Cardinals Minor League Notebook – September 18, 2021

Photo: Mike Antico (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals system was 4-4 on Friday. The Players of the Day are Springfield 2B Nick Dunn and Palm Beach CF Mike Antico. Dunn was 3-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored, and 2 RBI while Antico hit a grand slam and reached base four times in six plate appearances.

Results from games played Friday, Sept 17.

Memphis 6, Louisville 2

The Redbirds defeated the Louisville Bats 6-2 in a Friday night contest at Auto Zone Park.  The starter for Memphis was Dakota Hudson, making his final rehab start as he comes back from Tommy John surgery.  The right-hander pitched five innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on two hits, struck out two and walked three.  Seth Elledge tossed a scoreless sixth.  Tommy Parsons threw a scoreless seventh, and Brandon Waddell followed with a scoreless eighth to earn the win, his second of the season.  Jesus Cruz pitched a scoreless ninth.

The Bats took the first lead, scoring one run in the third and a second run in the fifth.  The Redbirds were held scoreless for the first six innings, but got on the board in the seventh, scoring two runs to tie the game.  Alec Burleson led off the seventh with a single and Evan Mendoza followed with a single.  Nick Plummer singled to score Burleson.  Mendoza scored on a double play by Rayder Ascanio.

Memphis scored four runs in the eighth to take a 6-2 lead.  Brendan Donovan led off with a solo home run and Austin Dean followed with a double.  Dean scored on a single by Ali Sanchez.  Burleson followed Sanchez with a two-run home run to right center field.  The bullpen kept Louisville off the board for the final four innings of the game.

Brendan Donovan

Sanchez and Burleson were each 2-for-4 in the game. Burleson had two RBI and two runs scored.

In the field, Mendoza and Hudson each made a throwing error.

Memphis is 56-62 on the season and is in fifth place in the Triple-A East Southeast Division, 19 games back of Division winner Durham.

Saturday’s game:  vs. Louisville, Matthew Liberatore LHP (7-9, 4.45) vs. Tim Adelman RHP (1-1, 3.79) 6:15 CT.

Springfield 13 at NW Arkansas 12 (11 innings)

Springfield defeated Northwest Arkansas in a game that saw both teams combine for 25 runs. The Naturals forced extra innings by scoring five runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but the S-Cards did enough to secure the game with a three-run 11th inning.

Springfield began the scoring in the top of the first inning when Delvin Perez led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out, and scored on a Chandler Redmond single.

The Naturals tied the game in the bottom half of the inning with a run off Springfield starter Michael Brettell. Brettell allowed another run in the second and two more in fourth before being pulled after five innings of work. In total, the right-hander allowed four runs, all earned, on nine hits and two walks. Brettell struck out one and left the game with a 5-to-4 lead.

Springfield struck again with two runs in the second. Co-Player of the Day Nick Dunn opened the frame with a single and advanced to third on a single by Chase Pinder. Dunn then scored on a squeeze bunt from Irving Lopez, who reached first base safely. Chase Pinder scored two batters later on a single from Matt Koperniak.

Luken Baker’s 25th home run of the season made the score 4-2 after three innings. The S-Cards tacked on another run in the fourth inning on three consecutive singles by Perez, Koperniak, and Ivan Herrera.

Luken Baker

Northwest Arkansas scored two in the home half of the fifth inning to bring the game to within one run. But the Cardinals answered in the top of the sixth with four runs. Perez led off with a walk and Koperniak followed with a single. Herrera then singled, scoring Perez, but was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a double. Koperniak moved to third on the single by Herrera and scored on a wild pitch. The final two runs of the inning scored after a walk by Redmond and a home run by Dunn.

Salvador Justo relieved Brettell and pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh innings. He ran into trouble in the eighth, though, hitting a batter and allowing a two-run home run before leaving the game. Johan Quezada entered and allowed another run in the inning before allowing two more in the ninth to tie the game. The right-hander allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Edgar Escobar got the final out in the ninth via a strikeout. Escobar pitched the tenth and eleventh innings as well, allowing three runs, one earned, on a home run and a walk while fanning three.

The S-Cards tallied one run in the tenth inning when Irving Lopez bunted Chase Pinder to third and Matt Koperniak brought him home with a single. After the Naturals matched the Cardinals with a run in the bottom half of the frame, the game went to an eleventh inning.

Springfield put the game away in the final inning, scoring three runs. Nick Dunn singled and Justin Toerner reached on a fielding error, scoring Leandro Cedeno, who began the inning at second base. A Chase Pinder single then loaded the bases. An infield single from Lopez scored another run before a single from Malcom Nunez brought home the third and final run of the inning.

A two-run home run by the Naturals in the bottom half of the frame brought the game to within one run, but they added nothing further, allowing the S-Cards to close out a high scoring, back-and-forth affair.

The S-Cards finished with 18 hits. Notable performances came from Matt Koperniak, who was 4-for-7, Ivan Herrera, who was 3-for-7, Delvin Perez, who went 2-for-4 and scored three times, and Nick Dunn, who was 3-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored, and two RBI.

