photo: Oscar Mercado (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system went 2-2 on Wednesday. Center fielder Oscar Mercado, our Player of the Day, plated three for Memphis and starter Zach Prendergast pitched Peoria to a win. Springfield and Palm Beach dropped road contests.
Recaps from games played on Wednesday, May 23.
Memphis Redbirds 7, Oklahoma City Dodgers 2
A three-run outburst in the first inning proved to be all that was needed for the Redbirds, as they cruised to a 7-2 win over the visiting Dodgers.
First baseman Luke Voit, shortstop Wilfredo Tovar, and left fielder Randy Arozarena each drove in a run in the first. As the game progressed, center fielder Oscar Mercado took the lead in run manufacturing. Mercado, our Player of the Day, was 3-for-5 with three runs batted in, including two on his sixth home run of the season.
Kevin Herget improved his record to 2-4 after turning in a quality start of one-run ball over six innings. Herget fanned six Dodgers and allowed four hits, walking one batter. Hector Mendoza posted zeros in the seventh and eighth innings before Arturo Reyes allowed a run in the ninth while recording the final three outs.
Thursday’s game: Alex Reyes (MLB rehab) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers, 7:05 PM Central time.
Corpus Christi Hooks 4, Springfield Cardinals 2
On a night in which they mustered a mere three hits, the Cardinals fell in Corpus Christi to the Hooks by a 4-2 score.
Shortstop Tommy Edman hit his second homer in the third inning, and designated hitter Granden Goetzman drove in first baseman Chris Chinea with a base hit in the eighth, after Chinea reached via a single. Aside from that, the Cardinals offense was lacking. The team had just two at-bats with runners in scoring position, but to look on the bright side, only two runners were stranded.
Cardinals starter Conner Greene allowed three runs over 5 1/3 frames and dropped to 4-3 as he was tagged with the loss. It was only the third of nine starts this year that he did not log at least 5 2/3 innings. In relief, Estarlin Arias allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings, and Ramon Santos tossed a scoreless eighth.
Thursday’s game: Jake Woodford (2-5, 4.66) at Corpus Christi Hooks, 7:05 PM Central time.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 8, Palm Beach Cardinals 4
With seven runs from the sixth inning on against Palm Beach’s bullpen, the Flying Tigers defeated the Cardinals by an 8-4 score.
Cardinals starter Casey Meisner pitched five innings, allowing two runs on as many walks and four hits. Meisner was in line for a win when he departed, but ultimately did not factor in the final decision. Jason Zgardowski allowed one run in both the sixth and seventh, but Eric Carter wore the loss. Still in the seventh, Carter entered a 4-4 game, and retired one batter before surrendering a two-run home run to Lakeland center fielder Daz Cameron, his second of the evening. Two more insurance runs came home in the eighth against John Kilichowski.
Though the Cardinals scored four runs on seven hits from six different players, the lineup collectively struck out 12 times and stranded 10 runners. Left fielder Shane Billings had two hits in four at-bats, highlighted by an RBI single in the third. Third baseman Danny Hudzina hit his first double for Palm Beach and scored two runs.
Thursday’s game: TBA vs. Clearwater Threshers, 5:30 PM Central time.
Peoria Chiefs 6 at Beloit Snappers 5
Led by a strong start from Zach Prendergast and just enough run production, the Chiefs enjoyed a 6-5 victory over the Snappers in Beloit.
Prendergast turned in his third consecutive quality start, this one a two-run, six-inning performance. The 23-year old right-hander fanned four Snappers and picked up his fifth win in seven decisions this season. Reliever C.J. Saylor allowed a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh that closed the gap to 6-5. Bryan Dobzanski danced around four hits yielded in the eighth and ninth innings to hold serve and notch his third save of the year.
Chiefs first baseman Zach Kirtley had three hits including a double and scored a run. Leadoff hitter and center fielder Scott Hurst was 2-for-5 with a pair of two-base hits, and catcher Dennis Ortega went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two runs batted in on his second home run of the season. Designated hitter Matt Fielder also had two hits and two RBI.
Thursday’s game: Jake Walsh (2-1, 3.12) at Beloit Snappers, 6:30 PM Central time.
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