivan Herrera combined for five hits and two walks. Nuñez had the Cardinal organization’s only three hit night (his season’s first) and Herrera homered and doubled to lift his OPS to .872 on the year — barely trailing Nolan Gorman (.897) and Brady Whalen (.891) for the team lead.

Brendan Donovan rates a sympathetic mention despite going hitless. You’ve heard of taking one for the team? Donovan took three for the Chiefs on Monday. The second baseman also stole his first bag of the season.

Alvaro Seijas started and muddled through 5 1/3 innings, surrendering three runs on seven hits (four for extra bases) and three walks while fanning three. The 20-year-old righty’s season line now stands at 3-4 with a 2.55 ERA. Edgar Escobar was the bullpen star with two scoreless stanzas and four strikeouts to zero walks, picking up his third save and lowering his ERA to a tidy 1.93 on the year (0.00 in nine May innings).

Tuesday’s Game 1: at Wisconsin, Diego Cordero (2-2, 1.66) 5:05 CT.
Tuesday’s Game 2: Michael Brettell (1-0, 1.23)


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