2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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Record: 11-14, 4th, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Jose Segura hit the third pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning from Akron relief pitcher Phil Luis, 439 feet over the wall in right-center to give St. Louis a 6-5 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory gave the River Walkers a split of the four-game series.
A three-run bottom of the seventh -- featuring a two-run pinch-hit homer from Jose Ramirez and a RBI single from Nick Shaw, both off Flying Feet reliever Joe Black -- had put St. Louis ahead 5-1.
Akron responded with three runs in the top of the eighth.
Danny Morrison tripled off reliever Josh Forgy and scored on a fly ball.
Robby Martin followed with a solo homer to make it 5-3.
Freudis Nova then greeted reliever Scott Rissler with a walk.
Brady House followed with a single, which included an error by Jae-hong Chang which allowed Nova to score.
The Feet tied it an inning later when Zach Arnold doubled with one out off Walkers closer Ernesto Barbosa, and scored when two batters later John Polk also doubled.
Barbosa has blown saves in three of his last four outings.
St. Louis starter Jerry Tate turned in probably his best start of the season, allowing one run on one hit over 5.1 innings. He struck out three but did walk five.
Jonathan Lucas got the final out of the sixth and worked a scoreless seventh.
Forgy (0.2 IP) and Rissler (0.1) combined to pitch the eighth, when Akron scored three times.
Barbosa (2-1) got the win, but did blow his third save.

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MBL news: Week 4 -- Awards and standings (Shaw wins NL POW award)

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed shortstop Kyren Paris on the 10-day injured list with a concussion and called up shortstop Armando Morales from AAA Memphis.
Signed in the offseason to replace Jean Carmona who was lost in free agency, Paris has had a hard time getting onto the field for the Walkers.
This marks the 31-year-olds second trip to the injured list of the season, and has played in only 12 of the team's 25 games.
In those games, Paris has batted just .207 with no homers or RBIs and scored two runs.
Paris could miss up to three weeks.
Getting the callup from the Redbirds is the 27-year-old Morales.
In 23 games this season, he has hit .264 with three homers and seven RBIs.
He has played in the majors before, accumulating 35 games during which he has hi .121 with one RBI.

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Record: 11-15, 5th, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Nick Jernigan hit a two-run home run off St. Louis reliever Scott Rissler with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning to help give Kansas City a 5-3 win at Kauffman Stadium
Rissler issued a lead-off walk to Darren Miller to open the bottom of the eighth.
He then struck out Josh Shuler.
But Jernigan turned on an 0-1 pitch and launched it 425 feet over the wall in left field.
The Monarchs had tied the game at 3-3 in the previous inning, having once trailed 3-1.
Glenn Santiago and Adrian Del Castillo led off the inning with consecutive doubles off St. Louis reliever Yeison Santos.
Santiago scoring on the Del Castillo double.
Santos had to make an extended appearance coming on with one out in the third inning after starter Angel Tiburcio had to exit with an elbow injury.
Tiburcio is expected to be out for a week.
Nick Ruffalo came on and struck out the next two, before issuing an intentional walk to Ramon Puente.
Tony Martinez spoiled the strategy, which pitted a left-handed pitcher against a left-handed hitter, with the third double of the inning to tie the score.
KC starting pitcher Juan Buenrostro lasted six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. He struck out eight and walked five.
Jose Lazaro, Matt Broussard and Dominic Pipkin all followed with scoreless innings.
Broussard (1-1) earned his first win of the season.
Pipkin collected his fourth save.

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Record: 12-15, 3rd, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Jose Segura hit a two-out, two-run home run off Kansas City reliever Victor Vodnik in the top of the sixth inning to snap a 4-4 tie, and help lift St. Louis to a 6-4 win at Kauffman Stadium.
The Monarchs opened the inning with starting pitcher Travis Rinker on the mound.
He sandwiched a pair of flyouts around a hit by pitch of Jose Ramirez, before exiting in favor of Vodnik.
Segura was the first batter Vodnik faced, and it got to a 3-2 count before the River Walkers center fielder powered his fourth home run of the season 460 feet over the wall in right-center.
Walkers pitcher Jesse McNaboe singled off Rinker to lead off the fourth and scored on a Segura fielder's choice to give St. Louis a 4-2 lead.
KC tied it in the bottom of the fifth against McNaboe.
Josh Shuler with an RBI double, followed by a run-scoring single from Ramon Puente.
McNaboe (2-3) worked six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked two.
Four relievers -- Josh Forgy (0.1 IP), Cory Tiller (1.0), Nick Ruffalo (0.2) and closer Ernesto Barbosa (1.0) -- combined to finish the win.
Barbosa earned his sixth save.

