2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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Walkers news: August 1 -- Team statistics for July

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Walkers news: August 1 -- Team statistics for season

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Player of the Month: Nick Shaw -- The 25-year-old first baseman batted .314 with six homers, 20 RBIs and 13 runs scored in 22 games. He slugged at a .570 clip and had an on-base percentage of .344.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Jim Martin -- The 30-year-old right-hander went 2-3 in five start with a 3.41 ERA. He pitched 29.0 innings, during which he struck out 25 and had a 1.28 WHIP. He was the starting pitching for the National League in the All-Star game.
Relief Pitcher of the Month: Scott Rissler -- The 28-year-old righty got into 10 games during which he had no record and posted one save. He pitched a total of 9.2 innings, during which he struck out eight and had a 0.83 WHIP.

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Record: 52-53, 5th, 15 GB Des Moines
Ryan Edwards hit a pinch-hit three-run home run off St. Louis closer Nick Ruffalo with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift Peoria to an improbable 15-12 win over St. Louis at Globe Life Field.
The Rivermen scored nine runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to wipe out a 12-3 deficit and force extra innings.
In the 10th, Mike Clay singled with one out off Ruffalo.
Ruffalo had faced one batter in the bottom of the ninth, during which he threw a wild pitch which enabled the Rivermen to tie the game.
Luca Tresh followed with another single before Ruffalo struck out Ray Began for the second out.
Edwards, who came into the game batting under .200, then won it when he turned on a 2-1 pitch and drove it 373 feet over the wall in right field for his second homer of the season.
The game had been tied 3-3 before the Walkers put up nine consecutive runs -- six runs in the seventh and three in the ninth -- to go up 12-3.
Nick Shaw hit a two-run homer off Rivermen relief pitcher Joey Simmons to highlight the six-run seventh.
Freudis Nova and Hector Taveras both had RBI doubles in the top of the ninth for the Walkers.
But St. Louis imploded in every way possible in the top of the ninth.
It committed three errors -- two by Nova at second base and one by third baseman Jovan Gill -- and threw a pair of wild pitches in addition to giving up five hits.
The biggest hits were a two-run double from Tresh and a two-run single from Johnny Castagnozzi.
Peoria starting pitcher Eric Hansen lasted just 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits.
Six relievers -- Javier Assad (1.2 IP), Joey Simmons (0.0), Marty Corley (0.2), David Flores (1.2), Michael Walgren (0.1) and Lenyn Crisp (1.0) -- followed him to the mound.
Crisp (3-5), who started his career with the Walkers, came out of the mess with the win.

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Record: 53-53, 5th, 15 GB Des Moines
Rookie Kyle Smarr allowed one run over six innings and St. Louis defeated Peoria 3-1 at Globe Life Field.
Smarr (2-1), making his fourth major league start, allowed one run on five hits over the first six innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Nick Shaw hit his 22nd home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the top of the first inning off Rivermen starting pitcher Enrique Castillo to put St. Louis up 2-0.
Smarr drove in the River Walkers third run in the fourth, with a two-out double off Castillo.
It scored Eric Granger, who had drawn a one-out walk.
Stephen Von Lehmden followed Smarr to the mound.
He worked a scoreless seventh and recorded the first out in the eighth.
Oscar Martinez (0.1 IP) and Justin O'Rourke (1.1) combined to finish the game.
O'Rourke posted his second save since joining St. Louis in a July trade with Cincinnati.

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Record: 54-53, 5th, 14 GB Des Moines
Jim Martin and a pair of relief pitchers combined on a two-hit shut out, as St. Louis defeated Fort Wayne 2-0 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Martin (9-7) allowed both hits (singles) and worked the first 6.2 innings until giving up a walk to Darlin Guzman, followed by a single to Jorge Goto in the seventh.
Cartrioti Rrustemi then got down a bunt to put runners at second and third.
Bill Walter was then given an intentional walk to load the bases.
Martin then struck out Alex Rodriguez for the second out.
But the Walkers decided not to let him face the left-handed hitting Chris Champion.
Zachary Stella did his job, getting Chris Champion to hit into a fielder's choice and keep it, at that time, 1-0.
Stella then sent the Mad Men down in order in the eighth.
Nick Ruffalo pitched around a walk in the ninth for his eighth save.
For the game, Martin, in addition to allowing the two hits, struck out five and walked three.
A two-out solo homer from Freudis Nova in the bottom of the third off Mad Men starter Adrian Arnesen put St. Louis ahead 1-0.
Jose Segura led off the seventh with a homer off Koi-sho Pai to make it 2-0.

