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

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Record: 9-7, 2nd (Tied/w. Kansas City, 4 GB Des Moines
Bobby Chapman hit a two-out, two-run homer off St. Louis reliever Cory Tiller in the top of the 10th inning, helping give Louisville an 11-9 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The victory helped the Sluggers avoid a three-game sweep against the River Walkers.
Tiller came on after Andres Hernandez had retired the first two Louisville hitters in the 10th.
Tiller, however, walked the first batter he faced, Matt Bryant, and his 2-0 pitch to Chapman landed 424 feet into the bleachers in left-center.
Steve Kowal would follow with a single off Tiller.
He exited the game after that with an elbow injury which is expected to keep him out for four days.
It was a wild game.
St. Louis wiped out a 1-0 deficit with a five-run bottom of the second.
The Sluggers tied it with four runs in the sixth inning.
The Walkers' Jose Segura hit a two-run homer off reliever Trey Benton in the seventh, putting his team up 7-5.
The Sluggers answered with back-to-back homers in the eighth off Josh Grissom, who was making his first appearance after a stint on the 10-day injury list.
The first batter he faced, Joakim Osuna, hit the first pitch he saw over the wall for a two-run homer.
Pinch-hitter Chris Hyman waited until the fourth pitch to crank a solo shot which put Louisville ahead 8-7.
Jean Carmona hit his first homer of the season with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, off former St. Louis reliever Elian Acosta, to even it at 8-8.
Another former Walker, Steve Kowal, led off the top of the ninth with a homer off Andres Hernadez,
It put Louisville ahead 9-8.
St. Louis forced extra innings in the bottom half, when Jose Segura doubled off Matt Ray with one out and scored when Matt Fulton followed with a single.
Louisville starter Jim Martin lasted just 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits.
Five relievers -- Brian Price (1.1 IP), Trey Benton (1.2), Jose Wahl (0.1), Acosta (1.0) and Ray (2.0) -- combined to finish the game.
Ray (1-2) earned his first win of the season.
St. Louis pitcher Yeison Santos worked to one batter in the sevenrth inning before leaving with an undislcosed injury.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed left-handed relief pitcher Yeison Santos on the 10-day injured list after he suffered back spasms during their 11-9 loss to Louisville on April 22.
Although, the injury is expected to only affect him for a week, St. Louis also learned that Cory Tiller is dealing with an elbow issue.
With Tiller figuring to be back to full health earlier, he's expected to miss three days, Walkers management decided to put Santos on the IL
Santos, 31, has pitched in seven games this season and posted a 2.45 ERA while not earning a save or decision.
Memphis closer Kevin Baker will get the callup to the big club.
The 25-year-old right-hander has pitched in six games this season going 2-2 with one save and a 1.87 ERA.
Baker made his major league debut in 2031, getting into a pair of late season games.

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Record: 9-8, 3rd (Tied/w. Kansas City), 4 GB Des Moines
Joe Coffey hit a pinch-hit homer off St. Louis reliever Kevin Baker with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to help give Rockford a 5-4 win at RFK Stadium (2005).
Called up from AAA earlier in the day, Baker struck out the first batter he faced, Eddie Ortiz, for the inning's second out.
Coffey, however, turned on a 2-0 pitch and launched it 390 feet over the right-field wall for his first homer of the season.
The homer by Coffey was one of four hit by the Lightning.
Wade Martin hit a pair of homers and Erik Stowe also went deep, the first three homers all came against River Walkers starting pitcher Izzy San Juan.
A two-run double by Jean Carmona in the top of the second inning off Rockford starting pitcher Joe Shannon gave St. an early 2-0 lead.
Martin's first homer of the game, a two-run shot, in the bottom of the second tied the game.
Stowe led off the bottom of the fourth with his solo homer.
Martin pierced the wall again in the fifth, this time with a solo homer as the Lightning went ahead 4-2.
St. Louis got a solo homer from Jae-Hong Chang in the seventh off Zachary Stella to make it 4-3.
The Walkers tied it in the eighth.
Daniel Becerra and Jose Ramirez led off the inning with singles off Stella.
Becerra later scored on a Matt Fulton fly ball.
Shannon lasted just 3.1 innings as the starter, allowing two runs on just one hit.
Four relievers -- Cristofe Tineo (2.0 IP), Arnold (0.2), Stella (2.0) and Luke Dunkin (1.0) -- combined to finish the contest.
Stella (1-0) got his first win of the season.
Dunkin notched his fifth save.

