2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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MBL news: August 2 -- Week 16 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 59-44, 2nd, 2.5 GB Springfield
Miguel Cisneros pitched the first shutout of the season for St. Louis going the distance in a 5-0 win over Milwaukee at Miller Park (2020).
Cisneros (7-5) allowed four hits (three singles, one double) over the nine innings. He struck out two and walked two.
It was the fourth career shutout for the 35-year-old.
The River Walkers broke in front with a run in the top of the second off Crushers starting pitcher Matt Wailzer.
Nick Shaw led off the inning with a double.
He scored when Mark Herman followed with a single, which was booted by Milwaukee center fielder Armond Hammond.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer hit a three-run homer off Wailzer in the third to make it 4-0.
The Walkers got their fifth run in the fifth off reliever Andy Chevez.
Daylen Reyes led off the inning with a single.
Reyes stole second and went to third on a Cisneros bunt.
Bob Saavedra earned an RBI with a deep fly ball to left.

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Record: 59-45, 2nd, 2.5 GB Springfield
St. Louis jumped out to a 4-0 in the top of the first inning, but River Walkers starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall could not get out of the second inning as Milwaukee scored seven runs off him and breezed to a 12-5 win at Miller Park (2020).
Bob Saavedra drove in two of the River Walkers four runs in the top of the first inning with a single off Crushers starting pitcher Rich Haas.
Milwaukee answered with a pair of runs off Wigfall in the bottom half.
The Crushers then really cut loose against Wigfall in the second.
Six of the innings first seven batters reached base.
Three of them got on base via walks, including one with the bases loaded.
Luke Leto also had an RBI double,
And when Jim Sukut drove in a pair with a single, it was 6-4 in favor of the Crushers.
Jose Flores followed with a single to load the bases.
Ron Cox replaced Wigfall, only to give up a single to Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Hammond scored on the hit by Jim Sukut was thrown out at the plate with the score 7-4.
Milwaukee added a run in the fourth, Hammond with a solo homer off Cox.
It added two in the fifth.
Crow-Armstrong with a lead-off homer off Cox.
Luke Leto, who finished the game 3 for 4 with two runs scored and three RBIs, drove in the Crushers 10th run with a single.
Hammond hit his second home run of the game in the sixth off Kyle Smarr, making it 11-5.
Leto drove in Andrew Allison, who had doubled, with single off Smarr in the seventh to cap the scoring.
Haas lasted just three innings, allowing four runs on three hits.
It was two innings apiece from Ed Sutherland, Bobby Bowden and Bill Van Gieson to wrap up the game.
Sutherland (3-1) came out of it with the win.

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Record: 60-45, 2nd, 2.5 GB Springfield
Kevin Hrdlicka took a shutout into the eighth inning and St. Louis avoided a three-game sweep with a 3-1 win over Milwaukee at Miller Park (2020).
Hrdlicka (10-8) allowed just three hits over the first seven innings before giving up a home run to Jose Flores to start the of the eighth.
The homer made it 3-1.
Peter Crow-Armstrong followed the homer with a single.
That ended Hrdlicka's outing. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter in his seven-plus innings.
Leo Hermosillo replaced Hrdlicka got out of the inning without allowing a run.
Craig Fritzler gave up two hits but no runs in the ninth for his 26th save.
The River Walkers took the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third off Crushers starting pitcher Josh Galarza.
Alex Nunez led of the inning with a single and moved to second on a one-out bunt by Hrdlicka.
Nunez scored when Daylen Reyes reached on an error by third baseman Lamar Black.
Mark Herman followed with a double to make it 2-0.
Herman also drove in St. Louis' third run with a single Galarza in the fifth.
It scored Hrdlicka who had singled with two outs. A walk to Reyes moved Hrdlicka into scoring position for Herman.

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Record: 61-45, 2nd, 2.5 GB Springfield
Mark Herman hit a grand slam to cap a six-run bottom of the eighth inning for St. Louis as the River Walkers downed Detroit 5-2 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Diesels starting pitcher Pablo Maldonaldo rolled through the first seven innings, shutting out St. Louis on three hits. (He also struck out five and didn't walk a batter.
But when Nate Finck took the mound to begin the bottom of the eighth for Detroit, the River Walkers went to work.
Zach Wenman got it started with a lead-off double.
After a strike out of pinch-hitter Danny Diaz, pinch-hitter Rece Hinds singled to put runners at the corners.
Bob Saavedra then put the Walkers on the scoreboard with a single.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer then fly out of the second out, but Manuel Coke drew a walk to load the bases.
Chad Bigalow got the call to face Herman.
After a first pitch strike, Herman lined a ball 354 feet over the wall in left field to make it 5-2.
Walkers starting pitcher Ming Xiang went six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out eight and walked two.
After that it was scoreless innings from Frank Jimenez, Brett McVey and Leo Hermosillo.
McVey (2-3) got the win.
Hermosillo his second save since joining the Walkers.

