2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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Record: 66-39, 1st, 7.5 GA Cedar Rapids
St. Louis scored seven runs between the second and fourth innings, and rolled to an 8-3 win over Cedar Rapids at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
The victory gave the River Walkers a mind-boggling 20-3 record for the month of July.
Just off the injured list, Jackson Miller connected on a two-run double off Grapplers starter Joel Glenn in the top of the second to put the River Walkers in front 2-0.
An inning later, Nathaniel Dixon tripled off Glenn with two outs, driving in Nick Shaw who had singled just in front of him, pushing the lead to 3-0.
Manuel Coke provided the big hit of a four-run fourth, with a three-run homer off Glenn.
Bob Saavedra drove in the inning's first run with a double.
St. Louis starting pitcher Shane Drogo (7-6) worked 6.2 innings, allowing two runs no four hits. He struck out nine and walked two.
Zachary Stella got the final out of the seventh.
Angel Tiburcio worked the final two innings, giving up two runs which really didn't mean much in the ninth.

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MBL news: August 1 -- Player and Pitcher awards for August

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MBL news: August 1 -- Rookies of the Month for July and standings

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MBL news: August 1 -- American League leaders

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MBL news: August 1 -- National League leaders

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Walkers news: August 1 -- Player Development Report

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Walkers news: August 1 -- Statistical report for August

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Walkers news: August 1 -- Individual statistics for 2035 season

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Player of the Month: Bob Saavedra -- The 24-year-old third baseman batted .362 with two homers, 25 RBIs and 17 runs scored in 22 games. He got on base at a .412 clip and slugged .553. Saavedra was named NL Rookie of the Month for the third time this season.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Josh McDonald -- The 28-year-old right-hander went 5-0 in five starts and posted a 2.30 ERA. He pitched a total of 31.1 innings, during which he struck out 32 and had a 1.21 WHIP. McDonald was named NL Pitcher of the Month.
Relief Pitcher of the Month: Nick Strother -- The 30-year-old right-hander got into eight games during which he went 2-0 with five saves and a 0.96 ERA. He pitched a total of 9.1 innings, during which he struck out 13 and had a 0.96 WHIP.

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Record: 66-40, 1st, 6.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids blasted five home runs -- including two in the seventh inning and one in the eighth -- to power its way to a 9-6 win over St. Louis at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
The win allowed the Grapplers to avoid getting swept in the three-game series.
It was a wild final four innings.
St. Louis scored three times in the top of the sixth -- pitcher Jesse McNaboe drove in a run with a single off Grapplers relief pitcher Omar Benitez while Bob Saavadera plated the other two with a triple -- to go up 4-1.
Cedar Rapids stormed right back to tie it in the bottom of the inning.
Mark Hill led off the inning with a homer off McNaboe.
Eric Gebhardt later connected for an RBI single off reliever Nick Ruffalo.
Tim Jurgensen plated the inning's final run with a fly ball.
Hector Taveras homered off Evan Palmer in the top of the seventh, giving the Walkers a 5-4 lead.
The Grapplers wiped that out and took the lead with a pair of two-run homers off Zachary Stella in the bottom of the inning.
Dane Finch struck first, two batters later Miguel Mato took Stella deep.
Mato had homered for Cedar Rapids first run, back in the bottom of the fifth off McNaboe.
The Walkers did get a run in the ninth, but Keith Kirby was able to get Nick Shaw to fly out with one runner aboard to end it.
Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Joey Ross went 5.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits. He struck out six and walked one.
The Grapplers used six relievers after that with five of them -- Omar Benitez (0.1 IP), Lorenzo Mascorro (0.1), Evan Palmer (0.1), Matt Ray (0.2) and Cory Tiller (0.2) -- recording two outs of less.
Ray (2-4) earned the win.
Kirby did pitched 1.1 innings, while earning his 18th save.

