photo: Irving Lopez (Frank Ramirez/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 0-4 on Wednesday. Our Player of the Day is Springfield second baseman Irving Lopez, who contributed a three-run home run to the Double-A Cards’ 5-4 home loss to Wichita.
Results for games played Wednesday, May 5.
Memphis 0, Durham 4
The Memphis Redbirds were blanked by the visiting Bulls in the second game of the six-game series and of the young season.
St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas made his first rehab start for Memphis and took the loss. The right hander threw 2 1/3 innings and surrendered two runs on five hits. Mikolas fanned three and walked one. Austin Warner relieved and over his 3 2/3 innings, gave up one run on two hits. Alex FaGalde allowed one run in two innings before Junior Fernandez pitched the only scoreless inning, fanning three batters around issuing one walk in the ninth.
The Redbirds offense failed to get to the pitching staff of the Bulls, managing only two hits in the nine-inning contest. The hits came back-to-back in the bottom of the fifth, with Austin Dean leading off the inning with a ground ball double to left field. Tyler Heinemann followed with a single to center. Both runners were left stranded after Matt Szczur struck out and Evan Mendoza grounded into a double play.
Thursday’s game: vs. Durham, Matthew Liberatore LHP (0-0,0.00) vs. TBA, 6:45 CT.
Springfield 4, Wichita 5
The Springfield Cardinals were edged by the Wind Surge in a one-run game on Wednesday at Hammons Field. Home runs by Chase Pinder, a solo shot, and Irving Lopez, good for three runs, were insufficient to prevail against Wichita’s offense.
The Wind Surge got on the board in the third inning with a two-run home run off Springfield starter Andre Pallante. Pinder’s long ball in the bottom half of the inning cut the lead to 2-1.
A single, an error, a stolen base and a wild pitch in the top of the fifth put another Wichita run on the board. The Cardinals responded in the home fifth to take a 4-3 lead on Lopez’ blast. But that was the end of Springfield’s offense on the evening.
Wichita came back on top with two runs in the top of the seventh off Springfield reliever Jacob Bosiokovic, who took his first loss of the season.
Pallante pitched three innings before being relieved by Edgar Gonzalez, who tossed a scoreless fourth. Bosiokovic followed for 2 2/3 innings. Grant Black and Patrick Dayton combined for the final 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
Juan Yepez contributed two hits as the only Cardinal with multiples. Springfield committed two errors, on pickoff attempts by Gonzalez and Bosiokovic.
Thursday’s game: vs. Wichita, Connor Thomas LHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Cole Sands RHP (0-0, 0.00) 7:05 CT.
Peoria 6 at Cedar Rapids 7
The Peoria Chiefs took a tough road loss to the Kernels on Wednesday night, with each team contributing 11 hits but the Chiefs coming out one run short.
Peoria took the lead initially with a trio of runs in the third inning. Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson each drove in runs on fly ball singles to the outfield. Donovan plated Zade Richardson, who led off the inning with a single. Burleson drove in Jhon Torres, who reached base on a walk, and Donovan.
Cedar Rapids cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third on a walk, a single, and a sac fly off Chiefs starter Jack Ralston.
Peoria responded with two additional scores in the top of the fourth on RBI doubles by Richardson and Cristhian Longa. The Chiefs led 5-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, a two-run home run by Cedar Rapids right fielder Matt Wallner off Chiefs reliever Fabian Blanco cut Peoria’s lead to 5-3. Wallner hit his second long ball of the game, a three-run shot in the seventh off Freddy Pacheco to give the Kernels a 6-5 lead.
Chiefs right fielder Burleson tied the game with a solo home run in the eighth inning. With the game tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth, Peoria reliever Leonardo Taveras surrendered an RBI double to Kernels’ first baseman Gabe Snyder for the walk off win for Cedar Rapids.
No Chiefs pitcher came out unscathed. Ralston went 3 1/3 innings and gave up one unearned run. Blanco and Pacheco combined for 3 2/3 innings of relief and five runs surrendered. Pacheco was tagged with a blown save. Taveras took the loss.
Donovan, Burleson, Richardson, and Longa each contributed two hits. Donovan stole his first base of the season, as did Malcom Nunez. Ralston made two pickoff errors.
Thursday’s game: at Cedar Rapids, Mac Lardner LHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Blayne Enlow RHP (0-0, 0.00) 6:35 CT.
Palm Beach 4, Daytona 12
The Palm Beach Cardinals were pummeled by the Tortugas at Roger Dean Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. The game did not get out of hand until the ninth inning when Daytona put up eight runs.
Cardinals starter Levi Prater surrendered only one run in his 3 1/3 inning professional debut. The left hander allowed only two hits, punched out six and walked three. Right handed reliever Jose Moreno took the loss with three runs allowed in 2 1/3 innings pitched. Will Guay had the only scoreless appearance of 2 1/3 innings. Luis Tena and Francisco Justo combined to pitch the ninth and give up the final eight runs.
Levi Prater 75% whiff rate on his changeup today #stlcards
— Matt T (@mdthomp_PLive) May 5, 2021
Velocity is not everything, but it can be built upon..
Luis Tena sitting 95-96 for #stlcards out of Palm Beach bullpen.
— Matt T (@mdthomp_PLive) May 5, 2021
The Cardinals got on the board first in the first inning. Singles by Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker and a sac fly by Edgardo Rodriguez gave Palm Beach a 1-0 lead. Daytona tied it up 1-1 in the top of the second inning.
The score remained knotted until the fifth when Daytona took a 2-1 lead on an error. The Tortugas added two more runs in the sixth.
In the home seventh, a sac fly by Matt Koperniak cut the lead to 4-2. The lead dropped to 4-3 in the eighth on an RBI single by L.J. Jones. Winn came home to score after leading off the inning with a walk.
Then the top of the ninth came and Daytona piled on eight runs to take the lead to 12-3. The Cardinals added a hitless run in the bottom half of the ninth on three walks and a hit by pitch for the final score of 12-4.
Winn contributed the first stolen base of the young career. The shortstop also committed a throwing error. Franklin Soto made throwing and fielding errors and Todd Lott had a fielding miscue. Koperniak had an outfield assist.
Thursday’s game: vs. Daytona, Ludwin Jimenez RHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Evan Kravetz LHP (0-0, 0.00) 5:30 CT.
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