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The Cardinal Chronicle Diamondbacks Break Open Fourth, Hand Cardinals Second Straight Loss St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals had a chance Wednesday night to settle things down.Instead, the fourth inning blew the game apart.Arizona scored six runs in the top of the fourth, turning a one-run Cardinals lead into a five-run deficit, and the Diamondbacks rolled to a 9-4 win at Busch Stadium. It was the second straight loss for St. Louis in the four-game series and another night where the Cardinals had flashes of offense but not nearly enough pitching to stay in control.The final score was not misleading.Arizona hit. Arizona answered. Arizona kept adding on.The Cardinals did not.St. Louis struck first in the second inning. José Fermín worked a walk, stole second, moved to third on Lars Nootbaar’s groundout, and scored when Blaze Jordan doubled deep to left. It was another good at-bat from Jordan, who continues to show he can drive the baseball and provide run production in the lower half of the order.That gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.For a little while, Matthew Liberatore looked like he might make it stand.Liberatore worked around traffic in the first, struck out Corbin Carroll, and got Nolan Arenado to pop out with two runners aboard. He retired Arizona in order in the second and third, and through three innings, the Cardinals had the lead and some early rhythm.Then came the fourth.That inning changed everything.Carroll opened with a single to left, and Gabriel Moreno walked. Arenado reached on a fielder’s choice, putting runners at the corners with one out. Tommy Troy followed with a single to shallow right, scoring Carroll and tying the game at 1-1.That was only the beginning.Lourdes Gurriel Jr. popped out, giving Liberatore a chance to escape with limited damage. Instead, Ildemaro Vargas doubled to left, scoring Troy and Arenado to put Arizona ahead 3-1.Then LuJames Groover hit the swing that made the inning feel much heavier, launching a two-run home run to left field. It was his first career homer, and it pushed Arizona’s lead to 5-1.Ketel Marte followed with a solo home run to left-center, his 13th of the season, and the Diamondbacks suddenly had a 6-1 lead.Six runs. Five hits. Two home runs.Just like that, the game had flipped.The Cardinals answered in the bottom half, but only enough to keep the door cracked. Fermín singled, Masyn Winn followed with a base hit, and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Jordan lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Fermín and cutting the deficit to 6-2.It was a productive at-bat, and Jordan had driven in both Cardinals runs at that point.But the Cardinals needed more than one run there.They did not get it.Liberatore’s night ended in the sixth after allowing another scoring threat to build. His final line was rough: 5 1/3 innings, eight hits, six earned runs, two walks, three strikeouts and two home runs allowed. He threw 98 pitches, 68 for strikes, but the damage in the fourth inning defined the start.That has become the hard part with Liberatore.There are still stretches where the arm looks capable. There are innings where he attacks, fills the zone and seems close to giving the Cardinals what they need. But when things go wrong, they tend to go wrong fast. Wednesday night was another example.For three innings, he had control.In the fourth, the game was gone.Gordon Graceffo took over and could not slow Arizona enough. The Diamondbacks added two more runs in the seventh when Moreno walked, Troy doubled to right-center, and Gurriel doubled to left. That made it 8-2 and took most of the remaining drama out of the night.Justin Bruihl covered the final two innings, allowing one unearned run in the eighth after Groover scored on Moreno’s sacrifice fly. Bruihl at least gave the Cardinals length and kept the bullpen from being completely drained, but by then the game was already firmly in Arizona’s hands.The Cardinals made a small push in the ninth.Fermín led off with a solo home run to left, his third homer of the season. Nootbaar followed with a triple, and Jordan singled to center to bring him home. That cut the deficit to 9-4 and gave Jordan his third RBI of the night.But the rally ended there.Alec Burleson singled, bringing two runners aboard, but JJ Wetherholt grounded out to end the game. It was a late push, but not nearly enough to erase the damage done earlier.Fermín was the Cardinals’ best player Wednesday night. He finished 2-for-3 with three runs scored, an RBI, a home run, a walk and a stolen base. He gave St. Louis energy, reached base, created a run with his legs in the second, and added power late.Jordan also had a strong night, going 2-for-3 with a double, a sacrifice fly and three RBIs. On a night when