photo: Miguel Villarroel (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Behind 31 runs scored, the St. Louis Cardinals system went 3-1 on Sunday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Palm Beach SS Miguel Villarroel, doubled and hit a grand slam. Other standouts include Cesar Prieto, Matt Lloyd, Nathan Church, Luis Rodriguez, Trey Paige and Johnfrank Salazar.
Results from games played on Sunday, May 19.
On Sunday, the Memphis Redbirds (24-21) secured a narrow 7-6 victory over the Gwinnett Stripers (21-24, ATL) at AutoZone Park. Pitching seven-plus innings, starter Sem Robberse received his fifth win this season despite allowing six runs on six hits while walking four and striking out six. The hits included a three-run home run in the third.
The Redbirds struck first in the second on Thomas Saggese’s RBI groundout and Matt Koperniak’s RBI double.
Matt Koperniak
Yeah, this guy better be the International League Player of the Week pic.twitter.com/jDGT0SWu4G
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) May 19, 2024
After the three-run homer to right-center field in the third, the Stripers added an insurance run in the top of the sixth with an RBI single.
Memphis tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with RBI doubles by César Prieto and Luken Baker.
Luken Baker
Baker! pic.twitter.com/7LQi0ArP8b
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) May 19, 2024
The home team recaptured the lead in the seventh on Arquímedes Gamboa’s RBI single. José Fermín’s and Prieto’s RBI singles added two insurance runs.
César Prieto
Gwinnett brought the score to within one with two RBI singles in the eighth.
Connor Thomas received his second save this season despite allowing both runners inherited from Robberse to score. The lefty threw two scoreless innings on four hits while striking out two. Memphis gave up six runs on 10 hits while walking four and striking out eight.
Prieto went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored. Baker was 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, and scored once. Fermín was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. The Redbirds totaled seven runs on 11 hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
The Redbirds took five of the seven games against Gwinnett during their now-completed set. Memphis will play the Durham Bulls (18-27, TBR) this week.
Tuesday’s game: at Durham, TBA vs. TBA 5:35 CT.
The Springfield Cardinals (22-16) dominated the Midland Rockhounds (25-14, OAK) 12-6 on Sunday at Hammons Field. Starter Wilfredo Pereira threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four.
The Cardinals took an early lead in the first with Matt Lloyd’s two-run moonshot to left field.
Matt Lloyd
💥Boom baby!
Matt Lloyd goes oppo to get us up 2-0 early. pic.twitter.com/6412c5TS4n
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) May 19, 2024
Springfield continued to extend the lead in the second with Luis Rodriguez’s RBI single, Nathan Church’s RBI single, and an error that plated Rodriguez.
The Rockhounds cut the lead in half with a three-run double in the fifth.
Ryan Shreve took over the mound after the double. In the top of the sixth, he allowed an RBI single and a two-run homer as the Rockhounds took a one-run lead.
The Cardinals responded in the bottom of the sixth with Church’s RBI single and Lloyd’s RBI double. Chandler Redmond reached on a catcher’s interference that brought home Lloyd, and Rodriguez rapped a two-run single. All were scored against former Cardinal Seth Elledge, who took the loss.
Nathan Church
Nathan Church comes through to tie the game with AN RBI knock in the sixth. pic.twitter.com/J4ULK3i0h8
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) May 19, 2024
Church’s sacrifice fly in the seventh added an insurance run to make it 11-6.
Redmond’s RBI single in the eighth made the score 12-6.
Luis C. Rodriguez
Church went 2-for-3 with a walk, three RBI, and two runs scored. Lloyd hit 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, three RBI, and scored twice. Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a walk, three RBI, and one run scored. The Cardinals totaled 12 runs on 15 hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Shreve received his second win this season, throwing 1 2/3 innings, and allowing three runs on three hits. St. Louis rehabber Keynan Middleton pitched an inning, yielding no runs and no hits while walking two. Just seven of his 17 pitches went for strikes. Matt Svanson threw two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two walks while striking out two. Springfield allowed six runs on 10 hits while walking five and striking out six.
Springfield took just two of the six home games against the Rockhounds. The Cardinals will continue their homestand this week against the Tulsa Drillers (16-21, LAD).
Tuesday’s game: vs. Tulsa, RHP Trent Baker (2-2, 6.75) vs. Kendall Williams RHP (1-4, 9.45) 6:35 CT.