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Record: 61-46, 2nd, 3.5 GB Springfield
Detroit starting pitcher Francisco Velasco and the Diesels bullpen combined to shut out St. Louis over the first eight innings as it defeated the River Walkers 3-1 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Velasco (5-7) lasted 5.2 innings, allowing no runs on four hits (all singles, all eight St. Louis hit in the game were singles) while striking out five and walking one.
Chad Bigalow finished the sixth for the Diesels.
Bill Webb followed with two scoreless innings.
The Walkers did get something going in the ninth against one of their former pitchers Edward Kunselman loading the bases with one out.
Danny Diaz drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
But Kunselman got pinch-hitter Jordan Quinto to fly out to end the game.
It was the third save of the season for Kunselman.
A two-run homer from former Walker backup catcher Will Banfield with two outs in the top of the second staked the Diesels to a 2-0 lead.
Two innings later, Tyler Carter led off the fourth with a triple for Detroit.
He scored on a Laurenco Curvelo fly ball to make it 3-0.
St. Louis starting pitcher Brad Monroe gave up all three of the runs.

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Record: 61-47, 2nd, 4.5 GB Springfield
Zachary Schmitz led off the top of the 11th inning with a home run off St. Louis closer Craig Fritzler to help lift Detroit to a 3-2 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The Diesels got a strong start from Jordan Harrison, who pitched seven scoreless innings. Bill Webb then kept St. Louis off the board going into the ninth as Detroit held a 2-0 lead.
The River Walkers, however, tied it against Salvatore Ramirez.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer doubled with one out and Manuel Coke and Mark Waterson later connected for RBI doubles.
The Diesels 2-0 lead had come courtesy of a two-run homer from Juan Herrera off St. Louis Miguel Cisneros in the top of the fourth.
Harrison allowed just four hits (three singles, one double) in his time on the mound.
He struck out two and didn't walk a batter.
Webb worked a scoreless eight before Ramirez gave up the two ninth-inning runs.
Tony Zaragoza (2-1) earned the win after two scoreless relief innings.

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Record: 61-48, 2nd, 4.5 GB Springfield
Detroit starting pitcher Wally Gibbs took a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh inning and shutout into the ninth when his bullpen came on to finish the job as the Diesels defeated St. Louis 1-0 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win was Detroit's third in a row to complete the four-game series.
Gibbs (7-10) did not allow a hit until Ryan Wibbenmeyer singled with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
In the ninth, Gibbs allowed a lead-off single to Zach Wenman and then exited the game.
Edward Kunselman took over and retired the next three for his fourth save of the season.
Gibbs, in his eight-plus innings, allowed no runs on two hits. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter.
The game's lone run came in the top of the fifth when rookie Zach Schmitz led off with a home run off St. Louis starter Xavier Wigfall.

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MBL news: August 9 -- Week 17 - Awards and standings

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Record: 62-48, 2nd, 4.5 GB Springfield
St. Louis starting pitcher Kevin Hrdlicka retired the first 20 Kansas City batters and went on to complete his first career no-hitter in a 9-0 win over the Monarchs at Busch Stadium (2006).
Hrdlicka didn't allow a baserunner until walking T.J. Peterson with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.
He followed that with a strike out of Jordan Grullon to end the inning.
The 26-year-old right-hander walked Josh Ames to open the top of the eighth but then retired the next six KC hitters to complete the no-hitter.
Hrdlicka (11-8), who has gone 10-3 since starting the season 1-5, struck out 17 batters and walked the two. He threw 117 pitches.
The no-hitter was the second of the 2038 season.
Akron's Justin Howat shut out Grand Rapids on July 24.
It is the first for the River Walkers since Jesse McNaboe also no-hit Kansas City on August 10, 2033.
Angel Tiburcio (2028) and Kyle Hendricks (2022) also have thrown no-hitters while playing for St .Louis.
At the plate, the Walkers put the game away early scoring six runs -- four in the bottom of the first and two in the second -- off Monarchs starting pitcher Alexis Yanez.
St. Louis sent 10 batters to the plate in the first inning.
Mark Waterson, Danny Diaz and Zach Wenman all had RBI singles.
Nick Shaw drove in the game's first run with a bases-loaded walk.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer led off the second with a double.
He later scored on a Mark Herman fly ball.
Manuel Coke, who had singled after Wibbenmeyer's double, late scored on a botched ground ball by third baseman Ben Schuster.
Herman collected a second RBI in the sixth with a double off Travis Bradshaw.
Coke capped the scoring with a two-run homer in the eighth off Justin Fields.

