Cijntje Deals, Peña Drives In Four as Cardinals Affiliates Split the Fourth
Cardinal Chronicle
Morning Farm Report
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Cijntje Deals, Peña Drives In Four as Cardinals Affiliates Split the Fourth
The St. Louis Cardinals’ full-season affiliates split the board on the Fourth of July, going 2-2 across the system.
Memphis lost a late battle with Charlotte, 8-6, despite home runs from Bligh Madris and Ramon Mendoza and a three-hit night from Colton Ledbetter. Springfield beat Arkansas, 7-5, behind six shutout innings from Jurrangelo Cijntje and a three-RBI night from Jon Jon Gazdar. Peoria shut out Wisconsin, 2-0, with four pitchers combining to hold the Timber Rattlers to four hits. Palm Beach fell to Lakeland, 7-5, but Yordalin Peña gave the Cardinals the loudest offensive line of the night with a homer, double and four RBIs.
It was not a perfect system-wide night, but there were some strong individual performances worth carrying forward.
Memphis Redbirds
Charlotte 8, Memphis 6
Memphis: 51-35 overall
Memphis kept fighting, but Charlotte had the bigger middle-inning punch Saturday night at AutoZone Park.
The Redbirds fell 8-6 to the Charlotte Knights after Charlotte jumped out with two runs in the first, added another in the fourth and broke the game open with four runs in the sixth. Memphis tried to climb back late, scoring two in the ninth, but the rally came up short.
Colton Ledbetter was the table-setter for Memphis, going 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. Bligh Madris hit his 14th home run of the season and drove in his 52nd run, while Ramon Mendoza added his sixth homer of the year. Thomas Saggese drove in two runs, and Victor Scott II added an RBI.
Mason Molina made his first Triple-A start and showed the swing-and-miss that has made him one of the more interesting arms in the system. Molina allowed three earned runs on six hits over four innings, walking three and striking out eight. The command and traffic were part of the story, but eight strikeouts in four innings is not something you ignore.
Tink Hence followed with a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two. Cade Winquest also worked a clean inning with a strikeout, and Jared Shuster added a scoreless frame.
The game turned in the sixth, when Scott Blewett allowed four runs on four hits, including two home runs. That swing in momentum gave Charlotte the cushion it needed.
Old School Take: Memphis had some fight, Ledbetter kept getting on base, and Molina showed real swing-and-miss in his first Triple-A look. But the Redbirds gave up a four-run sixth, and that was the inning that decided the night.
Springfield Cardinals
Springfield 7, Arkansas 5
Springfield: 40-39 overall
Jurrangelo Cijntje gave Springfield exactly what it needed Saturday night.
The switch-pitching right-hander turned in one of his best starts of the season, throwing six shutout innings in Springfield’s 7-5 win over the Arkansas Travelers at Route 66 Stadium. Cijntje allowed just three hits, walked three and struck out nine, setting the tone for a Cardinals club that had to hold on late.
Springfield’s offense was quiet through the first five innings, but the Cardinals broke through with four runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh. That gave the pitching staff enough room to survive Arkansas’ late push.
Jon Jon Gazdar led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Miguel Ugueto went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Ryan Campos added two hits, including a double, and scored a run. Tre Richardson III scored twice and drove in a run, while Dakota Harris also added an RBI.
Arkansas made things uncomfortable after Cijntje exited, scoring four runs in the seventh and another in the ninth. Tyler Bradt struggled in relief, allowing four runs in one inning, and Jack Findlay gave up one run over 1.2 innings. Randel Clemente came in with traffic in the ninth and struck out the final batter to finish the win.
This game belonged to Cijntje, but Springfield’s lineup deserves credit for answering late after being held down early.
Old School Take: Six shutout innings and nine strikeouts will play in any league. Cijntje handed Springfield a lead, Gazdar helped build the cushion, and the Cardinals survived the late scare. Not tidy, but good enough.