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Record: 54-54, 5th, 15 GB Des Moines
Fort Wayne jumped on St. Louis starting pitcher Devin Rogers for four runs in the first inning and three more in the fourth to go up 7-0, the Mad Men then held on for an 8-6 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The long ball powered Fort Wayne's first-inning outburst, as Darlin Guzman hit a three-run homer and two batters later Kane Gale victimized Rogers for a solo shot to make it 4-0.
In the fourth, Daylen Lile cranked a three-run homer off Rogers to push that advantage to 7-0.
Rogers left the game after Lile's bomb.
River Walkers rookie Hector Tavarez took a big chunk out of the Mad Men's advantage when hit a grand slam off Fort Wayne starting pitcher Ramon Diaz in the fifth, helping make it 7-5.
St. Louis made it 7-6 in the eighth.
Nick Shaw led off with a double off Rich Haas and later scored when Daniel Becerra hit into a double play.
That, however, was as close as the Walkers would get.
The Mad Men added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when former St. Louis prospect Ben Thompson doubled and scored on a Lile single.
Diaz lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on five hits.
Anthony Barrowcliff (3-1) pitched 2.2 innings of relief to get the game into the eighth.
Haas gave up the final St. Louis run in the eighth.
Mike Fagan earned his 24th save by setting the Walkers down in order in the ninth.

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Record: 54-55, 5th, 15 GB Des Moines
Jake Holland hit a one-out solo home run in the top of the seventh inning off St. Louis starting pitcher Angel Tiburcio to help lift Fort Wayne to a 2-1 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Holland's 10th home run of the season came on a 2-1 pitch. It traveled 413 feet over the wall in right field.
A solo homer from the River Walkers' Daniel Becerra off Mad Men starting pitcher Alex Yanez had staked St. Louis to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
Fort Wayne evened it in the fifth.
Marco Zurita led off with a homer off Tiburcio and scored on a two-out single by Yanez.
Yanez (7-7) allowed one run on just two hits in 7.1 innings for the Mad Men. He struck out three and didn't issue a walk.
Eric Warren finished the eighth inning.
The Walkers loaded the bases against Fort Wayne closer Mike Fagan in the ninth, but he struck out Dan Hillard to end it.
Fagan notched his 25th save.

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Record: 54-56, 5th, 16 GB Des Moines
Fort Wayne built a 3-0 lead through the opening seven innings against St. Louis starting pitcher Alex Pazos, the Mad Men then pummeled the River Walkers' bullpen for eight in the eighth and two in the ninth as they rolled to a 13-0 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win was the third in a row for the Mad Men, after dropping the opener of the four-game series.
Marco Zurita connected for a two-run single off Pazos in the top of the fourth, putting Fort Wayne ahead 2-0.
Ben Thompson and Brian Sheppard then banged out back-to-back doubles with two outs in the fifth to make it 3-0.
It didn't get ugly until the eighth, when the Mad Men scored eight times.
A one-out solo homer from Darlin Guzman off reliever Stephen Von Lehmden got things rolling.
Von Lehmden allowed the next four Fort Wayne batters to reach base.
Two got aboard via intentional walk and Bill Walter had an RBI double.
Zachary Stella took over for St. Louis, and allowed the first three batters he faced to get aboard.
Included were a two-run single by Daylen Lile and a three-run home run by Ben Thompson.
Castrioti Rrustemi completed the scoring for the Mad Men, hitting a two-run homer off Justin O'Rourke in the ninth.
O'Rourke hit the next batter, Bill Walter, leading to a brawl which cleared the benches.
Mad Men starting pitcher Isaiah Dunlap tossed five shutout innings, allowing three hits. He struck out three and walked two.
Gary Snelling and Alexander Dowling both worked an inning to get the game to the eighth.
Rich Haas, who came up through the St. Louis farm system, stymied the River Walkers over the final two innings.

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MBL news: August 6 -- Fort Wayne's Walter and St. Louis' O'Rourke suspended for brawl

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MBL news: Week 16 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 54-57, 5th, 15.5 GB Des Moines
Trailing 2-0, Kansas City pummeled St. Louis rookie starting pitcher Kyle Smarr for five runs in the top of the second inning, and the Monarchs went on to rout the River Walkers 13-4 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The Monarchs put six of their first eight batters aboard -- one as a sacrifice bunt -- to pave their way to a big inning against Smarr.
Scott Hamilton drove in the first two runs with a double.
Jason Gillem had an RBI single, before Ramon Puente drove in final two with a single.
Kansas City chased Smarr with three runs in the fifth.
The first run scored on a wild pitch by Smarr.
Hamilton collected his third and fourth RBIs of the game with a two-out single.
After the River Walkers drew to within 8-4, the Monarchs pushed their lead to 11-4 with a three-run seventh.
Jonathan Vaughns did the bulk of the damage with a two-run home run off Josh Forgy.
Travis Hawkins made it 13-4 with a two-run home run off Oscar Martinez in the top of the ninth.
Monarchs starting pitcher Michael Tucker (5-12) went five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Yohanse Morel worked three scoreless innings.
Jose Lazaro handled the ninth without incident.

