2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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Record: 55-63, 5th, 18 GB Des Moines
Quad City pummeled St. Louis starting pitcher Shane Drago for seven runs in less than four innings, and the Thunder went on to rout the River Walkers 10-3 at Fenway Park (1976).
QC jumped on Drogo for a pair of runs in he first inning.
Drogo hurt his own cause with a pair of walks.
Chris Shelley led off the inning with a single, and later scored when Angel Solis hit into a fielder's choice.
Tim Tawa made it 2-0 with a two-out single.
After the River Walkers scored their first run in the top of the second inning, the Thunder matched it in the bottom half.
Clay Owens led off with a double.
A single by pitcher Danny Garza moved Owens to third.
Chris Shelley chased Owens home with a single.
QC added a pair of runs in the third.
Again, Drogo hurt himself with a pair of walks and a throwing error on a ground ball.
Tawa drove in a run with a single.
A bases-loaded walk to Owens scored the other run.
An inning later, Tawa made it 7-1 with a two-run homer off Drogo.
The Thunder's lead reached 9-1 in the fifth.
Paul Totten had an RBI single off reliever Zachary Stella.
Angel Solis also drove in a run with a fly ball to left.
Totten collected another RBI with a run-scoring single off Josh Forgy in the seventh.
Garza (7-7) allowed one run on three hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Dante Mendoza gave up a pair of runs in the sixth.
Josh Grissom pitched two innings, and Angel Alvarez one to seal the win.

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Record: 55-64, 5th, 18 GB Des Moines
Trailing 1-0, Paul Totten hit a three-run home run off St. Louis starting pitcher Angel Tiburcio in the bottom of the first inning to spur Quad City to a 12-2 rout of the River Walkers at Fenway Park (1976).
The win completed a three-game sweep of the Thunder.
QC put its first two batters aboard against Tiburcio in the bottom of the first.
Chris Shelley drew a lead-off walk.
Jacob Gonzalez followed with a double.
That set the stage for Totten's 21st homer of the season, a 428-foot bomb on the first pitch from Tiburcio.
The Thunder broke the game open three innings later, with four runs in the bottom of the fourth off Tiburcio.
Shelley, who had five hits in the game, led off with a single and scored on a Gonzalez double.
A third straight hit, this one a single from Totten, made it 5-1.
Mike Simpson drove in the final two runs with a two-out single.
Shelley scored another run in the fifth.
He led off with a single off Tiburcio, who was having to stay in the game because of an overworked bullpen, and scored when Gonzalez tripled.
The Thunder made it 11-2 in the sixth.
Simpson drove in two with a single off Justin O'Rourke.
Shelley collected an RBI with a single.
Shelley earned another RBI in the eighth with a run-scoring double off Nick Ruffalo.
Evanson (3-1) worked 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. he struck out four and walked one.
Dante Mendoza (1.2 IP) and Andres Garcia (1.0) combined to record the final eight outs.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have recalled shortstop Izaac Pacheco from AAA Memphis and sent infielder Eric Granger down to the Redbirds.
It will be Pacheco's second stint in the majors this season.
While he didn't hit well, .199 with six homers and 20 RBIs in 42 games, Pacheco seemed to spark the Walkers with his defensive play at shortstop.
At AAA this season, Pacheco has hit .229 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 45 games.
Granger, 30, got into 11 gams during his time in St. Louis. He batted .222 with two RBIs during that span.

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Record: 56-64, 5th, 18 GB Des Moines
Alex Pazos took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and Hector Tavarez drove in three runs in the first three runs of the game as St. Louis ended a five-game losing streak with a 6-2 win over Grand Rapids at the Polo Grounds (1923).
Pazos didn't allow a hit until Marcos Francis led off the bottom of the eighth with a single.
He lasted two more batter.
Pazos walked Jim Wilson before allowing a single to Juan Basques which loaded the bases.
David Amocacci took over and saw the Traders score their first run when catcher Jared Thomas allowed a passed ball.
A second run scored when Bruce Herrera singled to make it 6-2.
However, Amocacci retired the next two to keep the lead at four runs.
Amocacci came back out for the ninth and set Grand Rapids down in order to end it.
Pazos (3-4) allowed the two runs on two hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked three.
The Walkers jumped in front in the top of the first.
Daniel Becerra singled with one out off Traders starting pitcher Franciso Justo.
A wild pitch moved Becerra to second.
He scored on a Tavarez single.
The St. Louis lead grew to 3-0 in the fifth.
Tavarez drove in both runs with a single off Justo.
Pazos, who had singled, scored along with Nathaniel Dixon.
The Walkers did the rest of their scoring in the seventh.
Nick Shaw had an RBI double, while Jose Segura and Dan Hillard both drove in runs with singles.
Dalvin Rosario was on the mound for all of the damage.