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Record: 62-49, 2nd, 5 GB Springfield
Kansas City pounded St. Louis All-Star closer Craig Fritzler for four runs in the top of the ninth inning to rally for an 11-10 win over the River Walkers at Busch Stadium (2006).
St. Louis had taken the lead with a big inning of its own in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six times to turn a 7-4 deficit into that 10-7 advantage.
Zach Wenman and Nick Shaw both had two-run doubles off Monarchs reliever Nate Wilson to highlight the outburst.
Fritzler immediately got into trouble to start the top of the ninth giving up a lead-off single to Ben Shuster before walking T.J. Peterson.
A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third.
Shuster scored on a Mike Pillsbury ground out.
An Amari Simpson ground out then scored Peterson making it 10-9.
Now with two out, T.J. Latham kept the inning going with a double.
Pinch-hitter Alejandro Crespo then made it back-to-back double tying the score.
Frank Jimenez took over for Fritzler, who had just suffered his third blown save of the season/
The rookie left-hander was greeted by a Jordan Grullon single, as Crespo scored to put the Monarchs in front.
KC starting pitcher Luis Jimenez lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs on five hits. He struck out three and walked four.
Nate Wilson managed to get just one out in the fifth, he also allowed three hits and a walk.
Omar Moreno finally ended the fifth. He also pitched a scoreless sixth.
Jose Patricio worked two innings of scoreless relief.
Patricio (5-6) would get the win.
Travis Bradshaw (0.2 IP) and Josh Fields (0.1) combined to work the ninth.
Fields earned his second save.

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Record: 63-49, 2nd, 4 GB Springfield
Brad Monroe shut out Kansas City over the first seven innings and the St. Louis bullpen did the rest in shutting out the Monarchs 4-0 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win was the second of the three-game series for the River Walkers, who had both their victories come via shutouts, including a no-hitter by Kevin Hrdlicka in the opener.
Monroe (10-4) became the third St. Louis pitcher to reach double-digit wins by no runs on two hits (one single, one double) over seven innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
Brett McVey worked a scoreless eighth inning.
Kyle Smarr pitched around a pair of base runners while not allowing a run in the ninth.
Bob Saavedra had a nice day at the plate driving in the first Walkers runs.
He led off the bottom of the first inning with a homer off Monarchs starting pitcher Tyler Martin.
Seven innings later, he plated the first run of a three-run bottom of the eighth with a double off Nate Wilson.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer then scored Saavedra with a single.
Omar Moreno took over for Wilson but allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base.
Manuel Coke was first with a single.
Nick Shaw then drew a walk.
Mark Herman made it 4-0 with a single, scoring Wibbenmeyer.

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Record: 64-49, 2nd, 3.5 GB Springfield
Trailing 4-2, St. Louis scored five times in the top of the eighth inning -- highlighted by a three-run homer by Mark Herman -- and went on to defeat Quad City 7-4 at Fenway Park (1975).
The River Walkers put their first three batters on base against Thunder relief pitcher Mike Koontz in the top of the eighth.
Bob Saavedra singled and stole second base before Ryan Wibbenmeyer drew a walk.
Herman then belted his 22nd home run of the season to put St. Louis ahead 5-4.
Terry Zahnow replaced Koontz, but the Walkers were not done.
Nick Shaw drew a one-out walk and scored when Mark Waterson doubled.
Zach Wenman followed with the fourth hit of the inning, a single, scoring Waterson to make it 7-4.
St. Louis starting pitcher Miguel Cisneros had one bad inning -- giving up a grand slam to Collin Allen in the bottom of the second to make it 4-2 -- i his six-inning outing.
In his six innings, Cisneros allowed four runs on six hits. He struck out six and walked three.
Jesse Gaither, Juan Munoz and Craig Fritzler all worked scoreless innings to close it out.
Gaither (3-1) got the win.
Fritzler earned his 27th save.

