2032 St. Louis River Walkers -- Growing weary of just coming close

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The St. Louis River Walkers have been informed that left-handed starting pitcher Izzy San Juan has suffered a setback as he attempts to return from an elbow injury.
The 33-year-old San Juan has been out since May 4, when he suffered the injury.
He's started six games this season, going 0-2 with a 6.49 ERA.
It was hoped San Juan could begin an injury rehab next week in Memphis, before returning to the major league rotation before the end of the month.

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MBL news: July 14 -- Assenjberg powers AL to All-Star victory

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MBL news: July 14 -- Batting leaders at the All-Star break

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MBL news: July 14 - Pitching leaders at the All-Star break

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MBL news: July 14 -- Standings at the All-Star break

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Walkers news: July 14 -- Team statistics at the All-Star break

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Record: 57-34, 1st, 1 GA Des Moines
St. Louis sent nine batters to the plate in the top of the first inning, scoring nine runs, to help propel the River Walkers to a 9-7 win over Quad City at Fenway Park (1976).
All of the St. Louis' runs came with two outs as the Walkers put four consecutive batters on base against Thunder starting pitcher Pascal Marcovicci.
Two of them were walks.
There other three were hits, RBI singles from NIck Shaw and Jean Carmona and a three-run double from Jared Thomas.
The Walkers lead would eventually grow to 9-2, following a three-run top of the sixth.
Jose Ramirez led off the inning with a homer off Rick Sessions.
Jean Carmona's two-out double plated the other two.
Q-C did make it close with five runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Ricky Cisneros, who entered the game in the second after Walkers starter Jesse McNaboe had to exit due to back spasms, finally ran out of gas.and was charged with three runs of the runs.
Rookie Nick Ruffalo, however, was on the mound when all the runs scored.
The left-hander gave up a two-run single to Chase Davis.
Bobby Wescott followed with his second homer of the game, a three-run shot to make it 9-7.
McNaboe got through a scoreless first inning before leaving following a walk to leadoff the second.
The 11-game winner is expected to miss about a week.
Cisneros worked into the sixth inning, exiting with two outs.
Ruffalo took some damage while recording the final out of the sixth.
Josh Grissom pitched a scoreless seventh.
Yeison Santos (0.2 IP) and Cory Tiller (0.1) did the same in the eighth.
Ernesto Barbosa set the Thunder down in order in the ninth for his 25th save.

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Record: 58-34, 1st, 2 GA Des Moines
Trailing 1-0, St. Louis scored four runs in the top of the fourth inning and rode that to a 7-2 win over Quad City at Fenway Park (1976).
The River Walkers put four of their first five batters on against Thunder starting pitcher Carlos Lomeli.
Jose Ramirez drew a lead-off walk before Alex Greene was hit by a pitch.
After Jose Segura hit into a fielder's choice, eliminating Greene, Nick Shaw and Jovan Gill cracked back-to-back doubles.
Shaw's hit scored one. Gill's two bagger plated a pair.
Jean Carmona followed with a third straight hit, a single to score Gill.
Gill singled off reliever Bobby Stover in the sixth and scored on a Jared Thomas double increasing the Walkers lead to 5-1.
It's lead at 5-2, St. Louis closed the scoring with single runs in the eighth (Shaw doubled off Jake Woodford and scored on a Jared Thomas fly ball) and ninth (Ramirez doubled off Travis Krogman to lead off the inning and scored on a Shaw single) to make the 7-2 final.
Zack Hunsicker (7-5) won for the fifth time in his last six decisions.
He worked 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked one.
Josh Forgy (0.1 IP) and Josh Grissom (0.2) combined on a quiet eighth inning.
Nick Ruffalo allowed two hits but no outs in the ninth.

