2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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Record: 57-40, 1st, 3 GA Springfield
Thanks to a five-run top of the fifth inning, Kansas City jumped out to an 8-1 lead over St. Louis and then had to hold on for an 8-6 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Down 1-0, the Mallard tied the game in the top of the fourth on pitcher Ernesto Tello's two-out RBI single off River Walkers starting pitcher Shane Drogo.
An inning later, Green Bay took the lead when Sal Valdez belted a two-run homer off Drogo.
The Mallards then seemed to pull away with that big five-run sixth.
Drogo actually retired the inning's first two batters before giving up a two-run double to Tello.
After an intentional walk to Kerry Fackelman, Drogo exited the game
His replacement, Scott Rissler, proceeded to allow the next four batters to reach -- Devon Reyna singled, followed by a walk to Blaze Jordan to load the bases. Valdez scored two with a double. Ramon Puente also scored two, with his hit being a triple -- as Green Bay scored five times.
The Walkers did make it interesting.
They scored three times in the bottom of the sixth -- Zach Wenman with a two-run double and pinch-hitter Nathaniel Dixon with a RBI single, both off reliever Pablo Ochoa -- to cut the lead to 8-4.
In the ninth St. Louis loaded the bases with one out.
Jose Segura drove in a run when he hit into a fielder's choice.
Chris Duncan then made it 8-6 with a single, and put runners at second and third.
But Matt Rodriguez got Wenman to strike out to end it.
Tello (6-6) allowed three runs on eight hits in five innings.
Ochoa worked the sixth, allowing the fourth St. Louis run.
Kane Jervis kept the Walkers off the scoreboard in the seventh and eighth.
Alex Romero started the ninth for Green Bay, and recorded just one out before being replaced by Rodriguez.
Rodriguez earned his 16th save.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed rookie shortstop Abdul-Nasser bin Amr on the 10-day injured list after he suffered a wrist injury during an 8-6 loss to Green Bay on July 28.
bin-Amr, 26, has been the Walkers starting shortstop since the beginning of the season and performed quite well batting .285 with three homers and 29 RBIs in 90 games (89 starts).
Getting called up from AAA Memphis is 24-year-old infielder Rich Dodson.
It is the second callup of the season for Dodson, in two previous games he didn't reach bases in three plate appearances.
At AAA, Dodson is hitting .324 with five homers and 38 RBIs in 83 games (81 starts).

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Record: 58-40, 1st, 4 GA Springfield and Kansas City
Edward Kunselman took a shutout into the top of the eighth inning and improved to 9-0 as St. Louis downed Green Bay 5-1 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Kunselman (9-0) allowed just three hits in his time on the mound while striking out six. He did not walk a batter.
The lone run for the Mallards came in the eighth when Brent Senecal doubled with two outs to score Austin Clayton.
Clayton had led off the inning with a double.
Kunselman got Alberto Landaverde to ground out to end the inning.
Ron Cox alowed two hits but no runs in the ninth to seal the win.
The game was scoreless into the bottom of the sixth when the Walkers broke through against Green Bay starting pitcher Alex Duarte.
Jackson Miller doubled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Nick Shaw.
The Walkers broke the game open with a four-run seventh.
Reliever Alejandro Velazquez walked two batters to open the inning, before giving up an RBI single to Chris Duncan.
Bob Saavedra did the rest with a three-run homer.

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Record: 59-40, 1st, 4 GA Springfield and Quad City
Xavier Wigfield allowed one run while pitching into the eighth inning and St. Louis defeated Green Bay 3-1 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The Walkers took the final two games of the three-game series with the Mallards.
Wigfield gave up his lone run in the top of the first inning as Kerry Fackelman scored on a Blaze Jordan single after drawing a lead-off walk, stealing second and reaching third on a throwing error by catcher Jackson Miller.
The Mallards wouldn't score again against the right-hander. He left after striking out Ramon Puente to open the top of the eighth.
Greg Sones retired the next two hitters to end the eighth.
Nick Strother posted a 1-2-3 ninth for his 19th save.
The Walkers got all three of their runs in the bottom of the fourth against Green Bay starting pitcher Juan Vergara.
After retiring the first hitter, Vergara allowed the next four to reach base beginning with a Nick Shaw single.
Marcos Francis followed the single with a walk. Both would score on a double by Mark Herman.
Jose Segura scored Herman with a single.

