Every minor league affiliate in play except for Peoria picked up a win on Monday. Austin Gomber and Austin Warner took the lead of Flaherty and Mikolas, posting dominant starts of their own.
Memphis Redbirds 2 Oklahoma City Dodgers 1
Austin Gomber (SP) - 8 IP, 6 H, R, 2 BB, 9 K’s
Preston Guilmet (RP) - 1 IP, H, K, SV
Max Schrock (2B) - 1-3, RBI
Patrick Wisdom (3B) - 1-3, HR, RBI, BB, 2 R
Austin Gomber logged his best outing since his 16 strikeout performance on April 23rd. Between the first and sixth innings, Gomber retired 16 of 18 batters without allowing a hit. The start lowered Gomber’s ERA to 4.04 on the season. He’s currently running a 10.47 K/9 and 2.76 BB/9 to go along with it. Preston Guilmet entered in the ninth and picked up his eight save of the season.
Memphis didn’t need much offense to get things done on Monday. Third baseman Patrick Wisdom opened the game with a two out, 0-2 home run to left center. The Redbirds would never give up the lead. Max Schrock extended the lead in the fourth with a blooper into right field. The win puts Memphis at 27-18 on the year. They play again today, taking on the Dodgers again at 11:05 CST.
Springfield Cardinals 9 Northwest Arkansas Travelers 7
Chris Ellis (SP) - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 4 K’s
Edmundo Sosa (2B) - 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, R
Victor Roache (LF) - 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, R
Stefan Trosclair (1B) - 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 R
Evan Mendoza (3B) - 2-4
Springfield earned the win on the heels of big seventh and eighth innings. Starter Chris Ellis opened the game with three scoreless frames before getting tagged for five over the next three. Tyler Lyons came in in relief in the seventh, but only lasted two outs. Lyons gave up two runs and homer in the rehab stint. Ian McKinney took over for Lyons, earning the win by tossing 2.1 scoreless frames.
The Cardinals offense exploded on Monday. Victor Roache, Stefan Trosclair, Edmundo Sosa and Blake Drake all put balls over the fence. Sosa is riding a short hot streak, going 9-15 with two home runs over his last four games. His overall line is still below average, running a 90 wRC+, but the bat has shown flashes this year that might make him an intriguing utility option somewhere down the line. Meanwhile, Stefan Trosclair has had a solid start to the season. Through Monday, Trosclair is posting a 120 wRC+ across two levels.
The win moves Springfield to 23-21 on the season. They play Corpus Christi tonight at 7:05 CST.
Palm Beach Cardinals 3 at Lakeland Flying Tigers 0
Austin Warner (SP) - 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 10 K’s
Dylan Carlson (LF) - 2-4, 2 RBI
Danny Hudzina (3B) - 1-3, HR, RBI, R
Shane Billings (CF) - 2-4, 3B, R
Start Austin Warner turned in a dominant start on Monday. The complete game shutout lowers the lefty’s ERA to 2.86 on the year. Through 50.1 innings, Warner is striking out 9.12 batters per nine while walking less than one. The rest of the peripherals are promising, as he’s keeping the ball in the park and succeeded despite an inflated .357 BABIP. He’ll continue to be doubted because of his small stature and independent league background, but his performance makes him at least worth watching for now.
The Palm Beach offense wasn’t on fire, but they produced enough to earn Warner the win. Dylan Carlson’s pair of singles netted him his seventh and eight RBI’s since the promotion to Palm Beach. The power has evaporated in the tough hitting environment of the Florida State League, but he’s still running great plate discipline numbers. The win improves Palm Beach’s record to 25-16. They’re currently two games out of first in the FSL’s South Division. They’ll take on Lakeland again tonight at 5:30 CST.
Beloit Snappers 2 Peoria Chiefs 0
Paul Balestrieri (SP) - 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB, 3 K’s
Kodi Whitley (RP) - 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K’s
Elehuris Montero (3B) - 2-4
Nick Plummer (LF) - 1-4
Peoria never got off the ground versus Beloit on Monday. Starter Paul Balestrieri struggled through the better part of four frames before being pulled in favor of Kodi Whitley. Whitley was able to stop the bleeding and hold the Snappers to no additional runs through the end of the seventh. Reliever Fabian Blanco tossed a scoreless eighth inning and struck out one.
The Chiefs offense mustered seven hits, none of them for extra bases. Elehuris Montero and Jose Martinez were the only Chiefs to tally more than one hit in the the contest. Montero’s two single effort improved his season line to .350/.399/.514. His plate discipline numbers (6.5% BB, 20.9%) are still holding steady, and the power has flashed in spurts. Montero is still only 19 so it will be interesting to see how the club handles him as the season moves on. He seems to be due for a callup based on the bat alone, and Evan Mendoza’s promotion to Springfield has left an opening at Palm Beach’s hot corner. Montero’s defense, however, is still rough and the club may want to keep him away from the hellish hitting confines of Roger Dean.
The loss dropped Peoria’s record to 22-19 on the year. They take on Beloit again today at 11:00 CST.
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Tuesday’s Probables
MEM: Ryan Helsley
SPR: TBD
PMB: Ian Oxnevad
PEO: Alvaro Seijas