Chiefs wins 1st Series; Farm System goes 3-1 on Saturday

The Cardinal Chronicle
Morning Farm Report
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

It was another strong night down on the farm for the St. Louis Cardinals system, with three of four affiliates picking up victories Saturday night — and more importantly, several clubs continuing to establish who they are a month into the season.

The record says 3-1.

The bigger story says momentum.

From first-place baseball in Memphis and Palm Beach, to Peoria beginning to find its footing, the Cardinals’ pipeline continues to show encouraging signs of life.

Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
17-9 | T-1st, International League West

The Memphis Redbirds keep playing winning baseball.

Saturday’s 8-7 win at Norfolk was vintage Triple-A grind-it-out baseball — early offense, late rally, and just enough bullpen work to bring it home.

Joshua Báez wasted no time getting Memphis on the board, launching his sixth home run of the season in the first inning. Blaze Jordan added another long ball in the third, but the defining moment came late.

Trailing 5-3 entering the eighth, Memphis erupted for five runs on five hits.

Bligh Madris delivered the biggest swing of the inning, coming off the bench to rope a two-run pinch-hit double that put the Redbirds ahead. Bryan Torres followed with a key RBI knock to create breathing room, and Chris Roycroft survived late drama for his second save.

Hunter Dobbins, on MLB rehab assignment, showed flashes despite some command trouble, while Hancel Rincón quietly stabilized things with 2.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

A month into the season, Memphis has yet to spend a day outside of at least a share of first place.

That’s consistency.

Springfield Cardinals (AA)
7-13 | 5th Place, Texas League North

The Springfield Cardinals dropped a frustrating 6-4 extra-inning decision Saturday night to Midland in a game that slipped away offensively.

Springfield scored three runs in the second inning and added another in the fourth, but after the third inning, the offense vanished — failing to record another hit the rest of the night.

That’s a hard formula for success.

Midland did all of its damage with the home run ball, with three long balls accounting for all six runs scored.

One bright note came from the bullpen, where Ryan Murphy and Mason Burns combined for two scoreless innings while punching out four hitters.

At .500, Springfield still feels like a club searching for rhythm.

Sunday’s start by switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje gives fans one of the more fascinating arms in the system to watch.

Peoria Chiefs (High-A)
9-10 | 4th, Midwest League West

The Peoria Chiefs may be turning a corner.

Jalin Flores put together a star-making night Saturday, driving in five runs — including a towering three-run go-ahead homer in the seventh inning — to power Peoria to a 7-5 win over Cedar Rapids.

Flores was the engine all night long, producing run after run in every big spot.

Jesús Báez chipped in with his third home run of the season, while starter Yhoiker Fajardo flashed strikeout stuff, punching out five over 3.1 innings.

Jack Findlay escaped trouble late to earn the win, and D.J. Carpenter slammed the door with two scoreless innings for his first save.

The victory clinched Peoria’s first series win of the season and gives the Chiefs a chance Sunday to climb back to .500.

Sometimes growth shows up in the standings.

Sometimes it shows up in belief.

Saturday looked like both.

Palm Beach Cardinals (Low-A)
15-5 | 1st, Florida State League East

The Palm Beach Cardinals continue to look like one of the jewels of the system.

Saturday’s thrilling 8-7 comeback win over St. Lucie was their latest statement.

Trailing 7-4 entering the ninth inning, Palm Beach stormed back with four runs, sparked by RBI hits from Alex Birge and Trevor Haskins before Ryan Weingartner delivered the game-winning blow.

That’s resilience.

That’s clubhouse toughness.

That’s winning baseball.

And once again, Ty Van Dyke set the tone.

The Palm Beach starter spun 5.0 scoreless innings and remains untouched in the earned run column this season — 19.1 innings, zero earned runs.

That’s dominance, plain and simple.

At 15-5 with a remarkable 10-1 road record, Palm Beach is quickly becoming one of the most impressive clubs anywhere in minor league baseball.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports