Cijntje Shines, Chiefs Power Up on Saturday Night

The Cardinal Chronicle
Cijntje Shines, Chiefs Power Up on Saturday Night
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The Cardinals’ farm system had a little bit of everything Saturday night — a dominant start at Springfield, another power show from Peoria, a late bullpen stumble at Memphis and a tough finish for Palm Beach.

Jurrangelo Cijntje delivered the best pitching performance in the system, shutting down his former Arkansas club over six scoreless innings. Peoria continued to build momentum with three home runs in a 7-2 win over Cedar Rapids, while Memphis let a late lead get away in Iowa. Palm Beach held a late lead at St. Lucie before the Mets rallied in the seventh inning.

Memphis Redbirds
Record / Standings: 30-20, tied for 1st place, International League
Score: Iowa 6, Memphis 4

Memphis carried a lead into the late innings Saturday night, but a five-run seventh inning flipped the game as Iowa rallied past the Redbirds, 6-4, at Principal Park.

The Redbirds got a strong night from Lars Nootbaar, who continued his rehab assignment with Memphis. Nootbaar cut down a runner at the plate from left field to end the third inning, then added a two-run homer in the fifth to help Memphis build a 3-0 lead.

Leo Bernal later hit his fifth home run of the season in the eighth inning to pull Memphis within two runs. Joshua Báez also drove in a run with a double, and the Redbirds finished with five extra-base hits among their eight hits.

Bruce Zimmermann gave Memphis a solid start, allowing one run on seven hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out six, continuing to pile up strikeouts near the top of the International League leaderboard. Cade Winquest also threw a perfect inning in his second appearance since returning from the injured list.

The loss dropped Memphis into a three-way tie for first place with Nashville and Rochester, though the Redbirds have still spent every day of the season at least tied for the top spot in the International League standings. (MLB.com)

Springfield Cardinals
Record / Standings: 18-26, 5th Place, Texas League North
Score: Springfield 6, Arkansas 0

Jurrangelo Cijntje turned in the best start of the season by a Springfield Cardinals pitcher Saturday night, leading the Cardinals to a 6-0 win over Arkansas at Dickey-Stephens Park.

Facing his former organization, Cijntje worked six scoreless innings, allowed only two hits and struck out seven. He became the first Springfield starter this season to complete six innings, and three relievers finished the final three frames to complete Springfield’s first pitching shutout of the year.

It was a strong response from Springfield after being blanked by Arkansas the night before. One night after the Cardinals were held to three hits and beaten soundly, Cijntje changed the tone of the series with command, poise and the kind of length the club has been waiting to see from its rotation.

Noah Mendlinger supplied a big night from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and two RBIs. Springfield improved to 18-26 and can finish its season-long 12-game road trip at 7-5 with a win in Sunday’s finale. 

Peoria Chiefs
Record / Standings: 19-24, 6th Place, Midwest League West
Score: Peoria 7, Cedar Rapids 2

Peoria kept rolling Saturday night, using a five-run third inning and three home runs to beat Cedar Rapids, 7-2, at Dozer Park.

Cedar Rapids struck first on a solo home run in the second inning, but Peoria answered with a five-run, five-hit third. Jesús Báez opened the scoring for the Chiefs with an RBI double, Jalin Flores followed with an RBI single, and Cade McGee capped the inning with a two-run homer to left-center.

Leonel Sequera gave Peoria a much-needed bounce-back start. After a rough stretch in his previous two outings, Sequera allowed one run on four hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five, keeping the Chiefs in control long enough for the offense to take over.

Cameron Nickens made an immediate impression in his High-A debut, launching a solo home run in the seventh inning for his third hit of the night. Luis Pino added another solo homer as Peoria extended the lead to 7-2. The bullpen did the rest, with Rubén Menes, Sam Broderson and Christian Worley combining to allow only one run over 4 2/3 innings.

The win was Peoria’s third straight and moved the Chiefs ahead in the series, three games to two, with a chance to take the set Sunday. 

Palm Beach Cardinals
Record / Standings: 24-20, 2nd Place, 2.0 GB, Florida State League East
Score: St. Lucie 4, Palm Beach 2

Palm Beach carried a late lead into the seventh inning Saturday night, but St. Lucie rallied for three runs and handed the Cardinals a 4-2 loss at Clover Park.

The Cardinals led 2-1 before the Mets tied the game on a solo home run by AJ Salgado in the seventh. Three batters later, Branny De Oleo delivered the decisive swing, hitting a two-run homer to left field to give St. Lucie a 4-2 lead.

Palm Beach could not answer from there, and St. Lucie sealed the final three innings behind Elwis Mijares, who worked three perfect frames to finish the game.

The loss dropped Palm Beach to 24-20 and gave St. Lucie a 3-2 lead in the series heading into Sunday’s finale. 

Player of the Day
Cameron Nickens, Peoria Chiefs

Cameron Nickens gets the nod after making an immediate impact in his High-A debut for Peoria.

Nickens collected three hits and capped his night with a solo home run in the seventh inning, helping the Chiefs pull away in a 7-2 win over Cedar Rapids. For a player just assigned to Peoria, that is about as strong of a first impression as a club can ask for.

The Chiefs had plenty of candidates Saturday night, including Cade McGee with a two-run homer and Jesús Báez continuing to swing the bat well. But three hits and a home run in a High-A debut earns the top spot.

Pitcher of the Day
Jurrangelo Cijntje, Springfield Cardinals

Jurrangelo Cijntje earns Pitcher of the Day honors after delivering six scoreless innings in Springfield’s 6-0 win over Arkansas.

Cijntje allowed only two hits, struck out seven and became the first Springfield starter this season to complete six innings. Facing his former team only added a little extra weight to the performance.

Springfield needed a stopper after Friday night’s lopsided loss, and Cijntje gave the Cardinals exactly that. Six scoreless, seven strikeouts and a team shutout. That is not just a good start — that is the best pitching performance in the system for the night.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports