MiLB Player of the Day: Jalin Flores Powers Peoria to a Win

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
MiLB Player of the Day: Jalin Flores Powers Peoria in Extra-Inning Win
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Jalin Flores gave Peoria the kind of production a club needs when a game stretches into extra innings.

Flores is the Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day after going 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored in the Chiefs’ 8-6, 10-inning win over Cedar Rapids on Tuesday night.

His final line:

2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

That is a winning line in a winning game.

Flores helped Peoria build an early lead, and his bat was part of the reason the Chiefs were able to survive a back-and-forth night. Peoria led 4-0, saw Cedar Rapids rally to tie the game, answered with two runs in the seventh, then had to regroup again after the Kernels tied it at 6-6.

The Chiefs finally pushed across two runs in the 10th and held on.

Flores’ home run was his 13th of the season, and he pushed his RBI total to 64. Those are strong run-production numbers, and Tuesday was another reminder that he can impact the game with one swing.

Peoria had several key offensive contributors. Ian Petrutz homered and drove in three. Tai Peete tripled and drove in two. Josh Kross had a double, a triple and an RBI. Anyelo Encarnación reached three times with two hits and a walk.

But Flores earned the top spot because his production sat right in the middle of Peoria’s extra-inning win.

For a young hitter, games like this matter. It was not just the home run. It was the full night — two hits, two runs scored, two RBIs, and helping the Chiefs find a way to finish a game that could have easily gotten away from them.

Peoria got a strong start from Jacob Odle, who threw five scoreless innings, but the bullpen had to work through turbulence after Cedar Rapids rallied in the middle innings. That made every run matter.

Flores gave the Chiefs two of them.

The final score was closer than Peoria wanted, but the result still counts the same. A road win. An extra-inning win. A game where the offense had to answer more than once.

Flores was part of those answers.

Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day:
Jalin Flores, 2B, Peoria Chiefs
Final Line: 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Jalin Flores, Peoria Chiefs | MiLB