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Record: 56-65, 5th, 19 GB Des Moines
Grand Rapids' Dan Bouwman tossed 7.1 innings and became the first Midwest Baseball League starting pitcher to reach 15 victories, as the Traders downed St. Louis 6-0 at the Polo Grounds (1923).
Bouwman (15-3) allowed two hits while striking out 10 and walking none.
The right-hander exited after retiring Jovan Gill for the first out of the top of the eighth.
Shane Duke recorded the final two outs of the eighth.
Dalvin Rosario held the River Walkers scoreless in the ninth.
The Traders broke the game open by scoring five runs off St. Louis starting pitcher Kyle Smarr in the bottom of the third.
Grand Rapids banged out six hits in the inning, and also benefited from an error by Walkers second baseman Daniel Becerra.
The Traders opened the inning with four consecutive hits, including RBI singles from Jerriod Ealy and Leonardo Rodriguez.
Matt Crawl recorded the first out, but still drove in a run.
Alvaro Lovato and Melvin Cadena would have run-scoring singles later in the inning.
Bruce Herrera tallied the game's final in the fourth.
He led off with a double off Smarr.
A Ealy single moved Herrera to third.
He scored when Rodriguez hit into a double play.

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Record: 56-66, 5th, 19 GB Des Moines
Trailing 2-1, Grand Rapids pounded St. Louis starting pitcher Jim Martin for five run in the bottom of the third inning as the Traders went on for an 8-3 win at the Polo Grounds (1923).
River Walkers rookie staked his team to an early lead with a two-run homer off Traders starting pitcher Brian Southers in the top of the first.
Grand Rapids cut that lead in half in the bottom of the second.
Alvaro Lovato singled off Martin with one out.
With Sean Nettles at the plate, Lovato stole second and went to third when Nettles singled.
Lovato scored when Jamie Lipscomb hit into a fielder's choice.
Martin then unraveled after striking out Southers to being the third.
He gave up eight straight hits -- the first three singles, one of them from Leonardo Rodriguez driving in the tying run, before Matt Crawl hit a three-run homer -- as the Traders went ahead 4-2.
Jerrion Early, who had the second single, was thrown out stealing during this stretch.
Lovato continued the onslaught after the homer with a single.
Nettles made it sixth straight hits with another single.
Lipscomb drove in Lovato with a single.
Melvin Cadena collected the eighth straight hit, and the seventh single, with a hit which scored Nettles.
It's lead at 6-3, Grand Rapids got its final two runs in the seventh.
Bruce Herrera drove in the first with a single off Scott Rissler.
A sacrifice fly by Marcos Francis plated the other.
Southers (8-0) racked up his eighth straight decision, he allowed three runs on three hits in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked one.
Victor de Leon worked the eighth and got the first two outs of the ninth.
Shane Duke retired the only batters he faced to end the game.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have announced the signing of veteran catcher Kevin Melendez.
Melendez, 34, has not played this season.
He least appeared in the majors with the Walkers during the 2033 season, during which he hit .214 with seven homers and 19 RBIs.
Melendez also spent the 2031 season in St. Louis an the 2032 campaign with AAA Memphis.
Veteran catcher Bobby Wescott was released to make room for Melendez.
Wescott, 32, was signed by St. Louis in July and was moved to the major league roster when Will Banfield was traded just before the trade deadline.
Wescott got into seven games for the Walkers, all of them starts.
He batted .120 with no homers or RBIs.
St. Louis went 1-6 in the six games he started behind the plate.

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Record: 56-67, 5th, 19 GB Des Moines
Jacob Etheridge hit a pinch-hit three-run home run off St. Louis relief pitcher Justin O'Rourke to help lift Grand Rapids to a 6-5 win over St. Louis at the Polo Grounds.
The win was the third in a row for the Traders to wrap up the four-game series.
The River Walkers had gone up 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning against Grand Rapids starting pitcher Joseph King.
Izaac Pacheco led off the inning with a single.
He then stole second and moved to third on a bunt by pitcher Shane Drogo.
Nathaniel Dixon broke the tie with a ground out.
O'Rourke retired two of the first three Traders batters in the seventh, Bruce Hererra getting on with a walk.
Leonardo Rodriguez singled to move Herrera to third.
Grand Rapids elected to pinch-hit for clean-up hitter Matt Crawl with Etheridge.
It paid off when he powered the first pitch he saw 410 feet over the wall in right for his ninth home run of the season.
The Walkers threatened in the ninth after Sean Williams issued a pair of walks after retiring the inning's first hitter.
Pacheco singled to load the bases.
Wayne McHaney, who drew the first walk, scored on a wild pitch.
But Williams struck out pinch-hitter Freudis Nova and got Dixon to ground out to end it.
King went 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits.
Yuki Matsui finished the sixth inning for the Traders.
Casey Mize (4-3) earned the win after a scoreless seventh.
Nate Guthrie set St. Louis down in order in the eighth.
Williams earned his 13th save despite his struggles in the ninth.

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MBL news: Week 18 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 56-68, 5th (Tied/w. Kansas City), 19.5 GB Des Moines
Chris Hyman hit a two-out homer off St. Louis reliever Scott Rissler in the top of the 11th inning to lift Louisville to a 6-5 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Hyman's 12th home run of the season came on a 2-0 pitch.
It landed 404 feet into the seats in right field.
Down 5-3, the River Walkers had ted it in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run home run from Jose Segura with two outs off Sluggers relief pitcher Joe Wahl.
A Freudis Nova homer off Louisville starter Esteban Serna in the bottom of the first gave St. Louis an early 1-0 lead.
The Sluggers, however, grabbed a 5-1 advantage with three runs in the top of the fourth off St. Louis starter Angel Tiburcio and two more in the fifth.
A passed ball by catcher Jared Thomas and a Tiburcio wild pitch scored two of the runs in the fourth.
Bobby Chapman had a two-out, two-run single off Tiburcio in the fifth.
Cerna worked seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out four and walked one.
Wahl allowed the two runs in the eighth.
Grayson Rodriguez (9-6) worked two scoreless innings and earned his ninth win of the season.

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Record: 56-69, 5th (Tied/w. Kansas City), 20.5 GB Des Moines
Tied 1-1, Louisville scored single runs in the top of the fifth and sixth innings and went on to defeat St. Louis 5-2 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Jario Diaz led off the top of the fifth with a single off River Walkers starting pitcher Alex Pazos.
Gamaliel Gonzalez moved him to third with a double.
Joe Bien snapped the tie with a fly ball to left field.
An inning later, it took just one batter for the Sluggers to improve their lead by a run, Josh Andre leading off the inning with a homer off Pazos.
It's lead down to 3-2, the Sluggers lengthened their advantatge by two runs in the top of the ninth.
Bien, a former St. Louis prospect, drove in the first run with a single off Justin O'Rourke.
Andre collected the other with a single off Oscar Martinez.
Sluggers starting pitcher Luis Vasquez lasted just two batters before exiting with an elbow injury.
Four relievers combined to complete the game for Louisville.
Elvin M. Rodriguez got the first call, finishing the first and working all of the second and recording the first out of the third.
After that it was Noah Cutrona (4-12), who earned the win for going 2.2 innings.
Victor Ortiz pitched the fifth and gave up the third St. Louis run.
Corey Wood didn't allow a batter over the final three innings to earn his third save.

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Record: 57-69, 5th (Tied/w. Kansas City), 20.5 GB Des Moines
St. Louis wiped out an early 2-0 deficit by scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning, it later took control by scoring twice in both the third and fourth as the River Walkers went on to defeat Louisville 7-4 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win allowed St. Louis to avoid getting swept by the Sluggers in the three-game series. It also halted a five-game losing streak.
Chase Davis homered twice in the game for the Sluggers, including a two-run shot in the first off Walkers starter Kyle Smarr.
St. Louis, however, quickly got to Sluggers starter Chris Lutz in the bottom of the inning.
The River Walkers put their first five batters on base.
Hector Tavarez drove in a run with a double, and Nick Shaw tied it with a single.
Jared Thomas completed the run with another single, as St. Louis went up 3-2.
The Walkers added a pair of runs off Lutz in the third.
Nick Shaw led off the inning with his 23rd homer of the season.
Jared Thomas followed with a single.
A Jovan Gill single moved him to third, and Izaac Pacheco picked up the RBI when he hit into a fielder's choice.
St. Louis got its final two runs in the fourth.
Lutz gave up a lead-off single to Nathaniel Dixon before leaving the game.
Nick Shaw scored Dixon with a two-out double off Joe Wahl.
Jared Thomas scored Shaw when he followed with a single.
Smarr (3-4) worked seven innings, allowing four runs on five hits. He struck out nine and didn't issue a walk.
Luke Dunkin and Nick Ruffalo both recorded scoreless innings of relief.
Ruffalo earned his ninth save.

