Farm Report: Odle Six No-Hit Innings, Springfield Holds On, Memphis Falls
The Cardinal Chronicle
Daily Farm Report
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Farm Report: Odle Deals Six No-Hit Innings, Springfield Holds On, Memphis Stumbles
The Cardinals’ full-season minor league affiliates went 3-1 in completed games on Saturday, with Palm Beach also having its regularly scheduled game postponed by rain.
Memphis had a rough night at AutoZone Park, falling 17-3 to Nashville as the Redbirds’ first-half race tightened. Springfield picked up a 5-3 win at Wichita, continuing a strong road series. Peoria snapped its losing streak in emphatic fashion, shutting out Dayton 6-0 behind six no-hit innings from Jacob Odle and three home runs. Palm Beach finished Friday’s suspended game with a 4-1 win over Jupiter, while Saturday’s scheduled game was postponed and pushed to Sunday.
The headline belongs to Odle.
Six innings.
No hits.
Eight strikeouts.
That is a pitcher taking over a game.
Memphis Redbirds
Record: 46-28, International League West
Standings: 1st place, International League West
Result: Nashville 17, Memphis 3
Memphis picked a bad night to have one of its roughest games of the season.
One night after cutting its magic number to two, the Redbirds were beaten 17-3 by Nashville at AutoZone Park. The Sounds finished with 17 runs on 17 hits, scoring five runs in the fourth, six more in the eighth and four in the ninth.
That is not a game that needs much dressing up.
Memphis entered the night with a chance to keep pressure on the International League first-half race, but Nashville made sure there would be no celebration. The Sounds jumped ahead early, then kept adding on until the game was completely out of reach.
Pete Hansen started for Memphis and took the loss. Nashville got to him early, and the bullpen was not able to stop the damage once the Sounds began stacking innings.
The Redbirds scored single runs in the third, fifth and seventh, but never put together the kind of inning needed to climb back into the game. Memphis finished with six hits and never truly threatened after Nashville’s five-run fourth inning opened the game up.
For Memphis, the good news is simple.
The Redbirds are still in position.
But the margin is tighter now, and the Sunday finale against Nashville carries real weight. Memphis has been one of the best teams in Triple-A all first half, but the finish line still has to be crossed.
Saturday was a reminder that nothing is handed out early.
Springfield Cardinals
Record: 30-37, Texas League North
Standings: 4th place, Texas League North
Result: Springfield 5, Wichita 3
Springfield found a way to close another one.
The Cardinals beat Wichita 5-3 on Saturday night at Equity Bank Park, giving Springfield back-to-back wins and another strong result in a road series that has started to tilt in the Cardinals’ favor.
This was not an offensive explosion. Springfield finished with six hits, but the Cardinals made them count.
Wichita scored twice in the second inning to take an early lead, but Springfield chipped away. The Cardinals scored single runs in the fourth and sixth, then moved in front with two runs in the eighth. Springfield added another run in the ninth to create enough breathing room for the bullpen to finish it.
That is the kind of road win that does not have to be pretty.
It just has to hold.
Brody Moore and Rainiel Rodriguez were involved in key run-scoring moments, and the Cardinals once again got enough traffic late to turn the game. Springfield’s offense did not overwhelm Wichita, but it kept applying pressure and took advantage when the chances came.
The pitching staff made it stand up.
Springfield held Wichita to three runs on three hits. Findlay picked up the win, and Carpenter earned the save, giving the Cardinals a clean finish after taking the lead late.
For a team that has had several frustrating close losses recently, this one mattered.
Springfield built the comeback, took the lead, and finished the job.
Peoria Chiefs
Record: 33-35, Midwest League West
Standings: 3rd place, Midwest League West
Result: Peoria 6, Dayton 0
Peoria needed a clean answer.
The Chiefs got one from Jacob Odle.
Peoria snapped a six-game losing streak with a 6-0 shutout win over Dayton on Saturday night at Dozer Park, and Odle was the story from the mound. The right-hander threw six no-hit innings, walked four and struck out eight, giving the Chiefs their best pitching performance of the week.
Dayton entered the night swinging a hot bat. The Dragons had won six straight and had hit 32 home runs over their previous 10 games.
Odle shut all of that down.