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Record: 65-49, 2nd, 3.5 GB Springfield
Xavier Wigfall shut out Quad City for the first seven innings and St. Louis cruised to a 6-1 win over the Thunder at Fenway Park (1976).
Wigfall (7-8) scattered six hits (four singles, two doubles) in his seven innings on the mound. He struck out six and walked three.
Ron Cox pitched a scoreless eight for the River Walkers before giving up a lead off homer to the Joshua Naylor in the ninth to make it 6-1.
Jesse Gaither took over and retired three straight to end it.
The River Walkers took control with four runs in the top of the third off QC starting pitcher Jon Blount.
Zach Wenman led off with a single -- and after a strikeout of Rece Hinds -- Wigfall reached on an error by Naylor, the catcher, to put runners at the corners.
Bob Saavedra then started the scoring with a single.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer added another run with a single.
Mark Herman made it 3-0 with a third straight hit, his being a double.
Manuel Coke drove in Wibbenmeyer with a fly ball to center, as the lead reached 4-0.
Rece Hinds made it 5-0 with his first homer since being called up from AAA in the fourth, also off Blount.
Hinds scored another run in the seventh.
He led off with a single off Hector Almedina and scored on a two-out single by Wibbenmeyer, a hit which also included an error by left fielder J.P. Dipietro.

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Record: 66-49, 2nd, 2.5 GB Springfield
St. Louis scored three times in the top of the eighth inning to overcome a 9-8 deficit and defeat Quad City 11-9 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory gave the River Walkers a sweep of the three-game series.
The Thunder owned the lead through out the game, going up 4-0 after one inning, 5-0 after two, 7-4 after three and 9-4 after four.
St. Louis starter Kevin Hrdlicka lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing seven runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked three.
It also ended a string of eight consecutive quality starts for the right-hander.
Fontana Felitti's second home run of the game in the bottom of the fourth off Walkers reliever Brett McVey capped the scoring for the Thunder and gave them their 9-4 lead.
Felitti's first homer, came in the first off Hrdlicka. A three-run shot it made the score 4-0.
St. Louis got its offense going by scoring four times in the top of the third.
Nick Shaw drove in the final two runs with a two-out double off Springfield starting pitcher Sal Avila.
Down 9-4, the Walkers tallied twice in the top of the fifth.
It all came with two outs, Manuel Coke striking first with his 28th home run of the season -- a solo shot-- off reliever William Myers.
Shaw, pinch-hitter Jordan Quinto and Zach Wenman then followed with consecutive singles as their deficit shrunk to 9-6.
St. Louis pulled to within a run with a two-run sixth.
Alex Nunez drew a lead-off walk from Jesus Pina.
A one-out double by Ryan Wibbenmeyer drove Pina to third.
Mark Herman made it 9-7 with a sacrifice fly.
Cole Duensing then took over the mound duties.
He was greeted by a run-scoring double by Coke.
A one-out walk to Bob Saavedra by Terry Zahnow set the stage for St. Louis' three-run eighth.
Wibbenmeyer flew out for the second out.
But the Thunder could not get that third out.
Angelo Touliatos took over on the mound and was greeted by a Herman single, putting runner at first and second.
Coke followed with a double, scoring Saavedra.
Shaw then put the Walkers in front with a two-run single.
St. Louis used five relievers after Hrdlicka's early exit.
McVey finished the third and worked the fourth, giving up the final two QC runs.
Juan Munoz worked the fifth and got the first two outs of the sixth.
Kyle Smarr finished off the sixth as the Thunder left the bases loaded without scoring.
Leo Hermosillo worked a perfect seventh.
Hermosillo (1-0) would earn his first win since joining St. Louis in July.
Closer Craig Fritzler handled two innings.
He allowed the first two batters he faced in the eighth to reach bases but then retired six in a row for his 28th save.

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MBL news: August 16 -- Week 18 - Awards and standings