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Record: 60-40, 1st, 4 GA Quad City and Springfield
Kevin Hrdlicka allowed one run over the first seven innings and picked up his first major league win as St. Louis defeated Fort Wayne 6-3 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The rookie right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning before giving up his lone run when Conrad Perry led off with a home run.
That tied the game 1-1, but the River Walkers regained control by busting loose for five runs in the bottom of the seventh.
In his seven innings, Hrdlicka (1-3) allowed the one run on three hits. He struck out five and didn't issue a walk.
With the Walkers now leading 6-1, Brennen Weldon allowed a pair of runs while getting two outs in the eighth.
Ron Cox took over and hit Alex Rodriguez with a pitch to load the bases.
But he got Marco Zurita to fly out to end the inning.
Nick Strother pitched around a lead-off walk in the ninth for his 20th save.
Mark Herman and Nick Shaw connected for doubles off Mad Men starting pitcher Alex Yanez in the bottom of the first to put the Walkers ahead 1-0.
After Fort Wayne tied it in the top of the seventh, the Walkers put their first two batters on base against reliever Tony Alegria in the bottom of the inning.
Pinch-hitter Eddie Estrella drove them both home with a three-run homer.
Matt Ray replaced Alegria and gave up a two-out single to Mark Herman.
Manuel Coke followed with his 25th home run of the season, a two-run shot, making it 6-1.

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MBL news: August 1 -- Players and Pitchers of the Month for July

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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 -- Team statistics for July

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Walkers news: August 1 -- Team statistics for 2036

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Player of the Month: Jose Segura:The 32-year-old center fielder snapped out of an almost year-long slump by hitting .312 with seven homers, 19 RBIs and 16 runs scored in 22 games. He got on-base at a .382 clip and slugged .713.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Edward Kunselman: The 32-year-old right-hander improved to 9-0 on the season by going 3-0 in his five starts with a 1.97 ERA. He struck out 26 batters in 32 innings, and had a 1.06 WHIP.
Relief Pitcher of the Month: Ron Cox: The 24-year-old rookie left-hander got into 12 games and went 1-0 with a 0.66 ERA. He struck out 14 batters in 13.2 innings and had a 0.88 WHIP.

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Walkers news: August 1 -- Player Development Report

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Record: 60-41, 1st, 3 GA Springfield
St. Louis starting pitcher Josh McDonald took a one-hit shutout into the top of the sixth inning, when he left it the River Walkers trailed 5-1 in a game they would eventually drop 5-4 to Fort Wayne at Busch Stadium (2006).
McDonald got pinch-hitter Jordan Martinez to ground out to lead off the top of the sixth, but followed that with a walk to Dorian Gonzalez.
The next batter, Conrad Perry, flew out for the second out.
It would be a while before McDonald recorded the third out.
McDonald proceeded to walk the base load with free passes to Jario Trujillo and Ben Thompson.
Marco Zurita then put the Mad Men in front with a two-run single.
Alex Rodriguez extended that lead to 4-1 with another two-run single.
Kane Gale made it 5-1 with the third single of the inning, scoring Rodriguez.
The Walkers did cut the deficit to 5-4 with three runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Pinch-hitter Yan C. Dixon led off the inning with a single and scored on a Manuel Coke fly ball.
Nick Shaw plated the other two with his ninth homer of the season.
Fort Wayne starting pitcher Ross O'Keefe allowed one run on five hits over the first five innings.
Alexander Dowling and Tony Alegria both pitched scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh.
Jim Kendall got two outs in the eighth, but also surrendered all three Walkers runs.
Glenn Dunn struck out the only batter he faced, Marcos Francis, to end the eighth.
Nick Tracy pitched around a two-out single by Chris Duncan in the ninth for his 23rd save.

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Record: 60-42, 1st, 2 GA Springfield
Kyle Freeman limited St. Louis to one run over the first six innings, and Fort Wayne defeated the River Walkers 6-3 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Freeman (8-6) allowed one run on four hits in his time on the mound He struck out four and walked one.
The one run he did allow came on an RBI double by Mark Herman in the bottom of the fourth.
It made the score 2-1.
The Mad Men had scored single runs in the first and second innings off Walkers starting pitcher Shane Drogo.
Conrad Perry doubled with one out in the first inning and scored on a two-out single by Marco Zurita.
Bill Walter singled with one out in the second and scored on a two-out single by Dorian Gonzalez.
By the time St. Louis scored again -- on solo homers by Nathaniel Dixon and pinch-hitter Eddie Estrella in the bottom of the seventh -- it was down 5-1.
Former St. Louis-top prospect Ben Thompson hit a two-run homer off Drogo in the fifth.
Gonzalez drew a lead-off walk from Brennan Weldon in the seventh and scored on a Jairo Trujillo single in the seventh.
Fort Wayne added an insurance run in the top of the eighth.
Alex Rodriguez singled off Scott Rissler.
A Kane Gale double moved him to third.
Bill Walter scored Rodriguez with a deep fly ball to left.
Three relievers, Matt Ray, Anthony Barrowcliff and Nick Tracy, all pitched an inning after Freeman's exit.
Tracy earned his 24th save.

