2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

[rink23]

Record: 61-82, 7th, 17 GB Springfield
Tied 7-7, Jared Thomas put St. Louis in front with a lead-off homer off Cedar Rapids relief pitcher Jordyn Ibarra in the top of the eighth inning and the River Walkers went on for a 9-7 win at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
A wild game, both teams hit two-run homers in the first inning.
For St. Louis, Nick Shaw, in his first game back from the injured list, took Grapplers starter Devin Eyre deep to open the scoring.
In the bottom of the inning, Jose Morillo drilled a bomb off Walkers starter Jerry Tate.
An inning later, Jose Segura homered for St. Louis, again off Eyre, to put his team up 3-2.
The Grapplers tied it again in the bottom of the third.
Cedar Rapids then took its first lead in the bottom of the fourth.
Morrillo collecting both RBIs with a single.
Kyren Paris connected for a run-scoring double in the top of the fifth for St. Louis, drawing the Walkers to within 5-4.
The Walkers then surged into the lead in the seventh.
Paris struck again with a two-run homer, this one coming of Ian Goshe.
The next batter, Daniel Becerra, drew a walk.
He scored on a Jose Ramirez double as St. Louis moved in front 7-5.
But the Grapplers answered right back.
Morrillo hitting his second homer of the game, and increasing his RBI total to five, with a solo shot off Scott Rissler.
The Grapplers tied it four batters later, David Henderson lacing a two-out double to score Arnold Hammond, who had singled.
That set the stage for Thomas' homer, which finally put the Walkers in front for good.
St. Louis added an insurance run in the ninth.
Paris scored the run after he doubled with one out off Luis Palomo.
He scored on a Shaw single.
Walkers starting pitcher Jerry Tate lasted 5.1 innings. allowing five runs on nine hits.
Cory Tiller finished off the sixth inning.
Rissler got the first two outs of the eighth, but had to be relieved by Josh Forgy.
Forgy finished the seventh inning and worked a scoreless eighth.
Kevin Baker allowed the Grapplers to load the bases in the ninth, but didn't allow a run to earn his fourth save.

[rink23]

Record: 61-83, 7th, 17 GB Springfield
Trailing 1-0, Cedar Rapids scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and went on for a 6-2 win over St. Louis at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
National League MVP candidate Jose Morillo tied the game, when he hit a solo homer off River Walkers starting pitcher Ronald Crossingham.
Crossingham followed that with back-to-back walk, and David Henderson made him pay with a double which snapped the tie.
The second runner Arnold Hammond was thrown out at the plate.
However, Mark Hill connected for another double to make it 3-1.
St. Louis scored in the top of the second -- Jose Segura led off with a double off Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Justin Sterner and later scored on a Jovan Gill fly ball - pull to within 3-2.
The Grapplers made it 4-2 in the bottom of the htird.
Eric Gerhardt drew a lead-off walk from Crossingham.
He scored when second baseman Daniel Becerra booted a two-out ground ball hit by Steven Williams.
Sterner scored a run in the fourth.
He led off the inning with a single off Crossingham.
A pair of singles loaded the bases, and Hammond made it 5-2 with a deep fly ball.
Rece Hinds capped the scoring with a solo homer off Crossingham in the fifth.
Sterner (10-7) allowed two runs on six hits over 5.1 innings.
Three relievers, Alex Gallegos (1.2 IP), Billy Weiner (1.0) and Jordyn Ibarra (1.0), combined to shut out the Walkers the rest of the way.

[rink23]

Record: 61-84, 7th, 18 GB Springfield
Ivan Alonzo pitched seven scoreless innings and a pair of relievers did the same over the final two innings, as Cedar Rapids downed St. Louis 1-0 at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
The victory gave the Grapplers' wins in the final two games of the three-game series.
Alonzo (10-9) allowed three hits in his seven innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
Luis Palomo pitched around a lead-off single by Kevin Melendez in the eighth.
Keith Kirby set St. Louis down in order in the ninth for his 23rd save.
The game's lone run came in the bottom of the fifth against River Walkers starting pitcher Alex Pazos.
Steven Williams scored the run after he singled with one out.
Phillip Dull followed with another single, and Williams scored when right fielder Dan Hillard uncorked a wild throw to third base,

[rink23]

It comes as no surprise, but the St.Louis River Walkers have been eliminated from playoff contention following their 1-0 loss to Cedar Rapids.
At 61-84 and in seventh place in the National League South Division, the Walkers trail first-place Springfield by 18 games with 17 games remaining in the season.
St. Louis is already guaranteed its worst record in the 16-year history of the franchise.
It also will be the first time the Walkers have finished under .500

