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The weekly farm recap returns, with the Cardinals affiliates generally keeping pace with their previous performance. There were some standouts on the mound and at the dish, which we’ll get into below. You can find all the daily recaps right here. Let’s get started!
Memphis Redbirds - Week: (3-4), Year (19-11)
The Redbirds maintained their division lead, currently at four games, but had a rough week by the standards we’ve come to develop. The offense was shutout twice, and two of the wins were decided by one run in high-scoring affairs. The ongoing roster shuffle with the big league club could potentially be affecting the cohesive dominance we saw to start the season.
Pitcher of the Week
Ryan Helsley (RHP): 1 GS, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 Ks
It’s a little strange to see Helsey in this spot, as he was only called up from Springfield for a spot start this week, but it was Memphis’ best performance on the mound in the past seven days and one of his best outings so far in 2018. Helsley limited Round Rock to four hits and one run, cutting down nine over seven innings. His start yesterday with Springfield was rough in comparison, but Helsley’s 2018 Memphis debut was very promising.
Player of the Week
Max Schrock (2B): .370/.414/.519, 2 R, 4 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, SB
Schrock continues to prove that his reputation as a high average hitter was spot-on. His 10-fo-27 week has his season triple-slash line at .348/.397/.446. It seems like he’s really starting to discover his gap power, doubling his 2018 doubles total with four in seven games.
Springfield Cardinals - Week: (4-3), Year (16-11)
Springfield’s offense showed up this week, averaging just under seven runs per game. Unfortunately, some rough pitching performances nixed their chances in a few, giving up 26 runs in 3 games. The Cardinals sit at a respectable 16-11 and have a half-game lead over the Tulsa Drillers in the Texas League North, against whom they’re currently playing a four-game series (Springfield took game one on Saturday).
Pitcher of the Week
Mike O’Reilly (RHP): 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 Ks
O’Reilly was called up from Palm Beach in the last week of April and has continued to find success in Springfield. He’s yet to allow a run in his 2 starts, totaling 12.1 IP. O’Reilly’s outing on Wednesday was particularly dominant, shutting out the Naturals and allowing only two baserunners while striking out nine. If the early stats are any indication, O’Reilly is poised for a big year.
Player of the Week
Victor Roache (RF): .360/.429/.960, 8 R, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K
There are some weeks where the player of the week titles are given out based on solid, modest performances, where a player has really just maintained steady production. Then, there’s whatever Victor Roache just did. Roache’s 9-for-25, 5-homer week came across 6 appearances for Springfield, started by a 2-HR performance on Monday. Roache more than doubled his home run total with his powerful showing this week. On the year, exactly half of his 28 hits have gone for extra bases, 9 of those leaving the park. It’ll be interesting to see if Roache can maintain his newfound success, and sustain his season slugging percentage of .626.
Palm Beach Cardinals - Week: (4-2), Year (16-13)
Palm Beach’s showed signs of their strong start this week. There were multiple solid pitching performances, and the offense was able to produce despite any particular standouts. Though the Cardinals have raised themselves further above .500, they still sit 5 games back of the Jupiter Hammerheads.
Pitcher of the Week
Austin Warner (LHP): 1 GS, 7 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 Ks
Warner got off to a bit of a rough start for Palm Beach but seems to have turned a corner over his last two starts, collecting 19 strikeouts and walked just 2 across the 15 innings that comprise those outings. He’s scattered several hits in his appearances, but the strong K:BB ratio (combined with the run prevention of his Wednesday start) is a very good sign.
Player of the Week
Evan Mendoza (C): .364/.462/.364 4 R, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K
Similar to last week, Palm Beach lacked a clear top performance at the plate. Mendoza is their top hitter this week due to on-base ability alone, as he was able to get aboard in 12 of his 26 plate appearances. He holds a .318 average and a .371 OBP for the year, but his OPS is dragged down by a sub-.400 slugging percentage.
Peoria Chiefs - Week: (3-3), Year (13-13)
Peoria’s record reflects the way the team has performed to-date, bouncing back and forth between hot streaks and cold streaks. They did dazzle at the plate, with 42 runs across 6 games, including 12-run and 10-run affairs. Despite their average play, they sit only 2.5 games back in the Midwest League Western division.
Pitcher of the Week
Fabian Blanco (LHP): 2 G, 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 Ks
Blanco was valuable in relief for Peoria, with two outings and no runs scored. He showed great command, walking none and striking out six while surrendering no runs. Blanco has been stung by a few bad outings, including a five-run relief appearance last week, but has generally performed well in his chances.
Player of the Week
Nick Plummer (CF): .375/.524/.875, 8 R, 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 SB
Plummer was a run machine, scoring eight runs across his six appearances, one of which coming as a pinch runner. He was 6-for-16, with half of his hits going for extra bases, and walked nearly as much as he got onboard with contact. That’s the story of Plummer in 2018 though - he has 15 walks to his 16 hits so far on the season. The power was nice to see, as Plummer had just one home run on the year before his two-homer performance this week.