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Record: 60-43, 1st, 1 GA Springfield
Isaiah Dunlap took a shutout into the seventh inning and a pair of relievers kept it going, as Fort Wayne defeated St. Louis 3-0 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win was the third in a row for the Mad Men, to complete the four-game series.
Dunlap (7-7) allowed just three singles in his 6.1 innings. He struck out two and walked two.
Anthony Barrowcliff finished off the seventh for the Mad Men.
Glenn Dunn worked two scoreless innings to earn his third save.
Conrad Perry led off the game with a solo home run and Matt Kerr hit one in the second, both off River Walkers starting pitcher Edward Kunselman, to stake the Mad Men to a 2-0 lead.
Kunselman (9-0) took his first loss of the season.
Perry led off the ninth for Fort Wayne with a double off Bobby Westerman.
He scored on a Jairo Trujillo triple, making it 3-0.

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MBL news: Week 17 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 60-44, 1st/(Tied/w. Springfield), 0.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Joey Ross shutout St. Louis on two hits over the first six innings and Cedar Rapids hit three solo home runs off River Walkers starter Xavier Wigfall to power the Grapplers to a 4-1 win at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
Ross (9-2) allowed just two hits -- one of them a Jackson Miller double which amounted to nothing -- during his time on the mound. He struck out three and didn't issue a walk.
Cedar Rapids' solo homers came from Steven Williams (bottom of the second inning), Jordan Batista and Jake McCarthy (both in the fourth) to put it up 3-0.
The Grapplers lead grew to 4-0 in the sixth when Miguel Mena drew a lead-off walk from rookie reliever Ron Cox.
A single by Williams moved Mena to third.
He scored on a Cox wild pitch.
St. Louis got solo homers late in the game from Miguel Coke (seventh inning) and Jackson Miller (ninth).
Anton Melendez worked the seventh for Cedar Rapids.
Ian Goshe handled both the eighth and ninth to earn his second save.

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Record: 60-45, 2nd/(Tied/w. Springfield), 0.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Pinch-hitter Steve Ricca led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a home run, snapping a 5-5 tie and helping lift Cedar Rapids to a 6-5 win over St. Louis at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
Ricca's homer, his first of the season, came on a 1-1 pitch from St. Louis reliever Brennan Weldon and traveled 388 feet over the left-field wall.
The victory lifted the Grapplers past St. Louis and Springfield and into first place in the National League South Division. Cedar Rapids owns a half-game lead over both those teams.
The Grapplers sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning as they collected five runs off d River Walkers rookie starter Kevin Hrdlicka.
Hrdlicka inflicted much of the damage himself with four walks, including four in a row and two of which came with the bases loaded.
Eric Gerhardt drove in the inning's first run with a single.
Jake McCarthy plated the final two with a two-out single.
But the Walkers rallied to tie it.
Bob Saavedra connected for a RBI double off Grapplers starting pitcher Joel Glenn in the top of the second.
Jackson Miller hit a two-run home run off Glenn in the third.
Yan C. Dixon led off the fifth with a single off Glenn and scored on a Miller sacrifice fly.
The Walkers tied it in the seventh.
Nathaniel Dixon led off with a single off reliever Anton Melendez.
A Saavedra single moved Dixon to third.
He scored on a Rich Dodson ground out.
Glenn worked five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits.
Melendez pitched the one inning, the sixth when St. Louis tied it.
Britten (2-0) worked two scoreless innings and earned the win.
Keith Kirby handled the ninth and earned his 31st save.

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Record: 61-45, 1st, 0.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Manuel Coke hit a two-out solo home run off Cedar Rapids closer Keith Kirby in the top of the ninth inning to help give St. Louis a 7-6 win at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
The win allowed the River Walkers to avoid being swept in the three-game series. It also allowed them to move back a half-game ahead of the Grapplers in the National League South Division standings.
Coke's 27th home run of the season came on a 3-1 pitch and traveled 410 feet over the fence in right-center field.
The Grapplers had tied it at 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth when Dane Finch hit a two-out solo homer off Walkers reliever Greg Sones.
St. Louis had tallied three runs in the top of the first inning -- two of them on a two-out double by Eddie Estrella -- off Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Justin Sterner, only to have the Grapplers answer with a pair in the bottom of the inning off Josh McDonald.
Finch drove in the first run with a double.
Tim Jurgensen scored Finch with a sacrifice fly.
Bob Saavedra hit a two-out solo homer off Sterner in the top of the second, making it 4-2 St. Louis.
An RBI double from Jurgensen in the bottom of the third sliced that lead to 4-3.
Mark Herman connected for a two-run single off reliever Jordyn Ibarra in the top of the fifth, putting the Walkers up 6-3.
Eric Gerhardt and Finch led off the bottom of the fifth with solo homers off McDonald to draw the Grapplers to within a run.
Finch's second homer then tied it in the seventh.
McDonald had another rough start for the Walkers, but avoided his sixth consecutive loss. He allowed five runs on 10 hits over the first five innings.
Bobby Westerman worked a scoreless sixth and got the first out of the seventh.
Sones finished off the seventh, but did allow the Grapplers to tie the game.
Scott Rissler worked a scoreless eighth for St. Louis.
Nick Strother earned his 21st save by setting Cedar Rapids down in order in the ninth.