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Record: 66-50, 2nd/(Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 3.5 GB Springfield
Down 3-1, pinch-hitter Mike Courtney hit a two-run homer off St. Louis starting pitcher Ming Xiang to highlight a three-run inning and help lift Louisville to a 6-4 win over St. Louis at Dodger Stadium.
The River Walkers had taken the lead by scoring three times off Sluggers starting pitcher Josh Mcdonald in the top of the fifth.
Xiang drove in the first two runs of the inning with a triple.
He scored on a Bob Saavedra single.
In the bottom of the inning, David Morales got on base in front of Courtney with a one-out single.
After Courtney homered, Chris Ring tripled.
Ring later scored on a two-out single off Danny Boyle.
Louisville added two insurance runs in the eighth against the St. Louis bullpen.
Sean Nettles, who had homered off Xiang in the bottom of the second for the game's first run, collected his second RBI of the game with a double off Frank Jimenez.
Ryan West made it back-to-back doubles when he followed with a double off Brett McVey.
McDonald (8-4) earned the win by going five innings, during which he allowed three runs on seven hits. He struck out one and didn't issue a walk.
After that, it was one inning each for Kyle Kulig, Joe Wahl, Matt Whitmore and Tom Floria.
Floria earned his 16th save despite giving up Manuel Coke's 29th home run of the season.

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Record: 67-50, 2nd/(Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 2.5 GB Springfield
St. Louis jumped out to a 3-0 lead and got a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to defeat Louisville 6-2 at Dodger Stadium.
The River Walkers got single runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings off Sluggers starting pitcher Garrett Karp to build their 3-0 lead.
Saavedra drew a walk to lead off the game.
Nick Shaw later drove him in with a two-out single off Karp.
Mark Waterson hit his 21st homer of the year, also off Karp, in the fourth making it 2-0.
An inning later. St. Louis starting pitcher Brad Monroe led off with a double.
Manuel Coke scored Monroe with a two-out double.
The Sluggers got back into the game with single runs in the fifth and sixth.
Monroe left the game after giving up a lead-off single to David Morales in the fifth.
The diagnosis was a tired arm, which is expected to keep him out for five days.
Saavedra put the game out of reach with his three-run homer off Kyle Kulig in the ninth.
Jesse Gaither replaced Monroe in the bottom of the fifth and worked that inning, allowing a run.
Leo Hermosillo got the first two outs of the sixth.
Juan Munoz finished off the sixth, pitched all of the seventh and got the first two outs of the eighth.
Closer Craig Fritzler retired all four batters he faced for his 29th save.

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Record: 67-51, 2nd/(Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 3.5 GB Springfield
Jorge Alvarado hit the first pitch of the bottom of the 11th inning from St. Louis reliever Frank Jimenez 381 feet over the right-field wall to lift Louisville to a 7-6 win over the River Walkers at Dodger Stadium.
The win was the second for the Sluggers in the three-game series.
The game had been tied since the top of the sixth when St. Louis' Jackson Miller hit a lead-off homer off Louisville reliever Benjamin Wiegman.
Miller was back in the Walkers' lineup for the first time since suffering a back injury on June 30.
The Sluggers had wiped out a 5-2 St. Louis' advantage by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth off starting pitcher Miguel Cisneros.
Caleb Kinney, who had hit a first-inning homer off Cisneros to tie the game 1-1, drove in the first run with a double.
Lance Brown and Jose Gonzalez plated the other two with two-out singles.
Louisville starting pitcher Jason James lasted just 4.2 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter.
Wiegman worked 2.1 innings. allowing one run on two hits.
Mike Fagan and closer Tom Floria both pitched two scoreless innings.
Floria (5-5) earned his fifth win.

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Record: 68-51, 2nd, 3.5 GB Springfield
Trailing 4-3, St. Louis scored three two-out runs in the top of the ninth inning to rally for a 6-4 win over Evansville at Yankee Stadium (1988).
Rece Hinds drew a lead-off walk from Bosses reliever Stephon Harrison to start the inning.
Daylen Reyes then tried to get down a bunt, but Hinds was thrown out at second.
A Danny Diaz ground out provided the inning's second out.
But Bob Saavedra connected on his seventh homer of the season -- a 457-foot bomb on a 2-2 pitch -- to put the River Walkers in front.
For insurance, Manuel Coke followed with a double.
When Mark Herman singled, St. Louis led 6-4.
Evansville jumped out to an early 2-0 lead -- with runs in the second an fourth innings -- before the Walkers came back to go up 3-2 by scoring a run in the sixth and two in the top of the seventh.
Coke drove in both St. Louis runs in the seventh with a two-out single off Evansville reliever Dan Bouwman
Back-to-back home runs to lead off the bottom of the seventh from Justin Scott and Alex Boychuk off Walkers reliever Jesse Gaither gave the Bosses their 4-3 lead.
St. Louis starter Xavier Wigfall worked six innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out seven and walked two.
Gaither, Ron Cox and Juan Munoz all pitched an inning.
Cox (6-0) earned his sixth win.
Munoz posted his first save since joining the Walkers at the trade deadline.