Palm Beach, Peoria Roll While Springfield Stops the Slide

The Cardinal Chronicle
Morning Farm Report: Palm Beach, Peoria Roll While Springfield Stops the Slide
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The Cardinals’ minor-league system closed Sunday with two statement wins, one much-needed escape and one frustrating loss from a first-place Memphis club that still has not spent a day outside the top spot.

Palm Beach delivered the loudest response of the day, avoiding a six-game sweep with an 11-0 shutout of Clearwater. Peoria overpowered Great Lakes, 11-1, behind three-hit days from Rainiel Rodriguez and Jalen Flores. Springfield finally stopped the bleeding, snapping a seven-game losing streak with a 7-6 win at Northwest Arkansas.

Memphis, meanwhile, hit three more home runs but could not overcome early damage in a 9-5 loss to Indianapolis.

Memphis Redbirds
Memphis: First place, International League West

The Memphis Redbirds wrapped up their six-game series against Indianapolis with a 9-5 loss Sunday afternoon at AutoZone Park, but the bigger picture remains intact.

Despite the loss, Memphis held a two-game lead over Gwinnett in the International League standings and still has not spent a day this season outside of at least a tie for first place. That matters. Clubs go through rough afternoons, but good clubs avoid letting one loss change the story of the season.

For the second straight game, Memphis hit three home runs. Nelson Velázquez launched a two-run homer in the fourth inning, his third of the season. Jimmy Crooks followed with his 10th home run of the year, a solo shot in the fifth and his second homer in as many games. Blaze Jordan added a solo homer in the ninth, his seventh of the season.

The problem was the pitching hole Memphis had to climb out of. Hancel Rincón started a bullpen game and allowed four runs on four hits over 1 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out two.

There were still a couple of arms worth noting. Matt Pushard, continuing his major-league rehab assignment, worked a perfect inning and struck out one. Jason Savacool made his Triple-A debut and allowed one run on three hits over two innings, walking one and striking out one.

Memphis is off until Tuesday, May 12, when it opens a six-game series at AutoZone Park against Jacksonville.

Springfield Cardinals
Springfield: 8-19, 5th Texas League - North

Springfield needed a win in the worst way, and the Cardinals finally got one Sunday afternoon at Arvest Ballpark.

After falling behind early, Springfield came back and held on for a 7-6 victory over Northwest Arkansas, snapping a seven-game losing streak and avoiding a six-game sweep for the first time since June 2024.

Jeremy Rivas supplied the biggest swing of the day with a game-tying two-run homer as part of a four-run third inning. That inning flipped the game after Springfield had fallen behind 3-0, giving the Cardinals a lead and a little breathing room.

Ryan Campos added a solo home run later in the game, helping Springfield build enough margin to survive a shaky eighth inning.

The Naturals scored three unearned runs in the eighth after two Springfield errors, turning what had looked like a comfortable finish into another tense afternoon. But Mason Burns and Jack Findlay combined for a perfect ninth inning, with Findlay earning his first save of the season.

Jurrangelo Cijntje picked up the win, allowing three runs on five hits over five innings. It was his first victory since Opening Night, and for a Springfield club that has been searching for anything steady, that start was enough.

Springfield returns home Tuesday to open a series against Corpus Christi at Route 66 Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

Peoria Chiefs
Peoria: 12-14, MWL - West

Peoria put together one of its most complete games of the young season Sunday, beating Great Lakes 11-1 at Dow Diamond.

The Chiefs jumped in front in the first inning and never gave the Loons much reason to believe they were getting back in it. Tai Peete opened the game with a double, and Jalen Flores brought him home with an RBI groundout to give Peoria an early 1-0 lead.

That was only the start.

Peoria broke things open with a two-out rally in the third. Cade McGee drove in two runs with a double into the left-field corner, and Jose Suarez followed with an RBI single to push the Chiefs’ lead to 4-0.

Flores and Rainiel Rodriguez each finished with three hits, giving the Peoria lineup production from multiple spots and constant pressure on Great Lakes pitching. Rodriguez delivered the biggest blow in the sixth inning, capping his three-hit day with a two-run homer to left-center field that stretched the lead to 8-1.

Jesús Báez added the exclamation point in the eighth, hammering a 450-foot three-run homer to left after Flores reached on a dropped third strike. That made it 11-1 and turned a good win into a rout.

Tanner Franklin worked around four walks in 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Bobby Olsen earned the win, allowing one run over 2 2/3 innings. DJ Carpenter, Zach Showalter and Ruben Menes combined for four scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Peoria now heads home to Dozer Park to open a six-game homestand against Wisconsin. Tuesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 11:05 a.m.

Palm Beach Cardinals
Palm Beach: 16-11, first place, Florida State League East

Palm Beach had spent most of the week trying to find its footing against Clearwater. On Sunday, the Cardinals found it in a hurry.

Palm Beach avoided a six-game sweep with an 11-0 win over the Threshers at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, matching Clearwater at 16-11 and remaining in first place in the Florida State League East Division.

The Cardinals took control in the first inning when Ryan Weingartner led off with a walk and Jonathan Mejia followed later with a two-run homer down the right-field line. It was Mejia’s team-leading fifth home run of the season and gave Palm Beach one of the few early leads it had managed in the series.

Cade Crossland gave the Cardinals the start they needed, working four hitless, scoreless innings. It was a strong bounce-back outing and set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

Jake Shelagowski took it from there, earning the win with four scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He allowed three hits, walked one and struck out four. Hunter Kublick finished the shutout in the ninth in his season debut for Palm Beach.

The game stayed 2-0 until the sixth, when Brayden Smith drove in Jack Gurevitch with an RBI groundout. Palm Beach then broke it open in the seventh. Weingartner added a sacrifice fly, and Gurevitch launched his fifth home run of the season to tie Mejia for the team lead, pushing the Cardinals ahead 6-0.

The eighth inning turned it into a runaway. Palm Beach sent 11 batters to the plate and scored five runs, with Alex Birge, Christian Martin, Gurevitch, Mejia and Smith all involved in the damage. Every hitter in the starting lineup reached base at least once, even though Palm Beach finished with only six hits.

That is how you win ugly on the stat sheet and beautifully on the scoreboard.

Palm Beach stays in Jupiter and opens the next “Duel of the Dean” series against the Jupiter Hammerheads on Tuesday night.

The Cardinal Chronicle Take

Sunday was a good reminder that minor-league baseball is rarely clean, but it is almost always revealing.

Memphis lost but still looks like a first-place club with real power in the lineup. Springfield finally got off the mat. Peoria had one of those days where the bats, bullpen and defense all lined up. Palm Beach, after taking it on the chin for much of the week, answered with an 11-run shutout and kept its place at the top of the division.

That is a pretty good Sunday down on the farm.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports