Farm Report: Wednesday Had Everything, Literally Everything
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Farm Report: Wednesday Had Everything, Literally Everything
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Wednesday was a loud night across the Cardinals’ full-season affiliates, even with Memphis not having a completed box score posted in the MiLB Today report.
The three completed affiliates went 3-0, and there was plenty to like.
Springfield won its sixth straight and remained alone in first place in the Texas League North. Peoria scored 10 runs and got another monster game from Jack Gurevitch. Palm Beach turned the box score into batting practice, pounding out 29 hits in a 19-5 win at Fort Myers.
The top offensive performance belonged to Gurevitch, while Blake Aita earned Pitcher of the Day honors after giving Springfield six innings with eight strikeouts.
Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A
Overall Record: 58-45
Second Half: 11-17, 9th in the International League West, 6.5 GB
Streak: L1
Postponed Rain
The game will be made up today.
The Redbirds remain in a tough second-half spot, sitting 11-17, 6.5 games behind Indianapolis in the International League West. Memphis still owns a strong overall record at 58-45, but the second half continues to be a grind.
Takeaway: The game was postponed due to rain, but the standings show Memphis still looking for traction in the second-half race and it's hard to get traction on a wet field.
Springfield Cardinals — Double-A
Overall Record: 50-47
Second Half: 19-10, 1st in the Texas League North
Streak: W6
Springfield 7, Wichita 4
Springfield just keeps rolling.
The Cardinals beat Wichita, 7-4, at Route 66 Stadium, winning their sixth straight and staying alone in first place in the Texas League North second-half standings.
The offense came from the middle of the order, and Rainiel Rodriguez had the biggest night. Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored, pushing his season home run total to 11 and lifting his OPS to .856.
Deniel Ortiz also went deep, hitting his second home run of the season and driving in two. Dakota Harris doubled and drove in two, while Ryan Campos doubled and scored. Zach Levenson stayed hot after his three-homer game, collecting two doubles and scoring a run.
On the mound, Blake Aita gave Springfield six innings. His final line was not spotless, but he gave the Cardinals length and swing-and-miss: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. After Aita, Hunter Hayes threw two scoreless innings, and Randel Clemente finished it with a scoreless ninth and two strikeouts.
Takeaway: Springfield is the hottest affiliate in the system. Six straight wins, first place, and another night where the lineup and bullpen finished the job.
Peoria Chiefs — High-A
Overall Record: 47-50
Second Half: 15-16, 5th in the Midwest League West, 5.5 GB
Streak: W2
Peoria 10, Cedar Rapids 6
Peoria’s offense stayed hot in a 10-6 win over Cedar Rapids, and Jack Gurevitch was right in the middle of it again.
Gurevitch went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, four RBIs, three runs scored and a walk, earning Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors. He now has 16 home runs, 38 RBIs, a .309 average and a .951 OPS.
That is a loud line.
Peoria hit five home runs as a team. Josh Kross hit his 12th homer and drove in two. José Suárez hit his 10th. Cameron Nickens hit his fourth and drove in two. Tai Peete went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI, while Michael Dattalo added two hits, including a double.
The Chiefs fell behind 4-1 after four innings, then started climbing back. They scored one in the fifth, three in the sixth, two in the seventh and three more in the eighth to take control.
On the mound, Yhoiker Fajardo had a rougher outing than his last start, allowing four runs over three innings. The bullpen stabilized things enough for the offense to take over. Rubén Menes allowed one run over 3.1 innings, Trey Pooser allowed one run over 1.1 innings, and Christian Worley stranded inherited trouble while throwing 1.1 scoreless innings to finish it.
Takeaway: Peoria has won two straight, and the bats are carrying real thunder right now. Gurevitch is on another tear.
Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A
Overall Record: 50-47
Second Half: 17-14, 2nd in the Florida State League East, 1.5 GB
Streak: W1
Palm Beach 19, Fort Myers 5
Palm Beach did not hit a home run Wednesday night, but the Cardinals still scored 19 runs.
That tells you everything you need to know about the hit parade.
Palm Beach finished with 29 hits, including eight doubles and a triple, in a 19-5 win over Fort Myers. Every starter had at least one hit, and several had monster nights.
Johnfrank Salazar went 5-for-5 with a double, four runs scored and two RBIs. Sebastian Dos Santos went 4-for-6 with a double, three RBIs, a run scored and a walk. Yairo Padilla went 3-for-6 with a triple, four RBIs, a run scored and a walk.
Jonathan Mejía added three hits and four RBIs. J.P. Cabrera went 4-for-6 with a double, three runs scored and two RBIs. Ryan Mitchell, Yordalin Peña and Miguel Hernández each had three hits, with Peña adding two doubles and three runs scored.
That is not a box score. That is a traffic jam.
On the mound, Palm Beach pitchers struck out 19 Fort Myers hitters. Brian Holiday struck out nine over four innings, allowing three runs. Joseph King struck out four over 1.2 innings. Zeke Wood closed the night by striking out all three batters he faced in a clean ninth.
Takeaway: Palm Beach put together one of the wildest offensive nights of the season. Nineteen runs, 29 hits, no homers, and 19 strikeouts from the pitching staff.
Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day
Jack Gurevitch, 1B, Peoria Chiefs
Gurevitch earns the honor after another huge night for Peoria.
His final line: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB
He reached base four times, hit two home runs, drove in four, and helped Peoria score 10 runs in a road win at Cedar Rapids.
Gurevitch now has 16 home runs and a .951 OPS.
Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day
Blake Aita, RHP, Springfield Cardinals
Aita gets the nod after giving Springfield six innings in its 7-4 win over Wichita.
His final line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
The four earned runs keep it from being a clean line, but the strikeouts and length mattered. Aita gave Springfield six innings, missed bats, and kept the Cardinals in position to win their sixth straight.
The Final Word
Wednesday had a little bit of everything.
Springfield kept rolling and remains the top team story in the system. Peoria’s offense continued to heat up behind another big night from Jack Gurevitch. Palm Beach turned in a ridiculous 29-hit performance and scored 19 runs without a home run.
Memphis did not have a completed box score posted in the report, but the three affiliates that did play all won.
The Cardinals’ system went 3-0 in completed games, and the bats were loud all over the place.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Rainel Rodriguez, Springfield Cardinals | MiLB