Mathews Leads Memphis One-Hitter, Doyle Wins First Pro Game

 
The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Farm Report: Mathews Leads Memphis One-Hitter, Doyle Wins First Pro Game, Chiefs Reach .500

The Cardinals’ minor league system turned in a strong night Thursday, led by dominant starting pitching across the board.

Memphis silenced Louisville 2-0 behind a franchise-record-tying one-hitter, with Quinn Mathews delivering his best start of the season. Springfield beat Frisco 6-4 as Liam Doyle earned his first professional win. Peoria moved back to .500 with a 7-1 win over Beloit behind Tanner Franklin’s strong start, and Palm Beach blanked Tampa 3-0 behind a career-high strikeout night from Cade Crossland.

It was not the loudest offensive night in the system, but it was one of the better pitching nights of the season.

Memphis Redbirds
Record: 37-23, 1st Place, International league West
Result: Memphis 2, Louisville 0

Memphis did not need much offense Thursday night because the pitching staff gave Louisville almost nothing.

The Redbirds defeated the Bats 2-0 at AutoZone Park, tying a franchise record by allowing just one hit. Louisville entered the night with the best team batting average in the International League, but Memphis pitching shut the door from the first inning to the last.

Quinn Mathews delivered his best start of the season, working six scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk. The left-hander struck out a season-high nine and earned the win. It was the kind of outing Memphis has been waiting to see from Mathews — efficient, aggressive and in control.

The bullpen was perfect behind him. Max Rajcic, Chris Roycroft and Scott Blewett combined for three flawless innings, with each reliever striking out two. Blewett recorded his third save.

Offensively, catcher Leonardo Bernal supplied all the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth inning, his sixth home run of the season. César Prieto led the offense by going 2-for-2 with two doubles, two walks and a run scored. Nathan Church and Ramón Urías both began rehab assignments, with Church going 0-for-3 and Urías going 1-for-3 before both exited after the fifth inning as scheduled.

Springfield Cardinals
Record: 25-28, 3rd Place, 9.5 GB Texas League North
Result: Springfield 6, Frisco 4

Liam Doyle picked up the first professional win of his career, helping Springfield beat Frisco 6-4 on the road.

Doyle worked five solid innings, allowing two runs while striking out six and walking two. He left with Springfield holding a 3-2 lead, and this time the bullpen was able to make it stand. For one of the Cardinals’ top pitching prospects, this was an important step forward after some uneven results earlier in the season.

Dakota Harris delivered the big swing of the night, launching a three-run homer in the second inning, his fifth of the season. Harris finished 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, giving Springfield a major spark from the lower half of the lineup.

The Cardinals also ran wild, totaling six stolen bases in the win. Jose Cordoba made his Double-A debut and went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases.

Springfield had let one get away Wednesday night in a walk-off loss, so bouncing back immediately with a road win was a good sign. Doyle gave them length, Harris gave them damage, and the Cardinals did enough late to finish it off.

Peoria Chiefs
Record: 27-27, 3rd Place, 7.0 GB, Midwest League West
Result: Peoria 7, Beloit 1

Peoria is back to even.

Behind a strong start from Tanner Franklin and another big night from the bottom of the lineup, the Chiefs beat Beloit 7-1 at Dozer Park and reached the .500 mark for the first time since April 26.

Franklin was outstanding. The Cardinals’ No. 10 prospect retired the first nine Beloit hitters he faced and finished with a season-long 5.2 innings, allowing one hit and one run with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Peoria broke through in the third inning when Tre Richardson III homered for the third time in two games, a two-run shot that scored Luis Pino and gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. Cade McGee added a solo home run in the fifth, his second homer in as many days.

The Chiefs then put the game away later in the inning. Cameron Nickens and Richardson singled ahead of Jesús Báez, who blasted a three-run homer. Jack Gurevitch added a hit, and José Suárez drove him in with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 7-0.

Nolan Sparks, Nolan Galle and José Davila combined for 3.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to close out the win.

Palm Beach Cardinals
Record: 30-24, 1st Place, (Tie), Florida State League East
Result: Palm Beach 3, Tampa 0

Palm Beach joined the pitching parade with a 3-0 shutout win over the Tampa Tarpons at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Cade Crossland set the tone with a dominant start, striking out a career-high nine batters over 4.1 innings. The Cardinals’ left-hander did not get the length of a traditional starter’s win, but he was electric while he was on the mound.

Palm Beach scratched across enough offense to support the pitching staff. Michael Dattalo drove in a run with a ground-ball single to right field, scoring Facundo Velásquez. Ryan Weingartner also scored during a double-play sequence as the Cardinals pieced together the runs they needed.

The story of the game, though, was run prevention. Palm Beach kept Tampa off the board all night and earned one of the cleaner wins on the system slate.

Player of the Day
Dakota Harris, Springfield Cardinals

Dakota Harris gets the nod as The Cardinal Chronicle’s Player of the Day.

Harris went 3-for-4 with a double, a three-run home run and two runs scored in Springfield’s 6-4 win over Frisco. His second-inning homer gave the Cardinals an early lead and helped Liam Doyle earn the first professional win of his career.

César Prieto deserves mention after reaching base four times for Memphis, and Tre Richardson III stayed hot for Peoria with another home run. But Harris had the biggest all-around offensive night and delivered the swing that shaped Springfield’s win.

Pitcher of the Day
Quinn Mathews, Memphis Redbirds

Quinn Mathews is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Day.

Mathews threw six scoreless innings, allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out a season-high nine in Memphis’ 2-0 win over Louisville. Considering Louisville came in with the International League’s best team batting average, this was not just a good outing — it was a statement.

Tanner Franklin and Cade Crossland both made strong cases. Franklin carried Peoria back to .500 with 5.2 innings of one-hit baseball, and Crossland struck out a career-high nine for Palm Beach. But Mathews gets the honor after leading a franchise-record-tying one-hitter at Triple-A.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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Photo Credit: Liam Doyle, Springfield Cardinals | Kason Huckabay