Farm Report: Levenson Drives Five, Holiday Works Seven
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Farm Report: Levenson Drives Five, Holiday Works Seven
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinal Chronicle Farm Report is your most complete daily look at the Cardinals’ minor league system — from box scores and standings to standout performances, prospect notes and the daily Top 30 Prospect Watch.
Friday was a split night on the farm.
Memphis stayed hot at AutoZone Park, Springfield kept rolling at Corpus Christi, Peoria wasted a strong start from Brian Holiday, and Palm Beach saw its winning streak end against Daytona.
The Cardinals’ full-season affiliates finished 2-2.
Zach Levenson earned Hitter of the Day honors after going 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, five RBIs and three runs scored for Memphis. Brian Holiday earned Pitcher of the Day honors after giving Peoria seven innings, allowing one earned run and striking out six.
Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A
Overall Record: 74-62
Second Half: 27-34, 9th in the International League West, 8.0 GB
Streak: W2
Memphis 12, Durham 6
Memphis had the biggest offensive night in the system.
The Redbirds beat Durham, 12-6, scoring three runs in the second, three more in the fifth, four in the seventh and two in the eighth. Memphis finished with 12 runs on 16 hits.
Zach Levenson led the way, going 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, five RBIs and three runs scored.
His final line: 4-for-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R
That is a loud night.
Trey Paige also homered, went 2-for-4, drove in two and scored twice. Jimmy Crooks doubled, had two hits, drove in a run and scored twice. Noah Mendlinger went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, two runs scored and a walk, while Andy Yerzy added two hits and two RBIs.
On the mound, it was not a clean night, but Memphis had enough offense to absorb it. Jared Shuster worked three innings and struck out four. Sandro Santana struck out four over 1.1 innings. Austin Love finished with two scoreless innings.
Takeaway: Memphis won its second straight behind 16 hits, two home runs and a five-RBI night from Levenson.
Springfield Cardinals — Double-A
Overall Record: 72-57
Second Half: 41-20, 1st in the Texas League North, 5.0 games ahead
Streak: W2
Springfield 4, Corpus Christi 1
Springfield keeps stacking wins to close out their historic season.
The Cardinals beat Corpus Christi, 4-1, behind 12 hits and a strong pitching night from Braden Davis, José Davila and Jack Findlay. Springfield scored three runs in the second inning, added another in the seventh and never gave the Hooks much room to get back in the game.
Cade McGee gave Springfield the big swing, going 3-for-5 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored. Chase Heath also had three hits and stole a base. Tre Richardson III doubled and scored, while Jon Jon Gazdar doubled, drove in a run, scored and stole a base.
Deniel Ortiz, the MLB Pipeline No. 27 prospect, went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base. Josiah Ragsdale, the MLB Pipeline No. 10 prospect, added a hit. Jesús Báez, the MLB Pipeline No. 21 prospect, also singled in his only at-bat.
On the mound, Braden Davis was excellent. He worked 5.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits and two walks while striking out seven.
José Davila followed with 2.1 scoreless innings, and Jack Findlay worked the ninth. Springfield pitching allowed one unearned run and struck out 11.
Takeaway: Springfield won its second straight and remains five games up in the Texas League North.
Peoria Chiefs — High-A
Overall Record: 62-67
Second Half: 30-33, 5th in the Midwest League West, 9.5 GB
Streak: L1
Quad Cities 6, Peoria 4
Peoria had a strong start from Brian Holiday, but the game got away late.
The Chiefs fell 6-4 to Quad Cities after the River Bandits scored three runs in the ninth inning. Peoria had tied the game with two runs in the eighth, but could not finish it.
Andrew Williamson had a big night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBIs and two runs scored. Yairo Padilla also homered, went 2-for-4, drove in a run and scored. Caden Ferraro doubled, walked and scored, while Tristan Bissetta singled, walked and stole a base.
Holiday gave Peoria the best pitching line of the day.
The right-hander worked seven innings, allowing three hits, two runs, one earned, and one walk while striking out six.
His final line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
That should have been enough.
Zeke Wood allowed one unearned run in the eighth, and Nate Dohm was charged with three runs in the ninth as Quad Cities came back to win.
Takeaway: Holiday gave Peoria seven strong innings, but Quad Cities scored three in the ninth to hand the Chiefs a tough loss.
Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A
Overall Record: 65-65
Second Half: 32-32, 2nd in the Florida State League East, 5.5 GB
Streak: L1
Daytona 9, Palm Beach 4
Palm Beach’s winning streak ended Friday night.
The Cardinals fell 9-4 to Daytona after the Tortugas scored one in the second, four in the third, three in the seventh and one more in the ninth. Palm Beach scored three in the third and one in the ninth, but could not close the gap.
