A Mixed Night Across Cardinal Nation
The Cardinal Chronicle
Morning Farm Report — A Mixed Night Across Cardinal Nation
St. Louis, Mo.
By Ray Mileur
It was a mixed night across the Cardinals’ farm system Wednesday.
Palm Beach continued its strong start with another win, Memphis let one slip late, Springfield’s losing streak stretched further, and Peoria dropped both ends of a doubleheader.
Four affiliates. Four very different stories.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
12-5, first place — International League West
Memphis fell to Gwinnett 10-3 after a late collapse out of the bullpen.
The Redbirds were in control early before the game unraveled in the seventh inning, when the bullpen allowed seven runs to flip the game.
Left-hander Quinn Mathews turned in a strong start, throwing five scoreless innings while allowing three walks and striking out eight. He did not factor into the decision.
Joshua Baez provided one of the few highlights at the plate, hitting his third home run of the season.
Right-hander Matt Pushard made his rehab appearance, tossing a scoreless inning while allowing one hit and throwing seven of his 10 pitches for strikes.
The game turned when Tink Hence was charged with six runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Memphis will look to regroup Thursday as the series continues at AutoZone Park.
Springfield Cardinals (AA)
4-7, fourth place — Texas League North
Springfield’s losing streak reached seven games with a 5-3 loss to Wichita.
The game was decided by the long ball, as the Wind Surge hit four home runs, including three against starter Jurrangelo Cijntje, who allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings.
Miguel Ugueto led the offense, going 4 for 4 with a home run and a stolen base. His first-inning homer gave Springfield an early lead, but the momentum didn’t hold.
Despite the offensive effort, the Cardinals were unable to overcome the early damage.
Springfield will try to halt the slide Thursday night in Wichita.
Peoria Chiefs (High-A)
3-8, sixth place — Midwest League
Peoria dropped both games of a doubleheader to Wisconsin, falling 7-3 in Game 1 and 6-5 in Game 2.
The Chiefs have now lost five straight.
In the opener, Wisconsin built a 6-0 lead through three innings. Peoria responded with a three-run double from Jose Suarez, but could not close the gap.
Game 2 followed a similar script.
Peoria built a 4-0 lead, highlighted by an RBI triple from Rainiel Rodriguez and a strong start from Tanner Franklin, who struck out six over four innings.
The lead did not hold. Wisconsin tied the game with a three-run homer and later took the lead for good with back-to-back home runs in the sixth.
Rodriguez stood out across both games, collecting four extra-base hits in the doubleheader.
Peoria will look to stop the skid as the series continues Thursday.
Palm Beach Cardinals (Low-A)
9-2, first place — Florida State League East
Palm Beach defeated Jupiter 4-2, continuing one of the best starts in the system.
Both teams traded runs in the third inning before Palm Beach broke the tie with two late runs to secure the win.
The Cardinals have now taken the first two games of the series and improved to 9-2 on the season, while Jupiter fell to 3-8.
Palm Beach continues to win with a combination of steady pitching and timely offense, showing consistency early in the year.
The series concludes Thursday night.
System Snapshot
Memphis (12-5): Strong start, but bullpen concerns show
Springfield (4-7): Seven straight losses
Peoria (3-8): Five-game skid after doubleheader sweep
Palm Beach (9-2): One of the hottest teams in the system
The Bottom Line
This is what a full system looks like in April.
Some clubs are rolling.
Some are searching.
Some are learning the hard way.
Right now, Palm Beach is setting the pace.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports