Palm Beach Wins the Series Finale for the Farm System only Win

Cardinal Chronicle
Farm Report
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Palm Beach Wins the Series Finale for the Farm System only Win

The St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league system had a split Sunday, with Palm Beach providing the cleanest finish of the day while Memphis, Springfield and Peoria all took losses to close out their weekend schedules.

Palm Beach continued to play like one of the stronger clubs in the Florida State League, beating Daytona 6-2 and taking five of six in the series. Memphis dropped a 7-3 decision to Jacksonville, Springfield fell 9-3 at Tulsa, and Peoria lost a tough 9-7, 10-inning game at Beloit.

Memphis Redbirds
Record/Standing: 27-18, 1st Place, International League - West

Memphis fell behind after Jacksonville used three home runs to beat the Redbirds 7-3 at AutoZone Park.

Joshua Báez continued to show the power that keeps pushing him up the organizational conversation, launching his 11th home run of the season in the first inning. Colton Ledbetter later added his second homer, a two-run shot in the ninth.

The Redbirds had nine hits but went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight runners. Nelson Velázquez doubled and finished with two hits, while Matt Koperniak added a pinch-hit single.

Bruce Zimmermann took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked one, but three of the five hits he allowed left the yard. Jacksonville’s Kemp Alderman homered twice and drove in three runs, while Johnny Olmstead also homered and drove in three.

Old School Take: Báez’s power remains the headline here, but Memphis left too many chances on the table. Nine hits should produce more than three runs. That is baseball’s old math: hits are nice, but hits with men on base win games.

Springfield Cardinals
Record/Standing: 16-23, 5th Place, Texas League - North

Springfield’s weekend momentum stalled Sunday in a 9-3 loss to Tulsa. The Cardinals had been playing better baseball during the series, but Tulsa’s offense took control and kept Springfield from making a late push.

This was one of those Double-A games where the bigger picture matters as much as the final score. Springfield has been uneven through the first portion of the season, but the club continues to be one of the most important developmental stops in the system, especially with several key prospects either settling in or pushing toward bigger roles.

Old School Take: One bad Sunday does not erase a better week. Springfield still needs steadier run prevention, but the talent level remains worth watching closely. Double-A is where prospects either get exposed or start looking like ballplayers.

Peoria Chiefs
Record/Standing: 16-20, 6th Place, Midwest League - West

Peoria lost a wild one Sunday, falling 9-7 in 10 innings to Beloit after carrying a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Blake Aita gave the Chiefs five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, but the bullpen could not hold the lead. Beloit scored six times in the seventh and later won it on Cody Schrier’s three-run homer in the 10th.

The Chiefs’ offense had plenty of thunder. Josh Kross went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a three-run homer and three RBIs. Jesús Báez had two hits, including his fifth home run. Won-Bin Cho hit his seventh homer, and Luis Pino added his first.

Jack Gurevitch doubled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th before Beloit answered in the bottom half. Peoria finished with 10 hits, four home runs and no walks. The Chiefs went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, which kept the door open long enough for Beloit’s late swing to matter.

Old School Take: Aita deserved a better ending. Five scoreless innings on the road should put a club in position to finish the job. The power was there, but the late-inning execution was not.

Palm Beach Cardinals
Record/Standing: 22-17, 2nd Place, Florida State League - East

Palm Beach delivered the best result of the day, beating Daytona 6-2 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium and taking five of six in the series.

Lars Nootbaar made his second rehab start and helped set the tone immediately, singling in the first inning ahead of Michael Dattalo. Ryan Weingartner followed with a three-run homer to left field, his third of the season, giving Palm Beach a 3-0 lead before Daytona could settle in.

Jack Martinez started for Palm Beach and worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five. Kaden Echeman earned the win with three innings of one-run relief and five strikeouts. Yadiel Batista handled the final two innings, allowing one run in the eighth before closing the ninth with a clean frame.

Palm Beach added a run in the fourth on an Alex Birge RBI single, then stretched the lead in the seventh when Jonathan Mejía and Weingartner drew bases-loaded walks. Daytona went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners.

Old School Take: This is what good clubs do against struggling teams. Palm Beach jumped early, pitched well enough, added on late and won the series with authority. That is not flashy. That is professional.

Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day
Ryan Weingartner, Palm Beach

Weingartner gets the nod after driving the Palm Beach offense with a three-run homer in the first inning and later drawing a bases-loaded walk. His swing gave the Cardinals immediate control of the game, and Palm Beach never gave it back.

Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day
Blake Aita, Peoria

The Chiefs lost the game, but Aita’s start deserves recognition. Five scoreless innings, three hits, one walk and two strikeouts gave Peoria every chance to win. Sometimes the box score pins the story on the final inning; the eye test remembers who did his job.

Final Word
Sunday belonged to Palm Beach, but there were still individual notes worth circling across the system. Báez keeps hitting for power at Memphis. Kross had a big day for Peoria. Aita gave the Chiefs a strong start. Weingartner powered Palm Beach’s win and helped keep that club pressing toward the top of the Florida State League East.

The system did not have a clean day, but there was still enough there to keep the notebook open. That is the farm. Some days you get wins. Some days you get reminders. Sunday offered both.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.