Springfield Alone in the Winner’s Circle as Cho, Doyle Lead the Way

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Farm Report: Springfield Alone in the Winner’s Circle as Cho, Doyle Lead the Way
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Thursday night belonged to Springfield.

The Cardinals were the only full-season affiliate to win, beating San Antonio 9-2 behind a 13-hit attack and another strong swing-and-miss outing from Liam Doyle. Won-Bin Cho led the offense with four hits, while Jesús Báez, Josiah Ragsdale and Dakota Harris all helped drive the lineup.

Memphis lost a tight 2-1 game to Nashville, Peoria was shut out by Quad Cities, and Palm Beach dropped its fifth straight in a rough loss to Jupiter.

The full-season affiliates finished 1-3.

Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A
Overall Record: 62-49
Second Half: 15-21, 8th in the International League West, 8.0 GB
Streak: L1

Nashville 2, Memphis 1

Memphis got good enough pitching to win, but the offense could not cash in.

The Redbirds were held scoreless through eight innings before finally scratching across a run in the ninth. They finished with seven hits, but managed only one run in a 2-1 loss to Nashville at AutoZone Park.

Thomas Saggese had the best night at the plate for Memphis, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Victor Scott II went 2-for-4 and stole his 12th base. Noah Mendlinger doubled, while Nolan Gorman, Chase Davis and Saggese added singles.

Davis drove in the lone Memphis run.

On the mound, Jurrangelo Cijntje worked five innings, allowing two runs on three hits, with three walks and seven strikeouts. It was not perfect, but it was competitive. Jared Shuster followed with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four. Ryan Fernandez added the ninth.

Memphis pitching struck out 12 and allowed only five hits.

Takeaway: The pitching staff gave Memphis a chance, but the bats could not solve Nashville. Seven hits, one run, and a missed opportunity.

Springfield Cardinals — Double-A
Overall Record: 55-49
Second Half: 24-12, 1st in the Texas League North
Streak: W1

Springfield 9, San Antonio 2

Springfield was the lone bright spot in the system Thursday night, and the Cardinals did not leave much doubt.

The Cardinals scored once in the first, five times in the second, added another in the eighth and two more in the ninth to beat San Antonio 9-2.

Won-Bin Cho earned Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors after going 4-for-5 with two RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base.

His final line: 4-for-5, 2 RBI, R, SB

Cho raised his average to .303 and his OPS to 1.053. That is a loud Double-A line.

He had plenty of help. Jesús Báez went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Josiah Ragsdale doubled, drove in a run, scored twice and walked twice. Dakota Harris hit his ninth home run of the season and drove in two. Tai Peete reached three times with a hit, two walks and two runs scored.

Deniel Ortiz added a hit, a walk and two stolen bases. Jack Gurevitch doubled, and Ryan Campos singled, walked and scored.

On the mound, Liam Doyle earned Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day honors after striking out eight over 4.1 innings. Doyle allowed three hits, two runs, one earned, and two walks.

His final line: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

The bullpen took it from there. Andrew Schultz was excellent, striking out three over 1.2 scoreless innings. José Davila, Nolan Sparks and Domenic Picone finished the final three frames, with the staff allowing only four hits all night.

Takeaway: Springfield was the only winner in the system, and it looked every bit like a first-place club. Cho had four hits, Doyle missed bats, and the Cardinals remain four games up in the Texas League North.

Peoria Chiefs — High-A
Overall Record: 51-53
Second Half: 19-19, 5th in the Midwest League West, 4.5 GB
Streak: L3

Quad Cities 7, Peoria 0

Peoria’s offense never got going.

The Chiefs were shut out on two hits in a 7-0 loss to Quad Cities at Dozer Park. After a six-game winning streak last week, Peoria has now dropped three straight and has fallen back to .500 in the second half.

Caden Ferraro and Sammy Hernandez had Peoria’s only hits. Ferraro also drew the club’s only walk. There was no extra-base damage, no run production and very little pressure against Quad Cities pitching.

On the mound, Jack Martinez allowed five runs, two earned, over four innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five. Peoria’s defense did not help, committing two errors.

Trey Pooser allowed two runs in 1.2 innings. Zeke Wood followed with 1.1 scoreless innings, and Nelfy Ynfante finished with two scoreless frames.

Takeaway: Not much to dress up here. Two hits, 12 strikeouts and a shutout loss. Peoria needs the bats to wake back up.

Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A
Overall Record: 52-52
Second Half: 19-19, 2nd in the Florida State League East, 5.5 GB
Streak: L5

Jupiter 12, Palm Beach 3

Palm Beach’s slide continued with a 12-3 loss to Jupiter.

The Cardinals trailed 4-0 early, tried to climb back with two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh, but Jupiter blew the game open late with three runs in the eighth and five more in the ninth.

Yairo Padilla provided the biggest swing for Palm Beach, hitting his third home run of the season and driving in two. Cristofer Lebrón had a strong offensive night, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases. Ryan Mitchell drove in a run, while Gabe Camacho doubled.

Jayden Lobliner added a hit in his Palm Beach debut, and Owen Henne walked and stole a base.

On the mound, Andrew Dutkanych IV allowed four runs, three earned, over three innings. He walked two and struck out five. Alan Reyes was the bright spot, throwing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

The game unraveled late. Joseph King allowed three runs, two earned, in 1.2 innings, and Anthony Watts was charged with five runs in the ninth. Palm Beach also committed four errors.

Takeaway: Padilla homered and Lebrón had three hits, but Palm Beach was undone by late pitching trouble and four errors. The losing streak is now five.

Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day
Won-Bin Cho, RF, Springfield Cardinals

Cho earns the honor after leading Springfield’s offense in a 9-2 win over San Antonio.

His final line: 4-for-5, 2 RBI, R, SB

Four hits. Two RBIs. A stolen base. And an OPS now sitting at 1.053.

Cho has been one of Springfield’s hottest bats, and Thursday night was another reminder that he is becoming a real problem for Double-A pitching.

Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day
Liam Doyle, LHP, Springfield Cardinals

Doyle gets the nod after missing bats again for Springfield.

His final line: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

The pitch count kept him from working deeper, but the stuff was loud. Eight strikeouts in 4.1 innings will get your attention, and Springfield’s bullpen finished the job from there.

The Final Word
The Springfield Cardinals were the only affiliate to win, and they did it convincingly. Won-Bin Cho had four hits. Liam Doyle struck out eight. Jesús Báez drove in two. Josiah Ragsdale reached base three times. Dakota Harris went deep.

Springfield is now 24-12 in the second half and remains alone in first place.

Memphis got pitching but not enough offense. Peoria was shut out. Palm Beach lost its fifth straight.

So yes, Springfield was alone in the winner’s circle.

And on a night like this, that circle looked pretty good.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Dakota Harris, Springfield Cardinals | MLB