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Record: 58-69, 6th, 21 GB Des Moines
Tied 1-1, Nathaniel Dixon drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and St. Louis went on to defeat Springfield 4-3 a Busch Stadium (2006).
Jose Segura led off the inning with a single off Railers starting pitcher John Haynes.
After Segura moved to third on a Freudis Nova ground out, Jared Thomas was given an intentional walk.
A wild pitch moved the base runners to second and third.
This led to another intentional walk, this one to Chris Duncan to load the bases.
Haynes struck out Jovan Gill for the second out.
Carlos Aguirre then replaced Haynes on the mound.
Dixon took advantage driving a 0-1 pitch into the gap in right-center to clear the bases.
Making his first start for the Walkers since July 4, when he suffered an elbow injury. Walkers starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall allowed one run on six hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked one.
David Amoccacchi pitched 1-2-3 seventh for St. Louis.
Zachary (Stella (0.2 IP) and Luke Dunkin (0.1) divided up the eighth.
Scott Rissler allowed a home run to Marty Park in the ninth, but still earned his seventh save.

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Record: 56-69, 6th, 21 GB Des Moines
St. Louis jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the first four innings, and the River Walkers went on to defeat Springfield 5-2 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The Walkers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Freudis Nova drew a one-out walk from Railers starting pitcher Ewdy Alex.
Nova moved to second on a Hector Taveras fly out to left file.d
A wild pitch moved him to third.
Nick Shaw drove Nova in with a triple.
St. Louis upped its advantage to 3-0 in the third.
Jim Martin and Nathaniel Dixon led off the inning with consecutive singles.
Nova moved them to second and third with a ground out.
Tavarez collected a pair of RBIs with a single.
Chris Duncan made it 4-0 with a two-out homer off Alex in the fourth.
Matthew Lugo got to Walkers starting pitcher Jim Martin for a two-run homer in the top of the sixth.
That, however, would be the extend of the scoring for Springfield.
The Walkers added an insurance run in the seventh.
Nova scored for a second time.
He was hit by a Martin Banditelli pitched to open the inning.
Tavarez moved Nova to third with a single.
Shaw picked up the RBI with a fly ball to right.
Martin (10-9) allowed two runs on four hits in six innings. He struck out five and didn't issue a walk.
Zachary Stella pitched a scoreless seventh for St. Louis.
Scott Rissler handled both the eighth and ninth for his eighth save.

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Record: 59-70, 6th, 21 GB Des Moines
Springfield roughed up St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe for six runs over the first four innings, and the Railers rolled to an 8-1 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win allowed the Railers to avoid getting swept by the River Walkers in the three-game series.
Springfield jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
Alex Otero singled with to outs and scored when Billy Salas doubled off McNaboe.
McNaboe was making his first start for the Walkers since July 7, when he suffered an elbow injury.
The Railers added two runs in the top of the second.
Dylan Crews and Marty Park led off the inning with back-to-back singles.
Ben Rortvedt followed with a double, scoring Crews.
Two batters later, Ryan West drove in Park with a fly ball to left.
Springfield busted the game open with three runs in the fourth.
Crews led off with a single.
A Park bunt moved Crews to second.
Rortvedt then doubled, scoring Crews.
After pitcher Ricardo Rosario grounded out, West singled to score Park and Rortvedt.
It's lead at 6-1, the Railers added their final two runs in in the sixth.
Adan Valette tripled with one out off reliever Oscar Martinez.
He scored on a West double.
Hideaki Taguchi followed that with another double, making it 8-1.
Rosario (2-0) went five innings, allowing one run on seven hits. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter.
Cristian Sanchez and Fernando Fernando handled the rest, both pitching two scoreless innings.

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MBL news: Week 19 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 59-71, 6th, 23 GB Des Moines
Jose Flores connected on a two-out, two-run double off St. Louis starting pitcher Angel Tiburico in the bottom of the first inning, to stake Milwaukee to a 2-0 lead and the Crushers cruised to a 6-2 win at Miller Park.
Tiburco walked Levi Usher to open the bottom of the first, and Pete Crow-Armstrong followed with a single.
The right-hander struck out the next two batters, but Flores bashed the first pitch he saw down the left-field line to put Milwaukee in front.
It's lead at 2-1, the Crushers added two runs in the bottom of the third.
A one-out error by Walkers second baseman Daniel Becerra set the one.
Flores drew a two-out walk, and Rogelio Mercado followed with a double which plated both to make it 4-1.
An RBI single from Becerra in the top of the fifth off Crushers starter Scott Mueller made it 4-2.
Milwaukee got that run back plus a little insurance when Brett Baty bashd a two-run homer off Tiburcio.
Mueller (7-7) worked six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked one.
Yeison Rafael Sanders, Mike Goldblatt and Glenn Dunn all pitched scoreless innings of relief.