Peoria Chiefs
Peoria 2, Wisconsin 0
Peoria: 38-41 overall
Peoria won the cleanest game in the system Saturday night.
After a two-hour delay at Dozer Park, the Chiefs shut out the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 2-0, behind a strong start from Leonel Sequera and excellent bullpen work.
Sequera gave Peoria six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five. He faced 21 batters and kept Wisconsin from ever building a real threat. For a pitcher carrying a high ERA into the night, this was exactly the kind of outing that can start changing the direction of a season.
The bullpen finished what Sequera started. José Davila worked a scoreless seventh, Christian Worley struck out all three batters he retired in the eighth, and Patrick Galle finished the ninth with two strikeouts. Together, the Peoria staff held Wisconsin to four hits and struck out 11.
The Chiefs did not do much offensively, but they did enough.
Ian Petrutz had the best night at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a stolen base. Cameron Nickens went 1-for-2 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored. Jalin Flores added his 16th double of the season, and Sammy Hernandez walked and stole his ninth base.
This was not a slugfest. It was a pitching win, plain and simple.
Old School Take: Sometimes two runs are plenty if the pitching staff brings its lunch pail. Sequera set the tone, the bullpen slammed the door, and Peoria turned a delayed start into one of its better wins of the week.
Palm Beach Cardinals
Lakeland 7, Palm Beach 5
Palm Beach: 42-38 overall
Yordalin Peña did everything he could to keep Palm Beach in it.
The Cardinals fell 7-5 to the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Saturday, but Peña delivered the best offensive performance in the system, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBIs. His 11th homer of the season gave Palm Beach a much-needed jolt, and his four RBIs accounted for nearly all of the Cardinals’ scoring.
Palm Beach had only four hits as a team and struck out 14 times, which made Peña’s production stand out even more. Johnfrank Salazar doubled, walked and scored a run, while Sebastian Dos Santos drove in the other Palm Beach run.
The Cardinals trailed 3-0 after the second inning and 4-0 after the fourth. Peña helped bring them back into the game, but Lakeland kept adding on. The Flying Tigers scored two in the fifth and one more in the seventh, giving themselves just enough room to withstand Palm Beach’s late push.
On the mound, Sem Robberse started and allowed three runs on six hits over 1.2 innings. Andrew Dutkanych IV allowed three runs over 2.2 innings, while Yadiel Batista gave Palm Beach 2.1 innings of one-run relief. The pitching staff allowed 11 hits and walked six.
Palm Beach made it interesting, but the early deficit and the strikeouts were too much to overcome.
Old School Take: Peña brought the thunder, but one man can only carry so much of the wagon. Four RBIs on a night when the team had only four hits is impressive. It just was not enough.
Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day
Yordalin Peña, OF, Palm Beach
Yordalin Peña earns Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors after driving the Palm Beach offense in Saturday’s 7-5 loss to Lakeland.
Peña went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, four RBIs and a run scored. His 11th homer of the season and 17th double gave the Cardinals nearly all of their offense on a night when hits were hard to find.
Palm Beach had only four hits as a team. Peña had two of them and drove in four of the club’s five runs.
That is carrying the lineup.
The Cardinals did not get the win, but Peña’s performance was the loudest offensive showing in the system Saturday night.
Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day
Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP, Springfield
Jurrangelo Cijntje gets the nod as Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day after six shutout innings in Springfield’s 7-5 win over Arkansas.
Cijntje allowed just three hits, walked three and struck out nine. He kept Arkansas off the board through six innings and gave Springfield the foundation it needed before the late innings got messy.
The strikeout total jumps off the page, but the zero in the run column matters most. Springfield needed a strong start, and Cijntje delivered one.
Six shutout innings. Nine strikeouts. A Double-A win.
That is your Pitcher of the Day.
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Photo Credit: Jurrangelo Cijntje, Springfield Cardinals | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images