2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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MBL news: June 18 - All-Star game fan voting update

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Record: 36-35, 5th, 6 GB Des Moines
Isaac Pacheco hit a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning to give St. Louis a 4-2 win over Cleveland at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win allowed the River Walkers to split the four-game series with the Juke Box Heroes.
Pacheco's homer, his sixth of the season, came on a 1-2 pitch from Cleveland reliever Juan Munoz.
Jovan Gill, who had been hit by a pitch with one out, also scored.
The Heroes led 2-0 going into the bottom of the eighth, when Jose Segura tied it with a two-run homer off former Walkers reliever Adam Wenger.
St. Louis got a strong start from Xavier Wigfall, who allowed two runs on one hit in seven innings. He struck out six and walked four.
Cory Tiller and Nick Ruffalo both pitched scoreless inning in relief.
Gil Meier (4-1) handled a pair of scoreless innings, and would get the win.

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MBL news: Week 10 -- Awards and standings

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The St. Louis River Walkers have recalled shortstop Kyren Paris from AAA Memphis, where he was on an injury rehab, and sent shortstop Izaac Pacheco to Memphis, pending passing through waivers.
Paris, 32, has been out since April 20 when he suffered an ankle injury.
He has played just 13 games for the Walkers this season, batting .289 with one homer and 13 RBIs.
Paris got into five games during his time in Memphis, hitting .353 with an RBI.
Pacheco, 31, played 42 games for St. Louis hitting .199 with six homers and 20 RBIs.
That included a walk-off, two-run homer in his final game with the team, a 4-2 11-inning win over Cleveland on June 18.

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Record: 36-36, 5th, 6.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Chris Lutz held St. Louis to one run over the first seven innings, and the Louisville bullpen didn't allow a baserunner over the final two as the Sluggers edged the River Walker 2-1 at Dodger Stadium.
Lutz (2-9) scattered three hits -- one of them a fourth-inning home run by Jose Ramirez) in his time on the mound. He struck out eight and walked one.
Tony Arroyo set the Walkers down in order in the eighth.
Matt Ray did the same in the ninth for his sixth save.
Both of the Sluggers runs came via the long ball off St. Louis starting pitcher Angel Tiburcio.
David Morales led off the second inning with his third homer of the season.
With the game tied 1-1, Bradley Mondesir put Louisville in front for good with a lead-off homer in the sixth.

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Record: 36-37, 5th, 7.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Grayson Rodriguez held St. Louis to one run over the first five innings, and a trio of Louisville relievers shut out the River Walkers the rest of the way as the Sluggers won 5-1 at Dodger Stadium.
Rodriguez allowed the Walkers to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning -- Jared Thomas led off with a single, stole second and took third on a throwing error by Louisville catcher Jacob Campbell. Eric Peretz scored Thomas with a deep fly ball -- but kept them off the scoreboard in the final three he worked.
Overall, Rodriguez (3-5) allowed the one run on six hits. He struck out four and walked two.
Jeff Munn worked a 1-2-3 sixth for the Sluggers.
Elvin Rodriguez didn't allow a base runner in the seventh or eighth.
Joe Wahl pitched out of some minor trouble in the ninth.
Louisville took the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third off St. Louis starting pitcher Jim Martin.
Tom Blevins drew a one-out walk, but was replaced on the bases when Bradley Mondesir hit into a fielder's choice.
Bobby Chapman's two-out double tied the score.
Oscar Rodriguez chased Chapman home with a single.
Home runs did most of the rest of the damage for the Sluggers.
Blevins hit a two-run homer off Martin with two outs in the sixth.
Hisanori Yasuda led off the eighth with a solo shot off Oscar Martinez.

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Record: 37-37, 5th, 7 GB Des Moines
Tied 4-4, St. Louis exploded for five runs in the top of the eighth inning and went on to defeat Louisville 9-4 at Dodger Stadium.
The win allowed the River Walkers to avoid a three-game sweep.
The Sluggers had gone up 4-3 with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Pinch-hitter Oscar Rodriguez drove in the final two runs with a two-out single off St. Louis reliever Scott Rissler.
The Walkers tied it in the top of the seven on a lead-off homer from Chris Duncan.
An inning later, St. Louis busted it open with its big five-run inning.
Walks played a key role as Jeff Munn at one point issued three in a row, the first being intentional, to drive in the first run.
Duncan plated the second with a sacrifice fly.
Jovan Gill followed with an RBI single, ending up at second himself on an error by Rodriguez in right field.
Joe Wahl took over for the Sluggers, only to be greeted by a two-run single by pinch-hitter Nathaniel Dixon to make it 9-4.
St. Louis starter Jesse McNaboe was fine until becoming unhinged in the sixth.
He pitched five innings, allowing four runs on four hits.
Scott Rissler was on the mound for the end of the damage in the sixth.
Cory Tiller worked a scoreless seventh.
With a five-run lead, Oscar Martinez breezed through the eighth and ninth to seal the win.

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Record: 38-37, 5th, 6.5 GB Cedar Rapids and Des Moines
Rookie Devin Rogers turned in his second start strong start, limiting Columbus to one run over five innings as St. Louis won 5-2 at Forbes Field (1959).
The lone run allowed by Rogers came on a Nolan Gorman home run in the bottom of the second inning, which put the Golden Bears ahead 1-0.
Overall, Rogers (3-3) allowed just the one run on two hits. He struck out four and didn't issue a walk.
Zachary Stella worked the seventh and got the first two outs of the eighth.
He also allowed the second Columbus run, pinch-hitter Cory Rowley with an RBI double to make it 5-2.
Josh Forgy set Columbus down in order in the ninth.
St. Louis tied it at 1-1 in the top of the fourth (Freudis Nova and Jose Segura leading off the inning with consecutive doubles off Bears starting pitcher Matt Frisbee), and took the lead an inning later (Kyren Paris with a lead-off single. He moved to second on a Roger bunt and scored on a two-out double by Nova).
The Walkers broke the game open when Nathaniel Dixon hit a three-run homer off reliever Chris LaColla in the seventh.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed second baseman Daniel Becerra on the 10-day injured list after he was diagnosed with plantar fascitis
Becerra, 34, left the Walkers' 9-4 win over Louisville on June 21 with an injury. He is expected to miss up to two weeks.
It is the second major injury of the season for Becerra, who missed four weeks earlier in the season with a hamstring strain.
Becerra has played in just 46 games this season, batting .237 with four homers and 21 RBIs.
Getting the callup from AAA Memphis is 26-year-old infielder Tommy DuBose.
Dubose was with the club earlier in the season when Becerra suffered his first injury
He got into 24 games and batted .244 with two homers and nine RBIs.
DuBose has struggled at AAA Memphis this season, hitting just .203 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 42 games.

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Record: 38-38, 5th, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Columbus built itself a 4-0 lead over the first five innings, and the Golden Bears held on to defeat St. Louis 4-3 at Forbes Field (1959).
For the second consecutive game, the Bears' Nolan Gorman opened the scoring with a solo home run.
This time, it was off River Wakers' starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall in the bottom of the second.
An inning later, Columbus added two more runs.
Star first baseman Neil Assenbjerg drove in both of them with a two-out double off Wigfall.
The Bears went up 4-0 in the fifth.
Noah Smith doubled off Wigfall with one out and scored on a two-out single by Chris Hery.
St. Louis did climb back into it.
Freudis Nova's RBI single off Columbus starting pitcher Malibok Calzado in the sixth made it 4-1.
Will Banfield drove in a run with a double off Pablo Ochoa in the seventh.
Banfield, who moved to third on a passed ball, later scored on a Kyren Paris ground out, making it 4-3.
Calzado (3-2) earned the win after allowing two runs on five hits over the first six innings.
After that, Ochoa pitched the seventh when the Walkers drew within a run.
Rodolfo Cervantez held St. Louis scoreless in the eighth.
Mike LaFramboise did the same in the ninth for his 10th save.

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Record: 38-36, 5th, 6.5 GB Des Moines
Nick Shaw found a big way to break out of a lengthy slump, slugging two home runs -- including a sixth-inning grand slam which broke open a scoreless game -- as St. Louis defeated Columbus 5-2 at Forbes Field (1959).
Golden Bears starting pitcher Chris D'Alessandro had shut out the River Walkers on one hit over the first five innings.
He also retired the first two Walkers' batters in the ninth, before Freudis Nova doubled.
Eric Peretz was then issued an intentional walk to bring Jose Segura to the plate.
Chris LaColla got the call and walked Jose Segura to load the bases.
Shaw, who has seen his batting average drop from the .340s to just over .300 over the recent weeks was next and with an 0-1 count he hammered a pitch 511 feet over the high wall in left center for his 13th homer of the season.
Shutout by Walkers starting pitcher Angel Tiburcio over the first five innings, Columbus finally did get to the veteran right-hander in the sixth.
But it was only worth two runs -- Nolan Gorman and Kevin Kendall both coming through with two-out RBI singles.
Shaw provided an insurance run in the ninth with a lead-off homer off Jason Gildea.
Tiburcio (4-3) went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits.
Oscar Martinez wrapped up the seventh for the Walkers.
Nick Ruffalo handled the final two innings for his fifth save.

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MBL news: June 25 -- All-Star game fan voting update

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Record: 40-38, 4th, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Jim Martin allowed one run over the first six innings, and St. Louis put up three runs in the top of the second inning and four more in the third to defeat Columbus 7-1 at Forbes Field (1959).
The victory gave the River Walkers' wins in three of four games in the series.
Martin (6-4) scattered seven hits and the one run in his time on the mound. He struck out six and didn't issue a walk.
The Golden Bears' lone run came in the bottom of the fourth, when Chris Hery led off with a single off Martin and was later driven in by a Kevin Kendall ground it.
That made the score 7-1.
A three-run homer from Jared Thomas off Columbus starting pitcher Agustin Perdomo did most of the damage in the second.
In the third, the River Walkers got consecutive singles from Dan Hillard, Jose Segura and Nick Shaw to start the inning.
Shaw's single scored Hillard to make it 4-0.
After that, there was one more hit, a run-scoring single by Eric Peretz, but the Walkers were aided by an error by Bears catcher Raymond Torres, a passed ball and a wild pitch by Cesar Gamez.
With a 7-1 lead, Luke Dunkin pitched a scoreless seventh for St. Louis.
Zachary Stella handled a pair of silent frames to end it.
Walkers center fielder Jose Segura had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury suffered while making a defensive play.

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MBL news: June 26 -- Week 11 -- Awards and standings

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed center fielder Jose Segura on the injured list after he suffered a strained rib cage muscle in the team's 7-1 win at Columbus on June 25.
Segura, 29, has batted .254 with 14 homers and 46 RBIs in 73 games for the Walkers this season.
Getting the callup from AAA Memphis is 28-year-old outfielder Carlos Gallegos.
Gallegos, a right-handed hitter, has played in 71 games at AAA this season and batted .322 with 12 homers and 45 RBIs.
This will be Gallegos' first trip to the majors.

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Record: 41-38, 4th, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Jesse McNaboe took a shutout into the ninth inning, and reliever Nick Ruffalo finished the job as St. Louis downed Quad City 2-0 at Busch Stadium (2006).
McNaboe (7-4) scattered four hits over the first eight innings before exiting after allowing a lead-off double to Christian Moore in the ninth.
Closer Nick Ruffalo took over from there retiring the next three -- two via strikeouts -- for his sixth save.
McNaboe struck out six and walked just one in his time on the mound.
The River Walkers broke in front in the bottom of the third.
Freudis Nova singled with two outs off Thunder starting pitcher Pascal Maecovicci.
Nova scored when Jose Ramirez followed with a triple.
The lead grew to 2-0 in the seventh when Nova scored again
This time he drew a lead-of walk from Marcovicci. who then left the game.
Reliever Edwin Cervantes threw a wild pitch, which moved Nova to second.
He scored on a two-out single from Dan Hillard.

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Record: 41-39, 5th, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Down 1-0, Quad City jumped on St. Louis starting pitcher Devin Rogers for four runs in the top of the second inning, and the Thunder went on for a 6-4 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Former River Walker Clay Owen provided the big blow with a three-run homer off Rogers to make it 3-1.
QC added another run when pitcher John Grissom and Chris Shelley both followed with singles.
A two-out single from Ben Nelson plated Grissom with the inning's final run.
It's lead at 4-3 following a home run by the River Walkers' Jose Ramirez off Grissom in the bottom of the sixth, the Thunder added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh.
They did it with three straight hits -- a single from Christian Moore and a double by Nelson, both scored on a Paul Totten single -- off St. Louis reliever Luke Dunkin to open the inning.
Grissom (4-1), who spent a couple of seasons in the Walkers' bullpen, handled 5.2 innings allowing three runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked one.
Angel Alvarez finished the sixth for QC, and followed with a scoreless seventh.
The eighth was divided between Caden Lemon (0.2 IP) and Edwin Cerva ntes (0.1).
Craig Fritzler earned his 22nd save despite allowing a pinch-hit solo homer to Kyren Paris in the ninth.

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Record: 41-40, 5th, 9.5 GB Des Moines
Tied 3-3, Quad City tallied two runs in the top of the ninth inning to help defeat St. Louis 5-3 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory gave the Thunder' victories in the final two games of the three-game series.
St. Louis, which led 2-0 early, had tied it at 3-3 in the bottom of the third on Carlos Gallegos' first major-league hit, a two-out double off QC reliever Angel Alvarez which had scored Dan Hillard.
River Walkers reliever Cory Tiller retired Angel Solis to begin the top of the ninth.
However, Tiller allowed the next three Thunder batters to reach base -- Ben Nelson doubled and scored on a Paul Totten single. Jay Cornelius then drew a walk -- to bring lefty Nick Ruffalo into the game.
QC got to Ruffalo for two more hits.
Jacob Gonzalez singled to load the bases.
Clay Owens, who came up through the St. Louis' system, also singled, his hit scoring Cornelius.
QC starting pitcher Danny Garza went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out nine and walked one.
Alvarez pitched the sixth for the Thunder, allowing the final St. Louis' run.
Andres Garcia followed with a perfect seventh.
Terry Zahnow (0.1 IP) and Dante Mendoza (0.2) combined on a 1-2-3 eighth.
Mendoza (2-2) would get the win.
Craig Fritzler now has 23 saves after a scoreless ninth.

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Record: 42-40, 5th, 8.5 GB Des Moines
St. Louis put together a pair of five-run innings -- in the top of the first and seventh -- to power its way to a 10-5 win over Springfield at Oracle Park (2020).
The first-inning outburst came against Railers starting pitcher Marcos Zaragoza and featured a two-run home run from Dan Hillard and a two-run double by Kyren Paris.
Springfield had crept back to within 5-3 when the River Walkers busted loose again in the seventh.
This time five different players -- Freudis Nova (double), Hillard (single), Jared Thomas (single), Eric Peretz (single) and pitcher Angel Tiburcio (single) -- all drove in runs.
Reliever Hiroyuki Omura gave up the hits to Nova, Hillard and Thomas.
The single by Pertez and Tiburcio both came off Andrew Perez.
Tiburcio (5-3) pitched into the seventh before running out of gas.
He allowed four runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings.
Scott Rissler finished the seventh and got the first out of he eighth.
Zachary Stella went the rest of the way to seal the win.

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Walkers news: July 1 -- Player Development Report