[rink23]

The St. Louis River Walkers have added relief pitcher Gil Meier and outfielder Hector Tavarez for the final 17 games of the regular season.
Meier and Tavarez were both playing for Memphis in the Pacific Coast League playoffs.
The Redbirds lost to the Iowa Cubs in three games in the opening round, after posting a league-best record of 93-45 during the regular season.
Meier, 29, was acquired from Fort Worth in the offseason with the hopes he could earn a spot in the rotation.
But he struggled mightily in spring training, and was no better as a starter for the Redbirds.
Meier eventually was turned into the Redbirds' closer, where he excelled.
For the season, Meier pitched in 33 games/17 starts, going 1-5 with 11 saves (one blown save) and a 5.71 ERA.
The top-ranked player in the Walker's minor-league system, and No. 10 in all of the MBL, Tavarez played at three levels in 2032.
Tavare, 24, started at Class A Palm Beach, where in 98 games, he hit .260 with 17 homers and 62 RBIs.
For AA Springfield, Tavares played 16 games, batting .379 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs.
Tavarez played 10 games for Memphis, batting .349 with six homers and 16 RBIs.
To make room for Tavarez, first baseman Rick Scott was placed on waivers.
Scott, 29, who had a huge season at Memphis, played in 17 games for the Walkers, batting just .167 with three homers and six RBIs.

[rink23]

Record: 61-85, 7th, 18 GB Springfield
Quad City got a two-run home run from Nick Gonzalez in the top of the first inning and a two-run homer from Harry Christensen in the second, and that powered the Thunder to a 6-3 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (2006).
Justin Doughtie was on the mound for both of the early game homers by the Thunder.
St. Louis would climb back to within 4-3, with a run in the bottom of the fifth (RBI single from Kyren Paris off QC starting pitcher Pascal Marcovicci) and and two in the sixth (first run scored on a wild pitch by John Goulet and the second on a single by rookie Hector Tavarez, who was making his MBL debut) -- but that would be all the scoring for the home team.
Meanwhile, the Thunder added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth.
Pinch-hitter Mike Johnston plated both runs with a single off Cory Tiller.
Marcovicci (12-9) worked five innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out seven and walked three.
Five relievers, John Goulet (1.0 IP), Dave Schaeffer (1.0), Scott Reeves (0.2), Brandon Ashcraft (0.1) and Craig Fritzler (1.0), combined to shutout the Walkers over the final four innings.
Fritzler earned his 38th save.

[rink23]

Record: 62-85, 7th, 18 GB Springfield
Jesse McNaboe tossed 5.2 shutout innings before having to leave with an undisclosed injury, and three St. Louis relievers combined to complete the shutout as the River Walkers downed Rockford 3-0 at Busch Stadium (2006).
McNaboe (13-9) allowed just three hits in his 5.2 innings. He struck out four and walked one.
John Good completed the sixth inning, and worked a perfect seventh.
The eighth belonged to Kevin Baker, who also left with an injury.
Josh Forgy handled the ninth earning his second save.
Baker is expected to miss up to two weeks with a sprained injury. He will likely be placed on the injured list and miss the remained of the season.
St. Louis got the only run it would need in the bottom of the fifth on Jovan Gill's 18th homer of the season, a solo shot off Lightning starting pitcher Bob Singer.
The Wakers' other two runs came in the eighth.
Jared Thomas and Nick Shaw led off the inning with singles off reliever Riley Pallister.
Thomas would score on a fly ball hit by Nathaniel Dixon.
Jose Segura scored Shaw with a single.

[rink23]

Record: 63-85, 7th, 18 GB Springfield
Trailing 1-0, just called-up rookie Hector Tavarez broke up a no-hitter with a two-out home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, two batters later Jose Ramirez also went deep, to help St. Louis down Rockford 3-1 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The Lightning's Blaze Jordan hit a solo homer off River Walkers starting pitcher Jerry Tate in the top of the first to put his team in front.
Lightning starting pitcher Bill Van Gieson allowed just one base runner through the first five innings, on a walk, but Tavarez hit a 1-1 pitch 463 feet into the batter's eye in center field for his first major league homer.
Daniel Becerra followed the long ball with a single.
Ramirez then cranked a 434 homer, his 23rd of the season, to break a 1-1 tie.
Tate (6-9) allowed one run on three hits over six innings.
Nick Ruffalo got the first two outs of the seventh inning.
Cory Tiller finished the seventh and pitched a perfect eighth.
Gil Meier got a chance to close, and sent the Lightning down in order for his first save.

