Following are the highlights from the 15th day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Thursday, March 31. The Cardinals minor leaguers, all five rosters worth, had their final games with their Marlins neighbors. Florida was the home team, so the games were held on their side of the Jupiter complex.
After the 3-1-1 day, the Cardinals system is a combined 30-24-9 this spring. That includes a 20-14-5 mark against external competition, the Marlins and Mets.
Today’s photo is of the Player of the Day, Memphis reliever Chuckie Fick. The right-hander allowed just one baserunner in three scoreless innings and struck out four. Four starters receive honorable mention: the Redbirds’ Adam Ottavino, Palm Beach’s Shelby Miller, Quad Cities #1 starter Jordan Swagerty and QC #2 starter Hector Hernandez.
On Friday, the Cardinals have another camp day during which Memphis will take on Springfield and Palm Beach will oppose Quad Cities. For the full state of minor league spring training schedules, The Cardinal Nation subscribers can click here.
As he has been doing the last few seasons, Cardinals farm director John Vuch is sharing game highlights with this site and several others with interest in Cardinals prospects. As always, the raw data is his, with the comments mine.
Memphis (5-5-4) 4, New Orleans 3
The Redbirds got to former major leaguer Sean West for all four runs in the first inning and held on for the win.
Memphis pitching
Adam Ottavino had his best outing of the spring and he works to prove his shoulder problems are behind him. The right-hander allowed one run in five innings on four hits and two walks. The former first-round pick struck out seven.
Chuckie Fick had a sterling relief stint. In three innings, he gave up just one hit and no walks. Fick fanned four.
Rich Rundles allowed a single to his only batter faced and that runner later scored.
Fernando Salas had a rare rough inning as he yielded two hits and two walks. One runner crossed the plate.
Memphis hitting
Nick Stavinoha, listed as a catcher on Memphis’ roster, singled and doubled in four at-bats. He drove in one and scored one.
Minor league free agent signee Freddie Bynum had three singles in four at-bats.
Versatile Andrew Brown was on base twice in four plate appearances on single and a walk. He plated a run and scored one.
Donovan Solano singled and drove in a pair.
Springfield (6-5-3) 8, Jacksonville 4
Springfield pitching
Deryk Hooker yielded three runs in five innings. The right-hander surrendered four hits and walked no one. Hooker fanned four.
Richard Castillo, now listed among the relievers, allowed three hits in two innings, but kept them away from home plate.
Ramon Delgado had a day of ones as he was charged with one earned run on one hit, one walk and yes, he struck out one.
Lefty Nick Greenwood allowed two baserunners and collected two outs, one via strikeout.
Casey Mulligan converted a one-out save with a strikeout.
Springfield hitting
Chris Swauger singled and hit a solo home run in five at-bats.
Third baseman Niko Vasquez singled three times in four at-bats and scored twice.
Roberto Espinoza had two doubles in four at-bats and drove in three.
Matt Adams and Jose Garcia both doubled and had an RBI.
Outfielder Aaron Luna singled and drove in one.
Jupiter 4, Palm Beach (9-6) 3
Palm Beach pitching
Shelby Miller had a nice four-inning day, as he struck out seven and allowed just one run. The system’s top prospect gave up just two hits and walked three.
Arquimedes Nieto, apparently still in the battle for a rotation spot, gave up one run in two innings on three hits. He fanned one.
Daniel Calhoun was touched for two runs in 1 2/3 frames. He yielded four hits and fanned one.
Jorge Rondon gave up just one scattered hit in 1 1/3 scoreless. He struck out one batter.
Palm Beach hitting
Curt Smith, Ryde Rodriguez and Phil Cerreto all had two singles and scored one in four at-bats.
Jarred Bogany doubled and plated two.
Quad Cities #1 (6-7-2) 1, Greensboro 1 (tie)
Quad Cities #1 pitching
Jordan Swagerty, a closer last season at Arizona State, will be starting in 2011. In five shutout innings, he allowed four hits and a walk, striking out three.
Angel DeJesus surrendered the only Greensboro run on two hits and two walks over his three-inning outing.
Jared Bradford gave up a pair of hits in his scoreless innings.
Quad Cities #1 hitting
Juan Castillo singled twice and drove in one in three at-bats.
Frederick Parejo was on base twice in three plate appearances with a single and a walk. He scored the lone Quad Cities run.
Quad Cities #2 (4-1) 3, Marlins fifth team 2
Quad Cities #2 pitching
Hector Hernandez had a strong four-inning shutout start. He yielded just one hit and three walks while fanning four.
Wilson Matos was charged with a lone run on four hits and a walk over two frames. Matos struck out two.
Tyler Lyons gave up the other run in his two-inning stint. He allowed one hit and fanned one.
Sean Watson, who I reported yesterday had signed his first professional contract, earned his first save. The 6-foot-9 left-hander allowed one hit in his scoreless ninth inning.
Quad Cities #2 hitting
Adam Melker singled twice and scored both times in four at-bats.
Chris Edmondson pulled out his extra-base stick with a double and triple in four at-bats. He scored one run and drove in another.
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Neito fighting for a starting job at Springfield or PB? He startred some at Springfield last year as a 21 y.o. He probably doesn’t get enough recognition for what he’s done to this point at his age. Didn’t he also have a couple of good World Game outings for Panama?
Castillo seems to be having effective outings this SPring which is good to see. This will still be just his 21 y.o. season. Maybe a switch to relief will get him turned around.
Nieto is in the PB mix. Springfield five seems set but both Kopp and McGregor may not be on the DL long, making seven starters. Nieto, if involved, would make eight.
I wonder if Augenstein staying in the majors is the only thing that has kept Ottavino in the rotation. If Augenstein was in Memphis he would most likely be in the rotation and someone would have to drop out. With all the talk of Ottavino possibly having better success as a reliever it might very well have been him. Let’s hope he can take advantage of his reprieve and also stay healthy.
You’d keep Raul Valdes in the rotation ahead of Ottavino?
Yeah, probably. They might want a LH starter if JAmie goes down.
Getting back to baseball……………it is often said that AP is “the face” of the Cardinals….. it has been pointed out here how his “possessiveness” of this mythology, effects both his relationship to his teammates in the playing environment, and of course the business environment.
Yesterdays unusual “unfoldment” of this dynamic, should have been clear to even the most jaded. ……That being said………….. the question arises………..can Albert Pujols, considering the current dynamic, perform as a teammate to help this team win…………. or, will he consciously (subconsciously) attempt to create an environment in which “his is the only face of the Cardinals”……. which obviously helps to reinforce his personal esteem and contract goals?
This has been a standard “territorial rights” behavior portrayed by Albert in recent years…… to the determent of the community Playoff aspirations……………. can he play in a different environment? Isn’t this the real reason Tony led the “Chemistry movement”……….isn’t this the very dynamic that led to the 10 inning hit and run fiasco? Does anyone really think that other teams, evaluating a 240 million dollar investment, might not be evaluating this also? Albert’s personal religious/self esteem mythology has been seen by some to be his greatest impediment to actually fulfilling it……………………… is it possible to be the person /player he wants to be?……. …..can he actually overcome the pressures that “are just beginning” to mount……….and if he does, can anyone actually play baseball with him when he is on that pedestal.???????????
I have been saying for quite a while now that BD has “bet” that he can’t. The tenor of the local “press” suggest to me that the Cardinal PR apparatus will be at work on this all year………not to retain or civilize AP..like Tony is attempting….but to help cauterize the wound that he will leave on the “fans/ticket holders” as he departs……………..
I say, and hope that it works out………… but if it is just part of the business plan, and all his potential selling power and baseball talent is just converted to heat and dust….. because BD can no longer profit by it…………… as it would appear…………. who are we to just let that pass……without comment……………………………
http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2011-04-01/dodger-fans-attack-critically-injure-giants-fan?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-w%7Cdl11%7Csec3_lnk3%7C208355
This is taking rivalry to a ridiculous level. Hope those Dodger fans get a long vacation behind bars.
I believe it was DizzyDean17 on the Scout message board who lives out there and had some stories to tell about how roughly visiting fans are treated at Dodger Stadium. I used to get out there a lot, but haven’t been to a game there in 8-10 years.
Holidays surgery is scheduled for 4pm your time……….lets hope that they don’t rupture it trying to get it the easy way…………….. Lock Paletta out……………. the difference means 2 or three weeks.
The good part about a 120 million dollar contract…………..is that you will have a neutral observer involved………. 6-8 weeks of down time is 7 figures to someone. I should know by this evening if all goes well…………..Pittsburgh is helping themselves to some Bear meat. Thats good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appendicectomy
He’s having it done by a regular surgeon at Barnes Hospital. He is in good hands.
Strauss points out Reggie Sanders’ appy during ST 2005, and he was game ready in 10 days or so. Without complications, that must be a possibility here, since the Cards are waiting for a post-op update before making any roster move.
I think your right BB…………. if all goes well he should be back on the field in a couple. If they have to cut some of that muscle that hits low outside pitches 400 ft……..thats when its trouble.
I called a scout friend who saw Lohse’s minor league start. He pitched on one of the open minor league fields……….throwing straight into a 25 breeze………… all that great motion turned into uncontrollable moment…………… a bunch of flares and such were the results.
Hmm……….. The wind must not have been bothering Lohse’s opposing starter that same day as he threw a two-hit shutout at Memphis over five innings…
I’m unable to penetrate this note. Was it that the minor leaguer was so poor………that his fastball suddenly found a little motion………. or was it that Lohse, with his money stained hands found his new action to be too excessive to control into a gust? You don’t suppose that he has become a slacker again?…………….He appears to be health none the less.
Money stained hands? You crack me up WC.
Just a bad day. Isn’t that what AP said?
Watching a number of games today…………very highly paid athletes getting rode hard all over the place…………….Little Ronnie Gardenhire watching Pavano get torched 10 zip……. and many more. John Lester laboring…….along with the Redsox vaunted relief core…………
We had a good performance from most……… excepting for some glaring failures. The Twins expensive Japanese 2nd baseman makes 2 errors……..in the first inning…….wow……
If we can’t deal with the lefty tomorrow……thats a bad sign. We will need 5 or 6 runs to back what we’re bringing………lets hope they come early to accompany Westbrooke along his way.
Lohse had a great spring, so it likely, hopefully, just a bad day as noted.
I agree with you about needing 5-6 runs and would add that they need to occur early in the game to remove some of the pressure of not scoring enough in game one plus the new loss of Holliday.