The Farm Report: Báez has Back-to-Back Multi-Homers Games

The Cardinal Chronicle
The Farm Report: Báez has Back-to-Back Multi-Homers Games
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system had one clear headline Wednesday night, and it came from Omaha, where Joshua Báez continued to put baseballs in places where fielders are not allowed to stand.

Báez homered twice for the second straight night, Pete Hansen delivered five strong innings, and Memphis beat Omaha 5-2 to carry the top story of the night. Peoria split a doubleheader at Wisconsin, Springfield had the night off, and Palm Beach fell to Lakeland.

Memphis Redbirds — 32-21, 2nd, International League West
Memphis 5, Omaha 2

Joshua Báez is making noise in Triple-A, and not the soft kind.

Báez went 2-for-5 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored as Memphis beat Omaha 5-2 on Wednesday night. It was his second straight multi-homer game, giving him four home runs in two nights and pushing him to the front of the Memphis power conversation.

The first Báez homer tied the game in the sixth inning. The second came an inning later, a two-run shot that helped give Memphis breathing room. That is the kind of production that changes a game quickly and changes how a player is being viewed even quicker.

Pete Hansen gave Memphis exactly what it needed on the mound. The left-hander worked five innings, allowing five hits and one unearned run while walking one and striking out five. It was not flashy just for the sake of being flashy. It was clean, steady, winning baseball.

Colton Ledbetter also helped drive the Memphis offense, and Brody Moore added a three-hit night from the bottom of the order. But this game belonged to Báez and Hansen. Báez supplied the thunder. Hansen supplied the control. That combination usually travels well.

Springfield Cardinals — 20-27, 5th, Texas League North
Off day

Springfield had the night off Wednesday and will return to action looking to build on a week that has included the rehab presence of Lars Nootbaar and a continued push for steadier pitching at Double-A.

No box score, no forced storyline. Sometimes an off day is just an off day, and around a long minor league season, those are not exactly handed out like candy at a parade.

Peoria Chiefs — 22-25, 5th, Midwest League West
Game 1: Peoria 6, Wisconsin 0
Game 2: Wisconsin 12, Peoria 7

Peoria split its doubleheader at Wisconsin, taking the opener 6-0 before dropping the second game 12-7.

The first game belonged to Ty Van Dyke and the defense behind him. Van Dyke threw six shutout innings, working around five walks while getting plenty of help from a Chiefs infield that turned five double plays. Nolan Sparks finished the shutout with a scoreless seventh.

Peoria gave Van Dyke all the support he needed in the fourth inning. Cameron Nickens opened the scoring with an RBI single, and Won-Bin Cho followed with a two-run triple off the center-field wall. Jack Gurevitch added a solo homer in the fifth, and Cade McGee followed with a two-run shot as the Chiefs doubled their lead.

Game 2 got away early. Wisconsin scored six runs in the first inning, putting Peoria in a hole it could not fully climb out of. To the Chiefs’ credit, they did not disappear.

Tre Richardson III and Sammy Hernandez hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning, and Peoria kept pushing. Hernandez added an RBI double, Jose Cordoba drove in two with a double, and Richardson later added an RBI triple to finish a double shy of the cycle. Hernandez added another run-scoring single, giving him three hits and three RBIs in the nightcap.

But Wisconsin answered with enough offense of its own, including a three-run homer in the sixth that put the game out of reach. For Peoria, the day was a split — one sharp shutout win, one rough pitching line, and enough offensive fight in Game 2 to keep the night from feeling empty.

Palm Beach Cardinals — 25-22, 2nd, Florida State League East
Lakeland 7, Palm Beach 3

Palm Beach could not follow Tuesday’s walk-off win with another one, falling to Lakeland 7-3 on Wednesday night.

The Cardinals did get some offense, including a home run from Chase Heath and an RBI from Cash Kuiper that brought in Matthew Miura, but Palm Beach could not keep pace with Lakeland’s lineup. After entering the night at 25-21, the loss dropped Palm Beach to 25-22.

It was not a headline night for the Low-A club, but Heath’s power remains worth noting. In a system where offensive consistency is still being sorted out at several levels, a home run always earns a line in the notebook.

Player of the Day
Joshua Báez, Memphis Redbirds

Joshua Báez earns Player of the Day honors after going 2-for-5 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored in Memphis’ 5-2 win over Omaha.

This was not a ceremonial pick. Báez has now homered four times in two games, and Wednesday’s swings directly shaped the Memphis win. His first homer tied the game. His second gave the Redbirds separation. That is impact, plain and simple.

Pitcher of the Day
Pete Hansen, Memphis Redbirds

Pete Hansen earns Pitcher of the Day honors after throwing five innings, allowing no earned runs, striking out five and walking one in Memphis’ 5-2 win over Omaha.

Hansen allowed five hits, but he kept the damage off the board and gave Memphis a winning start. On a night when Báez brought the thunder, Hansen gave the Redbirds the foundation.

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

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