Owen Henne had the best Palm Beach line, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, a run scored and a walk. Matthew Miura went 2-for-3 with a walk, while Trevor Haskins doubled and scored. Kenly Hunter drove in a run and stole a base.
Alexander Frias, the MLB Pipeline No. 4 prospect, went 0-for-4. Miguel Hernández walked twice, scored and stole his seventh base.
On the mound, Payton Graham allowed five runs over three innings. Jan Cabrera worked 4.2 innings in relief, and Dallis Moran finished the final 1.1 innings.
Takeaway: Henne homered and drove in two, but Daytona’s middle-inning damage ended Palm Beach’s winning streak.
Top 30 Prospect Watch
Rainiel Rodriguez, MLB Pipeline No. 1, did not appear in Springfield’s box score. His season line is listed at .314 with a .964 OPS, 24 home runs and 81 RBIs.
Liam Doyle, MLB Pipeline No. 2, did not pitch Friday. His season line is listed at 3.77 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 125 strikeouts over 98.0 innings.
Alexander Frias, MLB Pipeline No. 4, went 0-for-4 for Palm Beach. His season line is listed at .313 with a .904 OPS, 10 home runs and 73 RBIs.
Brandon Clarke, MLB Pipeline No. 7, did not pitch Friday. His season line is listed at 3.86 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 37 strikeouts over 25.2 innings.
Josiah Ragsdale, MLB Pipeline No. 10, went 1-for-4 for Springfield. His season line is listed at .308 with a .995 OPS, 24 home runs and 64 RBIs.
Yairo Padilla, MLB Pipeline No. 15, went 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and a run scored for Peoria. His season line is listed at .281 with an .856 OPS, five home runs and 28 RBIs.
Sandro Santana, MLB Pipeline No. 22, worked 1.1 innings for Memphis, allowing two earned runs and three walks while striking out four. His season line is listed at 2.20 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 93 strikeouts over 57.1 innings.
Deniel Ortiz, MLB Pipeline No. 27, went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base for Springfield. His season line is listed at .262 with an .844 OPS, nine home runs and 39 RBIs.
Jack Gurevitch, MLB Pipeline No. 30, went 0-for-5 for Springfield. His season line is listed at .277 with an .872 OPS, 27 home runs and 85 RBIs.
Jesús Báez, MLB Pipeline No. 21, went 1-for-1 for Springfield. His season line is listed at .278 with a .901 OPS, 36 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Quick Hits: 10 Players, 10 Stats
1. Zach Levenson, Memphis: 4-for-5, home run, double, five RBIs, three runs.
2. Brian Holiday, Peoria: 7.0 innings, three hits, two runs, one earned run, one walk, six strikeouts.
3. Andrew Williamson, Peoria: 2-for-4, two home runs, two RBIs, two runs.
4. Cade McGee, Springfield: 3-for-5, home run, RBI, two runs.
5. Braden Davis, Springfield: 5.2 innings, five hits, one unearned run, two walks, seven strikeouts.
6. Owen Henne, Palm Beach: 2-for-3, home run, two RBIs, run scored, walk.
7. Trey Paige, Memphis: 2-for-4, home run, two RBIs, two runs, walk.
8. Chase Heath, Springfield: 3-for-4, walk, stolen base.
9. Noah Mendlinger, Memphis: 2-for-4, double, RBI, two runs, walk.
10. José Davila, Springfield: 2.1 scoreless innings, three hits, no walks, three strikeouts.
Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day
Zach Levenson, RF, Memphis Redbirds
Levenson had the biggest offensive line in the system.
His final line: 4-for-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R
Four hits.
A home run.
A double.
Five RBIs.
Three runs scored.
A Memphis win.
That is a Player of the Day performance.
Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day
Brian Holiday, Peoria Chiefs
Holiday gave Peoria seven strong innings in a tough loss.
His final line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Seven innings.
Three hits allowed.
One earned run.
Six strikeouts.
That is a Pitcher of the Day performance.
The Final Word
Memphis and Springfield carried the night.
The Redbirds scored 12 runs on 16 hits, led by Zach Levenson’s five-RBI night. Springfield won again, getting three hits and a home run from Cade McGee, three hits from Chase Heath and a strong start from Braden Davis.
Peoria had enough pitching from Brian Holiday and enough power from Andrew Williamson and Yairo Padilla, but the Chiefs lost it in the ninth. Palm Beach saw its winning streak end despite a strong night from Owen Henne.
The affiliates finished 2-2.
Memphis powered up.
Springfield kept winning.
Holiday deserved better.
Palm Beach cooled off.
That is the farm report.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Zach Levenson, Memphis Redbirds | MLB