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Record: 12-16, 4th, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Down 1-0, Kansas City's Gerando Bernal hit a grand slam off St. Louis starting pitcher Zack Hunsicker with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, and the Monarchs rode that to a 7-2 win at Kauffman Stadium.
The win gave the Monarchs' victories in two of their three games with the River Walkers.
Bernal's homer was the first hit of the game for KC, as the baserunners on in front of him had reached on a trio of walks, one of them intentional, from Hunsicker.
The Monarchs went up 5-1 an inning later, KC starting pitcher Alexis Yanez driving in the run with a single.
In the seventh, Josh Shuler drove in a run with a triple off St. Louis reliever Jonathan Lucas.
Nick Jernigan drove Shuler in with a single.
Yanez (1-2) worked 7.1 innings, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out four and walked one.
Kane Jervis (0.2 IP) and Mike Goodkin (1.0) combined to finish the game.

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Record:]13-16, 3rd, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Jose Segura led off the top of the 13th inning with a double, and later scored on a Armondo Morales ground ball as St. Louis won 5-4 in 13 innings over Cincinnati at Riverfront Stadium (1984).
Segura's double came off River Sharks reliever Josh Paul.
A Daniel Becerra ground ball moved Segura to third.
Becerra had hit two home runs in the game, helping the River Walkers raly from an early 4-1 deficit.
Paul intentionally walked Jovan Gill.
Morales hit a ground ball to second and with no play at the plate, Gill was forced at second as the run scored.
Walkers closer Ernesto Barbosa (3-1) pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win.
Cincinnati jumped out to its 4-1 lead thanks to a first-inning grand slam from long-time St. Louis shortstop Jean Carmona off Walkers starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall.
Wigfall was fine after that, no allowing another run and finishing the game having allowed the four runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two.
St. Louis made it 4-2 in the top of the fourth when Becerra led off the inning with a homer off Sharks starter Josh Sunheim.
Becerra and Gill hit back-to-back home runs off Sundheim with one out in the sixth to tie it.
Between Wigfall and Barbosa, the Walkers used four relievers -- Cory Tiller (0.2 IP), Nick Ruffalo (1.1), Scott Rissler (1.0) and Josh Forgy (1.0) -- none of whom allowed a run.

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Record: 14-16, 3rd, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Tied 2-2, St. Louis exploded for eight runs against the Cincinnati bullpen in the top of the eighth inning and went on for a 10-2 win at Riverfront Stadium (1984).
Three-run home runs from pinch-hitter Jose Ramirez (off reliever Luis Ortiz) and Nick Shaw (off reliever Victo Lizaola) were the big blows.
St. Louis starting pitcher Jerry Tate turned in perhaps his best outing of the season, allowing two runs on six hits over 6.3 innings, but did not figure into the decision.
Yeison Santos (1-1) got the win, after finishing the seventh inning.
Luke Dunkin kept the River Sharks off the board in the eighth and ninth.

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Record: 15-16, 3rd, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Trailing 2-1, St. Louis scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning and rode it to a 5-4 win over Cincinnati at Riverfront Stadium (1984).
A two-run homer from Jose Segura off River Sharks starting pitcher Jared Jones was the big hit of the inning.
It made the score 5-2.
The Walkers, however, wee helped by a pair of wild pitches, both of which allowed runs to score.
With Angel Tiburcio unable to make his scheduled start because of an elbow injury, AAA callup Ronald Crossingham (1-0) was just good enough to earn his first win in the majors.
He allowed four runs on five hits in five innings.
Four relievers -- Scott Rissler (0.2 IP), Nick Ruffalo (1.1), Cory Tiller (1.0) and closer Ernesto Barbosa (1.0) -- combined to shut out the Sharks the rest of the way.
Barbosa now has seven saves.

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Record: 16-16, 3rd, 7.5 GB Des Moines
St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe allowed one run over seven innings and the River Walkers completed a three-game sweep of Cincinnati with a 4-1 win at Riverfront Stadium (1984).
After a pair of lackluster starts, McNaboe (3-3) was back on top of his game allowing the one run -- on a fly ball and throwing error by left fielder Jose Ramirez in the bottom of the seventh, to make it 4-1 -- on three hits.
He struck out four and walked two.
Nick Ruffalo got the final out of the seventh inning and worked a silent eighth.
Josh Forgy recorded his first save with a perfect ninth.
Jose Segura put the River Walkers in front in the top of the second with a two-run home run off River Sharks starting pitcher Hugo Vasquez.
An inning later, Jose Ramirez made it 3-0 with a solo shot off Vasquez.
Nick Shaw made it 4-0 when he capped a 4-for-4 effort at the plate with an RBI single off Vasquez in the fifth.

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MBL news: Week 5 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 16-17, 3rd, 8 GB Des Moines
Kansas City utilized the big inning -- with two four-run stanzas and one with three -- to power its way to an 11-1 win over St. Louis at Kauffman Stadium.
Down 1-0, the Monarchs surged into the lead with a four-run bottom of the fourth against River Walkers starter Zack Hunsicker.
Glenn Santiago did half the work with a two-run homer.
Nick Jernigan drove in the first run with a double.
The second run scored on an error by center fielder Jose Segura, on a ball hit by Levi Usher.
KC struck for four runs again in the sixth.
Ramon Puente hit the first of his two homers in the game, with a two-run shot off Yeison Santos.
Darren Miller drove in the inning's first run with a triple.
He scored on an Enrique Salcedo single.
Puente's second homer came in a three-run eighth.
It came off Jonathan Lucas.
Gerardo Bernal also took Lucas deep in that inning with a two-run homer to complete the scoring.
Monarchs starting pitcher Alexis Yanez (2-2) earned the win, he allowed one run on three hits over the first five innings.
He struck out eight and walked three.
Three relievers -- Jose Leclerc (1.0 IP), Kane Jervis (2.0) and Mike Goodkin (1.0) -- combined to keep St. Louis off the board the rest of the way.
Hunsicker exited the game in the fifth inning with a finger blister.
He is expected to be available to make his next start.

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Record: 16-18, 3rd (Tied/w. Quad City, 9 GB Des Moines
Kansas City jumped on St. Louis starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall for three runs in the bottom of the first inning, and the Monarchs rode that to a 5-3 win at Kauffman Stadium.
Kansas City came out aggressive against Wigfall and put four of it first six batters on base.
Tony Martinez drove in the game's first run with a single.
Two batters later, Nick Jernigan doubled to make it 3-0.
It's lead 3-1, the Monarchs added their other two runs in sixth.
Enrique Salcedo plated the first run with a single off reliever Nick Ruffalo.
Salcedo was later caught stealing.
That meant when the batter at the plate, Levi Usher, homered -- it was a solo homer.
Kansas City starting pitcher Tyler Martin (3-2) allowed two runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings.
Mark Polzin finished the seventh inning, and worked a scoreless eighth.
Dominic Pipkin gave up a lead-off homer to Jae-hong Chang, but retired the next three for his sixth save.

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Record: 16-19, 4th, 9.5 GB Des Moines
Mike Tucker limited St. Louis to a single runs over 7.2 innings, and Kansas City completed a three-game sweep with a 3-1 win at Kauffman Stadium.
Tucker (4-3) allowed the one run -- an RBI single to Nick Shaw in the top of the thing inning which gave the River Walkers a 1-0 lead -- on three hits during his time on the mound. He struck out two while walking four.
The Monarchs tied it in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out solo homer from Levi Usher off St. Louis starting pitcher Jerry Tate.
KC took the lead an inning later.
The Monarchs put their first four hitters on the board -- Enrique Salcedo walked, followed by singles from Ramon Puente and Josh Schuler, Salcedo was thrown out at the plate on the Schuler single -- a Gerardo Bernal single then reloaded the bases.
Nick Jernigan then drove in what would be the game-winning run, scoring Puente on a fielder's choice.
The Monarchs added an insurance run in the eighth.
Puente with an RBI single off Josh Forgy, who had proceeded his at-bat by allowing a single to Adrian Del Castillo and walking Salcedo.
Dominic Pipkin earned his seventh save by retiring all four batters he faced, one to finish the eighth and three in the ninth.

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Record: 16-20, 4th, 10.5 GB Des Moines
Tied 4-4, Green Bay scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning, and the Mallards went on for a 7-5 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (2006).
The early part of the game featured plenty of scoring.
The Mallard battered River Walkers starter for four runs in the top of the second inning, only to have St. Louis score three in the bottom half and another in the fourth -- a solo homer from Nick Shaw off Green Bay starter Triston Casas -- to tie it.
In the fourth, Casas got things going with a lead-off double off Tiburcio.
Scott Kern followed with another double, snapping the tie.
A balk by Tiburcio moved Kern to third.
Tiburcio then unleashed a wild pitch, scoring Kern to make it 6-4.
Jadn Agassi connected on an RBI single off Scott Rissler in the fifth, as the Green Bay lead reached 7-4.
Casas (2-0) earned the win, allowing five runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings.
Allan Stephany finished off the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth.
Justin O'Rourke did his job in the ninth for his ninth save.

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Record: 17-20, 4th, 9.5 GB Des Moines
Jesse McNaboe came within one out of a shutout, exiting the game with the bases-loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth inning, as St. Louis snapped a four-game skid with a 5-0 win over Green Bay at Busch Stadium (2006).
McNaboe (4-3) had allowed just three hits through eight innings, before a trio of singles loaded the bases for the Mallards in the top of the ninth.
Luke Dunkin got the call, and closed it out with a strike out of pinch-hitter Austin Hendrick.
The game was tight until the River Walkers broke it open with four runs in the bottom of the eight.
St. Louis got its first run in the bottom of the first off Green Bay starting pitcher Alex Duarte.
Lead-off hitter Glenallen Hill Jr. reached base on a dropped third strike to open the inning.
Singles from Nathaniel Dixon and Jae-hong Chang loaded the bases with two outs.
Duarte then walked Jose Ramirez to score hill.
The Walkers scored their four runs in the eighth on five hits and a hit by pitch.
Daniel Becerra and Dixon drove in the first two runs with singles.
Ramirez plated the other two, also with a single, giving him three RBIs for the game.

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Record: 17-21, 6th, 9.5 GB Des Moines
Tied 3-3, Green Bay scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to take the lead, and the Mallards held on for a 6-3 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win gave Green Bay victories in two of the three games in the series.
Alex Boychuk got things going in the top of the seventh for the Mallards, with a lead-off triple off St. Louis reliever Luke Dunkin.
Boychuk scored when Kerry Fackelman followed with a double.
Fackelman later scored on a two-out double from Sal Valdez off Nick Ruffalo.
The Mallards added an insurance run in the eighth on a lead-off homer by Tim Tawa off Ruffalo.
Earlier, trailing 1-0, the Mallards had gone up with three runs in the top of the sixth.
Tawa drove in the final two runs with a double off Walkers starter Zack Hunsicker.
St. Louis tied it in the bottom of the sixth.
Pinch-hitter Jose Ramirez with a sacrifice fly which scored Jae-hong Chang, who had led off the inning with a double off Green Bay reliever Jason Garrett.
Mallards starting pitcher Elji Konno allowed one run on four hit over the first five innings.
Four relievers -- Garrett, Allen Stephany, Antonio Gonzalez, and Justin O'Rourke -- all followed with an inning apiece.
Garrett (1-0), despite giving up two runs in the sixth, earned the win.
O'Rourke improved his save total to 10.

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MBL news: Week 6 --Awards and standings

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Record: 18-21, 5th, 9.5 GB Des Moines
Xavier Wigfall turned in his best outing of the season -- taking a shutout into the sixth inning -- and St. Louis exploded for 10 runs as it rolled to a 10-3 win over Quad City at Busch Stadium (2006).
Wigfall (3-3) allowed just two hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out seven and walked four.
Wigfall exited after Quad City loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth.
Josh Forgy came on and got Angel Solis to hit into a fielder's choice.
The River Walkers led 4-0 going into the top of that sixth.
They jumped in front 3-0 in the bottom of the first, on a three-run homer from Nick Shaw off Thunder starting pitcher Vinny Padilla.
Shaw collected another RBI in the fifth, when he doubled off Padilla making it 4-0.
St. Louis busted the game open with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Jose Ramirez picked up the final two RBIs with a double.
Quad City scored three runs late off reliever Jonathan Lucas.
Forgy faced just one batter to end the sixth.
Lucas worked two innings, allowing all three QC runs.
Nick Ruffalo was perfect in the ninth to wrap it up.

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Record: 19-21, 5th, 9.5 GB Des Moines
Down 3-2, St. Louis exploded for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and rode that to a 7-3 win over Quad City at Busch Stadium (2006).
The Thunder had taken the lead in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI single from Paul Totten off reliever Josh Forgy.
Angel Solis, who had doubled in front of Totten, scored on the hit.
It didn't take long for the Walkers to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth.
Thairo Estrada led off the inning with a single off QC reliever Troy Repasky.
Three pitches later, Jovan Gill hit his fifth home run of the season to make it 4-3.
The Walkers were not done, scoring three more times.
After Bobby Stover took the mound with a runner on first and two outs, the Walkers banged out three straight hits -- including an RBI single from Daniel Becerra and a two-run double by Jose Ramirez -- as their lead grew to 7-3.
The St. Louis bullpen carried a heavy load in the win, as starter Jerry Tate had to exit after 2.1 innings with an elbow injury.
He allowed two runs on three hits in his time on the mound.
Tate will be headed to the injured list as he is expected to miss two weeks.
Yeison Santos was the first reliever up for the Walkers, and he handled 3.1 innings without allowing a run.
Forgy (3-0) was next with 2.1 innings, allowing the one run in the seventh
He would come out of the game with his third win.
Scott Rissler struck out the side in the ninth to end it.