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Record: 10-8, 3rd (Tied/w. Kansas City), 3 GB Des Moines
Jesse McNaboe allowed one run over the first seven innings to help St. Louis down Rockford 7-4 at RFK Stadium (2005).
McNaboe (4-0) has won all four of his starts this season.
He did pitch into the eighth, allowing two consecutive singles to begin the inning before exiting.
Both those runners would score against reliever Ricky Cisneros, as the Lightning would eventually pull to within 7-4.
Alex Freeland's first homer of the season, a solo shot, off McNaboe in the bottom of the second gave Rockford an early 1-0 lead.
The next seven runs would be scored by St. Louis.
The biggest dent would come in the fourth, when the Walkers scored three times.
Their first four hitters reached against Lightning starter Miguel Cisneros, beginning with a hit by pitch of Ben Thompson.
Daniel Becerra followed with an RBI double.
A single by Jose Ramirez put runners at the corners.
Becerra scored on a Jose Segura single.
Rick Scott later plated Ramirez with a sac fly.
In the fifth, Scott crossed the plate after he doubled with one out off reliever Stiward Aquino and McNaboe picked up his fourth RBI of the season with a two-out single.
Ramirez cranked a solo homer off Zack Arnold in the seventh, making it 6-1.
Matt Fulton later scored the Walkers' seventh run later in the same inning.
He doubled with two outs, and moved to third when Jean Carmona reached on an error by Freeland at third base.
A passed ball by catcher Thomas Dillard made it 7-1.
McNaboe ended up with a line of three runs on seven hits in seven innings. He struck out two and walked one.
Cisneros was on the mound off all three of the eighth inning runs, but did record the first two outs of the ninth.
After Cisneros issued a two-out walk to Dillard, rookie Kevin Baker got the call and struck out Eddie Ortiz for his first major league save.

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Record: 10-9, 3rd (Tied/w. Kansas City), 3 GB Des Moines
Wade Martin hit a two-run home run off St. Louis reliever Josh Forgy with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Rockford a 10-8 win over St. Louis at RFK Stadium (2005).
It marked the second two-homer game of the series for Martin, both of them were victories for the Lightning who took two of three from the River Walkers.
Forgy retired the first two Rockford hitters in the 11th before walking Raynel Delgado.
Martin then powered a 3-2 pitch 456 feet over the wall on right center to give his team the win.
The Lightning hit five homers in the game, none bigger than the two they hit in the bottom of the ninth off St. Louis closer Ernesto Barbosa.
Rockford actually trailed 7-2 going into the bottom of the eighth.
It scored three times in that stanza -- Blaze Jordan and Erik Stowe combining on back-to-back one-out doubles off Andres Hernandez, Jordan's drove in one and Stowe a pair -- to pull to within 7-5.
In the ninth, Javy Monjaraz opened the inning with a homer off Barbosa.
He retired the next two batters before walking Delgado.
That was when Martin struck for his first homer of the game, which would ultimately send the game to extra innings.
Lightning starting pitcher Kurt Halter, a former top prospect for St. Louis, was good allowing one run on five hits over 5.1 innings. He struck out six and walked one.
The Lightning used seven relievers -- Bill Singer (0.2 I), Zachary Stella (1.0), Gerson Moreno (0.1), Alex Faedo (0.1), Cristofe Tineo (0.1), Stiward Aquino (1.0) and Luke Dunkin (2.0) -- to cover the final 5.2 innings.
Dunkin (2-0) earned his second win of the season.
Walkers third baseman Matt Fulton left the game with a rotator cuff strain he sustained while throwing the ball.
He is expected to miss up to six weeks.

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MBL news: Week 3 -- Awards and standings

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed third baseman Matt Fulton on the 10-day injured list, after he suffered a torn rotator cuff during a 10-8 loss at Rockford on April 24.
Fulton, 32, had started all 18 games for the Walkers, batting .242 with no homers and three RBIs.
The injury to Fulton means, that both of the team's big off-season acquisitions, Fulton and right fielder Alex Greene, are now out with injuries with neither expected to return for at least three weeks.
Replacing Fulton on the roster is 26-year-old middle infielder Armando Morales.
In seven games at Memphis this season, Morales is hitting .360 with a homer and an RBI.
Morales played with the Walkers in 2030 and 2031 with little success at the plate.

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The game between the Des Moines Harvesters and St. Louis River Walkers was suspended in the top of the eighth inning because of rain with the game tied at 1-1.
It will be resumed on April 26, before the regularly scheduled game between the two teams.

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Record: 11-9, 3rd, 2 GB Des Moines
Jared Thomas hit a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to give St. Louis a 3-2 win over Des Moines at Busch Stadium (1997).
The contest was the completion of a suspended game from the day before. That game had been halted in the eighth inning by rain.
The Harvesters led 1-1 when play resumed with runners on first and third and one out in the top of the eighth.
Des Moines broke the tie before the half-inning was over, Jackson Miller with a two-out single off River Walkers reliever Nick Ruffalo to score Glenn Santiago.
However, Des Moines' Trent Rowan was thrown out at third by right fielder Jose Segura to end the inning.
Still 2-1, Jose Segura drew a lead-off walk from Harvesters reliever Mike Goodkin to begin the bottom of the ninthj.
Thomas then powered a 2-0 pitch 369 feet over the wall in left to give St. Louis the win.
A day earlier, the Walkers had gotten seven strong innings out of Zack Hunsinger, who allowed one run on three hits.
Cory Tiller started the eighth, and was on the mound when the rain hit.
Ruffalo finished out the eighth, allowing the go-ahead run and recorded the first two outs of the ninth.
Kevin Baker (1-1) earned the win for finishing off the top of the ninth.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed infielder Thairo Estrada on the injured list and called up third baseman Felix Acevado from AAA Memphis.
Estrada, 36, has played in 13 games for the Walkers this season batting .179 with no homers or RBIs.
This will be the first time in the majors for Acevado, 28, who has hit .239 with one homer and four RBIs this season for the Redbirds.

