Springfield is Hot, Palm Beach Sweeps, Memphis and Peoria Take Loses
The Cardinal Chronicle
Springfield is Hot, Palm Beach Sweeps, Memphis and Peoria Take Losses
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system had a little bit of everything Wednesday — strong pitching in a loss, a comeback-powered win at Double-A, a rare rough start from one of the organization’s hottest arms, and a doubleheader sweep in Palm Beach that featured both pitching and power.
Springfield continued its recent climb with its fourth straight win, Palm Beach swept Daytona behind a strong first-game pitching effort and an offensive burst in the nightcap, while Memphis and Peoria both dropped afternoon games.
Memphis Redbirds
25-16, T-1st, International League West
Memphis opened Wednesday with a strong start from Brycen Mautz, but the Redbirds’ offense never got loose in a 9-1 loss to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at AutoZone Park.
Mautz took the loss, but the line told a better story than the final score. The left-hander allowed two runs over six innings, giving up six hits while walking none and striking out a season-high-tying seven batters. Outside of a two-run homer in the first inning, Mautz gave Memphis exactly what it needed from a starter.
The trouble was that Jacksonville kept adding on after Mautz left, while the Redbirds could not generate enough offense to make it interesting.
Matt Koperniak drove in the lone Memphis run with a two-out single in the second inning. Koperniak and Ramon Mendoza each went 2-for-4, and eight of the nine Memphis batters reached safely, but the Redbirds could not cash in enough of those chances.
Matt Pushard, continuing his MLB rehab assignment, worked a scoreless inning in relief and allowed one hit.
Even with the loss, Memphis remained tied with Gwinnett atop the International League standings. The Redbirds have spent every day of the season in at least a tie for first place, which says something about both their consistency and their ability to absorb a rough afternoon without losing their place in the race.
Springfield Cardinals
14-21, Texas League North
Springfield stayed hot Wednesday afternoon, using a pair of fifth-inning home runs to beat the Tulsa Drillers 9-5 at ONEOK Field.
Chase Davis tied the game with a two-run homer in the fifth, his team-leading sixth home run of the season. Later in the inning, Jeremy Rivas delivered the bigger blow, a three-run go-ahead homer that pushed Springfield in front and helped carry the Cardinals to their fourth straight win.
Rivas finished 2-for-5 and extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the longest active streak in the Texas League. That is the kind of steady offensive stretch that can quietly start changing the look of a player’s season.
Noah Mendlinger also had a big day out of the leadoff spot, going 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Davis finished 3-for-4 with a homer, three RBIs and a walk.
Jack Findlay earned his first Double-A win, working 2 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He allowed one hit, walked none and struck out three, giving Springfield exactly the kind of relief work it needed after the offense flipped the game.
The Cardinals have now won four straight, matching their longest winning streak of the season, and are 7-2 over their last nine games. For a club that stumbled through much of the early season, this is the kind of stretch that gives the dugout a little more life and the standings a little more hope.
Peoria Chiefs
15-19, Midwest League West
For the first time this season, Yhoiker Fajardo looked human.
The right-hander, one of the Cardinals’ fastest-rising young arms, allowed more than one earned run in a start for the first time this year as Beloit beat Peoria 6-4 at ABC Supply Stadium.
The damage came early. Beloit scored four runs in the first inning, all with two outs, including a three-run homer from Juan Matheus. Fajardo settled in enough to strike out a season-high eight batters over four innings, but the early hole was too much for Peoria to overcome.
Fajardo finished with four innings, five runs allowed, three walks and eight strikeouts. It was not his cleanest day, but even in a rough start, the strikeout total showed the quality of the arm.
Peoria battled back. José Suárez singled and scored on an RBI single from Christian Martin in the fourth. In the fifth, the Chiefs put together a three-run rally behind a double from Jose Cordoba, a walk from Sammy Hernandez, an RBI double from Won-Bin Cho, an RBI groundout and a run-scoring single from Jesús Báez.
That cut Beloit’s lead to 5-4, but Peoria stranded the bases loaded in the sixth and finished 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position while leaving 11 men on base.
Christian Worley and Jason Savacool each worked scoreless relief appearances, helping keep the Chiefs within reach. Worley struck out two over one inning, while Savacool added another scoreless frame.
