Farm Report: W 1, L 2, - Palm Beach Scores 17-Runs in Blowout
The Cardinal Chronicle
Daily Farm Report
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Farm Report: Palm Beach Scores17-Runs, Springfield & Peoria Suffered Losses
The Cardinals’ farm system had a shortened Wednesday slate, with Memphis postponed in Norfolk and three full-season affiliates in action.
Palm Beach delivered the night’s headline, responding to Tuesday’s no-hit loss by hammering St. Lucie 17-0 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Springfield took one on the chin in a 14-4 loss to Amarillo, and Peoria dropped its second straight at South Bend, falling 6-3 to the first-place Cubs.
It was not a clean night across the system, but Palm Beach made sure there was one strong answer on the board.
Memphis Redbirds
Record: 39-25
Standings: 2nd Place, 0.5 GB, International League
Result: Postponed at Norfolk
Memphis did not play Wednesday night, as the Redbirds’ game against the Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park was postponed due to inclement weather.
The postponement came one night after Memphis opened the road series with an 11-4 win over Norfolk, powered by two five-run innings, Joshua Báez’s 18th home run of the season, and another productive night from César Prieto.
The Redbirds remain in the middle of the International League first-half race and will have to make up the lost game as part of the Norfolk series. At this point in the first half, every game matters. Memphis has played its way into position, and now the task is simple: keep stacking wins before the break.
Springfield Cardinals
Record: 26-32
Standings: 4th Place, 12.5 GB, Texas League North
Result: Amarillo 14, Springfield 4
Springfield had the wrong kind of afternoon at Hammons Field.
The Cardinals were beaten 14-4 by the Amarillo Sod Poodles, who put together 19 hits and evened the series at one game apiece. One day after Springfield rallied for a 9-5 win behind Trey Paige’s grand slam, Amarillo flipped the script and controlled the game almost from the start.
The Sod Poodles jumped on Liam Doyle early, putting up four runs in the second inning and forcing Springfield to play from behind. Amarillo kept adding on, and the Cardinals never found the kind of comeback swing that carried them Tuesday night.
Springfield did have a few offensive bright spots. Brody Moore and Chase Adkison hit back-to-back home runs, with Adkison’s shot marking his first Double-A homer. Dakota Harris also went deep, giving Springfield three home runs on the afternoon.
But the pitching staff could not stop the traffic. Amarillo’s lineup kept pressure on throughout the game, and by the later innings, the outcome was no longer in doubt.
There is not much to dress up here. Springfield ran into a hot lineup, Doyle had a rough one, and the Cardinals were beaten soundly.
That happens in Double-A. The key is making sure it does not carry into the next day.
Peoria Chiefs
Record: 30-28
Standings: 3rd Place, 8.0 GB, Midwest League West
Result: South Bend 6, Peoria 3
Peoria’s push toward the top of the Midwest League West took another hit Wednesday night.
The Chiefs fell 6-3 to the first-place South Bend Cubs, dropping their second straight game after arriving in South Bend fresh off a six-game sweep of Beloit. The loss left Peoria at 30-28 and still chasing the Cubs in the first-half race.
South Bend did its damage early. The Cubs scored four runs in the second inning, putting Peoria in a hole before the Chiefs’ offense had a chance to settle in.
Peoria answered in the fourth with back-to-back home runs from Cade McGee and Josh Kross. McGee continued his strong power stretch with another solo homer, and Kross followed immediately with a home run of his own to cut the deficit to 4-2.
That gave the Chiefs some life, but South Bend added two more runs in the seventh to stretch the lead back out.
Peoria pushed across one more run in the ninth when Jesús Báez doubled home Anyelo Encarnación, but the rally stopped there. The Chiefs finished with eight hits, including a 2-for-4 night from Cameron Nickens, but they could not find the big inning needed to erase the early deficit.
