The Farm Report: Winners - Springfield; Peoria & Palm Bech
The Cardinal Chronicle
Cardinals Farm Report: Moore Leads Springfield, Peoria Rallies Late, Palm Beach Wins Clean
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Saturday finally brought a better night across the Cardinals’ full-season affiliates.
Memphis continued to stumble in Gwinnett, but Springfield, Peoria and Palm Beach all won, giving the system a 3-1 night after several rough days on the farm.
Brody Moore delivered the biggest individual offensive performance, going perfect at the plate for Springfield. Peoria rallied from an early six-run hole and won it late. Palm Beach got a clean all-around victory behind strong pitching from Payton Graham and the bullpen.
Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A
Overall Record: 54-38
Second Half: 7-10, 9th in the International League West, 3.0 GB
Streak: L3
Gwinnett 9, Memphis 2
Memphis dropped its third straight game, falling 9-2 to Gwinnett.
The Redbirds were held to six hits and never found much traction after scoring twice in the third inning. Leo Bernal drove in both Memphis runs, going 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Victor Scott II singled, scored and stole his seventh base, while Thomas Saggese, César Prieto, Yohel Pozo and Matt Koperniak each added a hit.
Nolan Gorman did not record a hit but reached base three times with three walks. That is something, even if Memphis badly needed more damage from the middle of the order.
The pitching staff had a difficult night. Ryan Murphy allowed four runs over 2.1 innings, Victor Santos gave up a run, Tink Hence allowed two runs in one inning, and Austin Love was charged with two more over the final two frames. Gwinnett finished with 11 hits and three home runs.
Takeaway: Memphis remains strong overall, but the second half has been a grind. The Redbirds are now 7-10 since the break and have lost three straight.
Springfield Cardinals — Double-A
Overall Record: 42-43
Second Half: 11-6, tied for first in the Texas League North
Streak: W1
Springfield 10, Tulsa 4
Springfield wasted no time Saturday night, jumping Tulsa for seven runs in the first inning and rolling to a 10-4 win in a five-inning finish.
The Cardinals did their damage early and made it count. Brody Moore was the headliner, going 3-for-3 with a home run, a grand slam, a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. That is a complete night in a shortened game, and it made him the clear Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day.
Travis Honeyman also had a strong game, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, two runs scored, a walk and a stolen base. Jesús Báez added his seventh home run and drove in two, while Won-Bin Cho singled, walked and drove in a run.
On the mound, Cooper Hjerpe had an unusual line. He recorded only five outs but struck out five, while also walking four and allowing two runs. Randel Clemente steadied the game with 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Tyler Bradt finished the final inning, allowing two runs, one earned, while striking out three.
Takeaway: Springfield is now tied with Tulsa for first place in the second-half race. That is the big-picture story. The Cardinals are 11-6 since the break, and Saturday’s first-inning ambush was exactly the kind of statement they needed.
Peoria Chiefs — High-A
Overall Record: 40-45
Second Half: 8-11, fifth in the Midwest League West, 5.0 GB
Streak: W2
Peoria 9, Quad Cities 8
Peoria pulled off one of the better comeback wins of the night, rallying from an early 6-1 deficit to beat Quad Cities 9-8.
The Chiefs trailed 6-1 after two innings, but kept climbing back. They scored four runs in the sixth, then delivered the decisive blow with three runs in the ninth.
Michael Dattalo had the swing of the night, hitting his first home run of the season and driving in three runs. Josh Kross added his 11th home run, while Luis Pino continued a strong stretch with a 3-for-4 night and two RBIs.
Sammy Hernandez added two hits, including a double, and drove in a run. Christian Martin doubled, walked and drove in two, while Jalin Flores walked twice and scored.
The pitching line was not clean early. Leonel Sequera allowed six runs over four innings, but the bullpen gave Peoria a chance. Bobby Olsen worked two innings, Nolan Sparks allowed one unearned run over two frames, and Rubén Menes finished it with a scoreless ninth.
Takeaway: This was a gritty win. Peoria has had some ugly pitching nights lately, but Saturday the bullpen held the line just enough for the offense to steal one late.
Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A
Overall Record: 45-41
Second Half: 12-8, first in the Florida State League East
Streak: W2
Palm Beach 8, Daytona 2
Palm Beach followed Friday’s 19-run explosion with a much cleaner 8-2 win over Daytona.
The Cardinals scored four runs in the fourth, two more in the sixth, and added single runs in the eighth and ninth. They finished with 11 hits, including four doubles and two home runs.
Ryan Mitchell hit his ninth home run and drove in a run. Jonathan Mejía added his 11th homer and drove in two. Ryan Weingartner went 2-for-5 with a double, while Yordalin Peña went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. Johnfrank Salazar added two hits, an RBI and a stolen base.
The pitching was the real story. Payton Graham worked four innings, allowing four hits and two unearned runs with no walks and two strikeouts. After that, the bullpen slammed the door.
Yadiel Batista, Anthony Watts and Zeke Wood combined for five scoreless innings. Watts was especially sharp, throwing 2.1 hitless innings with three strikeouts, and Wood struck out both batters he faced.
Takeaway: Palm Beach is back on top in the second-half race. After pounding Daytona on Friday, the Cardinals came back Saturday with a much more complete win — offense, pitching and bullpen finish.
Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day
Brody Moore, SS, Springfield Cardinals
Moore earns the honor after going 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, four RBIs and two runs scored in Springfield’s 10-4 win over Tulsa.
He was perfect at the plate and delivered the biggest offensive night in the system.
Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day
Payton Graham, RHP, Palm Beach Cardinals
Graham gets the nod after throwing four innings, allowing four hits, no earned runs, no walks and striking out two in Palm Beach’s 8-2 win over Daytona.
The final line was steady, clean and exactly what Palm Beach needed to build a win.
The Final Word
Saturday was a much-needed bounce-back night.
Springfield stayed tied for first in the second-half race. Palm Beach moved into first place in the Florida State League East. Peoria won its second straight with a late rally. Memphis was the lone stumble, and the Redbirds’ second-half slide continued with a third straight loss.
The best signs were easy to find: Brody Moore was perfect at the plate, Payton Graham gave Palm Beach a steady start, Michael Dattalo came through late for Peoria, and Springfield’s lineup looked dangerous from the first inning on.
After a rough stretch, the farm system finally had a night with more answers than problems.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Michael Dattalo, Peoria Chiefs | MiLB