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Record: 66-41, 1st, 5.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Dayton jumped on St. Louis starting pitcher Josh McDonald for two runs in the top of the first inning, and starting pitcher Jeff Hall and the Pilots' bullpen made it stand up in a 2-1 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
McDonald walked Dayton lead-off hitter Hsin-ping Mei to open the game, and the Pilots took advantage.
Mei stole second, and scored on a two-out single by Bobby Carrasco, which included an error by left fielder Hector Tavarez.
Doug Brinton then scored Carrasco with a double.
Hall was impressive over his six shut-out innings. He allowed four hits while striking out three and not issuing a walk.
Marty Benitez pitched a scoreless seventh and was charged with the lone' River Walkers' run which scored in the eighth.
Benitez gave up singles to Izaac Pacheco and pinch-hitter Jose Ramirez.
After a strikeout of Bob Saavedra, he walked Jackson Miller to load the bases.
Jason Pappas took over and struck out Manuel Coke for the second out.
However, he threw a wild-pitch with Nick Shaw at the plate, allowing Pacheco to score.
Pappas then got Shaw to fly out to end the inning.
He returned to the mound for the ninth and set the side down in order for his 26th save.

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Record: 67-41, 1st, 5.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Nathaniel Dixon led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run off Dayton relief pitcher Nate Guthrie, giving St. Louis a 4-3 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Dixon's sixth home run of the season came on a 1-1 pitch, it traveled 375 feet over the right-field wall.
Making his first start in the majors since July 14, 2034, when he suffered an elbow injury and had to undergo Tommy John surgery, Xavier Wigfall turned in a strong outing.
The 26-year-old right-hander shutout the Pilots over the first five innings, before allowing a lead-off homer to Doug Brinton to open the sixth.
Wigfall exited the game having allowed the one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked two.
The River Walkers lead trimmed to 3-1, Nick Ruffalo took over and promptly allowed another homer, this one to Bobby Carrasco, making it 3-2.
By the time the half-inning was over, it was tied 3-3 as Matt Freudenberg followed the Carrasco homer with a triple.
Freudenberg scored when Ruffalo allowed a single to Robert Hassell.
Ruffalo did finally strike out Dan Huff for the first out.
Nick Strother then took over and got Justin Johnson to hit into a double play, keeping the score 3-3.
It stayed that way until Dixon won it in the ninth.
Much earlier, the Walkers jumped in front on a solo homer from Manuel Coke off Dayton starting pitcher Rob Reed in the bottom of the first.
An inning later, Chris Duncan made it 2-0 with an RBI double off Reed.
Hector Tavarez, who had scored St. Louis' second run, also scored their third in the fourth.
Like his first run, he drew a walk from Reed and stole second base.
Dixon then drove him in with a double.
After getting the Walkers out of their eighth-inning jam, Strother pitched a scoreless seventh.
Oscar Martinez (2-1) held the Pilots scoreless in the eighth and ninth, and earning himself a win.

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Record: 68-41, 1st, 5.5 GA Cedar Rapids
St. Louis put together a pair of big innings -- a three-run bottom of the first and a four-run fifth -- and went on to defeat Dayton 9-2 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The River Walkers did all their damage in the first inning with two outs against Pilots starting pitcher Scott Mueller.
After the first two were retired, Jose Ramiez tripled, and he scored when Nick Shaw doubled.
Jose Segura then made it 3-0 with a 422-foot bomb over the wall in left-center field.
Dayton had pulled to within 3-2 when the St. Louis offense got firing again in the fifth.
This time, the barrage came early in the form of five straight hits to open the inning.
Manuel Coke led off with a single off Mueller, and he scored when Zach Wenman doubled.
Ramirez kept things going with a single, putting runners at the corners.
Shaw scored Wenman with another single, and sent Mueller to the shower.
Sean Reznik took over and gave up a single to Segura, making it 6-2.
Aaron Nixon would drive in the inning's final run with a two-out single off Reznik.
The Walkers' final two runs came in the sixth.
Shaw collected another RBI with a double off Jose Infante.
Segura made it 9-2 when his ground out scored Ramirez, who had drawn a walk from Reznik earlier in the inning.
Edward Kunselman (7-6) handled the first six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out five and issued one walk.
Angel Tiburcio worked three scoreless innings of relief to earn his third save.