[rink23]

St. Louis River Walkers starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe will miss the remainder of the regular season after he was diagnosed with a triceps injury after having to leave a 1-0 win over Rockford on Sept. 16 after five innings.
McNaboe made 30 starts during the 2033 season, going 13-9 with a 3.93 ERA.
The highlight of the season for the 29-year-old was a no-hitter against Kansas City on August 10.
Xavier Wigfall, who started the season in St. Louis before being demoted to Memphis, is expected to make McNaboe's remaining starts.

[rink23]

The Grand Rapids Traders became the first team to clinch a postseason berth in the 2033 season, as a 12-1 rout of Dayton clinched them the American League West championship.
The win improved the Traders to 91-57, some 15 games in front of both Indianapolis and Evansville.
Grand Rapids owns a five-game lead over AL East Division leader Cleveland for home-field advantage in the AL championship series.
It is the fifth time the Traders have reached the playoffs. They have never advanced to the World Series.

[rink23]

Record: 63-86, 7th, 19 GB Springfield
Rockford battered St. Louis rookie starting pitcher Ronald Crossingham for seven runs in less than five innings, and the Lightning rode that to an 8-5 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory allowed Rockford to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the River Walkers.
The Lightning scored single runs against Crossingham in the second, third and fourth innings, before chasing him with a four-spot in the top of the fifth.
Pitcher Melvin Chavez drove in the second-inning run with a double.
Erik Stowe led off the third with a homer, his 27th long ball of the season.
Raynel Delgado led off the fourth with a single, and scored on a two-out single by Angelo Rosales.
The Lightning's big fifth inning was highlighted by a pair of two-run hits.
Alex Freeland drove in two with a double.
Smith then drove in Freeland with a two-run homer.
Rockford extended its lead to 8-0 against the St. Louis' bullpen in the sixth.
Stowe scored the run after he doubled with one out.
He scored on a wild throw by Walkers shortstop Kyren Paris on a ball hit by Wade Martin.
St. Louis did put together something of a rally.
The Walkers scored twice in the seventh, and three times in the eighth.
Nick Shaw drove in two that inning with a single.
Five Lightning pitchers combined to strike out 16 batters.
Starter Melvin Chavez (14-8) recorded half of them while pitching an impressive six shutout innings. He allowed just one hit, and didn't walk a batter.
Gregg Krawczyk handled the seventh, allowing a pair of runs.
It took Yelin Rodriguez (0.1 IP) and Jesus Cervantes (0.2) to get through the eighth inning.
Shinji Koizumi handled the ninth and earned his 21st save.

[rink23]

MBL news: Week 22 -- Awards and standings

[rink23]

Record: 63-87, 7th, 20 GB Springfield
St. Louis jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but by the time the River Walkers scored again they trailed Springfield 11-1, in a game won 11-2 by the Railers at Busch Stadium (2006).
Big innings were the name of the game for Springfield, which scored three runs in the fifth, three again in the eighth and five in the ninth.
St. Louis starting pitcher Alex Pazos had a good first four innings, before the wheels fell off in the fifth.
Adan Valette and Antonio Burgos opened the inning with back-to-back triples.
Mike Murray then reached when left fielder Jose Ramirez dropped a fly ball, allowing Burgos to score.
Murray later scored on an Austin Schultz single.
Valette drove in all three eighth inning runs, with a homer off reliever Oscar Martinez.
Scott Rissler took a pounding from the Railers in the ninth.
He allowed the inning's first five batters to reach base.
Alex Otero drove in the first three runs with a bases-loaded double.
The next batter, Ruben Villanueva, cranked a two-run homer to make it 11-1.
Springfield starting pitcher Marcos Zaragoza (8-11) allowed one run on three hits over the first six innings. He struck out 10 and walked two.
Nick Thiel followed with two scoreless innings of relief.
Alan Albanese handled the ninth, allowing a meaningless run.