Nick Dunn

In the field, Redmond and Perez made throwing errors, leading to four unearned runs. On the base paths, Perez swiped his 24th base of the season.

Saturday’s Game:  vs. NW Arkansas, TBD (SGF) vs. Drew Parrish LHP 6-4, 2.78) 6:05 CT.

Peoria 6, Cedar Rapids 7

The Chiefs were topped by the Cedar Rapids Kernels in a one-run loss for Peoria at Dozer Park on Friday night.  The game was a tight race until the end, with Cedar Rapids scoring the winning run in the ninth.

The Kernels took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.  In the third, the Chiefs scored one run to tie the game 1-1.  Tommy Jew drew a walk and Jhon Torres plated Jew on a double.

Cedar Rapids retook the lead 2-1 in the fourth.  Peoria scored two runs in the fifth to lead 3-2.  Jew once again drew a walk, followed by a single from Masyn Winn.  A double steal put Jew on third and Winn on second.  Torres singled and Jew scored.  Pedro Pages then singled to plate Winn.

The Chiefs led 3-2 until the eight, when the Kernels put up four runs in the top of the inning.  Peoria responded in the home half of the eight with three runs to knot it up for the second time 6-6.  Jacob Buchberger tripled and scored on a single by Tyler Reichenborn.  Francisco Hernandez followed Reichenborn with a single and Jew doubled to plate Reichenborn and Hernandez.

Cedar Rapids took the 7-6 lead in the top of the ninth on a solo home run.  Peoria was unable to answer in the bottom half of the inning.

Torres went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Pages was 2-for-4, and Buchberger was 2-for-5. Jew drove in two.

Starter Logan Gragg pitched seven innings, gave up two runs, one earned on three hits, and fanned seven. Nick Trogrlic-Iverson relieved Gragg and surrendered four runs in 2/3 innings and was charged with a blown save.  Diego Cordero surrendered the winning run in 1 1/3 innings of relief and took the loss, his second of the season.

Logan Gragg

On the base paths, Jew stole his third base of the season and Winn stole his 16th base. Todd Lott was caught stealing for the third time.

In the field, Buchberger made a throwing error, and Lott made both a throwing error and missed a catch.

Peoria has a record of 45-73 and sits in last place in the High-A Central West Division, 32 games back of first place Quad Cities.

Saturday’s game:  vs. Cedar Rapids, Mac Lardner LHP (0-5, 6.12) vs. Sawyer Gipson-Long RHP (2-3, 4.63) 6:35 CT.

Palm Beach 1, Daytona 7 (seven innings, game one)

The Cardinals played a twin bill with the Daytona Tortugas at Roger Dean Stadium on Friday.  In the first game the Cardinals were defeated by a six run margin.

The Beach Birds scored their only run of the game in the fifth inning.  Noah Mendlinger singled and Patrick Romeri walked.  Mike Antico singled to score Mendlinger.

Daytona put up seven runs against Palm Beach pitching. They scored three runs in the third inning, two runs in the fourth, and one run each in the fifth and sixth innings.

The Cardinals offense scored one run on four hits. Mendlinger was 2-for-3.

Noah Mendlinger

Levi Prater got the start in game one.  Prater pitched 3 1/3 innings and gave up five runs, three earned, on four hits, struck out four and walked five to suffer his ninth loss of the season.  Edwin Nunez relieved Prater and surrendered two runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief.  Roy Garcia threw the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

In the field, Osvaldo Tovalin made a throwing error. Prater picked a runner off first base.

Palm Beach 11, Daytona 3 (seven innings, game two)

The Cardinals prevailed in a big way in the second game of the twin bill, walloping the Tortugas by the score of 11-3 in this Friday night contest at Roger Dean Stadium.

Starter Jose Moreno pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up one run on five hits, fanned nine and walked one.  Nathanael Heredia relieved Moreno and surrendered two runs in the final 2 1/3 innings to get the win, his first of the season.

The game was scoreless for the first three innings.  In the fourth, the Beach Birds threw up a crooked number, scoring six runs to take a 6-0 lead.  Aaron McKeithan was hit by a pitch and Osvaldo Tovalin singled.  Noah Mendlinger walked to load the bases.   Darlyn Del Villar walked and McKeithan scored.   Co-Player of the Day Mike Antico came to the plate and hit a grand slam to right center field.  The final run of the inning was scored by L.J Jones. He drew a walk, advanced to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a wild pitch.

Mike Antico

Daytona cut the lead to 6-1 in the top of the fifth.  The Cardinals answered with one run in the home half of the fifth to lead 7-1 on two singles by Mack Chambers and Tovalin, followed by two walks by Mendlinger and Del Villar.

In the sixth, Palm Beach added four runs to their tally.  Brady Whalen singled and McKeithan walked. Chambers followed with a single.  Tovalin tripled to plate Whalen, McKeithan and Chambers. Tovalin scored on a ground out by Del Villar.

The Tortugas scored two runs in the seventh, but the rally ended there.

Tovalin went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.  Chambers and Antico were both 2-for-4. Antico had four RBI.