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Record: 54-58, 5th, 16.5 GB Des Moines
Jose Buenrosto shutout St. Louis into the seventh inning, and the Kansas City bullpen did the rest as the Monarchs won 4-0 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Buenrostro (6-6) scattered seven hits over the first 6.1 innings before exiting after a one-out hit by Chris Duncan.
Terry Lesnau took over after that and retired the next two, keeping the score at 4-0 Monarchs.
Lesnau didn't allow a run while pitching the eighth for the Monarchs.
Matt Broussard did the same in the ninth to close out the win.
KC got the only run it would need in the top of the second off St. Louis starter Jim Martin.
Gerardo Bernal led off with a double, and he scored on a one-out single by Nander De Sedas.
The lead grew to 3-0 in the fourth thanks to back-to-back one out homers from T.J. Peterson and Bernal off Martin.
Peterson scored again in the sixth.
This time he doubled off Martin and scored on a two-out single by Josh Shuler.

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Record: 54-59, 5th, 17.5 GB Des Moines
Travis Rinker limited St. Louis to one run over the first seven innings, and Kansas City completed a three-game sweep of the River Walkers with a 6-3 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The loss extended St. Louis' losing streak to five games.
Rinker (5-5) allowed two runs -- a lead-off homer from Jose Segura in the bottom of the second which made it 3-1, and a lead-off walk to Daniel Becerra in the eighth which became a run when Jovan Gill homered two batters later off reliever Michele Vassalotti --on one hit over his seven innings.
He struck out seven and walked one.
Vassolotti took over after the Becerra walk, and was greeted by the two-run home run by Gill.
However, Vassalotti got out of the inning without any further damage.
Dominic Pipkin worked a scoreless ninth for his 23rd save.
Making his first start since coming off an injured list with a back injury, St. Louis starter Shane Drogo lasted just three innings, getting ripped for three-spots in both the top of the second and third innings.
Travis Hawkins scored two with a triple in the second inning.
He later scored on a single by Rinker.
In the third, the Monarchs scored three runs on four hits.
Hawkins drove in another run with a single.
Jordan Grullon made it 6-1 with a two-out RBI single.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed right-handed relief pitcher Stephen Von Lehmden on the injured list, after he suffered calf injury in a 6-3 loss to Kansas City on August 9.
Von Lehmden was acquired off waivers from Rockford by St. Louis on July 20.
The 32-year-old has pitched in 10 games for the Walkers, going 2-1 with a 9.00 ERA.
Getting called up from AAA is right-hander David Amocacci.
It is his second callup from the minors this season, although he has not made an appearance in the majors.
At AAA, the 26-year-old has gone 4-0 with eight saves and a 1.36 ERA in 32 games.

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Record: 55-59, 5th, 16 GB Des Moines
Nathaniel Dixon led off the top of the 11th inning with a double off Des Moines reliever Dave Schaeffer, he later scored on a wild pitch to help give St. Louis an 11-10 victory at Green Canyon Park.
It was quite a game for Dixon, who went 5 for 6 with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored and an RBI.
After Dixon's double off Schaeffer, he went to third on a Freudis Nova ground out.
Schaeffer then struck out Hector Taveras but his 1-0 pitch to Nick Shaw got past catcher Jackson Miller, allowing Dixon to score.
It was a wild game, which saw St. Louis jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning -- Taveraz hit a three-run home run off Harvesters starter Bill Van Gieson -- an advantage which had grown to 7-3 after three and a half innings.
The Harvesters scored twice in the bottom of the third on a two-run triple by Steve Carroll off River Walkers starter Angel Tiburcio.
An inning later, a three-spot put Des Moines in front 8-7.
Carroll struck again, driving in the final two runs with a single off Luke Dunkin.
St. Louis regained the lead on a two-run homer from Jean Segura off Dave Vacarri in the top of the fifth.
That advantage became 10-8 in the sixth as Dixon led off with a triple and scored on a Nova single off Yelin Rodriguez.
But the Harvesters tied it with single runs in the sixth -- Miller tripled and scored on an Oscar Martinez wild pitch -- and eighth -- lead-off homer by Justin Oates off Nick Ruffalo -- to help set the stage for extra innings.
Tiburcio lasted just three innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits.
St. Louis used seven relievers -- Dunkin (2.0 IP), Martinez (1.0), Justin O'Rourke (1.0), Ruffalo (0.2), Scott Rissler (1.1) Zachary Stella (0.2) and David Amoccaci (1.1) -- with Amoccaci, who was making his major league debut, earning the win.
Amoccaci (1-0) retired four of the five batters he faced, striking out three.

