Pozo Powers Memphis Rally, Palm Beach Wins, Springfield Falls by One
The Cardinal Chronicle
Daily Farm Report
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Farm Report: Pozo Powers Memphis Rally, Palm Beach Wins Again, Springfield Falls by One
The Cardinals’ full-season minor league affiliates went 1-2 on Wednesday, with Peoria postponed by severe weather.
Memphis nearly erased a pair of seven-run deficits but fell 10-8 to Nashville at AutoZone Park. Springfield collected 16 hits and got another big night from Rainiel Rodriguez, but lost 10-9 at Wichita. Peoria’s game against Dayton was postponed and will be made up Thursday as part of a doubleheader. Palm Beach picked up the system’s only win, beating Jupiter 11-6 behind early offense, a big sixth inning and two perfect rehab innings from Cooper Hjerpe.
It was not a clean night across the system.
But it was not an empty one.
Yohel Pozo homered twice for Memphis. Rainiel Rodriguez reached base five times for Springfield. Palm Beach kept swinging. Hancel Rincón delivered one of the cleaner pitching highlights of the night with an immaculate inning for Memphis.
Memphis Redbirds
Record: 44-27, International League
Standings: 1st place, International League West; virtual tie with Rochester in the International League first-half race
Result: Nashville 10, Memphis 8
Memphis did not make it easy on itself Wednesday afternoon.
One day after Joshua Báez’s historic four-home run night, the Redbirds fell behind early and could not quite finish the comeback in a 10-8 loss to the Nashville Sounds at AutoZone Park.
Nashville jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three innings, doing most of the early damage with the long ball. The Sounds added another run in the fourth and eventually stretched the lead back to seven runs, but Memphis kept answering.
Yohel Pozo gave the Redbirds the biggest offensive line of the day. The veteran catcher went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. It was his first multi-homer game of the season at Triple-A, and he helped keep Memphis alive after the game appeared to be slipping away.
Memphis pushed the tying run to the plate in each of the final four innings.
That says something.
The Redbirds did not fold after the early deficit. They kept chipping away, scoring in the middle innings and forcing Nashville to use nearly every bit of its cushion.
Joshua Báez, coming off the best game of his professional career, drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning as the tying run came to the plate. Pozo later brought Memphis back within two runs with his second home run, and the Redbirds cut the deficit to one in the eighth before Nashville added an insurance run in the ninth.
Tink Hence started the bullpen game for Memphis and worked two innings. He allowed one run on two hits, walked none and struck out two.
The pitching highlight came from Hancel Rincón. The right-hander struck out five over 2.2 innings and threw an immaculate inning in the sixth. Rincón did allow one run on two hits, but the strikeout burst and the clean nine-pitch inning stood out.
The loss dropped Memphis into a virtual tie with Rochester in the International League first-half race. Due to winning percentage, Rochester controls its own path. Memphis still has a magic number of five, but the margin has tightened.
The Redbirds still control plenty of what is in front of them.
They just made the road a little harder.
Springfield Cardinals
Record: 27-37, Texas League North
Standings: 4th place, Texas League North
Result: Wichita 10, Springfield 9
Springfield had the hits.
The Cardinals just did not have the final answer.
Springfield collected 16 hits Wednesday afternoon at Equity Bank Park but lost a wild 10-9 game to the Wichita Wind Surge. It was the kind of box score that leaves a club shaking its head. The Cardinals had traffic all day, put together rallies, and had several strong individual offensive performances.
They still came up one run short.
Rainiel Rodriguez led the Springfield offense, going 3-for-3 with his fourth Double-A home run and two walks. He reached base in all five plate appearances, the kind of day that jumps off the page even in a loss.
Rodriguez has started to heat up at Double-A, and this was another reminder of why he remains one of the top prospects in the Cardinals’ system. He did not chase the day. He controlled the strike zone, got his pitches, and produced.
Zach Levenson also homered for Springfield, his fifth of the season. Ryan Campos went 3-for-5 with a double, extending his hitting streak to seven games. Brody Moore added two hits and has now hit safely in all seven games since joining Springfield.
There was plenty to like offensively.
The problem was keeping Wichita off the board.
Springfield took a 6-2 lead in the fifth inning, but Wichita immediately answered with three runs in the bottom half. The Cardinals added another run in the sixth, but the Wind Surge came back with three more in the bottom of the inning to reclaim the lead.
Wichita added two insurance runs in the seventh, and Springfield’s two-run push in the eighth left the Cardinals one run short.
Jurrangelo Cijntje started for Springfield and allowed five runs on six hits over 4.2 innings. The bullpen could not fully stop the momentum once Wichita started stacking rallies.
For Springfield, the story is simple.
Sixteen hits should be enough to win most nights.
Wednesday was not one of them.
Peoria Chiefs
Record: 32-32, Midwest League West
Standings: 3rd place, Midwest League West
Result: Postponed
Peoria’s scheduled Wednesday game against Dayton at Dozer Park was postponed because of forecasted severe weather in the area.
The game will be made up Thursday as part of a doubleheader beginning at 5:05 p.m. Both games are scheduled for seven innings, with game two starting approximately 45 minutes after the completion of game one.
For the Chiefs, the postponement pauses a series that began with an 8-2 loss to Dayton on Tuesday night.
Peoria will get two chances Thursday to reset the series and get back above .500.
Palm Beach Cardinals
Record: 33-32, Florida State League East
Standings: 2nd place, Florida State League East
Result: Palm Beach 11, Jupiter 6
Palm Beach kept the bats moving Wednesday night.
The Cardinals beat Jupiter 11-6 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, taking the first two games of the series from the first-half division champion Hammerheads.
Palm Beach jumped out early with three runs in the first inning. Sebastian Dos Santos opened the game with a single, Deniel Ortiz was hit by a pitch, and Michael Dattalo followed with an RBI single back up the middle to score Dos Santos. Ryan Weingartner added a sacrifice fly, and Matthew Miura capped the inning with an RBI single to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.
Cooper Hjerpe made his second rehab start for Palm Beach and looked sharp again. The left-hander threw two perfect innings and struck out two.
That is the kind of step you want to see from a pitcher working his way back.
Jupiter cut the deficit to 3-2 in the third, but Palm Beach broke the game open in the sixth.
Miura led off with a walk, stole second, then stole third. Yordalin Peña drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Jonathan Mejia followed with a triple and scored when Heriberto Caraballo put the ball in play and Jupiter failed to complete the play at the plate. Later in the inning, Ryan Mitchell added a sacrifice fly, and Dattalo doubled in another run to push Palm Beach’s lead to 7-2.
Jupiter answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, trimming the lead to 7-5.
Palm Beach put it away in the eighth without needing a hit.
The Cardinals drew five consecutive walks to force in two runs, then scored two more on a throwing error to stretch the lead to 11-5. Jupiter got one run back in the bottom of the eighth, but the Cardinals had enough cushion.
Dattalo was in the middle of the offense early and late, driving in runs in both the first and sixth innings. Miura scored twice and helped create offense with his legs. Hjerpe’s two perfect innings added the clean pitching note.
After a rough series against St. Lucie last week, Palm Beach has opened this week with back-to-back wins over Jupiter.
That is a good answer.
Player of the Day
Yohel Pozo, Memphis Redbirds
Yohel Pozo is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Player of the Day after going 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, three RBIs and two runs scored in Memphis’ 10-8 loss to Nashville.
Pozo did everything he could to help the Redbirds climb out of an early hole. Memphis fell behind by seven runs at two different points, but Pozo’s bat kept the Redbirds alive and helped turn a potential blowout into a game Nashville had to finish.
Rainiel Rodriguez deserves strong mention after going 3-for-3 with a home run and two walks for Springfield. Reaching base five times in a Double-A game is a real development note. Michael Dattalo also deserves mention after helping lead Palm Beach’s 11-run night against Jupiter.
But Pozo had the biggest offensive line.
Four hits.
Two home runs.
Three RBIs.
That gets the honor.
Pitcher of the Day
Hancel Rincón, Memphis Redbirds
Hancel Rincón is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Day after striking out five over 2.2 innings for Memphis and delivering an immaculate inning in the sixth.
Rincón did allow one run on two hits, but the strikeout stuff stood out. An immaculate inning does not happen by accident. Nine pitches. Nine strikes. Three strikeouts. That is a pitcher taking complete control of an inning.
Cooper Hjerpe deserves strong mention after throwing two perfect innings with two strikeouts in his second rehab start for Palm Beach. Tink Hence also deserves mention after opening Memphis’ bullpen game with two innings, one run, no walks and two strikeouts.
But Rincón gets the nod for the swing-and-miss and the rare clean inning that belongs in bold print.
Old School Take
Wednesday had some frustration built into it.
Memphis nearly came all the way back but lost. Springfield had 16 hits and still lost. Peoria did not play. Palm Beach won, and that was the system’s only victory.
But there were plenty of notes worth keeping.
Yohel Pozo had a big afternoon.
Rainiel Rodriguez reached base five times.
Cooper Hjerpe gave Palm Beach two perfect innings.
Hancel Rincón threw an immaculate inning.
Palm Beach has started the week with back-to-back wins over Jupiter.
That is the farm report in a nutshell.
The scoreboard was mixed.
The development notebook was full.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Yohel Pozo, Memphis Redbirds | MiLB