[rink23]

Record: 64-87, 7th, 19 GB Springfield
Dan Hillard drew a bases-loaded walk with no outs in the bottom of the ninth from Springfield relief pitcher Nick Thiel, giving St. Louis a 6-5 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Thiel took the mound to begin the bottom of the ninth, and failed to retire any of the four batters he faced.
Daniel Becerra led off with an infield single.
Becerra was injured on the play, and will miss the remainder of the season with an intercostal strain.
Nathaniel Dixon pinch ran for Becerra.
Thiel then walked Jose Ramirez.
The next batter, Jose Segura, reached on an error by Railers second baseman Wander Samuel Franco to load the bases.
Thiel followed that by throwing four straight ball to Hillard, bringing Dixon home with the winning run.
The Walkers jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Springfield starting pitcher John Haynes.
Jose Ramirez staked the home team to a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first.
Rookie Hector Tavarez connected on a two-run single with two outs in the fourth making it 4-0.
The Railers got on the board in the top of he sixth.
Justin Schneider singled with one out off St. Louis starting pitcher Justin Doughtie.
Alex Otero followed by reaching on an error by Hillard at third base.
Two batters later, John Good took over for Doughtie.
The first batter he faced, pinch-hitter Riley Greene, hit a ground ball to Becerra at second which he booted.
The error allowed Schneider to score.
St. Louis got that run back in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a pinch-hit homer from Glenallen Hill Jr. off reliever Martino Banditelli.
The Railers charged back to tie it with a four-run seventh.
Reliever Chris Eason allowed three of the first four batters he faced to reach.
The last hitter, Schneider, doubled scoring two to make it 5-3.
Josh Forgy got the ball for the Walkers, he also took it on the chin.
Alex Otero doubled to score Schneider and make it 5-4.
Ruben Villanueva followed with a triple, Otero crossing the plate to even the score.
Doughtie handled the first 5.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out five and walked three.
Good finished off the sixth, before getting knocked around without recording an out in the seventh.
Eason was even worse, while recording the first out of the seventh.
Forgy handled the rest of the seventh, but not before Springfield tied the game.
Cory Tiller pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Gil Meier (1-0) set the Railers down in order in the ninth, earning his first win.

[rink23]

The St. Louis River Walkers will lose second baseman Daniel Becerra for the remainder of the season after he suffered a strained intercostal muscle while beating out an infield hit in the ninth inning of his team's 6-5 win over Springfield on August 20.
Becerra, 33, enjoyed a good season for the River Walkers, batting .289 with 20 homers and 66 RBIs in 124 games.
It will be six or seven weeks before Becerra is expected to resume baseball-related exercises.
Getting the callup from Memphis is 25-year-old second baseman Wes Cohen.
Acquired in a July 31 trade with Evansville this season, Cohen played very well for AAA Memphis batting .272 with 18 homers and 40 RBIs in just 31 games.
For the season, Cohen hit .268 with 36 homers and 82 RBIs in 101 games.

[rink23]

Record: 65-87, 7th, 18 GB Springfield
Pinch-hitter Thairo Estrada singled with two outs in the 10th inning to drive home Hector Tavarez and give St. Louis a 3-2 win over Springfield at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory gave the River Walkers a series win over the Railers, taking two of three.
Nick Shaw drew a lead-off walk from Mario Reyes to open the bottom of the 10th.
After a strikeout, Tavarez got on board on a fielder's choice with Shaw being eliminated at second.
Tavarez stole second.
That set the stage for him to score when Estrada singled to right on a 2-1 pitch from Reyes.
Trailing 1-0, the Walkers took the lead in the bottom of the third when Shaw hit a two-run homer off Springfield starting pitcher Raul Ahumada.
The Railers tied it in the top of the sixth when Joseph Hughes' homered off Walkers starter Xavier Wigfall.
Wigfall, making his first start in the majors since being demoted to Memphis in mid-July, allowed two runs on four hits 5.2 innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Nick Ruffalo got the final two outs of the sixth innings,
Four relievers, Scott Rissler (0.2 IP), Josh Forgy (1.0), Yeison Santos (0.2) and Gl Meier (1.1), combined to shut out Springfield over the next four-plus innings.
Meier (2-0) earned the win for the second consecutive game.

[rink23]