the Cardinals’ offense was not deep enough, Jordan still gave them real production.Those were the bright spots.There were not enough of them.Wetherholt went hitless out of the leadoff spot. Iván Herrera went hitless before being lifted. Jordan Walker had one hit but struck out twice. Nelson Velázquez went hitless. Jimmy Crooks went hitless. The Cardinals finished with eight hits, but most of the meaningful offense came from Fermín and Jordan.Arizona, meanwhile, got production up and down the order.Marte homered and had two hits. Troy had two hits, scored twice and drove in two. Gurriel had two hits and drove in a run. Vargas doubled and drove in two. Groover homered, walked twice, scored twice and drove in two. Moreno reached three times and drove in a run. Arenado went 1-for-5 and scored during the decisive fourth inning.The Diamondbacks finished with nine runs on 12 hits.The Cardinals finished with four runs on eight hits and one error.That tells the story well enough.After Monday’s 3-2 win behind Andre Pallante and Riley O’Brien, the Cardinals had a chance to control the series. Instead, Arizona stole Tuesday’s game with a four-run ninth inning, then came back Wednesday and put the Cardinals away with a six-run fourth.That is two straight losses, two very different kinds of frustration.Tuesday was a late-game collapse.Wednesday was a middle-inning knockout.The result was the same.The Cardinals now trail the four-game series two games to one and will need Thursday’s finale to earn a split. That may not sound dramatic in June, but these are the kinds of games that matter over the long grind of a season. A four-game home series can either give a club momentum or leave it feeling like another missed opportunity.Right now, the Cardinals are sitting on the wrong side of that line.The good news is that Fermín and Jordan gave the lineup something. The bad news is that the starting pitching did not hold, the offense went quiet for too long, and Arizona looked like the sharper club for the second straight night.The Cardinals do not need speeches.They need a cleaner game Thursday. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: <a href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit - Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Diamondbacks Break Open Fourth, Hand Cardinals Second Straight Loss

ARMCHAIR GM — The Cardinal Chronicle The Cardinals Must Get Liberatore out of the Lab and into the Bullpen St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurAt some point, the St. Louis Cardinals have to stop coaching Matthew Liberatore as the pitcher they hoped he would become and start coaching the pitcher who is actually standing on the mound.That is the heart of the issue.Liberatore has talent. That has never been the problem. You do not get drafted in the first round, traded for Randy Arozarena, and spend this many years in a major league organization without having real ability. The arm is there. The left-handed profile is there. The ingredients have always been there.But the Cardinals are still trying to turn ingredients into a five-course meal when what Liberatore may need is a good, simple sandwich.Baseball has a way of making things complicated enough on its own. The Cardinals do not need to help.Wednesday night’s loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks was another painful example. Liberatore looked fine early, getting through three scoreless innings and giving the Cardinals a chance. Then came the fourth inning, and everything unraveled. Arizona put up six runs, punished mistakes, and turned what looked like a manageable start into another frustrating entry in Liberatore’s long-running search for stability.That has become the problem.It is not just that Liberatore is struggling. It is how he is struggling.He does not look like a pitcher getting beat while attacking with conviction. He looks like a pitcher caught between versions of himself. One pitch here. Another adjustment there. A cutter mixed in. A sweeper chased. A curveball shape to maintain. A fastball that needs location. A changeup that needs feel. A game plan that may look sharp on a tablet but does not always survive contact with a major league hitter.That is not development.That is clutter.The Cardinals have spent years trying to build Liberatore into a fuller, deeper, more complete starting pitcher. In theory, that makes sense. Starting pitchers need more than one way through a lineup. They need different looks. They need weapons for right-handed hitters, left-handed hitters, first time through, second time through, third time through.But at some point, the question becomes simple: Is all of this making him better?Right now, the answer looks like no.Liberatore’s June has been brutal. He has allowed 22 runs over 15.2 innings this month. That is not a small rough patch. That is a pitcher who is lost. Mentally, mechanically, competitively — whatever word you want to use, he is not in a good place.And when a pitcher is lost, adding more options is not always the answer.Sometimes the answer is fewer choices.That is where I believe the Cardinals have mishandled this. Analytics should be a tool, not a steering wheel locked in place. Data can tell you what a pitch should do, where it should play, how it should tunnel, and which hitters are vulnerable to it. That information matters. No serious organization should ignore it.But baseball is still played by a man holding the ball.If that man no longer trusts what he is throwing, the model does not matter.Liberatore has too often looked like a pitcher trying to execute a scouting report instead of imposing his own strengths. There is a difference. Good pitching is not simply choosing the mathematically correct pitch. It is throwing the right pitch with conviction, command and purpose.Right now, Liberatore has too many moving parts and not enough conviction.The Cardinals need to strip it down.He is a 92-94 mph left-handed pitcher. That is the starting point. Not the dream version. Not the top-prospect version. Not the version people imagined when he was acquired from Tampa Bay. The actual pitcher today.Build from there.Find the two pitches he can command best. Let him breathe. Let him attack. Let him stop trying to prove he can be everything and start proving he can consistently be something.That may mean simplifying the arsenal. That may mean scrapping the cutter for now. That may mean reducing the breaking-ball variety and leaning into one shape he can actually command. That may mean using the fastball differently, not because the spreadsheet wants it, but because it gives him a chance to get ahead and stay ahead.It may also mean making a hard decision about his role.The Cardinals have tried to make Liberatore a starter for a long time. There have been flashes. There have been stretches where you can see why they keep going back to the well. But the same questions keep returning. Can he hold command deep into games? Can he survive the second and third trip through the lineup? Can he stop the one bad inning from becoming a full collapse?Right now, those answers are not good enough.A move to the bullpen should at least be on the table.That is not an insult. Plenty of good pitchers have found their careers by narrowing their responsibilities. One inning. Two pitches. Higher intent. Less sequencing. Less pacing. Less trying to navigate six innings with a complicated mix.Liberatore may be better suited to that kind of role.There is nothing wrong with being a quality left-handed bullpen weapon if that is the role that allows him to help a winning team. The Cardinals cannot keep chasing the idea of a mid-rotation starter if the results keep telling them something else.Memphis should also be on the table.If the Cardinals believe there is still a starter in there, then send him down and give him a real reset. Not a vague reset. Not a “go work on some things” reset. Give him a specific plan. Shrink the arsenal. Rebuild the delivery. Clean up the command. Make him throw with purpose again.But leaving him in the major league rotation while he continues to search for himself is not helping anyone.It is not helping the Cardinals win games.It is not helping the bullpen, which has to keep absorbing the damage when starts collapse.It is not helping Liberatore, who looks increasingly trapped between what the organization wants him to be and what he can actually execute.That is the part that should bother the Cardinals most.This is not just a Matthew Liberatore issue. This is a player-development issue. It is a coaching issue. It is an organizational philosophy issue.The Cardinals have to be careful not to confuse more information with better coaching.Sometimes the best coaching is not adding. It is removing.Remove the noise.Remove the extra pitch.Remove the complicated sequencing.Remove the idea that every weakness has to be fixed before a strength can be trusted.There is an old baseball truth that still holds up: find out what a player does well, and make him do it better.That should be the Cardinals’ approach with Liberatore.Not every pitcher needs to be rebuilt into the ideal modern starter. Not every lefty needs a perfect pitch-design portfolio. Not every arm needs six different ways to chase a whiff.Some pitchers need a role.Some need a reset.Some need to be told, plainly, “This is who you are. Now go be good at it.”That is where the Cardinals are with Matthew Liberatore.They can keep chasing the pitcher they imagined when they acquired him. They can keep layering in pitches, tweaks, shapes and plans. They can keep hoping the next adjustment unlocks everything.Or they can deal with reality.Reality says he is struggling badly.Reality says the rotation spot is no longer secure.Reality says the Cardinals are trying to win games, and they cannot afford to keep watching the same pattern repeat.The solution does not have to be cruel. It does not have to be dramatic. But it does have to be honest.Simplify him.Reset him.Move him to the bullpen if that is where he fits best.Send him to Memphis if that is what it takes.But stop over-engineering him.Matthew Liberatore does not need to become a fictional version of himself.He needs to become a useful version of himself.And the Cardinals need to start coaching that pitcher before another season slips away in the name of one more adjustment. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: <a href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

ARMCHAIR GM: Get Liberatore Out of the Lab and into the Bullpen

The Cardinal Chronicle McGreevy Gets the Ball as Cardinals Look to Salvage Split Against Diamondbacks St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals opened this four-game series with a chance to take control at home.Now they need a win just to earn the split.After dropping back-to-back games to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium, St. Louis returns Thursday night for the series finale looking to stop the slide, steady the pitching staff and avoid letting a winnable home series get away.First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium, with right-hander Michael McGreevy getting the ball for the Cardinals against Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen.The Diamondbacks lead the series 2-1. The Cardinals took Monday’s opener 3-2 behind Andre Pallante and timely offense, but Arizona answered with a 4-3 win Tuesday and a 9-4 win Wednesday. What started as a chance for St. Louis to build momentum has turned into a reminder that home series against National League teams hovering around the playoff picture cannot be treated casually.Wednesday night was the latest warning.The Cardinals grabbed an early lead, but Arizona erupted for six runs in the fourth inning, capped by back-to-back home runs from LuJames Groover and Ketel Marte. Groover’s homer was the first of his Major League career, and Marte followed by doing what dangerous veteran bats do when pitchers leave mistakes in the wrong part of the plate.Matthew Liberatore gave the Cardinals 5 1/3 innings, but the damage was heavy. He allowed six runs, and the game slipped away before St. Louis could put together enough of an answer. José Fermín gave the Cardinals a strong night, going 2-for-3 with three runs and a solo home run. Blaze Jordan drove in three, continuing to show that his bat can help. But the Cardinals spent most of the night chasing a game that turned in one bad inning.That has been the theme far too often.The Cardinals are good enough to compete. They are good enough to win games like this. But they are not built to survive repeated crooked innings from the pitching staff. The offense can carry them on certain nights, but asking the lineup to dig out of four-, five- or six-run holes is no way to live.That is why McGreevy matters Thursday.McGreevy enters at 3-6 with a 3.35 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 53 strikeouts. He has not always been rewarded in the win-loss column, but he has been one of the steadier arms in the Cardinals’ rotation. He is not a radar-gun headline act. He pitches. He changes speeds, works the edges, competes in the zone and gives the defense a chance to work behind him.That kind of start would be valuable in any game.In this one, it is necessary.The Cardinals need McGreevy to give them length. They need him to keep Arizona from jumping out early. They need him to avoid free passes ahead of the Diamondbacks’ impact bats. Most of all, they need him to bring some order back to a series that has started slipping toward frustration.Arizona’s lineup has shown exactly why it cannot be handled carelessly.Ketel Marte remains a serious threat in the middle of the order. Corbin Carroll brings speed, power and pressure. Tommy Troy has been productive in the series. Nolan Arenado has already delivered a painful swing against his former club. And now Groover has added his own moment with his first big-league home run.The Diamondbacks are not a perfect club, but they have enough offense to punish mistakes.Gallen gives Arizona an interesting arm for the finale. His season numbers are not what anyone expects from a pitcher with his track record. He enters at 3-6 with a 6.10 ERA, a 1.63 WHIP and 52 strikeouts. That does not mean the Cardinals should treat him like an easy matchup. Gallen still has the pedigree, still has the pitch mix and still has the ability to settle in if hitters give him quick innings.The Cardinals need to make him work from the first inning.That means traffic. It means patience without passivity. It means taking advantage when Gallen falls behind. It means not wasting scoring chances, especially after the offense showed late life Wednesday but could not overcome the early damage.Jordan Walker remains the biggest power threat in the Cardinals’ lineup. Alec Burleson continues to be one of the steadier bats. Iván Herrera’s availability is worth watching after he exited Wednesday’s game awkwardly, but when healthy, his on-base ability remains a major part of the lineup’s length. JJ Wetherholt needs to help set the table. Masyn Winn’s defense and energy matter. Blaze Jordan continues to earn attention with his bat.Fermín also deserves mention after Wednesday. He gave St. Louis a spark on a night when there were not enough of them. Those are the kinds of games that can get overlooked in a loss, but the Cardinals need production from more than the obvious names if they are going to avoid dropping the series.Thursday is not complicated.The Cardinals need to win.A victory gives them a split and keeps the Arizona series from becoming a lost opportunity. A loss means dropping three of four at Busch Stadium to a Diamondbacks club that came in trying to stay in the National League race. At this point in the season, with Milwaukee still setting the pace in the division and the playoff picture starting to take shape, the Cardinals cannot casually give away home series.They are contenders, but they are still flawed.That is not a contradiction. That is the reality.The Cardinals have played themselves into meaningful baseball. Now they have to keep proving they belong there. That means winning games like Thursday’s finale. It means getting a clean start from McGreevy. It means getting early pressure against Gallen. It means avoiding the inning that wrecks the night.The Cardinals let Tuesday get away late.They let Wednesday get away in the middle innings.Thursday gives them one more chance to keep this series from getting away altogether.Game Info Matchup: Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals When: Thursday, June 25, 2026 First pitch: 6:45 p.m. CT Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis Probable Pitchers: RHP Zac Gallen vs. RHP Michael McGreevy Gallen: 3-6, 6.10 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 52 SO McGreevy: 3-6, 3.35 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 53 SO Records: Diamondbacks 41-39; Cardinals 42-36 Broadcast: Cardinals.TV / KMOX / WIJR The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: <a href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

McGreevy Gets the Ball as Cards Look to Salvage Split Against D-Backs

The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Yhoiker Fajardo St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurYhoiker Fajardo gave Peoria the kind of start that keeps a team alive long enough to find a way.Fajardo is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Pitcher of the Day after striking out a career-high nine batters over five innings in the Chiefs’ 8-5, 12-inning win over the Beloit Sky Carp.The final score came much later.The tone was set much earlier.Fajardo worked five innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits. He walked one and struck out nine, giving Peoria one of the strongest swing-and-miss starts in the Cardinals’ full-season system this week.That is the line that jumps off the page.Nine strikeouts.Only two hits.One walk.For a 19-year-old right-hander in High-A, that matters.Fajardo had to pitch without much early offensive help. Peoria did not record a hit through six innings, and Beloit carried the lead into the late innings. That can put pressure on a starter to be almost perfect, especially on the road, after delays, and in a game that never really found a normal rhythm.Fajardo kept the Chiefs close anyway.Beloit scratched across single runs in the third and fifth innings, but Fajardo never let the game break open. He missed bats, limited traffic and gave Peoria enough length to keep the bullpen from being pushed too early in what eventually became a 12-inning game.That became important.Peoria’s offense finally broke through in the seventh, then kept fighting through extra innings before putting the game away in the 12th. Michael Dattalo drove in three runs, José Suárez delivered a key two-run double, and the Chiefs turned a long, rain-delayed night into an 8-5 win.But the comeback does not happen without Fajardo holding the line early.That is what good starting pitching does.It keeps the game close when the offense is quiet.It gives the lineup time.It gives the club a chance.Cade Crossland deserves strong mention after throwing 4.1 hitless innings in Palm Beach’s 16-6 win over Bradenton. That outing changed the direction of the game after Palm Beach fell behind 5-0 in the first inning.Jurrangelo Cijntje also deserves mention after allowing one earned run on three hits with six strikeouts over six innings for Springfield. Bruce Zimmermann gave Memphis five innings of one-run ball, and Hancel Rincón added two scoreless innings in the Redbirds’ extra-inning win.But Fajardo had the biggest strikeout performance of the day.A career-high nine strikeouts.Only two hits allowed.One walk.Five innings that gave Peoria time to come back.That earns the honor.Old School TakeA starter does not always get rewarded in the moment.Sometimes he has to leave the mound and wait for the offense to catch up.That is what happened with Yhoiker Fajardo.He gave Peoria five strong innings, struck out a career-high nine, and kept the Chiefs close on a night when their bats were quiet early.Then Peoria found a way late.That is why the start mattered.That is why Yhoiker Fajardo is The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: <a href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Yhoiker Fajardo, Peoria Chiefs | MLB

MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Yhoiker Fajardo

The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day: Brayden Smith St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurBrayden Smith helped turn a bad first inning into one of Palm Beach’s better offensive nights of the season.Smith is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Player of the Day after going 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs in the Cardinals’ 16-6 win over the Bradenton Marauders.Palm Beach fell behind 5-0 in the top of the first inning.Smith changed the tone almost immediately.In the bottom half, he hit a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 5-2 and give the Cardinals life before the game had a chance to get away. That was the first big swing. It was not just a home run. It was the swing that told Bradenton this game was not over.Then Smith kept going.In the fourth inning, he led off with his second home run of the game, his sixth of the season. That swing started the inning that fully flipped the game. Matthew Miura walked, Ian Petrutz followed with a two-run homer to tie it, Yordalin Peña tripled, and Alex Birge doubled him home to give Palm Beach the lead.By then, the Cardinals had erased the five-run hole.In the fifth, Palm Beach blew the game open with an eight-run inning, and Smith added another RBI with a sacrifice fly. That gave him five RBIs on the night and capped one of his best games of the season.That is run production.That is timing.That is a player stepping into the middle of a game and changing its direction.The final line says plenty: three hits, two home runs and five RBIs. But the situation gives it more weight. Smith did not do his damage in a game Palm Beach controlled from the beginning. He helped the Cardinals climb out of an early 5-0 deficit, then helped turn the night into a blowout win.That is the difference between a good box score and an impact game.Michael Dattalo deserves strong mention after driving in three runs for Peoria in the Chiefs’ 8-5, 12-inning win over Beloit. His two-run single gave Peoria life in the seventh, and he added another RBI single in the 11th. José Suárez also had a key two-run double in the 12th for Peoria.Matt Koperniak deserves mention after driving in three runs for Memphis, including a two-run single in the 10th inning of the Redbirds’ 8-3 win over Jacksonville. Leo Bernal and Ramón Mendoza each had three hits for Memphis, and Jesús Báez added two hits in his Double-A debut for Springfield.But Smith had the biggest offensive line of the day.Two home runs.Five RBIs.A comeback win.That earns the honor.Old School TakeThere are nights when one swing changes the mood.Brayden Smith gave Palm Beach two of them.The Cardinals were down 5-0 in the first inning, and Smith helped pull them right back into the game. Then he homered again, drove in five runs total, and helped turn a rough start into a 16-6 win.That is impact.That is why Brayden Smith is The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: <a href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Image: Brayden Smith, Palm Beach Cardinals | MLB

Minor League Player of the Day: Brayden Smith