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Record: 68-42, 1st, 4.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Dayton jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and with the help of a four-run top of the eighth, the Pilots went on to defeat St. Louis 6-3 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory allowed Dayton to split the four-game series with the River Walkers.
Dayton got single runs in the score in the top of the second inning -- Dan Huff with an RBI single to score Doug Brinton, who had drawn a lead-off walk from St. Louis starting pitcher Shane Drogo -- and fourth -- Brinton scored again, this time leading off with a single and scoring on a Josh Williams ground -- to grab its 2-0 lead.
An RBI single from Bob Saavedra in the bottom of the fifth off Pilots starting pitcher Pablo Ochoa had drawn the Walkers to within 2-1.
But Walkers lefty reliever Nick Ruffalo had his second straight ugly outing -- and the third and the last four -- as he allowed a four-spot to bust the game open.
Four of the first five batters Ruffalo faced reached base.
Brinton continued to wreak havoc with a two-run homer.
Former River Walker Jovan Gill also drove in a run with a triple.
Josh Williams scored Gill with a sacrifice fly.
Ruffalo's ERA has blown up from 1.75 on July 6 to 3.76 on August 5.
The Walkers did get solo homers late from Saavedra (in the eighth off Sean Reznik) and Hector Tavarez (in the ninth off Nate Guthrie) but it was only enough to close them to within 6-4.
Ochoa (8-6) pitched 5.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits.
Billy Lavala finished the sixth inning for the Pilots.
After that, it was an inning each from Marty Benitez and Reznik.
Nate Guthrie got the first out of the ninth.
Jason Pappas came on after the Tavarez homer to earn his 27th save.

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MBL news: August 6 -- Week 18 - Awards and standings

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Record: 68-43, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
Tied 3-3, Springfield tallied a pair of runs off the St. Louis bullpen in the top of the eighth inning and went on to win 6-4 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The River Walkers had tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a pinch-hit RBI double from Nathaniel Dixon off Railers reliever Ruben Ruiz.
Springfield wasted no time getting going in the top of the eighth, with Carlton Randall leading things off with a double off Zachary Stella.
Justin Schneider and Ryan West both followed with singles, West's scoring Randall, as Stella failed to retired any of the three batters he faced.
Nick Strother took over for St. Louis, and Hideaki Taguchi made it four consecutive hits for the Railers with a single to score Schneider.
The Walkers got to within 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth on Nick Shaw's 21 homer of the season. It came off Steve Nilson.
Springfield got the run back in the top of the ninth.
Dylan Crews led off the inning with a double off Strother.
He later scored when Jason Hillsberg grounded into a fielder's choice against Nick Ruffalo.
Railers starting pitcher Marcos Zaragoza went six innings, allowing thee runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked one.
Ruiz, Nilsen and Jon Santiago all pitched an inning apiece for the Railers.
Santiago came away with his 22nd save.

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Record: 69-43, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
St. Louis' Izaac Pacheco tripled with one out in the 10th inning, and scored on a wild pitch by Springfield's Steve Nilson as the River Walkers rallied for a 3-2 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Pacheco tripled on a 3-2 pitch from Nilsen.
That brought pinch-hitter Zach Wenman to the plate.
Nilson's first pitch to Wenman eluded Railers catcher Ben Rortvedt, allowing Pacheco to score.
Springfield jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first against St. Louis starting pitcher Josh McDonald.
Joseph Hughes drove in both runs with a double.
The Walkers didn't get on the board until the bottom of the eighth, when Nathaniel Dixon hit a pinch-hit homer with one out off Railers relief pitcher Nick Thiel.
St. Louis tied it in the ninth
Jackson Miller drew a lead-off walk from Jon Santiago.
Miller moved to second on a deep fly ball from Manuel Coke.
Nick Shaw tied it with a singled up the middle.
McDonald went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out eight and walked two.
Scott Rissler finished off the seventh inning.
After that it was Greg Sones, Zachary Stella and Bobby Westerman for an inning apiece.
Westerman (1-0) earned his first win since joining St. Louis from Madison just before the trade deadline.

