Cardinals Farm Report: Summarizing the Weekend Happenings

On Saturday, the Cardinals officially placed Matt Holliday on the 15-day disabled list with a broken right thumb, an injury the slugger suffered on Thursday night that will sideline him for much of the remaining season. The team also transferred Tyler Lyons to the 60-day disabled list. Both of those transactions led to the promotion of right-hander Luke Weaver from the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Weaver, 22, made the start and his major-league debut on Saturday against the Cubs.

The Peoria Chiefs’ game against the Quad Cities River Bandits on Friday was postponed. The teams made up the game as part of a doubleheader on Saturday.

Friday, August 12

Memphis 3, Rainiers 1

• Arturo Reyes (SP): 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• Patrick Wisdom (3B): 1-3, 2B, 2 RBIs, R

Backed by a two-run double off the bat of Patrick Wisdom, the Redbirds were winners on Friday, edging over the Rainiers by a 3-1 final score. Artuto Reyes, Dean Kiekhefer, and Sam Tuivailala combined to hold the Rainiers to one run on six hits in the game.

RockHounds 3, Springfield 1

• Johnny Walter (SP): 8 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
• Luke Voit (1B): 2-4, HR, RBI, R

Despite turning in eight innings of two-run ball, Cardinals starter Johnny Walter was tagged with the loss on Friday, as he received just one run of support from his teammates. With two outs in the ninth, Luke Voit hit his seventeenth home run of the season for Springfield, putting the Cardinals’ first and only run of the evening on the board.

Hammerheads 9, Palm Beach 0

• Derian Gonzalez (SP): 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

The Hammerheads scored an unearned run off Derian Gonzalez and an additional eight runs off the Cardinals’ bullpen, as the Hammerheads pounded Palm Beach en route to a 9-0 win on Friday. Of the twelve hits the Hammerheads recorded, only one went for extra bases. That one was a home run hit by outfielder Dexter Kjerstad, who now has thirteen bombs this season.

State College 4, Yankees 3

• Jordan DeLorenzo (SP): 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• Vince Jackson (CF): 2-3, HR, 3 RBIs, R
• Ryan McCarvel (1B): 1-3, HR, RBI, R

With two homers off Yankees’ starter Simon De La Rosa, State College cruised to a 4-3 win on Friday. Center-fielder Vince Jackson and first baseman Ryan McCarvel each went yard for the Spikes in the bottom of the first inning to jump out to an early 3-0 lead. The Yankees plated one run off Jordan DeLorenzo and two more runs off the Spikes’ bullpen, but Jackson’s RBI single in the third inning proved to be the game-winning run for the Spikes.

Johnson City 7, Astros 6

• Ian Oxnevad (SP): 6.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Caleb Lopes (3B): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBIs, BB

A solid start from Ian Oxnevad and offense-heavy outings from up and down the batting order jolted the Cardinals to a 7-6 win over the Astros on Friday. Cardinals third baseman Caleb Lopes went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and shortstop Allen Cordoba plated two runs as well.

Saturday, August 13

Rainiers 6, Memphis 5

• Deck McGuire (SP): 3.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Harrison Bader (CF): 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBIs, R

The Rainiers knocked Redbirds starter Deck McGuire out of the game in the fourth inning by scoring a half-dozen runs, which proved to be plenty, as the Rainiers beat the Redbirds, 6-5. The game was started by Rainiers hurler Taijuan Walker, whose work all came with the Rainiers major-league club, the Seattle Mariners, prior to Saturday. Walker failed to eclipse five innings, so he did not get the win; Pat Venditte (yes, the switch-pitcher) did, as he allowed one run in his two innings out of the Rainiers’ bullpen.

Rainiers 8, Springfield 2

• Corey Baker (SP): 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 3 K
• Luke Voit (1B): 2-4, 2B, RBI

The Cardinals scored one run in the bottom of the first and another in the bottom of the ninth, but they were not enough, as the Rainiers scored eight runs in between to take Saturday’s game, 8-2. The Rainiers scored four runs off Corey Baker and two runs apiece off Justin Wright and Rowan Wick.

Hammerheads 6, Palm Beach 2

Sandy Alcantara (SP): 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 3 WP

Dylan Tice (2B): 2-4, 2B, BB

Although Sandy Alcantara turned in a quality started, the Cardinals’ bullpen crumbled, and the team failed to score many runs, leading to a 6-2 win for the Hammerheads over the Cardinals on Saturday. Relief pitcher Blake McKnight and Kyle Ghana each surrendered two runs (one earned) in the loss, and Casey Grayson and Andrew Sohn recorded the only RBIs for the Cardinals.

Game One: Peoria 4, River Bandits 3

• Jorge Rodriguez (SP): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
• Magneuris Sierra (CF): 3-3, BB, RBI, R
• Jose Martinez (SS): 1-2, HR, 2 RBIs, R

Down 3-0 in the sixth, the River Bandits plated three runs off Chiefs reliever Josh Wirsu. The Chiefs, however, came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh to take the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, 4-3. Magneuris Sierra drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh on a base hit, his third of the day.

Game Two: River Bandits 8, Peoria 3

• John Kilichowski (SP): 4 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Leobaldo Pina (3B): 2-3, 2 RBIs

Three runs in the first inning, four in the fourth, and an insurance tally in the sixth led the River Bandits to an 8-3 win over Peoria in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. River Bandits starter Hector Perez whiffed nine over his 5.1 innings and was supported with eight RBIs from up and down the lineup, including three from Stephen Wrenn and two off the bat of Spencer Johnson.

Yankees 5, State College 3

• Jordan Hicks (SP): 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
• Riley Drongesen (C): 0-1, BB, RBI, R, SB

The Yankees’ three-run fifth inning stood tall come game’s end, as State College came up short to the Yankees on Saturday, 5-3. Spikes starter Jordan Hicks was knocked around four runs by the Yankees, whereas Yankees starter Chad Martin limited the Spikes to one run in his seven innings of work. Martin’s fine outing lowered his earned run average over his last eighteen innings to 0.50.

Johnson City 7, Rays 3

• Frederis Parra (SP): 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
• Allen Cordoba (SS): 2-4, BB, SB, 3 R
• Matt Fiedler (LF): 2-4, HR, BB, 2 RBIs, R

With four runs in the fourth inning, the Cardinals took Saturday’s game with Rays by four runs, 7-3. Left-fielder Matt Fiedler highlighted the Cardinals’ game-changing fourth inning with a two-run homer, his third of the season.

Sunday, August 14

Memphis 6, Rainiers 2

• Jeremy Hefner (SP): 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• David Washington (LF): 1-3, HR, BB, 3 RBIs, R
• Efren Navarro (1B): 3-4, RBI, 2 R

The Redbirds soured Rainiers starter Zach Lee’s outing by tallying four runs in the fifth inning, knocking him and the Rainiers out of Sunday’s contest and leading to a 6-2 win for the Memphis. The Redbirds’ big fifth inning was capped off by a three-run homer off the bat of David Washington, his 23 long ball this year.

Springfield 6, RockHounds 3

• Daniel Poncedeleon (SP): 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• Luke Voit (DH): 3-3, HR, RBI, BB, 2 R
• Allen Staton (2B): 1-3, 2 RBIs, R

Despite trailing by two runs entering the seventh inning, the Cardinals were ultimately victorious on Sunday, as the team mounted a five-run seventh to beat the RockHounds, 6-3. In the seventh, the Cardinals received RBIs from Allen Staton, Jhohan Acevedo, and a solo home run from Paul DeJong, his eighteenth of the year.

Palm Beach 4, Stone Crabs 3

• Jack Flaherty (SP): 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

The Cardinals left fifteen runners on base, yet they came away with a 4-3 win on Sunday, edging the Stone Crabs by a 4-3 final score. The Cardinals’ batting order featured many multi-hit days, including three-hit games from designated hitter Michael Pritchard, second baseman Dylan Tice, and left-fielder Thomas Spitz. As for the Cardinals’ pitching, Jack Flaherty was excellent, turning in seven innings of shutout ball.

River Bandits 4, Peoria 0

• Ryan Helsley (SP): 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Leonardo Pina (3B): 2-3, BB

River Bandits hurlers Franklin Perez and Albert Abreu combined to shut the Chiefs out on Sunday and whiff fourteen batters, leading the River Bandits to a 4-0 win in the teams’ series finale.

Yankees 11, State College 3

• Carson Cross (SP): 5 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
• Elier Rodriguez (1B): 2-4, RBI

With eleven runs on fourteen hits, the Yankees routed the Spikes on Sunday by an 11-3 score. Five of the Yankees’ runs were courtesy of shortstop Angel Aguilar, who went 2-for-5 with a double, homer, and five RBIs.

Rays 10, Johnson City 8

• Ramon Santos (SP): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Ross Vance (RP): 3.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 K
• Bryce Denton (3B): 3-5, HR, 4 RBIs, R

The Cardinals came back from down 8-0 to score eight runs of their own, but they weren’t enough, as the Rays’ pair of runs in the sixth inning were just enough to squeeze by Johnson City on Sunday, 10-8. Bryce Denton had a big day at the dish for the Cardinals, plating half of the team’s runs, including two on his second home run of the year.