The Cardinal Chronicle Daily Farm Report St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurFarm Report: Davis Deals, Springfield Homers Four Times; Palm Beach Scores 15 The Cardinals’ full-season affiliates went 2-1 in completed games Wednesday, with Peoria still tied at Beloit after nine innings when this report was written.Springfield had the cleanest win of the night, beating Northwest Arkansas 7-1 behind Braden Davis and four home runs. Palm Beach kept swinging, putting up 15 runs one night after scoring 16. Memphis lost 13-5 at Jacksonville despite another home run from Joshua Báez.Peoria’s game was still pending at publication, but the Chiefs had forced extras after a three-run seventh before Beloit tied it in the ninth.Memphis Redbirds Record: 48-29 overall, International League West Second Half: 1-1 Standings: 2026 International League First Half Champions Result: Jacksonville 13, Memphis 5Memphis had a rough afternoon in Jacksonville.The Redbirds fell 13-5 to the Jumbo Shrimp on Wednesday at VyStar Ballpark, dropping their first game after opening the second half with an extra-inning win Tuesday night.Jacksonville built a 6-0 lead by the third inning, putting Memphis in a hole early. The Redbirds started to climb back in the fourth when Jeremy Rivas delivered an RBI single to get Memphis on the board.In the fifth, Joshua Báez walked, Yohel Pozo singled and Noah Mendlinger drew a walk to load the bases. Báez and Pozo came home on a Jacksonville error, and Matt Koperniak added an RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-4.Báez kept the comeback push alive in the seventh with another home run, launching his International League-leading 26th of the season. The solo shot made it 7-5 and gave Memphis a chance to make it a game.That was as close as the Redbirds would get.Jacksonville answered with five runs in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by Kemp Alderman’s three-run home run, and added another run in the eighth to put the game away.Báez finished 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and two runs scored. Koperniak and Rivas each drove in a run. Mendlinger walked four times and scored twice.Hunter Dobbins took his first Triple-A loss, allowing six runs, four earned, over four innings. He walked three and struck out three.It was not Memphis’ day.But Báez’s power continues to travel, and that remains one of the biggest stories in the Cardinals’ minor league system.Springfield Cardinals Record: 32-38 overall, Texas League North Second Half: 1-1 Standings: Texas League North Result: Springfield 7, Northwest Arkansas 1Springfield got power, pitching and one of its cleanest wins of the season.The Cardinals beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 7-1 Wednesday night at Hammons Field, using four home runs and a strong start from Braden Davis to even their second-half record.Davis gave Springfield exactly what it needed.The left-hander worked a season-high six innings, allowing one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out six, earning his first win of the season.That is the kind of start the Cardinals needed.Davis gave the offense time to settle in, and Springfield rewarded him with a power show.Tre Richardson III, Jesús Báez and Won-Bin Cho each hit their first Double-A home runs. Rainiel Rodriguez delivered the biggest swing of the night, breaking a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning with a three-run homer.That changed the game.Springfield went from a tight contest to playing with breathing room, and Davis made sure Northwest Arkansas never found its way back.The Cardinals also received another good note from Brody Moore, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games.This was Springfield’s shortest game of the season at 2 hours, 12 minutes, and it came with the kind of formula every manager wants.Six strong innings from the starter.Four home runs.A clean win.That plays.Peoria Chiefs Record: 34-36 overall, Midwest League West Second Half: 2-2 Standings: Midwest League West Result: Peoria 8, Beloit 5 — 12 inningsPeoria waited out the weather, then waited out the Sky Carp.The Chiefs beat Beloit 8-5 in 12 innings Wednesday night at ABC Supply Stadium, winning a long, rain-delayed game that turned into one of the better grind-it-out wins of the week.Yhoiker Fajardo gave Peoria a strong start, working five innings and allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits. He walked one and struck out a career-high nine.That is the headline from a development standpoint.Fajardo had swing-and-miss stuff working, and even though Beloit pushed across single runs in the third and fifth innings, he gave the Chiefs enough to stay within reach.The problem was that Peoria’s offense did not have a hit through six innings.Then the Chiefs finally broke through in the seventh.Josh Kross walked, Jalin Flores was hit by a pitch, and José Suárez singled to load the bases. Michael Dattalo followed with a two-run single for his first High-A hit, cutting the deficit and giving Peoria life. Suárez later scored on an error to tie the game.From there, the game turned into a late-inning fight.Beloit tied it in the ninth, and neither team scored in the 10th. Peoria moved back in front in the 11th when Dattalo delivered again, singling home Christian Martin. Cade McGee later scored on a fielder’s choice from Cameron Nickens to make it 5-3.Beloit answered with two runs in the bottom of the 11th to tie it again.Peoria finally