Weekly Farm Recap 4/22-28: Gomber Ties Records, Mercado Leads in Steals

It’s about that time — the weekly farm recap. It was a rough week for ³⁄₄ of the Cardinals’ affiliates, as only Springfield played above .500, but there were still some strong individual performances. You can read the daily recaps here, and make sure to check out Greg Ratliff’s detailed biweekly coverage of the Memphis Redbirds if you missed it. Speaking of Memphis...

Memphis Redbirds - Week: (3-3), Year (16-7)

St. Louis’ waiting room struggled this week in comparison to their hot start, breaking even in the win-loss column. A sweep of the Iowa Cubs provided two of their wins (as the first win of the series technically came last week), while they’ve since dropped three of four against Round Rock. The fifth and final game of the series with the Express happens today. The Redbirds still hold a three-game lead in the division.

Pitcher of the Week

Austin Gomber (LHP): 1 GS, 8 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 18 Ks

If you follow the Cardinals’ minor league system in any capacity, you saw this one coming. Gomber was dominant against Iowa on Monday, tying the Memphis record for single-game strikeouts with 16 over 8 shutout innings. Prior to his Monday outing, he had struck out 11 over his 3 starts in 2018. Gomber threw 85 of his 112 pitches for strikes, walked none, and allowed 6 hits.

Player of the Week

Oscar Mercado (CF): .333/.440/.667, 6 R, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 1 K, 2 SB

Mercado was productive in all parts of his offensive game this week. He hit for power, drew four walks while striking out just once, and created scoring opportunities on the basepaths. His two home runs matched his previous total on the year, and his two stolen bases added to his PCL-lead in the category, now at nine.

Springfield Cardinals - Week: (5-1), Year (12-8)

Springfield has been on a tear since starting the year 3-6, going 9-2 over the past two weeks. The Cardinals now hold a .05-game lead in the Texas League North. In true Texas League fashion, Springfield has scored less than three runs just once this year, in the third game of the season. An interesting tidbit: home-field advantage has been real for Springfield, with a dominant 10-1 record at Hammons Field and a meager 2-7 record on the road.

Pitcher of the Week

Hector Mendoza (RHP): 4 G, 4 IP, 2 SV, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 Ks

Mendoza appeared in four of six games this week, picking up two saves. His outings have spanned from 0.1 innings to 2, and he’s consistently kept opponents off the scoreboard. Through his seven appearances in 2018, he’s yet to allow a run, holding batters to a .129 average.

Player of the Week

Ramon Urias (SS): 7-for-10, 4 R, 2 2B, HR, 1 RBI, 0 K, HBP

It didn’t feel right putting Urias’ triple-slash given his small sample size, because it would read .700/.727/1.200. Urias was demoted from Memphis on April 20 and made his 2018 Springfield debut this week, where he promptly started hitting. A lot. Three of his seven hits went for extra bases, one being a homer. Urias could’ve very well had a much better week than this, given that he played in just three games, but he was hit in the back of the helmet by a pitch on Tuesday and was put on the 7-day DL after exhibiting concussion symptoms on Wednesday. He did, however, stay in the game Tuesday night, scoring a run in the same inning.

Palm Beach Cardinals - Week: (3-4), Year (12-11)

Palm Beach’s 7-3 start feels farther and farther away, as they’ve now played to a 5-8 record in the games since. When the bats have shown up the pitching hasn’t, as they were just barely outscored by opponents this week, 25-28. Most games have been close for Palm Beach, with 10 one-run differentials through their 23 games this year. They’re five games out in the Florida State League South.

Pitcher of the Week

Colton Thomson (LHP): 2 G, 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 Ks

Thomson was strong out of the bullpen for Palm Beach, keeping opponents scoreless in both of his outings. He threw four innings in relief on Tuesday, capping the week with six strikeouts in 2.1 innings last night. Thomson has given up 1 run and struck out 14 in his 12.2 innings this year.

Player of the Week

Ryan McCarvel (C): .462/.533/.692 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K

Not many inspiring performances at the plate from Palm Beach this week. McCarvel was 6-for-13 in four games, hitting his second homer of the year on Friday. The strikeout continues to be an issue, as he’s been set down on strikes 15 times this year with just 3 walks in 12 games.

Peoria Chiefs - Week: (3-4), Year (10-10)

Peoria has been streaky in 2018, with their weekly records jumping from 2-5 down to 5-1 and now to 3-4. They scored in bunches, with 20 of their 40 runs coming across just 2 games. One-run contests were an issue, losing three in a row to Beloit. Peoria sits at .500 on the year, 3.5 games back in the Midwest League’s Western division.

Pitcher of the Week

Jake Walsh (RHP): 1 GS, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 Ks

Peoria’s best pitching performance of the week came from Jake Walsh, who struck out seven over six shutout innings on Tuesday. Walsh has gone at least five innings in all four of his starts this year, holding a 1.61 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 26 Ks through 22.1 innings.

Player of the Week

Irving Lopez (2B): .471/.474/.824, 2 R, 3 2B, 1HR, 2 RBI, 1 K

Picking a single offensive star for Peoria was not easy, as the bats were alive and well up and down the lineup. Lopez was 8-for-17 with half of his hits going for extra bases. In his four games this week he more than doubled his hit total for the season. Honorable mention goes to both Juan Yepez, who was 12-for-24, and Julio Rodriguez, who drilled three homers across two games.