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Record: 69-44, 1st, 3.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Ewdy Alex allowed one run over six innings and the Springfield bullpen did the rest, as the Railers won 5-1 over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win gave Springfield victories in two of the three games in the series.
Alex (8-5) allowed one run on just two hits over his six innings. He struck out two and walked one.
The lone run allowed by the right-hander came on an RBI double by Nathaniel Dixon in the bottom of the fourth to make it 3-1.
A two-run homer from Justin Schneider off Walkers starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall in the top of the second inning put the Railers ahead 2-0.
Joseph Hughes made it 3-0 when he led off the fourth with a double off Wigfall. He later scored on a wild pitch.
With their lead down to 3-1, the Railers added the game's final run in the fifth.
Alex scored the run after drawing a one-out walk from Wigfall.
A single from Hideaki Taguchi moved Alex to second.
He scored on a Billy Salas single.
After Alex exited the game, the Railers turned to Nick Thiel, Ruben Ruiz and T.J. Darr for a scoreless inning apiece to close out the game.

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Record: 70-44, 1st, 3.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Trailing 3-1, St. Louis put four runs on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the River Walkers went on to defeat Louisville 5-3 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The Sluggers' Bobby Chapman hit a three-run home run off St. Louis starting pitcher Edward Kunselman in the top of the first, staking his team to a 3-0 lead.
The Walkers got their first run in the bottom of the second off Sluggers starter Andres Garcia.
Nick Shaw and Zach Wenman opened the inning with back-to-back single.
Shaw was eliminated when Jose Segura hit into a fielder's choice.
Izaac Pacheco later scored Wenman with a two-out single.
An error by Louisville shortstop Jairo Diaz set things in motion for St. Louis in the fourth, as it allowed Hector Taveras to reach base with one out.
Pacheco then reached when left fielder Dan Boyle botched his fly ball.
With one out, Bob Saavedra started a string of four straight singles for the Walkers.
Saavedra, Aaron Nixon, Nathaniel Dixon and Shaw all drove in runs with their hits off Garcia.
Kunselman (8-6) went 6.2 innings, allowing three runs on three hits. He struck out 10 and walked two.
Nick Ruffalo put a stop to a string of ugly outings, by finishing the seventh and getting the first two outs of the eighth.
Scott Rissler struck out the only batter he faced to end the eighth.
Bobby Westerman set the Sluggers down in order for his third save since joining St. Louis in late July.

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Record: 70-45, 1st, 3.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Tied 4-4, Dan Boyle hit a two-run single off St. Louis reliever Scott Rissler to help lift Louisville to a 6-5 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The River Walkers had tied the game on a two-run single from Nick Shaw off Sluggers reliever Ricardo Builes in the bottom of the fifth.
Louisville had led 4-2 when St. Louis came to bat in the bottom of the fifth.
Pinch-hitter Chris Ring singled off Walkers starter Shane Drogo with one out in the top of the sixth.
Drogo then left the game, with Rissler taking his place.
With Jairo Diaz at the plate, Ring was thrown out stealing second by catcher Jackson Miller for the inning's second out.
But Diaz kept the inning alive with a single.
Joe Bien, who had homered in the top of the third to begin the scoring, then doubled to put runners at second and third.
Dan Boyle then fought through a 10-pitch at bat, before he singled to score both Diaz and Bien.
St. Louis pulled to within 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth.
Chris Duncan doubled and later scored on a Jackson Miller ground out.
That, however, was the end of the scoring for both sides.
Sluggers starter Tony Arroyo lasted 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits.
Builes (3-0) finished up the fifth inning. He would also earn the win
John Fiefield pitched the sixth, allowing the final St. Louis run, and came back out for the seventh this time holding the Walkers in check.
Corey Wood set St. Louis down in order in the eighth.
Matt Whitmore did the same in the ninth for his seventh save.