Record: 66-47, 7th, 17 GB Springfield
Trailing 5-2, St. Louis busted loose for five runs in the top of the fifth inning and the River Walkers rolled on for an 11-6 win over Indianapolis at the Astrodome (1995).
The Racers had taken the lead with a five-run inning of their own in the bottom of the fourth.
St. Louis starter Jerry Tate had rolled through the first three innings, but could not get any one out when it came to the fourth.
Beginning with a hit by pitch of Danny Patino, he allowed four straight batters to reach base to open the inning.
Jake Parker drove in a run with a single, and CJ Abrams followed with a two-run double to put Indy ahead 3-2.
Tate got a ground out for the second out of the inning, before issuing an intentional walk to Jonathan Vaughns to load the bases.
Pitcher Vince Loyd spoiled that strategy with an RBI single which put the Racers up 4-2.
Joel Pal capped the outburst with the Racers fourth hit of the inning, a single which scored Vaughns.
The Walkers wasted no time responding, beginning with a lead-off homer in the top of the fifth from Wes Cohen off Loyd.
Like Tate, Loyd just could not seem to get anyone out.
Jose Ramirez and Jared Thomas sandwiched singles around a Nick Shaw double as the Walkers pulled to within 5-4.
Jose Segura then put St. Louis in front with his 25th homer of the season, a three-run shot which made it 7-5.
Indy cut its deficit to a run in the bottom of the eighth when Jake Parker led of with a homer off Chris Easton.
The Walkers, however, busted it open with a four-run top of the ninth.
Jae-hong Chang drove in the first run with single off Eric Watkins.
Hector Tavarez did the rest with a three-run home run.
Tate lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing five runs on fie hits.
Oscar Martinez (1-3) followed with two scoreless innings.
He would earn the win.
John Good got the final two outs of the sixth and the first out of the seventh
Nick Ruffalo wrapped up the seventh.
Chris Eason pitched two innings, allowing the one homer, to earn his first save.
St. Louis suffered two more what are probably season-ending injuries.
First baseman Nick Shaw injured his back and is expected to miss three weeks.
Center fielder Jose Segura also injured his back and will be sidelined for two weeks.

[rink23]

The St. Louis River Walkers continued to struggle with the injury bug as they play out their 2033 season.
First baseman Nick Shaw and center fielder Jean Segura both suffered back injuries in their 11-6 win over Sept. 22 which will end their season.
Shaw, 24, enjoyed an impressive campaign batting .311 in 129 games with 20 home runs and 76 RBIs.
The 28-year-old Segura, however, took a big step back from his previous campaigns hitting .218 with 25 homers and 74 RBIs in 141 games.
Getting the call up from Memphis are first baseman/outfielder Rick Scott and outfielder Laurenco Curvelo.
Scott is back in the majors for the second time this season.
In 17 games with the Walkers, Scott, 29, batted .167 with three homers and six RBIs.
Scott, however, enjoyed a possible MVP campaign with the Redbirds.
In AAA, Scott hit .321 with 43 homers and 118 RBIs in 112 games.
Curvelo is in the majors for the first time.
The 25-year-old, batted .276 with 11 homers and 55 RBIs in 82 games for the Redbirds.

[rink23]

Record: 66-88, 7th, 17 GB Springfield
Tied 1-1, Indianapolis exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth innings, and the Racers continued on for a 6-2 win over St. Louis at the Astrodome (1995).
River Walkers starter Ronald Crossingham had fared just fine over the first four innings, allowing just the one run.
He was a completely different pitcher when it came to the fifth.
Jonathan Vaughns led off with a double.
Pitcher Matt Loest got down a bunt, moving Vaughns to third.
Joel Pal then broke the tie with a single.
Another single, this one from Chris Zoltan, put runners at first and second.
Crossingham uncorked a wild pitch, moving the base runners to second and third.
Danny Patino was given an intentional walk to load the bases.
A deep fly ball by Tony Galvan scored a run, making it 3-1.
Jake Parker then connected for a three-run homer, his 29th home run of the season, as the Racers lead bulged to 6-1.
Indy starting pitcher Matt Loest (15-9) pitched six innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out eight and walked one.
Willie Calderon (1.2 IP) and Matt Walizer (1.1) combined to close out the victory.

[rink23]

Record: 66-89, 7th, 18 GB Springfield
St. Louis starting pitcher Alex Pazos didn't allow a hit over the first three innings, a little over an inning later he was done having allowing six runs in a span of 11 Indianapolis batters as the Racers went on for a 6-5 win at the Astrodome (1995).
Back-to-back homers from Rick Scott, a two-run shot, and Hector Taveras in the top of the third had staked Pazos to a 3-0 lead.
That disappeared in the bottom of the fourth.
Pazos actually retired two of the inning's first three batters, getting a pair of ground outs around a one-out double by CJ Abrams.
Then things came unraveled.
Tony Galvan singled to score Abrams.
Jake Parker followed with a double, scoring Galvan to make it 3-2.
Kyle Soloman then put the Racers in front with a two-run home run.
An inning later, Pal led off with a single off Pazos.
Abrams then sent him to the shower with a two-run homer.
The River Walkers did pull within 6-5 in the top of the ninth on a two-run, two-out pinch-hit homer from Javon Gill off Indy closer Eric Watkins.
But that would be the end of the scoring.
Autin (12-8) allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out 11 and didn't walk a batter.
Drew Dillard pitched two innings of scoreless relief.
Watkins gave up the Gill homer, but still earned his 14th save.