Wins for Springfield and Peoria as Memphis suffers Jumbo loss 15-5

The Cardinal Chronicle
Wins for Springfield and Peoria as Memphis suffers Jumbo loss 15-5
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The Cardinals’ farm system had only three games completed Tuesday night, but two of them landed in the win column.

Springfield held on for a 7-6 road win at Tulsa, Peoria got a strong start from Blake Aita and beat Beloit 7-1, while Memphis opened its homestand with a rough 15-5 loss to Jacksonville. Palm Beach was rained out in Jupiter and will make up the game Wednesday as part of a single-admission doubleheader against Daytona.

It was not a clean night across the system, but there were enough encouraging pieces to keep the notebook full — a new Double-A catcher getting involved right away, a High-A starter putting together his best outing with Peoria, and a reminder at Triple-A that rotation depth can look very different from one start to the next.

Memphis Redbirds — 25-15, T-1st, International League West
Jacksonville 15, Memphis 5

Memphis jumped out early, but the game turned hard in the middle innings.
The Redbirds scored four runs in the first inning on a pair of two-run homers, with Joshua Báez going the other way for his eighth home run of the season and Nelson Velázquez adding his fifth. For a moment, it looked like Memphis might be headed for one of those loud AutoZone Park nights where the offense sets the tone and keeps adding on.

Instead, Jacksonville took over.

The Jumbo Shrimp scored eight runs in the fifth inning and finished with five home runs in a 15-5 win over the Redbirds. It was the most home runs Memphis had allowed in a game since July 30, 2024, at Durham.

Bruce Zimmermann, who entered the night unbeaten, took his first loss of the season. The left-hander allowed eight runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out four. He also allowed three home runs, a number that told the story better than anything else.

Zimmermann has been one of the more interesting depth names in Memphis, particularly as a potential swingman or emergency rotation option for St. Louis at some point this season. Tuesday was a step back, but one rough night does not erase the broader picture. It does, however, serve as a reminder that Triple-A lineups can expose mistakes quickly, especially when the ball starts leaving the yard.

With the loss, Memphis slipped into a tie with Gwinnett atop the International League West. The Redbirds have spent every day of the season in at least a share of first place, which says plenty about the overall quality of the club, even on a night like this one.

Springfield Cardinals — 13-21, 5th, Texas League North
Springfield 7, Tulsa 6

Springfield made the most of a wild night in Tulsa, beating the Drillers 7-6 in a game that featured 18 walks and plenty of traffic from the opening inning on.

The Cardinals wasted no time. Jon Jon Gazdar led off the game with a double, and Rainiel Rodriguez followed with a single in his Double-A debut, putting runners on the corners. Springfield then took advantage of Tulsa’s command issues, with Chase Davis drawing a bases-loaded walk and another run scoring when a batter was hit by a pitch.

By the time the first inning was over, Springfield had a 3-0 lead.

Tulsa answered with five runs in the third, but the Cardinals came right back in the fourth. Springfield loaded the bases, and Davis delivered a two-run single to tie the game. Two more walks forced in another run, and Dakota Harris added what proved to be the difference-maker with an infield single that brought home the fourth run of the inning.

It was not pretty baseball, but it was useful baseball. Springfield took advantage of the chances Tulsa gave them, and that matters for a club still trying to climb out of a rough first half.

Rodriguez’s debut will draw the most attention, and rightly so. The 19-year-old catcher made the jump from High-A Peoria to Double-A Springfield and immediately put a ball in play for a first-inning single. That does not guarantee anything, of course, but getting involved right away is never a bad way to start.

The Cardinals’ bullpen had to piece together the night after Braden Davis was knocked out in the third inning. Hunter Hayes entered in a tough spot, and Springfield’s staff did enough from there to protect a one-run lead. On a night like this, style points were not the issue. Getting out of Tulsa with a win was the issue.

Springfield got it.

Peoria Chiefs — 15-18, 5th, Midwest League West
Peoria 7, Beloit 1

Peoria got exactly what it needed Tuesday night: a strong start, early offense and a clean finish.

Blake Aita delivered his best outing as a Chief, working five shutout innings in a 7-1 win over Beloit. The right-hander struck out four and did not issue a walk, earning his first victory with Peoria.

That line is the kind that plays. Five innings. No runs. No walks. Keep the defense awake and keep the game moving. Old-school pitching still works just fine when a guy fills up the zone and makes hitters earn their way on base.

Peoria gave Aita a lead in the first inning. Tai Peete opened the game with a walk, moved to third on a Josh Kross single and scored on a balk. Cade McGee later added a two-out RBI double into the left-field corner as the Chiefs built an early 3-0 lead.

Kross added to it in the fifth with a solo home run to right field. Won-Bin Cho later continued his power surge, homering for the third consecutive game with a two-run shot in the eighth inning.

That is a good sign for Peoria. Cho’s tools have never been the question. When the power shows up in bunches, it gives the Chiefs another middle-of-the-order threat and gives the Cardinals’ player development staff another encouraging trend to track.

The pitching staff finished the job cleanly. Patrick Galle worked two scoreless innings, and D.J. Carpenter handled the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning.

For a Peoria club trying to steady itself, this was a strong series-opening win. Good starting pitching, power from Kross and Cho, and no late drama. Some nights, that is the whole recipe.

Palm Beach Cardinals — 17-16, 2nd, Florida State League East
Postponed — Rain

Palm Beach’s scheduled home game against Daytona was postponed Tuesday night because of rain at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.
The game will be made up Wednesday, May 13, as part of a single-admission doubleheader. Game 1 is scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT, with Game 2 to follow about 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener. Both games are scheduled for seven innings.

Palm Beach remains two games behind Jupiter in the Florida State League East.

The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Player of the Day
Won-Bin Cho, OF, Peoria

Cho gets the nod after homering for the third consecutive game, a two-run shot in the eighth inning that helped put away Peoria’s 7-1 win at Beloit.

The home run was not just window dressing. It continued a power trend that is worth watching closely. Cho has always had athletic ability and projection, but when the production begins to match the tools, the conversation gets more interesting.

The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Pitcher of the Day
Blake Aita, RHP, Peoria

Aita was the easy call here.

The right-hander gave Peoria five shutout innings, struck out four and did not walk a batter in the Chiefs’ 7-1 win over Beloit. It was his best start since joining Peoria and the kind of outing that can give a young pitcher something to build on.
No walks. No runs. Five clean innings.

That will play anywhere.

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