The Chiefs had traffic. They had chances. They had the tying run in sight. But this was one of those games where the early damage and missed opportunities added up.
Palm Beach Cardinals
19-16, Florida State League East
Palm Beach had the best day in the system, sweeping a Wednesday doubleheader against the Daytona Tortugas at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
In Game 1, the Cardinals won 2-1 behind a strong start from Jacob Odle and timely early offense.
Michael Dattalo, activated from the injured list after playing on Opening Day, made an immediate impact with a double in the second inning. Chase Heath followed with an RBI double to put Palm Beach on the board, and Cameron Nickens later added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Odle did the rest. The right-hander worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and a career-high nine strikeouts. Kaden Echeman entered in the fifth and stranded two inherited runners, then worked 1 1/3 innings before Nelfy Ynfante closed it out in the seventh for his second save.
Dattalo went 3-for-3 with a double in his return, giving Palm Beach a clean offensive spark in a tight game.
In Game 2, Palm Beach opened the floodgates early and finished off the sweep with a 12-3 win.
The Cardinals scored six runs in the first inning, highlighted by Alex Birge’s two-run double, a Yordalin Peña RBI single and Trevor Haskins’ three-run homer, his third of the season. Facundo Velásquez, making his Single-A debut after being transferred from the Florida Complex League, added a solo homer in the fourth for his first Single-A hit, run, RBI and home run.
Birge later added a two-run homer, Johnfrank Salazar hit his first home run of the season, and Ryan Weingartner drove in another run with a double as Palm Beach turned the nightcap into a comfortable win.
Ty Van Dyke started Game 2 and allowed two runs over four innings while striking out four. Yadiel Batista picked up the win with a clean fifth inning.
For Palm Beach, the doubleheader sweep was more than two wins. It was a full-system kind of night — Dattalo returning and producing, Odle missing bats, Velásquez making a loud first impression, and the offense showing it can put a game away when given the chance.
The Cardinal Chronicle’s Old School Take
Springfield is starting to look like a club that has found its footing. Four straight wins, seven victories in nine games, and key at-bats from Davis, Rivas and Mendlinger give that lineup a different feel than it had a couple of weeks ago.
Palm Beach, meanwhile, had the kind of doubleheader that makes a farm director smile — pitching in Game 1, power in Game 2, and contributions from players moving back into action or moving up the ladder.
Memphis lost big, but Mautz gave the Redbirds six solid innings and kept the game respectable while he was on the mound. Peoria’s loss was more frustrating because the Chiefs had plenty of chances, but Fajardo still punched out eight on a day when he clearly did not have his best command.
That is the farm system in May. Some nights are clean. Some nights are messy. The important thing is knowing what mattered beneath the score.
On Wednesday, Springfield’s streak, Palm Beach’s sweep, Odle’s strikeouts, Rivas’ hot bat and Fajardo’s ability to still miss bats on a rough day were the pieces worth circling.
The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day
Jeremy Rivas, INF, Springfield Cardinals
Jeremy Rivas gets the nod.
Rivas went 2-for-5 and delivered the biggest swing of the day — a three-run go-ahead homer in the fifth inning that helped Springfield beat Tulsa, 9-5, for its fourth straight win.
Just as important, Rivas extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the longest active streak in the Texas League. That is not just one good afternoon. That is a player who stacks good at-bats and becomes a steady presence in the Springfield lineup.
Honorable Mention: Chase Davis, Springfield — 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Also Noted: Michael Dattalo, Palm Beach — 3-for-3, 2B in his return from the injured list.
The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day
Jacob Odle, RHP, Palm Beach Cardinals
Jacob Odle earns Pitcher of the Day honors.
Odle gave Palm Beach a strong start in Game 1 of the doubleheader sweep over Daytona, working 4 2/3 innings while allowing one run on four hits, walking two and striking out a career-high nine batters.
That kind of swing-and-miss performance set the tone for Palm Beach’s 2-1 win and helped open the door for a clean doubleheader sweep.
Honorable Mention: Brycen Mautz, Memphis — 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K in a tough-luck loss.
Also Noted: Jack Findlay, Springfield — 2 2/3 scoreless innings, one hit, no walks, three strikeouts, and his first Double-A win.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports