Rainiel Rodriguez Powers Peoria’s Rout
The Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Player of the Day: Rainiel Rodriguez Powers Peoria’s Rout
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Rainiel Rodriguez is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Player of the Day after helping lead the Peoria Chiefs to an 11-1 win over Great Lakes on Sunday afternoon at Dow Diamond.
Rodriguez went 3-for-5 and delivered the swing that turned a comfortable Peoria lead into a runaway. His two-run homer to left-center field in the sixth inning pushed the Chiefs ahead 8-1 and removed whatever doubt might have remained.
It was the kind of day that stands out on a farm report card.
Peoria had plenty of offense Sunday. Jalen Flores also collected three hits and drove in two runs. Jesús Báez supplied the biggest raw-power moment of the game with a 450-foot three-run homer in the eighth. Cade McGee added a two-run double during a key third-inning rally.
But Rodriguez gets the nod because he combined steady production with the big blow that broke the game open.
The Chiefs took control early, scoring in the first inning after Tai Peete led off with a double and Flores brought him home with an RBI groundout. Peoria added three more runs in the third, then kept piling on as the afternoon went along.
Rodriguez was right in the middle of it.
His three-hit game helped keep pressure on Great Lakes pitching, and his sixth-inning homer gave Peoria the cushion it needed to finish off one of its most complete wins of the season.
For a Chiefs club trying to build momentum heading home to Dozer Park, Sunday was the kind of game that can steady a dugout. The lineup produced from top to bottom, the bullpen finished the job, and Rodriguez helped give Peoria a loud offensive centerpiece.
That is winning baseball.
Honorable Mentions
Jalen Flores, Peoria — Finished with three hits and two RBIs in the Chiefs’ 11-1 win.
Jonathan Mejia, Palm Beach — Hit a two-run homer and later drew a bases-loaded RBI walk in Palm Beach’s 11-0 win over Clearwater.
Jack Gurevitch, Palm Beach — Homered, drove in runs and helped Palm Beach avoid a six-game sweep.
The Cardinal Chronicle, inassociation with Gateway Sports