St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Notebook – September 19, 2025

photo: Brycen Mautz (Ilana Avergun/Springfield Cardinals)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 2-0 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield’s Brycen Mautz, pitched five scoreless innings with four strikeouts and earned the win in the Division Series clincher. Other standouts include Carlos Linarez, Curtis Taylor,  Mike Antico, Miguel Ugueto, and Luis Gastelum.

Results for games played on Thursday, September 18. 

Memphis Redbirds 10, St. Paul Saints 4

 The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds soundly defeated the St. Paul Saints at AutoZone Park on Thursday.

Curtis Taylor made his 24th start for the Redbirds, his 31st game overall. The right-hander pitched five innings and allowed one run on three hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. Taylor earned his 10th win, extending his career-high.

Curtis Taylor

Left-hander Anthony Veneziano tossed a scoreless sixth frame in relief of Taylor. Skylar Hales followed with a shutout seventh. Nick Raquet surrendered three runs in one inning of work. Osvaldo Berrios finished the game with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Saints struck first with a run in the top of the third inning. The Redbirds answered with two runs in the home half of the frame.

Brody Moore singled and advanced to second base on a fielding error. With two outs, Carlos Linarez hit a two-run home run, his first hit and home run at the Triple-A level, to put Memphis in front 2-1.

The Redbirds added a pair of runs in the fourth.

Blaze Jordan legged out an infield single to begin the frame and moved to second base on a Matt Koperniak groundout. Gavin Collins lined a single to move Jordan to third and put runners at the corners. Mike Antico connected for a single to score Jordan, with Collins to third base and Antico to second base on the play via a throwing error.

Mike Antico

Collins crossed home plate on a sacrifice fly from Moore for a 4-1 Memphis lead.

The Redbirds stretched the lead further in a three-run fifth frame.

Linarez drew a lead-off walk. JJ Wetherholt grounded into a forceout, with Linarez out at second and Wetherholt to first. Wetherholt moved to second base on a wild pitch. Jordan took a two-out walk. Koperniak hit a bloop-single to plate Wetherholt for the Redbirds’ fifth run, with Jordan to third on the play.

Matt Koperniak

Collins reached base on a fielding error, with Jordan home on the play as the sixth Memphis run. Antico brought Koperniak home with a single to widen the lead to 7-1.

Memphis plated a run in the sixth, the fourth consecutive inning with a run scored.

Linarez crushed his second home run of the game, a solo shot, to put the Redbirds ahead 8-1.

Carlos Linarez

St. Paul scored three in the eighth inning to trim the lead to 8-4. Memphis took two runs back in the bottom of the eighth and moved into double digits in the run column.

Wetherholt and César Prieto began the frame with back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. Jordan grounded into a double play, with Wetherholt home for a 9-4 lead. Koperniak followed with a single. Collins walked. Antico hit his third single of the game to score Koperniak and extend the lead to 10-4.

Memphis was 7-for-16 (.438) with runners in scoring position in the victory.

The Redbirds scored 10 runs on 14 hits. Linarez was 2-for-3, including a walk, two home runs, and three RBI. Antico was 3-for-5 with three RBI. Moore went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI. Koperniak singled twice, scored twice, and drove in a run. Eight of nine Redbirds hitters recorded at least one hit.

Memphis did not record a stolen base or an error in the victory.

Memphis is 79-66 overall, and 38-34 in the second half.

Friday’s game: vs. St. Paul, RHP Max Rajcic (3-6, 4.77) vs. LHP Connor Prielipp (0-9, 3.99) 7:05 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 3, Tulsa Drillers 0 (Division Series Game Two, seven innings)

Following a three hour, ten minute rain-delayed start, the Double-A Springfield Cardinals advanced to the Texas League Championship Series with a shutout win over the Tulsa Drillers at Hammons Field on Thursday.

Brycen Mautz started for Springfield. The left-hander threw five scoreless innings on four hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. Mautz earned the win.

Brycen Mautz

Luis Gastelum fanned three across two shutout frames and collected his first save of the postseason.

Luis Gastelum

The Cardinals broke the scoreless tie with a three-run bottom of the fourth inning.

Zach Levenson lined a double. Dakota Harris singled to put runners at the corners. Miguel Ugueto followed with a single to score Levenson and put Springfield in front 1-0.

Miguel Ugueto

Jeremy Rivas drew a walk, but a throwing error on ball four allowed Ugueto to move to third and Harris to score the second run of the game.

Jon Jon Gazdar grounded into a force out, with Rivas out at second, Gazdar to first, and Ugueto home for a 3-0 Cardinals lead.

The Cardinals did not allow a hit with runners in scoring position in the seven-inning series-clinching win.

The Cardinals scored three runs on seven hits. Ugueto was 3-for-3, including a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Levenson doubled and scored a run. Chase Davis doubled. Gazdar walked and recorded an RBI. Harris singled and scored a run.

On the bases, Joshua Baez swiped his first bag of the playoffs.

On defense, right fielder Ugueto robbed extra-bases with a sliding grab in the second inning.

Center fielder Davis recorded an outfield assist at home plate.

Springfield is 2-0 in the postseason following the sweep of Tulsa. They are off Friday and Saturday, and will play Game One of the best-of-three Texas League Championship Series against the Midland Rock Hounds at Hammons Field on Sunday.

Sunday’s game (Championship Series Game One): vs. Midland (ATH). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PM CT.

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