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Record: 59-34, 1st, 2 GA Des Moines
Jerry Tate continues his impressive rookie campaign, allowing one run over 6.1 inning to earn his 10th win as St. Louis completed a three-game sweep of Quad City with a 4-1 win at Fenway Park (1976).
Tate (10-1) carried a shutout into the seventh inning before allowing a one-out single to Bobby Wescott followed by a walk to Myles Austin.
That would end Tate's outing after 101 pitches. He struck out five and walked four, while giving up five hits.
The Thunder would later score a run -- charged to Tate -- when Cory Tiller issued a bases-loaded walk to Angel Solis.
Tiller, however, got Chase Davis to ground out to end the inning and keep the score 2-1.
St. Louis had scored its two earlier runs in the fourth -- (Alex Greene led off with a single and scored on a Jose Segura fly ball) -- and fifth -- Jared Thomas led off with a single and scored on a Jose Ramirez double -- against Q-C starter Jonathan Stiever.
A two-run homer from Matt Fulton, his first of the season, off Edwin Cervantes, put St. Louis ahead 4-1 going into the bottom of the ninth.
Yeison Santos got the first two outs of the eighth for the Walkers.
Ernesto Barbosa recoreded the final four outs for his 26th save.

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Record: 60-34, 1st, 2.5 GA Des Moines
Trailing 5-4, St. Louis scored five run in the top of the fiith inning to take the lead, and the River Walkers held on for a 9-8 lead at War Memorial Stadium.
It was a back-and-fourth contest.
Jean Carmona hit a two-run home run off Mallards starting pitcher Garrett Karp in the top of the first inning, part of a three-run frame, as the St. Louis went up 3-0.
Nick Shaw led off the second for the Walkers with a double and scored on a single by pitcher Rich Haas, as their lead grew to 4-0.
Dan Evers hit a two-run double off Haas in the bottom of the second, part of a three-run outburst for Green Bay, as the Walkers lead shrunk to 4-3.
Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. notched RBI singles off Haas in the bottom of the fourth to put the Mallards in front 5-4.
But St. Louis answered with five in the top of the fifth.
Daniel Becerra set things in motion with a lead-off homer off Josh Bankes.
After a fly out, the Walkers put seven consecutive hitters on bases.
Jovan Gill drove in the inning's second run with a double.
Jared Thomas and Haas both had RBI singles, while Nick Shaw drove in a run with a double.
Bankes was on the mound for all of the damage.
Albies hit a three-run homer off Haas in the sixth to pull the Mallards to within 9-8.
But from there, neither team would score again.
Haas (2-3) was not good, but got the win allowing eight runs on 15 hits in five innings.
The Walkers' bullpen, however, was very good.
Andres Hernandez (0.2 IP) and Yeison Santos (0.2) got the game into the seventh inning.
Josh Grissom finished the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth.
Josh Forgy didn't allow anything more than a walk in the ninth for his second save.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed 1B/3B Jovan Gill on the 10-day injured list after he suffered a hip strain while running the bases in a 9-8 win over Green Bay on July 23.
Gill, 30, is expected to be out for at least three weeks.
In 86 games with the Walkers this season, Gill has batted .245 with 15 homers and 32 RBIs.
Getting the callup from AAA Memphis will be first baseman/outfielder Rick Scott.
The 27-year-old began the season as the Walkers' first baseman, but some major struggles led to his demotion to AAA.
Since than, rookie Nick Shaw has played very well as the first baseman for St. Louis.
Scott, in 33 games for the Walkers, batted just .163 with six homers and 11 RBIs.
For the Redbirds, Scott got into 54 games and has batted .265 with 10 homers and 39 RBIs.
St. Louis also confirmed that it was back spasms which forced right fielder Alex Greene to leave its game against Green Bay on July 23.
The injury is not considered serious, and Greene should be able to resume playing right away.

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Record: 60-35, 1st, 2.5 GA Des Moines
Down 4-2, Green Bay scored three times in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the Mallards went on to defeat St. Louis 6-4 at War Memorial Stadium.
All three runs in that fourth inning came via the long ball for Green Bay.
Mark Vientos hit a one-out solo shot off River Walkers starter Ricky Cisneros to make it 4-3.
After Jack Sigrist singled, Alex Boychuk hit one 377 feet over the wall in left. to give Green Bay the lead.
Cisneros, a reliever, was making a spot start for a Walkers rotation which is struggling with injuries.
Ronald Acuna Jr. added an insurance run with a solo homer off Andres Hernandez in the bottom of the eighth.
Green Bay starter Chris Rodriguez lasted just four innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He did strike out six while walking one.
Josh Bankes (1-2) earned the win after working a scoreless fifth and sixth innings.
Steve Nilson, Eliji Konno and Scott Rissler all pitched a scoreles inning apiece.
Rissler earned his 18th save.

