The Farm Report: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly & the Uglier
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Farm Report: Franklin Fans Eight, Encarnación Drives Peoria, Springfield Takes Over First
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Saturday was not a pretty night across the Cardinals’ full-season affiliates, but there were still a few performances worth pulling out of the box scores.
The system finished 1-3, with Springfield providing the lone win — and it was a good one. The Cardinals shut out Northwest Arkansas, 3-0, and moved into first place in the Texas League North second-half standings.
Peoria lost despite a strong start from Tanner Franklin and a three-RBI night from Anyelo Encarnación. Memphis fell to Durham, while Palm Beach let a late lead get away against Tampa.
Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A
Overall Record: 57-44
Second Half: 10-16, 9th in the International League West, 7.0 GB
Streak: L1
Durham 9, Memphis 4
Memphis dropped a 9-4 decision to Durham at AutoZone Park, with the game turning in the middle innings.
The Redbirds were held scoreless through the first four frames before getting on the board in the fifth. Durham, meanwhile, scored four in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth, one in the eighth and one more in the ninth.
Jurrangelo Cijntje struck out six over 4.1 innings, but Durham reached him for five runs on seven hits and three walks. Brycen Mautz followed and had command trouble, walking four over 1.2 innings while allowing two runs. Ryan Murphy allowed one unearned run over 1.1 innings, and Durbin Feltman struck out four over 1.2 innings but allowed a solo homer.
Memphis finished with 10 hits but no home runs. Colton Ledbetter went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a walk. Leo Bernal continued to produce, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, pushing his RBI total to 61. Ramón Mendoza reached three times with a hit and two walks, while Noah Mendlinger, Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, César Prieto and Ramón Urías each added hits.
Takeaway: Memphis had traffic and 10 hits, but the pitching staff issued nine walks and Durham made the Redbirds pay.
Springfield Cardinals — Double-A
Overall Record: 47-47
Second Half: 16-10, 1st in the Texas League North
Streak: W3
Springfield 3, Northwest Arkansas 0
Springfield was the bright spot of the night, shutting out Northwest Arkansas, 3-0, and moving into first place in the Texas League North second-half race.
This was a clean, professional win.
Liam Doyle set the tone with five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out four. Jack Findlay followed with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts, and Nolan Sparks finished it with two scoreless frames and three strikeouts of his own.
Springfield pitchers combined for a six-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts.
The offense did just enough. Jesús Báez went 2-for-4 with his 11th home run of the season and drove in a run. Trey Paige also homered, his fifth, and drove in a run. Won-Bin Cho doubled, Zach Levenson doubled, and Dakota Harris singled and stole his 26th base.
The Cardinals scored single runs in the first, fifth and sixth innings, and the pitching staff made that stand.
Takeaway: Springfield has won three straight and now sits alone in first place. Doyle, Findlay and Sparks combined for one of the best pitching efforts of the night.
Peoria Chiefs — High-A
Overall Record: 45-49
Second Half: 13-15, 5th in the Midwest League West, 5.5 GB
Streak: L1
West Michigan 6, Peoria 3
Peoria had the Player of the Day and Pitcher of the Day, but not the win.
The Chiefs built a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning on one swing from Anyelo Encarnación, who hit a three-run homer and drove in all of Peoria’s runs. Encarnación finished 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base, earning Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors.
Jack Gurevitch added two hits and raised his average to .306. Michael Dattalo also had two hits, while Josh Kross singled and scored.
On the mound, Tanner Franklin was excellent. He worked five innings, allowing just two hits, one earned run, walking one and striking out eight. That was enough to earn him Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day honors.
The game got away from Peoria’s bullpen. West Michigan scored once in the sixth, three times in the seventh and once in the eighth. Rubén Menes allowed three runs in the seventh, including a home run, and the Whitecaps took control from there.
Takeaway: Franklin gave Peoria a strong start, and Encarnación supplied the offense, but the bullpen could not protect the lead.
Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A
Overall Record: 48-46
Second Half: 15-13, 2nd in the Florida State League East, 1.5 GB
Streak: L2
Tampa 9, Palm Beach 4
Palm Beach let this one slip away late.
The Cardinals led 4-3 after four innings, but Tampa scored once in the seventh and then broke the game open with five runs in the ninth.
Palm Beach managed only four hits, but the Cardinals used walks, speed and situational offense to build an early lead. Trevor Haskins went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two stolen bases. Sebastian Dos Santos singled, scored and stole two bases. Matthew Miura singled and drove in a run, while Yairo Padilla and Johnfrank Salazar each drove in runs.
Palm Beach stole six bases as a team, with Ryan Mitchell also stealing two.
On the mound, Brandon Clarke struck out four over 2.1 innings but allowed two runs. Zeke Wood struck out both batters he faced. Gabriel Chinchilla gave Palm Beach 3.2 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, while striking out six. The trouble came late, as Yadiel Batista allowed five runs in the ninth.
Takeaway: Palm Beach had the lead early and ran wild on the bases, but Tampa’s five-run ninth turned a close game into a frustrating loss.
Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day
Anyelo Encarnación, 2B, Peoria Chiefs
Encarnación earns the honor after going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base in Peoria’s loss to West Michigan.
He drove in all three of Peoria’s runs with one swing and added value on the bases.
Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day
Tanner Franklin, RHP, Peoria Chiefs
Franklin gets the nod after throwing five strong innings, allowing just two hits, one earned run, walking one and striking out eight.
His final line:
5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
It was a strong outing, even if the bullpen could not hold the lead.
Final Word
Saturday’s farm report belonged to Springfield.
The Cardinals won their third straight, threw a shutout, and moved into first place in the Texas League North second-half standings.
Peoria had two of the best individual performances of the night with Anyelo Encarnación and Tanner Franklin, but the Chiefs could not finish the game. Memphis had 10 hits but too many walks from the pitching staff. Palm Beach had speed and an early lead, but Tampa took it away late.
The system went 1-3, but Springfield’s rise to first place gives the day a headline worth keeping.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Route 66 Stadium, Springfield Cardinals | Springfield Cardinals