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Record: 55-60, 5th, 17 GB Des Moines
Des Moines single runs off St. Louis starting pitcher Alex Pazos in each of the first four innings, and the Harvesters went on to post a 5-2 win at Green Canyon Park.
Justin Oates got things going for Des Moines, when he led off the bottom of the first with a triple off Pazos.
Leo Cerna scored Oates with a one-out double.
An inning later, Franklin Flores singled off Pazos with one out.
A bunt by pitcher Manny Pescosolido moved him to second.
After Oates drew a walk, Aaron Nixon plated Flores with a single.
An error by St. Louis shortstop Chris Duncan opened the door for Des Moines' third inning run.
Kyle Roberts reached on the one-out miscue.
Singles from Steve Carroll and Jared Poland loaded the bases.
Franklin then coaxed a bases-loaded walk from Pazos, making it 3-0.
The fourth saw the lead reach 4-0.
Aaron Nixon doubled off Pazos to lead off the inning.
Nixon stole third, and he scored on a Cerna fly ball to center,
Pescosolido surrendered single runs to the River Walkers in the fifth and sixth, as St. Louis drew to within 5-2.
But that would be the end of the scoring for the Walkers.
The Harvesters, meanwhile, got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.
Kyle Roberts doubled off Justin O'Rourke with two outs.
He scored on single by Carroll.
Pescosolido (7-3) worked the first 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out six and walked four.
Ozzie Contrera finished the sixth and got the first out of the seventh, before exiting with an undisclosed injury.
Keith Talley wrapped up the seventh, striking out the only two batters he would face.
Yelin Rodriguez pitched a scoreless eighth.
Mario Reyes gave up two hits, but no runs in the ninth to secure his 23rd save.

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Record: 55-61, 5th, 18 GB Des Moines
Marshall Larcombe allowed one run on three hits over the first six innings to help Des Moines to a 5-1 win over St. Louis at Green Canyon Park.
The win gave the Harvesters' victories in two of the final three games of the series.
The lone run allowed by Larcombe came on a home run by rookie Hector Tavarez in the top of the sixth.
It made the score 2-1.
Larcombe struck out eight and walked two.
The Harvesters jumped out to a 2-0 lead with single runs in the bottom of the first and second innings off Walkers starting pitcher Kyle Smarr.
In the first, Aaron Nixon drew a lead-off walk from Smarr.
A wild pitch moved Nixon to second, and he scored on a one-out single by Leo Cerna.
David Tapley singled off Smarr with one-out in the second.
Tapley stole second, and he scored on an Orlando Torres single.
After Tavarez homer drew the River Walkers to within a run, Des Moines answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth.
Cerna led off the inning by reaching on an error by Walkers second baseman Daniel Becerra.
A single by Kyle Roberts moved Cerna to second.
He later scored on a Tapley fly ball to left.
Des Moines got its final two runs in the seventh.
Pinch-hitter Steve Carroll and Aaron Nixon led off the inning with consecutive singles off St. Louis reliever avid Amocacci.
Carroll scored when Justin Oates hit into a fielder's choice.
Oates later stole second.
He scored on a two-out single by Roberts.
Keith Talley pitched a scoreless seventh for Des Moines.
The final two innings were handled by Brian Stewart.

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MBL news: Week 17 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 55-62, 5th, 18 GB Des Moines
Tied 4-4, pinch-hitter Andrew Lee singled with one out off St. Louis relief pitcher Oscar Martinez and later scored on a Clay Owens single, as Des Moines won 5-4 at Fenway Park (1975).
Bill Blakeney had followed Lee's single, with one of his own to put runners at first and second.
Owens single was the third in a row, and scored Lee.
The River Walkers had tied the game in the top of the eighth.
Nick Shaw doubled with on out off Thunder relief pitcher Terry Zahnow.
He scored when Jose Segura followed with a single.
Quad City jumped out to a 3-0 lead against St. Louis starting pitcher Jim Martin.
The Thunder late led 4-1.
The Walkers scored a pair of runs in the sixth -- Shaw with an RBI single off QC starter Russell Berg, while Hector Tavarez scored on a wild pitch -- to pull within 4-3.
Berg went 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out five and walked one.
Edwin Cervantes finished the sixth for the Thunder.
After that, it was an inning each from Angel Alvarez, Zahnow and Craig Fritzler.
Zahnow (4-5) earned the win despite blowing the save.
Fritzler earned his 33rd save.