The Farm Report: Molina 9 Ks, The Dark Side of a No-Hitter & Memphis Rolls
The Cardinal Chronicle
Daily Farm Report
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Farm Report: Memphis Rolls, Springfield Rallies, Palm Beach No-Hit by St. Lucie
The Cardinals’ farm system went 2-2 on Tuesday night, with Memphis and Springfield carrying the wins, Peoria seeing its six-game winning streak snapped, and Palm Beach running into a no-hitter at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Memphis opened its road series in Norfolk with an 11-4 win behind two five-run innings and another home run from Joshua Báez. Springfield produced the wildest finish of the night, scoring seven runs in the eighth inning to beat Amarillo 9-5. Peoria fell behind early at South Bend and could not recover in a 6-3 loss. Palm Beach was held without a hit in a 7-0 loss to St. Lucie.
Memphis Redbirds
Record: 39-25, International League
Standings: Tied near the top of the International League first-half race
Result: Memphis 11, Norfolk 4
Memphis opened its six-game road trip in Norfolk with one of its better offensive nights of the season, beating the Tides 11-4 at Harbor Park.
The Redbirds trailed 2-0 entering the fifth inning, then flipped the game with one big frame. César Prieto tied the game with a two-run single, and Joshua Báez followed with the swing of the night — a three-run homer that put Memphis in front for good.
It was Báez’s 18th home run of the season, which keeps him among the International League leaders and gives the Cardinals’ system another reminder of the kind of loud impact he can bring when he squares the baseball.
Memphis did not stop there.
The Redbirds added another five-run inning in the seventh, getting RBI hits from Jeremy Rivas, Leo Bernal and Bligh Madris to stretch the lead and put the game out of reach. Prieto later added the final run with a solo home run in the ninth, his ninth homer of the season.
Pete Hansen started for Memphis and gave the Redbirds a strong but abbreviated outing. The left-hander allowed two runs on three hits, walked none and struck out eight over 3.0-plus innings before leaving after being hit in the leg by a line drive.
That is a tough break, because Hansen had swing-and-miss working and was clearly giving Norfolk problems.
Memphis has spent nearly the entire season in the International League first-half race, and Tuesday’s win kept the Redbirds right where they needed to be. Big innings, extra-base damage, and a lineup that can hit you from several spots — that is how a Triple-A club keeps pressure on the standings.
Springfield Cardinals
Record: 26-29, 3rd Place, 11.5 GB, Texas League North
Result: Springfield 9, Amarillo 5
Springfield looked like it was running out of time Tuesday night.
Then the eighth inning happened.
Trailing 5-3 with six outs to play, the Cardinals exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the eighth and beat the Amarillo Sod Poodles 9-5 at Hammons Field. It was the kind of inning that turns a quiet loss into one of the more memorable wins of the season.
Trey Paige delivered the big blow, launching a grand slam to cap the rally. Paige drove in five runs on the night, and his eighth-inning swing gave Springfield the final separation it needed.
That is not a small moment. Grand slams are always loud, but late-inning grand slams in comeback wins have a little more thunder to them.
Mason Molina started for Springfield and matched a career high with nine strikeouts. His final line was six innings, four hits, four runs, three earned runs, one walk and nine strikeouts.
It was not a spotless outing, but the strikeouts mattered, the length mattered, and Springfield stayed close enough for the offense to make the final move.
Darlin Saladin and Ryan Murphy were excellent behind Molina, combining for two perfect innings out of the bullpen. Murphy earned the win, his first of the season.
Springfield needed this one. After dropping both ends of Sunday’s doubleheader in Frisco, the Cardinals came home and found a way to steal a game that had nearly slipped away.
Peoria Chiefs
Record: 30-28, 3rd Place, 7.0 GB, Midwest League West
Standings: Seven games behind first-place South Bend with eight games left in the first half
Result: South Bend 6, Peoria 3
Peoria’s six-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday night in South Bend.
The Chiefs fell behind early, could not fully climb out of the hole, and dropped the series opener to the first-place Cubs 6-3 at Four Winds Field.
South Bend did its damage in the second inning. Cole Mathis opened the scoring with a solo home run, and later in the frame, Kane Kepley hit a three-run homer to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead.
That put Peoria in chase mode the rest of the night.
The Chiefs did answer in the fourth inning with back-to-back home runs from Cade McGee and Josh Kross. McGee’s solo shot was his eighth of the season and his fifth home run in five games. Kross followed on the very next pitch with a line-drive homer to center.
That gave Peoria some life, but the Chiefs could not deliver the big hit with runners on base. Peoria finished 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and that tells the story.
South Bend added two more runs in the seventh to stretch the lead to 6-2. Jesús Báez drove in Anyelo Encarnación with an RBI double in the ninth, but the rally stopped there.
Peoria had been red-hot entering the series after sweeping Beloit, but South Bend reminded everyone why it sits at the top of the division. The Chiefs still have a chance to make the first-half race interesting, but Tuesday’s loss makes the climb much steeper.
Palm Beach Cardinals
Record: 30-28, 2nd Place, 3.0 GB, Florida State League East
Result: St. Lucie 7, Palm Beach 0
Palm Beach opened its homestand with one of the hardest nights a lineup can have.
The Cardinals were no-hit by the St. Lucie Mets in a 7-0 loss Tuesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. It was the ninth no-hitter in Minor League Baseball this season and the second in the Florida State League.
It was also the third time Palm Beach has been held without a hit in franchise history, and the first time since May 10, 2022, against Fort Myers.
There is no way to dress that one up.
St. Lucie’s pitching controlled the night from start to finish, and Palm Beach never found the swing it needed to break through. The Cardinals entered the game looking to reset after a road series in Tampa, but instead were shut down completely in the opener against the Mets.
Palm Beach has been one of the better stories in the lower levels of the Cardinals’ system this season, but baseball has a way of handing every club a night like this sooner or later.
The only answer is to show up the next day and make sure it does not become two.
Player of the Day
Trey Paige, Springfield Cardinals
Trey Paige is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Player of the Day after delivering the biggest swing in the system Tuesday night.
Paige drove in five runs and capped Springfield’s seven-run eighth inning with a grand slam in the Cardinals’ 9-5 comeback win over Amarillo.
That is impact.
Joshua Báez deserves strong mention after hitting his 18th home run of the season for Memphis, and César Prieto had a big night with a two-run single and his ninth homer. Cade McGee also deserves mention after homering for the fifth straight game for Peoria.
But Paige gets the nod because his grand slam changed the game, finished the rally, and turned Springfield’s night around.
Pitcher of the Day
Mason Molina, Springfield Cardinals
Mason Molina is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Pitcher of the Day after matching a career high with nine strikeouts in Springfield’s 9-5 win over Amarillo.
Molina worked six innings, allowing four hits, four runs, three earned runs and one walk while striking out nine.
The line was not perfect, but the swing-and-miss was real, and he kept Springfield in position for the late comeback. With the Cardinals trailing but still within reach, Molina’s strikeout work helped prevent the game from getting away.
Pete Hansen deserves mention for Memphis after striking out eight over 3.0-plus innings before leaving after being hit by a line drive. But Molina gave Springfield six innings, matched a career high in strikeouts, and helped set up the comeback win.
Old School Take
Tuesday night had a little bit of everything.
Memphis looked like a first-half contender, using two five-run innings to beat Norfolk. Springfield waited until late and then dropped the hammer with a seven-run eighth. Peoria saw its winning streak end because the early hole was too deep and the runners in scoring position were left standing. Palm Beach had one of those nights no hitter wants to talk about.
That is the farm system in one night — power, rallies, missed chances and hard lessons.
The best swing belonged to Trey Paige. The loudest prospect reminder came from Joshua Báez. The strongest pitching line came from Mason Molina’s nine strikeouts.
And Palm Beach?
Flush it and play tomorrow.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Mason Molina, Springfield Cardinals | PJ Maigi