He did not allow a hit, kept Dayton from building any real threat, and allowed only one runner to reach as far as second base. That is dominance, especially against a lineup that had spent the week hammering Peoria pitching.
The Chiefs finally gave him a lead in the fourth. Jack Gurevitch led off the inning with a solo home run to right-center, putting Peoria in front 1-0.
The Chiefs added three more runs in the sixth. Anyelo Encarnación opened the inning with an opposite-field solo homer to right. Jalin Flores then drove in Gurevitch with an RBI triple to right-center, and Josh Kross followed with a double to score Flores and make it 4-0.
Cameron Nickens added the final blow in the seventh, blasting a two-run homer after José Suárez singled to push the lead to 6-0.
The no-hit bid ended with one out in the seventh when Peyton Stovall lined a single into right field. That was Dayton’s only hit of the game.
Jason Savacool, Nolan Sparks and Christian Worley combined to cover the final three innings, allowing just the one hit and keeping the shutout intact.
That is how a club stops a losing streak.
Strong starting pitching.
Power swings.
Clean bullpen work.
Peoria needed something to change the tone. Odle gave the Chiefs exactly that.
Palm Beach Cardinals
Record: 34-33, Florida State League East
Standings: 2nd place, Florida State League East
Result: Palm Beach 4, Jupiter 1 — completion of Friday’s suspended game
Saturday scheduled game: Postponed by rain, makeup scheduled for Sunday
Palm Beach got Saturday started by finishing Friday’s suspended game with a 4-1 win over Jupiter.
The game had been suspended in the fifth inning with the score tied 1-1, then resumed Saturday and was completed in seven innings because of inclement weather. Palm Beach scored two runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh to finish off the Hammerheads.
That pushed the Cardinals back over .500 at 34-33.
The regularly scheduled Saturday game was then postponed by rain and is scheduled to be made up Sunday.
It was not a normal day at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, but Palm Beach still banked a win. After a back-and-forth week with Jupiter, that matters.
The Cardinals had five hits, scored three late runs after the game resumed, and got enough pitching to hold Jupiter to one run on three hits.
It was not a full standard game day.
It still goes in the win column.
Player of the Day
Jack Gurevitch, Peoria Chiefs
Jack Gurevitch is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Player of the Day after helping spark Peoria’s 6-0 win over Dayton.
Gurevitch gave the Chiefs the lead in the fourth inning with a leadoff solo home run to right-center. He later came around to score in the sixth when Jalin Flores drove him in with an RBI triple.
That is table-setting and run production.
Peoria had several good offensive notes. Anyelo Encarnación hit an opposite-field solo homer. Cameron Nickens added a two-run homer in the seventh. Flores had the RBI triple, and Josh Kross drove in a run with a double.
But Gurevitch gets the nod because his swing broke the scoreless tie and gave Jacob Odle a lead to protect.
On a night built around pitching, the first big offensive swing mattered.
Pitcher of the Day
Jacob Odle, Peoria Chiefs
There is no debate here.
Jacob Odle is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Day after throwing six no-hit innings in Peoria’s 6-0 win over Dayton.
Odle walked four and struck out eight, earning the win and giving the Chiefs exactly the kind of outing they needed after a rough stretch. Dayton had been one of the hottest offenses in the Midwest League, and Odle held the Dragons hitless through six innings.
That is the line of the night.
Jason Savacool, Nolan Sparks and Christian Worley deserve mention for finishing the shutout and helping hold Dayton to one hit. Springfield’s staff also deserves mention after holding Wichita to three hits in a 5-3 win.
But Odle stood above the rest.
Six no-hit innings.
Eight strikeouts.
A losing streak stopped.
That gets the honor.
Old School Take
This was the Jacob Odle report.
Memphis had a night to forget. Springfield found a way to win late. Palm Beach finished a suspended game and got a win before more rain arrived.
But Peoria needed an answer, and Odle gave the Chiefs six no-hit innings against a Dayton club that had been hammering the baseball.
That is how you change the tone of a series.
That is how you stop a losing streak.
That is how you make a Farm Report headline.
Odle dealt.
Peoria won.
Springfield held on.
Palm Beach banked one.
Memphis has to finish Sunday.
That is the Farm Report.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Jacob Odle, Peoria Chiefs | MLB