The obvious top story tonight was Adam Wainwright making another rehab start. Allen Vaughan of the News-Leader has his take. The talk a few weeks ago was a healthy Wainwright and Carpenter hopefully leading the Cardinals to the playoffs, and while they still might, I would be happy just to see both of them healthy to end the season.
It was a great night on the farm as the teams combine to go 5-1. Check out all the details after the break.
- David Freese 4-6, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI
- Josh Phelps 2-6, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI
- Brendan Ryan 1-4, 2B, R, RBI
- Mitch Boggs 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
- Jason Motte 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
- Mark Worrell 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Boggs was a little hittable, but the thing I like about this start was that he didn’t walk anyone. I think we all saw that he struggled with control in the major leagues, and that is definitely something he needs to work on. He was in line for a win until Kelvin Jimenez and Jason Motte combined to allow 4 runs in the 9th to blow the lead. Fortunately David Freese capped off a huge night with an RBI double in the 12 to win it. His power has been very impressive this year. Speaking of power, Josh Phelps hit another homer. Ho hum.
Springfield 5, Corpus Christi 2
- Daryl Jones 2-3, 3B, R, RBI, 2 BB
- Donovan Solano 2-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI
- Allen Craig 1-3, RBI
- Adam Wainwright 4.2, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
- Josh Dew 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Daryl Jones had a great game, but Adam Wainwright is obviously the story here. We will have to wait for the reports, but from this line it seems like he is just a little more endurance away. Daryl Jones has been an absolute on base machine since his promotion to AA. Are we looking at the future lead-off hitter for the Cardinals?
- Dan Descalso 1-3, R, BB
- Steve Hill 1-5, 2B, 4 RBI
- Tyler Henley 2-5
- Pete Kozma 0-3, R, BB
- Mark Diapoules 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
- Casey Mulligan 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Palm Beach was able to take home the battle of the beaches. Steve Hill is just a run producing machine. I don’t know what the plan is with him to finish the year, but you would think they want him playing on a team that will be playoff bound and that likely means staying in Palm Beach. Diapoules has struggled with his control lately (he may be tiring), but he continues to win ball games.
- Brett Wallace 0-4, 2 K
- Adron Chambers 2-4, 2 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI
- Jon Edwards 1-3, 2B, R, BB
- Tommy Pham 1-4, 2B, RBI
What’s wrong with Brett Wallace? Just Kidding. Jon Edwards stays hot for the River Bandits. Maybe they should have given him a chance earlier in the year. Everyone knows this teams has been looking for offense.
- Colt Sedbrook 1-3, RBI
- Shane Peterson 1-3, BB, SB, 2 K
- Arquimedes Nieto 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
- Adam Reifer 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Peterson’s strikeout rate really worries me. When you read his scouting reports from before the draft, they all talk about what a great pure hitter he is, but he struck out at a pretty high clip in college. Now in pro ball he is striking out at a scary clip, but showing no power. He is still only 20 and has plenty of time to improve, but I’m not too confident right now. In better news, Nieto and Reifer continue to dominate NYPL hitters.
- Niko Vasquez 3-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI
- Joey Hage 2-4, 2 R
- Curt Smith 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
- Edgar Lara 2-4
- Reynier Gonzalez 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Nico with a big game after a bit of a cold stretch. His season has been simply amazing. Curt Smith has also been unbelievable this year. I don’t think he is a really good prospect, but maybe he will prove me wrong as he moves up the ranks. Gonzalez has walked a few too many this year, but he hasn’t been easy to hit and is striking out a batter an inning.
Entries (RSS)
i was at the game and WW velocity was down, at least by the stadium gun, it showed him between 84-88 i saw one 91 and several 84′s. i thought the 84 might be a change up at first but he threw it 2-3 time per hitter…his curve was very sharp at times making some CC hitters look silly(!) but there were few flat ones too that was hit hard and caught including a very nice play by Craig at 3B on a line drive. his command was very good on the night i thought which is why he still had a very good line. The velocity is what concerns me the most though i am hoping he was just trying to conserve a little since it was his first extended outing.
the top reason i was excited about going to the game was seeing D.Jones play and i was impressed. he hit the ball hard twice, one a triple that made WW score from first while i held my breath. most impressive in my mind was the walk in the 8th he laid off a pretty good pitch that was just a little up on 2-0 and then again with a 3-1 count with pitch just outside. seeing him NOT over anxious to hit the ball hard somewhere in a hitters count. i am offically excited about DJ. i hope to see him in st louis st some point.
DJ currently has an OBP slightly higher than his SLG. Wow! Thanks for the report Nomar34.
So, I’m not the only one that alternates between NiCo and NiKo I see.
I don’t have a subscription, so obviously I can’t vouch for any of the information beyond what I see on the front page – but is this site worth a darn?
http://www.minorleaguenews.com/baseball/affiliated/features/articles2008/07/15/00.php
They have the Cardinals listed as the number one up-and-coming minor league system in MLB.
High praise, if the site is verifiable.
It’s good to see Nico breaking out of his mini-slump. It makes you wonder if pitchers are catching up to him or if it is just a natural slump.
Maybe it is just me or is Wallace seeming to K more since Kozma was promoted?
What is up with Daryl Jones this year? He’s been finally living up to the promise of all those tools.
It will be interesting to see where our system is ranked at the end of the year.