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Record: 59-72, 6th, 23 GB Des Moines
Milwaukee jumped on St. Louis starting pitcher Shane Drogo for three runs in the bottom of the first inning, and the Crushers rode that to a 4-2 win over the River Walkers at Miller Park.
Chris Jensen got things rolling for the Crushers, connecting for a one-out single off Drogo.
Jose Flores followed with a double, scoring Jensen.
Two batters later, a walk to Jarrod Twomey and a Pete Crow-Armstrong single, and the bases were loaded.
Recently traded Eric Peretz then stepped up with a single to make it 3-0.
The Walkers got on the board in the top of the second on a one-out homer by Daniel Becerra off Crushers starting pitcher Justin Buck.
Milwaukee got its three-run lead back in the bottom of the third.
Jose Flores drew a lead-off walk from Drogo.
Crow-Armstrong moved Flores to second with a single
Peretz then connected his third RBI of the game when he followed with a single.
Buck (11-8) earned the win, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out eight and walked one.
After that, it was an inning apiece from Ed Sutherland, Mike Goldblatt, Caleb Walker and Glenn Dunn.
Dunn earned his 27th save of the season.

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Record: 60-72, 6th, 23 GB Des Moines
Tied 1-1, St. Louis scored twice in the top of the sixth inning, and the River Walkers went on to defeat Milwaukee 8-2 at Miller Park.
The win allowed St. Louis to avoid getting swept in the three-game series. It also snapped a four-game losing streak.
Freudis Nova got things rolling in the top of the sixth with a one-out single off Crushers starting pitcher George McCardel
Jared Thomas scored Nova when he followed with a double.
Chris Duncan made it three straight hits, a single which scored Thomas
Milwakee's Jarrod Twomey made it 3-2 when he led off the bottom of the sixth with a homer off St. Louis starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall.
That, however, would be the end of the scoring for Milwaukee.
St. Louis added a single run in the seventh -- Hector Tavarez led off with a single off Milwaukee reliever Yeison Rafael Sanders and later scored when Chris Duncan drew a bases-loaded walk from Ed Sutherland -- to go up 4-2.
The Walkers busted it open with four runs in the top of the ninth.
Wayne McHaney had a pinch-hit single off Caleb Walker to drive in the first run.
Daniel Becerra plated the second with another single.
Nick Shaw notched the final two with a double.
Wigfall (8-7) earned the win, he went 5.2 innings allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out nine and walked two.
Zachary Stella got the final out of the sixth.
Oscar Martinez pitched the seventh and eighth without incident.
Luke Dunkin took care of the ninth.

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Record: 60-73, 6th, 23 GB Des Moines
Ann Arbor's Mario Gurule jomered three times to help power the Wolf Pack to a 13-6 rout of St. Loui at Busch Stadium (2006).
Gurule set the tone in the game's opening at bat hitting a 395 foot bomb off St. Louis starting pitcher Jim Martin to put the Pack ahead 1-0.
Ann Arbor would score three more times before the inning was over -- one run scoring on a bases-loaded walk to Roman Montes while Logan Simmons plated one with a double -- as it built a quick 4-0 lead.
The Pack added two more runs in the top of the second, Ryan Wibbenmeyer and Montes with run-scoring singles off Martin.
Zach Wenman connected on a two-run double off Ann Arbor starting pitcher Justin Potter in the bottom of the second, making it 6-2.
When the Walkers scored two more times in the third, Jose Segura with an RBI single to drive in one of the runs, it was suddenly 6-4.
But just as suddenly it was 8-4 after the top of the fourth.
Gurule led off the inning off Martin with a double.
He was promptly relieved by Josh Forgy.
Gurule later scored on a Montes single.
Stephen Von Lehmden later surrendered an RBi single to Troy Smallwood, as Ann Arbor went up 8-4.
Gurule hit his second homer, a solo shot, off Van Lehmden in the fifth.
The Wolf Pack made it ugly with a four-run top of the seventh.
Gurule made a huge contribution with a three-run homer off Justin O'Rourke.
Andy Machacek also drove in a run with a double off Von Lehmden.
Potter (8-8) alowed five runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked one.
David Bergeron pitched two scoreless innings.
Edgar Lamas gave up a meaningless run in the ninth.