Yhoiker Fajardo started for Peoria and took the loss. He allowed four runs over four innings, walking four and striking out five. Ruben Menes and Christian Worley worked scoreless innings in relief, but South Bend’s early lead proved to be enough.
Peoria is still playing better baseball than it was a few weeks ago, but the margin for error in a first-half race is thin. Against a first-place club, one bad inning can feel like three.
Palm Beach Cardinals
Record: 31-28
Standings: 2nd Place, 2.0 GB, Florida State League East
Result: Palm Beach 17, St. Lucie 0
One night after being no-hit by St. Lucie, Palm Beach answered about as loudly as a team can answer.
The Cardinals shut out the Mets 17-0 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, pounding out a season-high 20 hits and matching a season high with four home runs. It was Palm Beach’s largest margin of victory this season and one of the more complete performances anywhere in the system.
The Cardinals struck first in the second inning when Chase Heath and Yordalin Peña hit back-to-back solo home runs with two outs. That gave Palm Beach a 2-0 lead and, as it turned out, more than enough offense.
Then came the fourth.
Palm Beach sent 11 hitters to the plate and scored six runs on seven hits. Peña drove in a run with a single, Matthew Miura added an RBI infield single, and Ryan Mitchell capped the inning with a grand slam to left field, his sixth home run of the season. That pushed the lead to 8-0.
The Cardinals were not done.
In the fifth, Palm Beach put together its largest offensive inning of the season. Thirteen hitters came to the plate, all nine Cardinals in the lineup scored, and the club added nine more runs. Peña delivered the highlight of the inning with his second home run of the night, giving him the first two-homer game of his career.
Every Palm Beach starter had at least one hit and scored at least one run. Seven of the nine Cardinals drove in at least one run. Miura led the way with four hits, while Peña and Heath each drove in three runs and scored three times.
On the mound, Cade Crossland was excellent.
The left-hander worked five scoreless and hitless innings, walking four and striking out four. Hunter Kublick followed with two strong innings, allowing just one infield hit and striking out two. Justin Militello finished the final two innings, allowing only one baserunner on a walk.
After Tuesday’s no-hit loss, this was the perfect answer. Palm Beach did not just win. It flipped the entire tone of the series.
Player of the Day
Yordalin Peña, Palm Beach Cardinals
Yordalin Peña is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Player of the Day after putting together the best offensive night in the system during Palm Beach’s 17-0 win over St. Lucie.
Peña homered twice, drove in three runs, scored three times, and helped power a 20-hit attack one night after the Cardinals were no-hit by the same St. Lucie club.
That is a response.
His first homer came back-to-back with Chase Heath in the second inning. His second homer came during Palm Beach’s nine-run fifth inning and marked the first two-homer game of his professional career.
Ryan Mitchell deserves strong mention for his grand slam, and Matthew Miura also deserves mention after collecting four hits. But Peña’s two-homer night and role in setting the tone make him the choice.
Pitcher of the Day
Cade Crossland, Palm Beach Cardinals
Cade Crossland is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Day after giving Palm Beach five scoreless and hitless innings in the Cardinals’ 17-0 win over St. Lucie.
Crossland walked four and struck out four, but he did not allow a hit and never let the Mets build any kind of offensive rhythm. After Palm Beach had been no-hit the night before, Crossland helped make sure the answer came on both sides of the ball.
The offense will get plenty of attention, and deservedly so, but Crossland set the tone from the mound. Five hitless innings in a shutout win is a strong day’s work.
Old School Take
Palm Beach had every excuse to come out flat after being no-hit Tuesday night.
Instead, the Cardinals scored 17 runs, collected 20 hits, hit four home runs, and got five hitless innings from Cade Crossland.
That is how you answer.
Springfield had a rough one. Peoria could not climb out of an early hole. Memphis never got on the field.
But Palm Beach carried the system Wednesday night, and they did it the old-fashioned way. They hit, they pitched, and they made the next game look nothing like the last one.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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Photo Credit: Cade Crossland, Palm Beach Cardinals | | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images