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Record: 60-76, 1st, 1.5 GA Des Moines
Trailin 4-3, Green Bay scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat St. Louis 6-5 at War Memorial Stadium.
The victory gave the Mallards' wins in the final two games of the three-game series.
Jared Thomas second homer of the game, a solo shot off Green Bay reliever Steve Nilsen, had put the River Walkers ahead 4-3.
But the Mallards put six straight batters on base to begin the bottom of the inning.
It took just two batters for Green Bay to seize the lead.
Pinch-hitter Nick Hunt drew a lead-off walk from reliever Josh Forgy, and another pinch-hitter, Ben Shuster, followed with a two-run homer on a 0-1 pitch from Forgy.
Another walk, this one to Petey Halpin, followed. Ozzie Albies then singled to put runners at first and third.
That ended Forgy's outing.
Tanner Kohlhepp, however, continued the trend with an RBI single off Josh Grissom to make it 6-4.
St. Louis got a one-out homer from Jose Segura in the top of the ninth off Scott Rissler.
Rissler struck out the next two , pinch-hitters Nathaniel Dixon and RIck Scott, to earn his 19th save.
Green Bay starting pitcher Alex Duarte allowed two runs on three hits in 5.1 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
Doughtie finished the sixth and worked a scoreless seventh.
Nilsen pitched the eighth when Thomas homered to temporarily put the Walkers in front.

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MBL news: Week 14 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 60-57, 1st, 0.5 GA Des Moines
Chicago scored three runs off St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe before he recorded an out in the bottom of the first inning, and the G-Men rode that to a 6-1 win at Wrigley Field (1979).
Aaron Nixon opened the bottom of the first with a triple, and scored when Drew Mendoza followed with a double.
Luis Tejada made it 3-0 with a two-run homer.
McNaboe, who had missed his previous start because of a back injury and pitched only an inning in the one before that, would surrender all six G-Men runs over just more than four innings.
Adam Stewart hit a solo homer in the fourth, making it 5-0.
McNaboe's outing ended after giving up a two-run homer to Jarred Kelenic in the fifth.
Chicago starting pitcher Jon Borland (8-7) didn't allow a run over six innings. He struck out three and walked oe.
Zane Almy gave up the lone River Walkers' run on a Daniel Becerra homer in the seventh.
Jimmy DaPro worked a 1-2-3 eighth.
Ethan Hankins started the ninth for the G-Men but exited with an undisclosed injury after giving up a lead-off walk.
Michael Steinberg struck out two of the next three batters to end it.

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Record: 60-38, 2nd, 0.5 GB Des Moines
St. Louis rookie starting pitcher Jerry Tate took a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning, but Chicago scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead and the G-Men went on for a 5-3 win at Wrigley Field (1979).
Tate, who came into the game 10-1, did not allow a base runner until pinch-hitter Colt Wheaton drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the sixth.
Aaron Nixon then broke up the no-hitter with a single.
Wheaton scored on a throwing error by left fielder Jose Ramirez, with Nixon advancing to second.
A Drew Mendoza double put Chicago in front 2-1, and sent Tate to the showers.
The River Walkers tied it in the top of the seventh.
Nick Shaw led off with a double off Jimmy DaPra and would scored on a Thairo Estrada fly ball.
The G-Men reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom of the seventh.
Josh Grissom came on with one and nobody outs and walked himself into trouble, issuing free passes to two of the first three batters he faced.
That set up George Phelps to break the tie with an RBI single.
The G-Men then broke it open in the bottom of the eighth.
Luis Tejada got it started with a two-out double off Josh Forgy.
He scored on a Jarred Kelenic single.
Andres Hernandez replaced Forgy.
Kelenic stole second and scored on a throwing error by third baseman Matt Fulton on a ball hit by Matt Walczak.
Ricky Liriano connected for an RBI single off Stephen Von Lehmden in the top of the ninth to make it 5-3.
The Walkers had the bases loaded with two outs, but von Lehmden got Nathaniel Dixon to fly out to end it.
Chicago starting pitcher Ben Harris allowed one run on five hits over six innings. He struck out eight and did not issue a walk.
Da Pra (4-1) earned the win despite giving up the lead in the seventh.
Mark Polzin got the first two outs of the eighth.
Von Lehmden recorded the final four to post his 20th save.

