Farm Report: Peoria Rolls, Báez Delivers Four Hits, Springfield Holds On
The Cardinal Chronicle
Daily Farm Report
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Farm Report: Peoria Rolls, Báez Delivers Four Hits, Springfield Holds On
The Cardinals’ farm system went 2-2 Tuesday night, with Peoria delivering the loudest win of the evening, Springfield hanging on late in Frisco, Memphis dropping an 11-inning heartbreaker despite a big night from Joshua Báez, and Palm Beach taking one on the chin in Tampa.
There was plenty to work with across the system. Báez had four hits and drove in three runs for Memphis. José Suárez powered Peoria with three hits, a homer and four RBIs. Springfield built enough of a lead to survive a ninth-inning scare. Palm Beach, meanwhile, never recovered after Tampa broke the game open in the middle innings.
Memphis Redbirds
Record: 35-23, 1st Place Tie - International League West
Result: Louisville 6, Memphis 5 — 11 innings
Memphis opened its six-game homestand with a tough 6-5 loss to Louisville in 11 innings at AutoZone Park.
The Redbirds kept answering all night, but Louisville had the last word. Memphis tied the game in the first, pulled closer in the fifth, tied it again in the eighth, and forced another inning in the tenth before Louisville pushed across the winning run in the 11th.
Joshua Báez had the best night in the Memphis lineup, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored. He drove in three of the Redbirds’ five runs, including a game-tying RBI double in the first, another RBI double in the fifth, and a two-out infield single in the tenth that tied the game again.
That is a full night’s work.
Blaze Jordan also delivered a key swing, tripling down the right-field line in the eighth to score Lars Nootbaar and tie the game 4-4. Nootbaar, continuing his major league rehab assignment, went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored while playing left field before being lifted for a defensive replacement in the tenth as scheduled.
Tink Hence served as the opener in his return to Triple-A action and worked one inning, allowing one run on one hit with two walks and one strikeout. Brandt Thompson followed in his Triple-A debut and gave Memphis six innings, allowing three runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Thompson settled in after some early damage and retired 11 of 12 hitters during one strong stretch. In a game that went 11 innings, those six innings mattered.
Springfield Cardinals
Record: 24-27, 3rd Place, 8.5 GB, Texas League North
Result: Springfield 7, Frisco 6
Springfield made things more interesting than necessary, but the Cardinals still opened their series in Frisco with a 7-6 win over the RoughRiders.
After falling behind 1-0 in the third, Springfield answered with two runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth to build a 6-2 lead. That fifth inning turned out to be the difference. Frisco kept coming, but Springfield had enough cushion to survive.
The Cardinals carried a 7-3 lead into the ninth before Frisco made its final push. The RoughRiders loaded the bases with nobody out and scored three runs in the inning, cutting the lead to one. Springfield managed to escape with the tying and winning runs stranded.
That is not the cleanest way to win a ballgame, but it still counts the same in the standings.
There is something to be said for a road club that builds a lead and holds on when the home team makes one last charge. Springfield has had its ups and downs this season, but Tuesday was the kind of win that can help a club start a series on the right foot.
The Cardinals have won six straight.
Peoria Chiefs
Record: 25-27, 4th Place, 8.0 GB, Midwest League West
Result: Peoria 11, Beloit 1
Peoria put this one away early and never let Beloit back into it.
The Chiefs rolled to an 11-1 series-opening win over the Sky Carp at Dozer Park, using a six-run fourth inning to turn the game into a rout. After getting knocked around by Beloit in the previous matchup between the clubs, Peoria flipped the script Tuesday night.
Jack Gurevitch started the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning after Jesús Báez opened the game with a single. Peoria added another run in the second when Báez drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 3-0.
Then came the fourth.
The Chiefs scored six runs on four hits and four walks. Báez drove in another run with a sacrifice fly, Jalin Flores and Cade McGee followed with RBI singles, Won-Bin Cho scored on a wild pitch, and José Suárez delivered a two-run single to stretch the lead to 9-0.
Suárez was not finished. In the eighth, he added a two-run homer the other way, slicing it just inside the right-field foul pole to cap the scoring. He finished with three hits and four RBIs.
Báez also had a strong night, finishing with three hits and two RBIs.
Yhoiker Fajardo started for Peoria and allowed one run over 4.2 innings. He gave up five hits, walked three and struck out three. Bobby Olsen, Gerardo Salas, Jason Savacool and Dominic Freeberger handled the rest, with the bullpen keeping Beloit scoreless the rest of the way.
This was exactly the kind of response you want to see from Peoria — score early, keep adding on, and make the other dugout play uphill all night.
Palm Beach Cardinals
Record: 29-23, 1st Place, Florida State League East
Result: Tampa 12, Palm Beach 1
Palm Beach opened its series in Tampa with one of those nights you simply flush and move on from.
The Cardinals fell 12-1 to the Tarpons at George M. Steinbrenner Field, with Tampa breaking the game open in the middle and late innings. Palm Beach tied the game in the top of the fourth, but Tampa answered immediately with two runs in the bottom half and never looked back.
The game was still within reach early, but Tampa added four runs in the fifth and five more in the eighth to turn it into a runaway.
Palm Beach had a chance to cut into the deficit in the sixth, but Tampa right fielder Luis Durango reached over the wall to take away a potential home run and keep the Cardinals from building any momentum.
Palm Beach has been one of the better stories in the system this season, and the Cardinals remain in first place in the Florida State League East. But every club has nights like this, especially in the lower minors. The key is not letting one ugly final score turn into two.
Player of the Day
Joshua Báez, Memphis Redbirds
Joshua Báez is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Player of the Day after going 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored in Memphis’ 6-5 extra-inning loss to Louisville.
Báez drove in three of the Redbirds’ five runs and delivered in several key spots, including a two-out infield single in the tenth that tied the game and kept Memphis alive.
José Suárez deserves strong mention after going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs for Peoria, but Báez gets the nod for the complete offensive night and the late-game production.
Pitcher of the Day
Brandt Thompson, Memphis Redbirds
Brandt Thompson earns The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Day honors after giving Memphis six innings in his Triple-A debut.
The final line was six innings, four hits, three runs, two walks and three strikeouts. It was not spotless, but the setting matters. Thompson entered behind Tink Hence, settled the game down, and gave Memphis length in a game that eventually went 11 innings.
That is how a pitcher makes an impression in his first Triple-A appearance. He did not blink, he gave his club innings, and he kept the Redbirds close enough to keep answering.
Yhoiker Fajardo deserves mention for allowing just one run over 4.2 innings in Peoria’s win, but Thompson’s six innings in his Triple-A debut stand out.
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Photo Credit: Joshua Baez, Memphis Redbirds | MiLB