Farm Report: Ledbetter Carries Memphis, Rough Night Elsewhere
Farm Report: Ledbetter Carries Memphis, Rough Night Elsewhere
The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Wednesday was another rough night across the Cardinals’ full-season affiliates, with Memphis standing as the only winner.
The Redbirds handled Gwinnett behind a huge night from Colton Ledbetter, but Springfield, Peoria and Palm Beach all dropped games where the damage came in different forms — missed chances, late bullpen trouble, and a wild walk-off loss.
The full-season affiliates went 1-3 on the night. The bats produced plenty of traffic, but the pitching staffs combined to allow 30 runs, and that is usually a hard way to make a living.
Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A
Overall Record: 54-35
Second Half: 7-7, 6th in the International League West, 3.5 GB
Memphis 7, Gwinnett 3
Memphis was the bright spot of the night, beating Gwinnett 7-3 behind a four-hit, two-homer performance from Colton Ledbetter.
Ledbetter went 4-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored, putting together one of the best individual offensive nights in the Cardinals’ system this season. He now has seven home runs on the year, and this was the kind of game that reminds you why the Cardinals have remained patient with his development.
The Redbirds also got production from Ramon Mendoza, who went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while Thomas Saggese added two hits and an RBI. Victor Scott II singled, walked, stole a base and drove in a run.
The one concern was the middle of the order. Nolan Gorman went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, while Joshua Báez and César Prieto also went hitless. Memphis won anyway because Ledbetter carried the lower third of the lineup, and Mendoza gave the Redbirds another strong run-producing bat.
On the mound, Pete Hansen gave Memphis a solid start, working 4.2 innings and allowing one run on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. He did not finish the fifth, but he gave the Redbirds enough swing-and-miss to set the tone. Victor Santos closed it out with a clean ninth, striking out one.
Takeaway: Memphis won because Ledbetter took over the game. The Redbirds did not need a perfect night from the lineup. They needed one player to change the game, and Ledbetter did exactly that.
Springfield Cardinals — Double-A
Overall Record: 40-42
Second Half: 9-5, 2nd in the Texas League North, 1.0 GB
Tulsa 7, Springfield 3
Springfield had chances, but the Cardinals could not keep pace with Tulsa in a 7-3 loss.
The Cardinals finished with nine hits and five walks, but only pushed across three runs. That is the part that stings. There was traffic, there were opportunities, but not enough timely damage.
Travis Honeyman had the best night at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs. Ryan Campos reached base four times, going 1-for-2 with three walks, while Deniel Ortiz doubled and walked. Tre Richardson III added an RBI single and stole his 12th base.
Blake Aita gave Springfield six innings, allowing four runs on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts. It was not a disaster, but Tulsa got to him with two home runs, and that proved costly. Edwin Núñez worked a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, but Jack Findlay allowed three runs in the eighth, which turned a manageable deficit into a four-run hole.
Springfield also committed three errors, and while the pitching line shows the runs as earned, those mistakes added to the frustration of the night.
Takeaway: Springfield had enough baserunners to make this a game, but not enough finishing swings. Against a strong Tulsa club, that usually gets exposed.
Peoria Chiefs — High-A
Overall Record: 38-44
Second Half: 6-10, 5th in the Midwest League West, 6.0 GB
Quad Cities 10, Peoria 4
Peoria was tied 4-4 after five innings, then watched the game get away late in a 10-4 loss to Quad Cities.
The Chiefs had some good offensive moments. Ian Petrutz went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, while Jack Gurevitch doubled and drove in two runs. Sammy Hernandez added a double and a walk, continuing to swing the bat well.
But the pitching staff could not slow down Quad Cities. The River Bandits finished with 17 hits, including six runs over the final two innings.
Nate Dohm struck out five in three innings but allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits. Rubén Menes helped stabilize the game with three innings of one-run relief, but the late innings were rough. Nolan Sparks gave up two runs in the seventh, and Bobby Olsen was charged with four runs in the eighth.
Takeaway: Peoria had the game tied halfway through, but the bullpen could not hold the line. Giving up 17 hits is usually not survivable, and Wednesday was no exception.
Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A
Overall Record: 43-40
Second Half: 10-7, 2nd in the Florida State League East, 0.5 GB
Daytona 10, Palm Beach 9
Palm Beach lost the wildest game of the night, falling 10-9 to Daytona in walk-off fashion.
The Cardinals scored nine runs on 11 hits and still came up short. That is a tough one to swallow.
Yordalin Peña led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, a walk and a run scored. Jonathan Mejía also homered and drove in two, while Chase Heath went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and a walk. Ryan Mitchell added two hits, a double, an RBI and a walk, and Brayden Smith tripled, drove in a run and stole his 23rd base.
The problem was run prevention. Palm Beach pitchers struck out 16 Daytona hitters, which is an eye-opening number, but they also allowed 10 runs on 13 hits. Brian Holiday gave up five runs over 2.2 innings, and Nelfy Ynfante was charged with three more. Zeke Wood struck out five in 1.2 innings, but Daytona pushed across the winning run in the ninth.
Takeaway: Palm Beach had more than enough offense to win. When you score nine runs and still lose, that one usually falls on the pitching side of the ledger.
Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day
Colton Ledbetter, RF, Memphis
This one was not close.
Ledbetter went 4-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored in Memphis’ 7-3 win over Gwinnett.
It was a complete offensive night. He reached base every time, drove the baseball with authority, and gave Memphis the kind of production that carried the whole lineup. On a night when several bigger names in the order were quiet, Ledbetter was the difference.
Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day
Pete Hansen, LHP, Memphis
Hansen earns the nod after giving Memphis 4.2 innings of one-run baseball, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out seven.
He did not qualify for the win, but he gave the Redbirds the best starting effort in the system Wednesday. The strikeouts mattered, the damage was limited, and Memphis was able to build the game from there.
The Final Word
This was not a clean night on the farm.
Memphis won because Colton Ledbetter had a monster game. Springfield had chances but could not cash in. Peoria stayed close early before the bullpen broke down. Palm Beach scored nine runs and still lost.
That is a 1-3 night, and there is no need to dress it up like Sunday dinner.
The good news? Ledbetter had a headline night, Hansen gave Memphis a strong effort, and Palm Beach’s offense showed plenty of life.
The bad news? Across the system, there were too many runs allowed, too many late innings that got away, and too many games where the offense did enough to make you think a win was there for the taking.
That is the farm report. Not pretty, but honest.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Colton Ledbetter, Memphis Redbirds | Lighthouse Media