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Record: 60-39, 2nd, 1.5 GB Des Moines
Chicago's Jesus Mercano pitched six shutout innings and the G-Men's bullpen did the rest as they whitewashed St. Louis 1-0 to complete a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field (1979).
Mercano (4-2) allowed just two hits while striking out five and walking a pair.
Ethan Hankins got the first out of the seventh before having to exit with a back injury.
Michael Steinberg finished off the seventh for the G-Men.
Jeremy Bouchard kept St. Louis from scoring in the eighth or ninth to earn his first save.
River Walkers rookie starter Xavier Wigfall handled the first two innings, before having to leave with an elbow injury.
He is expected to be out for a week.
The game's lone run came against Wigfall in the bottom of the second.
Matt Kerr led off the inning with a double, and scored on a two-out double by Mercano.

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Record: 60-40, 2nd, 2.5 GB Des Moines
Royce Lewis snapped a 2-2 tie with a solo homer in the top of the fifth inning, and Evansville added three runs over the next two innings as the Bosses downed St. Louis 6-2 at Busch Stadium (1997).
The loss was the sixth in a row for the River Walkers.
Lewis hit hit seventh homer of the season with two outs in the fifth off River Walkers starting pitcher Rich Haas.
An inning later, the Bosses added two runs to their lead.
Chris McFadden got things rolling with a one-out single which ended Haas' time on the mound.
Ricky Cisneros took over and took his lumps.
Carlos Davis Rodriguez and Mike Murray hit consecutive singles, Murray's scoring a run to make it 4-2.
Josh Lynch contributed a third straight single to load the bases.
Cisneros then walked pitcher Steven Gingery to make it 5-2.
Cisneros was still on the mound when the Bosses scored their final run in the seventh.
Henry Gargus and Jeff Waldron opened the inning with back-to-back singles.
Murray collected another RBI with a two-out single to score Gargus.
Gingery (8-1) was impressive over 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits.
Braxton Ashcraft finished off the sixth inning.
The rest of the game belonged to Jeff Young (1.0 IP_ and Danny Cortegaa (2.0).

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Record: 61-40, 2nd, 2.5 GB Des Moines
Daniel Becerra broke open a scoreless game with a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning as St. Louis downed Evansville 2-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Pinch-runner Nathaniel Dixon scored ahead of Becerra's 12th homer of the season
Dixon replaced Matt Fulton on the bases after he reached on a one-out error by Bosses third baseman Zack Prajzner.
Evansville reliever Mike Moore retired pinch-hitter Nick Shaw for the inning's second out.
But Becerra powered a 1-2 pitch from Moore 427 feet over the wall in right field for the game's only runs.
The first eight-plus innings were dominated by the pitchers.
Bosses starter Chris Maddox worked five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out 11 and walking two.
River Walkers starter Zack Hunsicker pitched into the eighth, before giving up a one-out single.
Overall, Hunsicker allowed no runs on four hits in 7.1 innings. He struck out eight and walked four.
Yeison Santos (2-1) recorded the final two outs of the eighth, and would earn the win.
Ernesto Barbosa sent the Bosses down in order in the ninth for his 27th save.

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Record: 61-41, 2nd, 2.5 GB Des Moines
Trailing 3-2, Seth Beer hit a pinch-hit, two-run inside-the-park home run in the top of the seventh inning to give Evansville the lead, and the Bosses went on to defeat St. Louis 6-4 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Josh Grissom opened the top of the seventh on the mound for the River Walkers.
He surrendered a lead-off single to Andrew Allison, before Mike Murray got down a bunt moving Allison to second.
Josh Lynch followed with a ground out for the second out.
Southpaw Josh Forgy took over to face the left-handed hitting Beer, who found the gap in right-center and wound up circling the bases to give his team the lead.
Evansville added two more runs in the top of the ninth courtesy of a two-run homer from Murray off Kevin Baker.
Bosses starting pitcher Randy Jones lasted 5 innings, allowing three runson six hits. He struck out five and walked one.
Edwin Rodriguez (1-0) earned the win after pitching a scoreless sixth inning.
Roman Watson kept the Walkers off the scoreboard in the seventh and eighth.
The ninth belonged to Craig Martinez, who despite allowing a run, still came out of the game with his 25th save.