finished it in the 12th.Jose Cordoba started the inning at second, and Kross singled him home to put the Chiefs back in front. Martin followed with a single, and Suárez delivered the big swing, driving in Kross and Martin with a two-run double to stretch the lead to 8-5.This time, Beloit had no answer.Dattalo finished 2-for-6 with three RBIs, giving Peoria a major lift in his High-A debut stretch. Suárez went 2-for-6 with a double and two RBIs. Kross and Martin each scored twice.It was not clean.It was not quick.But Peoria got the win, and Fajardo’s career-high nine strikeouts gave the Chiefs one of the strongest pitching notes in the system. Palm Beach Cardinals Record: 37-34 overall, Florida State League East Second Half: 4-1 Standings: Florida State League East Result: Palm Beach 15, Bradenton 7Palm Beach kept swinging.One night after scoring 16 runs against Bradenton, the Cardinals came back with 15 more Wednesday in a 15-7 win over the Marauders.That is 31 runs in two games.Palm Beach did not just win the game. The Cardinals kept pressure on Bradenton all night, again using extra-base damage and steady traffic to turn the game into another high-scoring win.Ryan Weingartner delivered one of the big swings, hitting his eighth home run of the season to left-center field with Ryan Mitchell aboard.Yordalin Peña added another major blow, launching his eighth home run of the season to left field with Weingartner and Matthew Miura on base.Sebastian Dos Santos added an RBI double, scoring Alex Birge. Brayden Smith singled home Dos Santos, and Jeter Martinez also drove in Mitchell.The Cardinals’ offense has looked locked in to open this series.Palm Beach scored 16 runs Tuesday.Then it came right back with 15 on Wednesday.That is not just one good night.That is a lineup putting together pressure from top to bottom.Player of the Day Rainiel Rodriguez, Springfield CardinalsRainiel Rodriguez is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Player of the Day after delivering the biggest swing in Springfield’s 7-1 win over Northwest Arkansas.With the game tied 1-1 in the fifth inning, Rodriguez launched a three-run home run to put the Cardinals in front for good.That swing turned the game.Springfield had plenty of power Wednesday. Tre Richardson III, Jesús Báez and Won-Bin Cho each hit their first Double-A home runs, giving the Cardinals four long balls on the night.Palm Beach also had another huge offensive game, with Ryan Weingartner and Yordalin Peña both homering in a 15-7 win over Bradenton. Joshua Báez deserves mention after hitting his International League-leading 26th home run for Memphis.But Rodriguez gets the nod because his swing broke the tie and changed the game in Springfield’s cleanest win of the night.A three-run homer.A tie game flipped.A 7-1 Cardinals win.That earns the honor.Pitcher of the Day Braden Davis, Springfield CardinalsBraden Davis is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Day after giving Springfield six strong innings in a 7-1 win over Northwest Arkansas.Davis allowed one run on five hits, walked one and struck out six. It was his longest start of the season, and it earned him his first win.That is the kind of line that matters.He did not just survive six innings. He controlled the game, limited traffic and gave Springfield the length it needed.The Cardinals’ rotation has started to show better signs lately, and Davis added to that trend Wednesday. His six-inning start gave Springfield three consecutive starts of at least six innings for the first time this season.That matters.For a club trying to build consistency on the mound, starts like this are worth noting.Davis gave Springfield length.He gave them strikes.He gave them a win.That gets the nod.Old School TakeThere is still no better formula than a starter who throws strikes and an offense that drives the baseball.Springfield had both Wednesday.Braden Davis gave the Cardinals six strong innings, and the lineup backed him with four home runs. Rainiel Rodriguez had the biggest swing, but the whole Springfield night had the feel of a club playing clean, direct baseball.Palm Beach kept pounding Bradenton, scoring 15 runs one night after scoring 16.Joshua Báez kept doing what he has done all season, hitting another home run for Memphis.Peoria was still unfinished when this report was pulled.That is the Farm Report.A clean win in Springfield.A loud offensive night in Palm Beach.Another Báez homer in Memphis.And one game still waiting for the final line. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: <a href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Rainiel Rodriguez, Springfield Cardinals | Sara Crosley &nbsp;

Farm Report: Davis Deals, Springfield Homers Four Times

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Farm Report: Davis Deals, Springfield Homers Four Times