On the base paths, Antico stole his eighth base of the season. In the field, Del Villar made a fielding error.

Palm Beach is 36-79 and is in last place in the Low-A Southeast East Division, 25 games back of first place Jupiter.

Saturday’s game:  vs. Daytona, TBD (PB) vs. Frainger Aranguren RHP (6-7, 4.36) 5:30 CT.

FCL Cardinals 10 at FCL Nationals 6 (eight innings)

The Cardinals (24-29) were the final winners over the Nationals in an eight-inning contest on Friday morning at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.  The Cardinals were behind for most of the game but pulled out the win in the final two innings.

The Nationals scored five on their six runs in the first two innings, two in the first and three in the second.  The score remained 5-0 in favor of the Nationals until the seventh inning.

In the seventh the Cardinals put up five runs to tie the game. The runs scored on an RBI single by Joerlin De Los Santos followed by a two-run double by Luis Montano.  Justin Williams plated one on a ground out and Luis Rodriguez drove in the fifth run on a single.

In the eighth, five more runs came home for the Cardinals to give them the lead 10-5. The eighth was an extra inning, so it began with Smith Vargas on second, pinch running for Jose Zapato.  Vargas scored on a single by Darlin Moquete.  Williams doubled to plate Joerlin De Los Santos, on base by a walk, and Moquete.  Adanson Cruz singled to score Williams, and Cruz came home on a single by Rodriguez.

The Nationals scored one run in the bottom of the eighth to cut the final score to 10-6.

Cruz was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.  Williams was 2-for-5 with three RBI.  Rodriguez was 2-for-2 with two RBI.  Ramon Mendoza was 2-for-2.

Adanson Cruz

Starter Thomas Hart surrendered two runs in the first inning but recorded only one out.  He was replaced by Enrique Saldana, who gave up three runs in 1 2/3 innings.  Trent Baker, Alex Cornwell, Omar Sanchez, and Alfredo Ruiz combined for the last six scoreless innings. Sanchez was awarded the win, his third of the season.

In the field, Williams had an outfield assist at home plate.

Saturday’s game:   No game scheduled.

DSL Cardinals Blue 2 at DSL Phillies Red 8 (seven innings)

The Cardinals Blue (16-32) lost to the DSL Phillies Red by the score of 8-2 in the Friday morning contest.  Starter Ronny Oliver pitched 1 2/3 innings and gave up six runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked three to suffer his second loss of the season.  Alejandro Cervantes relieved Oliver and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.  Randel Clemente surrendered two runs, one earned in 1 2/3 innings pitched.  Victor Herrera got the final out of the sixth.

The Phillies took a 6-0 lead, scoring two runs in the first inning and four runs in the second.  Blue remained off the board until the sixth, when they scored their only two runs on the game on an RBI triple by Jose Cordoba and a wild pitch.

Jose Cordoba

The Phillies added two more runs in the home half of the sixth for the final score of 8-2.

Jose Suarez had two of Blue’s three hits, a single and a double.   Cordoba’s triple was the third hit.

In the field, Justin Guerrero made a throwing error and Luis Pino had a fielding miscue.  Catcher Diego Velasquez picked a runner off first base.

Saturday’s game: vs Cardinals Red, TBD vs. TBD 9:30 am CT.

DSL Cardinals Red 7, DSL Phillies White 9 (seven innings)

The DSL Cardinals Red jumped out to an early lead but were unable to overcome a seven-run onslaught by the DSL Phillies White in the final three innings.

Starter Roberto Bautista allowed one run in the first inning on a hit and two walks and left the game after getting two outs. Bruno Lopez relieved Bautista and got the final out of the first. He then pitched a scoreless second inning and allowed a run in the third before leaving the game. The 19-year-old threw 2 1/3 innings, allowed one run, earned, on two hits and fanned three.

The Cardinals Red scored two runs in the first inning. Elias Reynoso led off with a triple and came around to score on a Samil De La Rosa triple. De La Rosa then scored on a Jeremy Ramos double, making the score 2-1.

Samil De La Rosa

Red added another run in the second after Raul Guzman walked, advanced to second on ground out, moved to third on a throwing error, and scored on a single.

The lead was stretched to 5-2 in the third inning after Felix Taveras walked and Raul Guzman hit a two-run home run.

In the fourth inning, Carlos Linarez reached on a fielding error and moved to second on a single from Lizandro Espinoza. Samil De La Rosa singled to bring home Linarez and move Espinoza to third. Espinoza then scored on a wild pitch, making the score 7-2 in favor of Cardinals Red.

Right-hander Angel Luna shut down the Phillies in the fourth, but the final two relievers combined to concede seven runs and the lead. Samuel Fabian allowed five runs on three hits and three walks in one inning. Augusto Calderon took the loss after surrendering two runs on four hits while striking out three.

In the field, Felix Taveras had an outfield assist.

Samil De La Rosa had three of the team’s nine hits. Raul Guzman scored twice and tallied two RBI on a home run and a walk.

Saturday’s game: vs Cardinals Blue, TBD vs. TBD 9:30 am CT.


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