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Record: 12-9, 3rd, 1 GB Des Moines
Angel Tiburcio pitched into the seventh inning without allowing a run and the St. Louis bullpen did the rest as the River Walkers defeated Des Moines 3-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
This was the day's regularly scheduled contest, following the completion of a suspended game won 3-2 by St. Louis.
Tiburcio (2-1) worked 6.1 innings-- he exited after a walk and wild pitch with one out in the seventh -- allowing no runs on two hits. He struck out eight and walked three.
Cory Tiller replaced Tiburcio and got out of the seventh without allowing a run.
Andres Hernandez and Ricky Cisneros pitched the final two innings, with Cisneros earning his first save.
The Walkers went up 2-0 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third.
Rick Scott led off the inning with a homer off Harvesters starter Juan Amezquita.
Tiburcio later tripled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Jose Ramirez.
Jovan Gill hit a solo homer off Jhoan Duran in the seventh to provide the game's only other run.

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Record: 12-10, 3rd, 2 GB Des Moines
Des Moines roughed up St. Louis starting pitcher Izzy San Juan for six runs in the top of the first inning, and rode that to an 8-5 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win allowed the Harvesters to salvage the finale of the three-game series after dropping the first two.
San Juan brought nothing to the mound and Des Moines made him pay by putting six of its first seven batters on base.
Rafael Devers drove in the first two runs of the inning with a double.
The next batter, Luken Baker, made it 4-0 with a two-run homer.
Later in an inning which saw the Harvesters score six runs on five hits and be helped by an error, pitcher Marshall Lacombe drove in a run with a single.
The final run was scored by Arturo Verdugo, who scored on an error by second baseman Daniel Becerra.
Des Moines chased San Juan in the third when Wayne McHaney led off the inning with a homer.
All the offense overshadowed an impressive start by Lacombe.
The left-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before allowing a triple to Nathaniel Dixon.
That hit also scored Felix Acevado, who had been hit by a pitch to open the inning.
Jose Ramirez later hit a two-run homer as St.. Louis pulled to within 7-3.
Larcombe (2-2) ended up allowing three runs on two hits. He struck out five and walked one.
Joseph King, Manny Pescosolido and Mike Goodkin all pitched an inning apiece to close it out.
Jose Segura hit a two-run homer off Pescosolido in the eighth to make it 8-5.
But the Walkers never got the tying run to the plate, as Goodwin earned his seventh save.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed right-handed reliever Kevin Baker on the 10-day injured list, after he reported having a sore shoulder.
Called up from AAA Memphis on April 23, Baker had pitched in three games going 1-1 with a save and a 6.75 ERA.
His last game was April 27, when he pitched a third of an inning.
Baker is expected to miss four weeks.
Getting the callup from AAA is right-handed reliever Alex Pazos.
The 23-year-old has pitched in eight games for Memphis this season earning three saves while posting a 0.00 ERA.
This will mark Pazos first time in the majors.

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Record: 13-10, 3rd (Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 1.5 GB Des Moines
Twin Cities starter Avery Williams didn't allow a hit over the first five innings, but once he left St. Louis went to work scoring three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to pave the way for a 6-4 win at Metropolitan Stadium (1977).
Williams exited after having struck out eight batters, with no walks, and thrown 77 pitches in the first five innings for the Snow Cats.
The new pitcher, John Goulet, was greeted by a Rick Scott double to end the no-hitter and start the top of the sixth.
Goulet followed with what should have been a strikeout of Ricky Liriano, but a passed ball by catcher Bruce Navarette allowed him to reach base.
River Walkers starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe followed with a ground out to put runners at second and third.
Nathaniel Dixon followed with an infield hit to load the baes.
Goulet struck out Daniel Becerra for the second out.
He was then relieved by Eric Watkins.
Jose Ramirez made them pay with a bases-clearing double to tie the game.
Twin Cities regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
Steve Carroll doubled off Walkers starter Jesse McNaboe to lead off the inning.
He scored on a one-out single by Jeff Waddell.
However, St. Louis was back at it again in the seventh.
Watkins retired the inning's first two batters before allowing a single to Liriano.
A walk to Jovan Gill followed.
Dixon cleared the bags with a three-run homer as the Walkers went up 6-4.
McNaboe (5-0) made his fifth start and earned his fifth win. He did allowed four runs on seven hits in his six full innings.
Ricky Cisneros got all three outs in the seventh.
Cory Tiller (0.2 IP) and Nick Ruffalo (0.1) combined on a scoreless eighth inning.
The ninth belonged to Ernesto Barbosa who notched his sixth save.

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Walkers news: May 1 -- Player Development Report

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MBL news: May 1 -- Players and Pitchers of the Month for April

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MBL news: May 1 -- April's Rookies of the month and standings

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MBL news: May 1 -- American League leaders

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MLB news: May 1 - National League leaders

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Walkers news: May 1 -- Team statistics for April