The Peoria Chiefs (13-26) extended their third long losing streak of the year to five games as they fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps (20-19, DET) by a 4-2 score on Sunday at Dozer Park. Starter Cooper Hjerpe took his second loss this season, pitching three innings, and allowing three runs on three hits while walking one and striking out six.
The Whitecaps struck first in the third with a three-run longball to left field to take an early 3-0 lead. Inohan Paniagua replaced Hjerpe in the fourth and gave up a solo homer to the first batter he faced.
The Chiefs earned one back in the sixth with Won-Bin Cho’s RBI double.
Won-Bin Cho
Won-Bin Cho gets the Chiefs on the board!
PEO 1 | WM 4
– – – #peoriachiefs #TopDogs@milb | @CardsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/b1WGErNb5r— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) May 19, 2024
Darlin Moquete’s solo bomb to left field in the eighth cut the deficit to 4-2.
Darlin Moquete
DARLIN MOQUETE BLASTS HIS FIRST HOMER OF 2024!!!
PEO 2 | WM 4
– – –#peoriachiefs #TopDogs@milb | @CardsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/88pCWMcvz9— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) May 19, 2024
Moquete went 1-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored. Cho was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Graysen Tarlow was 1-for-3 and scored once. The Chiefs totaled two runs on six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
In long relief, Paniagua threw four innings, allowing one run on one hit while walking three and striking out five. Tanner Jacobson threw two scoreless innings, yielding no hits and two walks while striking out four. Peoria gave up four runs on four hits while walking six and striking out 15.
Peoria dropped five of their six games to West Michigan in the first half of their homestand. The Chiefs will continue their homestand against the Cedar Rapids Kernels (24-14, MIN).
Tuesday’s game: vs. Cedar Rapids, LHP Pete Hansen (0-3, 4.42) vs. TBA 6:35 CT.
The Palm Beach Cardinals (23-16) ended the series with a win over the St. Lucie Mets (NYM, 13-26) on Sunday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. In his Palm Beach debut, starter Hunter Kublick pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out five.
The Cardinals opened the scoring in the first with Chase Adkison’s RBI single and Jose Cordoba’s RBI double. Johnfrank Salazar’s RBI double in the second extended their lead to 3-0.
Two RBI singles from the Mets and an RBI triple in the top of the fourth tied the score.
Palm Beach roared back with an RBI single from Salazar and Miguel Villarroel’s grand slam to take a five-run lead.
Miguel Villarroel
⭐️GRAND. SLAM. ⭐️
Miguel Villarroel's first season homerun couldn't have come at a better time! pic.twitter.com/MvQAQdVmzf
— Palm Beach Cardinals (@GoPBCardinals) May 19, 2024
Hunter Hayes took over mound duties with two outs in the fourth and allowed an RBI single in the fifth.
Trey Paige led off the sixth with a solo shot to center.
Trey Paige
Out of here🚀
Trey Paige launches his first season homerun with an exit velocity of 101 MPH! pic.twitter.com/8GwBW2DX44
— Palm Beach Cardinals (@GoPBCardinals) May 19, 2024
The Mets kept the game close with an RBI force out in the top of the seventh.
The home team added another run in the bottom half of the inning on Adari Grant’s bases-loaded walk.
Henry Gomez closed out the game in the ninth after allowing an RBI single for the final score of 10-6.
Hayes received his first win, pitching 2 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out one. Zack Showalter threw 1 2/3 innings, yielding no runs on one hit while striking out two. Gomez gave up a run on two hits in the inning he threw while walking none. The Cardinals allowed six runs on 17 hits while walking one and striking out eight.
Villarroel went 2-for-5 with a grand slam, a double, four RBI, and two runs scored. Paige went 2-for-2 with a home run, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Salazar was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and scored once. Palm Beach totaled 10 runs on 12 hits with five walks and six strikeouts.
Palm Beach won five of the six games in their home series with St. Lucie. The Cardinals will now play the Lakeland Flying Tigers (25-14, DET) in a six-game road series.
Tuesday’s game: at Lakeland, TBA vs. TBA 5:30 CT.
Florida Complex League Cardinals – off Sunday
The 6-5 rookie league Cardinals play their 12th game of the 2024 season on Monday at Roger Dean against the Mets (6-4, NYM).
Monday’s game: vs. FCL Mets, RH Nelfy Ynfante (1-0, 1.50) vs. TBA 11:00 CT.
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