Memphis Pounds Out 20 Hits, Aita Deals, Hernandez Homers Twice
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Farm Report: Memphis Pounds Out 20 Hits, Aita Deals, Hernandez Homers Twice
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Tuesday’s farm report had two very loud offensive stories and one strong pitching headline.
Memphis exploded for 13 runs on 20 hits in a blowout win over Nashville. Springfield stayed hot with a 5-2 win at San Antonio behind a strong start from Blake Aita. Peoria saw its winning streak snapped despite a two-homer night from Sammy Hernandez, and Palm Beach dropped its third straight.
The full-season affiliates finished 2-2.
Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A
Overall Record: 61-48
Second Half: 14-20, 8th in the International League West, 8.0 GB
Streak: W1
Memphis 13, Nashville 2
Memphis did not ease into this one Tuesday night.
The Redbirds scored eight runs in the second inning, added two more in the third, another in the seventh and two in the eighth, rolling past Nashville 13-2 at AutoZone Park.
The offense finished with 20 hits, and nearly everyone got involved.
Leo Bernal had a perfect night at the plate, going 4-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a walk. He reached base all five times and raised his average to .289 with an .870 OPS.
Ramon Mendoza also had four hits, going 4-for-5 with a double. Victor Scott II went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, a walk and his 11th stolen base.
The power came from Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese. Gorman hit his ninth home run and drove in three. Saggese added his ninth homer, doubled, drove in three and scored twice.
Colton Ledbetter had two hits and two RBIs. Joshua Báez drove in his 84th run of the season and stole his 18th base. Noah Mendlinger tripled, scored twice and drove in a run.
On the mound, Brandt Thompson gave Memphis five strong innings, allowing one unearned run on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Cade Winquest followed with two scoreless innings and struck out four. Ryan Fernandez added a scoreless eighth, and Austin Love finished the ninth.
Takeaway: Twenty hits, 13 runs and a clean win. Memphis needed that kind of night, and the lineup delivered from top to bottom.
Springfield Cardinals — Double-A
Overall Record: 54-48
Second Half: 23-11, 1st in the Texas League North
Streak: W3
Springfield 5, San Antonio 2
Springfield just keeps winning.
The Cardinals beat San Antonio 5-2 on Tuesday night, getting another strong start and enough offense to stay in control.
Blake Aita earned Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day honors after working 6.1 innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
His final line:
6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
That is exactly how you lead off a series.
Aita threw 88 pitches, 59 for strikes, and kept San Antonio off balance most of the night. After he exited, Nolan Sparks got two outs, Jack Findlay allowed one run in the eighth, and Darlin Saladin closed it with a clean ninth, striking out two.
Offensively, Jesús Báez delivered the big swing with a two-run homer, his 15th of the season. Zach Levenson went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, while Ryan Campos added two hits and a double.
Tai Peete made his Springfield debut and went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base. Deniel Ortiz doubled and drove in a run, and Won-Bin Cho reached three times with a hit, two walks and a stolen base.
Takeaway: Springfield remains the hottest full-season affiliate in the system. Aita was sharp, the lineup produced, and the Cardinals stretched their second-half lead to four games.
Peoria Chiefs — High-A
Overall Record: 51-51
Second Half: 19-17, 5th in the Midwest League West, 3.5 GB
Streak: L1
Quad Cities 7, Peoria 3
Peoria’s six-game winning streak came to an end, but Sammy Hernandez made sure the night still had a headline.
Hernandez earned Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors after going 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored.
His final line:
2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
That was Peoria’s offense.
Hernandez hit his seventh and eighth home runs of the season, driving in all three Chiefs runs. He now has 26 RBIs and a 1.047 OPS.
Josh Kross added two hits, while Yordalin Peña doubled in his Peoria debut. Cade McGee also singled, but the Chiefs were held to six hits and struck out 11 times.
On the mound, Jacob Odle missed bats but was hurt by the long ball. He struck out eight over four innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks. Quad Cities hit two home runs against him and four total on the night.
Jawilme Ramírez allowed two runs over two innings, Christian Worley gave up two runs, one earned, in the seventh, and Bobby Olsen finished with two scoreless innings.
Takeaway: The winning streak is over, but Hernandez’s two-homer game deserves the spotlight. Odle’s strikeouts were loud, but Quad Cities did too much damage with the home run ball.
Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A
Overall Record: 52-50
Second Half: 19-17, 2nd in the Florida State League East, 4.0 GB
Streak: L3
Jupiter 5, Palm Beach 3
Palm Beach fought back late but could not climb out of an early hole in a 5-3 loss to Jupiter.
The Cardinals scored in the first, third and ninth innings, but Jupiter put up three runs in the third and two more in the fourth to take control.
Sebastian Dos Santos homered, walked twice and scored two runs. The homer was his fourth of the season. Yairo Padilla had a strong night, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and a stolen base.
Jonathan Mejía reached base four times, going 2-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base. Cristofer Lebrón added the other Palm Beach hit.
On the mound, Payton Graham allowed five runs over four innings, giving up six hits, four walks and two home runs. The bullpen did its job. Brian Garmon, Dallis Moran and Liam Best combined for five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
Takeaway: Palm Beach’s bullpen gave the Cardinals a chance, but the early damage was too much. The losing streak is now at three.
Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day
Sammy Hernandez, C, Peoria Chiefs
Hernandez earns the honor after accounting for all of Peoria’s offense in the loss to Quad Cities.
His final line:
2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Two swings. Three runs. A two-homer night.
That will get your name in the report.
Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day
Blake Aita, RHP, Springfield Cardinals
Aita gets the nod after giving Springfield 6.1 strong innings in a 5-2 win over San Antonio.
His final line:
6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
No walks. Six strikeouts. One earned run.
That is a winning start for a first-place club.
Final Word
Tuesday had plenty to like.
Memphis put together one of its best offensive games of the season with 20 hits and 13 runs. Springfield kept rolling behind Blake Aita and remains alone in first place. Sammy Hernandez had a two-homer night for Peoria, even in a loss. Palm Beach’s bullpen was strong, even though the Cardinals could not finish the comeback.
The biggest team story remains Springfield.
The Cardinals are now 23-11 in the second half, four games up in the Texas League North, and playing like a club that knows exactly where it sits.
Memphis brought the thunder.
Aita brought the control.
Hernandez brought the power.
Not a bad day down on the farm.