2032 St. Louis River Walkers -- Growing weary of just coming close

[rink23]

Record: 35-23, 1st (tied/w. Des Moines), 1 GA Cedar Rapids
Jean Carmona snapped a 2-2 tie with a two-run home run in the top of the second inning and St. Louis went on to defeat Springfield 7-3 at Oracle Park (2020).
Both teams scored twice in the first inning.
Alex Greene drove in a run for the River Walkers with a double off Railers starting pitcher Brian McIlmoyle.
Jose Ramirez then drove in Greene with a triple.
In the bottom of the inning, St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe allowed the first three batters to reach base -- capped by a two-run single by Ruben Villanueva -- as Springfield tied the score.
Jared Thomas led off the top of the second with a double.
Carmona followed with his third homer of the season, part of a big game where he was 4 for 4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs.
Austin Wells hit a solo homer off McNaboe in the bottom of the second, drawing the Railers to within 4-3.
That would be as close as Springfield would come.
Carmona singled off McImoyle in the fourth and scored on a Daniel Becerra single in the fourth to make it 5-3.
Jose Segura led off the seventh with a homer off reliever Martino Banditelli.
Jose Seguar reached on an error by catcher Austin Wells to begin the ninth.
He later scored the game's final run on an Alex Greene single.
McNaboe (8-3) wasn't great but still earned his eighth win by going seven innings, during which he allowed three runs on six hits. He struck out eight and didn't issue a walk.
Josh Grissom and Nick Ruffalo took care of the final two innings of the game.

[rink23]

Record: 36-23, 1st, 1 GA Cedar Rapids and Des Moines
Tied 1-1, St. Louis scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to pave the way for a 4-2 win over Springfield at Oracle Park (2020).
Ricky Liriano got things going for the River Walkers in the bottom of the eighth with a lead-off single off reliever Mario Reyes.
Nathaniel Dixon made quick work of driving him home, connecting on a triple.
Reyes' troubles continued when he walked Daniel Becerra.
He followed that by uncorking a wild pitch to score Dixon.
Jose Segura's at bat ended with a walk.
Alex Greene hit a fly ball deep enough to put runners at the corners.
Jose Ramirez made it 4-1 with a single to score Becerra.
St. Lous starter Zack Hunsicker (3-4) posted an old-fashioned quality start, allowing one run on six hits over seven innings. He struck three but walked four.
Josh Forgy worked a scoreless eighth.
The struggles continued for Walkers closer Ernesto Barbosa who failed to retire any of the three batters he faced, including an RBI double to Riley Greene.
Ricky Cisneros had to come on to bail him out, which he did to earn his third save.

[rink23]

Record: 37-23, 1st, 1 GA Des Moines
Rookie Jerry Tate continued his run of strong starts allowing one run over seven innings, and St. Louis completed a three-game sweep of Springfield with a 2-1 win at Oracle Park (2020).
Tate (5-1) allowed one run on two hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked two.
Josh Grissom tossed two innings of scoreless relief.
Ernesto Barbosa hopefully got back into track with a silent ninth for his 15th save.
The Railers actually jumped in front in the bottom of the second when Dylan Crews hit a two-out solo homer off Tate.
The Walkers didn't score, or take the lead, until the seventh.
Jared Thomas got things moving with a one-out single off Railers starter Ewdy Alex.
Nick Shaw followed with a double, moving Thomas to third, and ending Alex's time on the mound,
Martino Banditelli took over, and proceeded to walk Thairo Estrada to load the bases before striking out pinch-hitter Nathaniel Dixon for the inning's second out.
However, he followed that with a walk to Daniel Becerra to tie the game.
Jose Segura followed with a single to put the Walkers in front 2-1.

[rink23]

The St. Louis River Walkers have recalled third baseman Matt Fulton from AAA Memphis, where he has played four games after missing time with a rotator cuff injury.
Fulton, 32, suffered the injury on April 25 and missed six weeks.
Acquired in the offseason to handle third base for the Walkers, Fulton played 18 prior to the injury batting .242 with three RBIs.
In his four games at AAA, Fulton hit .438 with a homer and three RBIs.
Infielder Armando Morales will be making the trip back to Memphis.
The 26-year-old has played in 20 games for the Walkers, hitting .169,

[rink23]

The game between the Cedar Rapids Grapplers and St. Louis River Walkers scheduled for Friday, June 11 at Busch Stadium (1997), has been postponed by rain.
The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on June 12.

[rink23]

Record: 37-24, 2nd, 0.5 GA Des Moines
Tied 2-2, Cedar Rapids' Steven Williams connected on a two-run single in the top of the seventh inning to help lift the Grapplers to a 5-2 win over St. Louis in the opening game of a doubleheader at Busch Stadium (1997).
Cedar Rapids had tied it in the top of the third inning.
Jose Morillo drew a lead-off walk from Walkers starting pitcher Angel Tiburciuo.
Morilllo stole second, and advanced to third when catcher Jared Thomas' throw went into center field.
Travis Swaggerty scored Morillo with a ground out.
In the seventh, Morillo again got things going by drawing a walk, this one from reliever Josh Grissom.
Swaggerty drove Morillo to third with a double before Josh Friedman was issued an intentional walk to load the bases.
Rookie southpaw Nick Ruffalo got the call but left-handed hitter Steven Williams spoiled the strategy with a two-run single.
Morillo scored this third run of the game in the ninth with a homer off Andres Hernandez, making it 5-2.
Grapplers starting pitcher Matt Wailzer handled the first four innings, allowing two runs on four hits.
Five relievers -- Billy Weiner, Keider Montero, Justin Sterner, Evan Palmer and Victor Ortiz -- all followed with a scoreless inning apiece.
Montero (1-0) earned his first win of the season.
Ortiz collected his 15th save.

[rink23]

Record: 38-24, 1st (Tied/w. Des Moines), 2 GA Cedar Rapids
Down 4-3, Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer and Jose Segura a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning to help give St. Louis the lead, and the River Walkers went onto defeat Cedar Rapids 7-4 in the second game of a doubleheader at Busch Stadium (1997).
The Grapplers had taken a 4-3 lead in the top of the third on a three-run homer by the red-hot Jose Morillo off St. Louis starting pitcher Kaneo Kawamoto.
But the Walkers answered back in the bottom half.
Jean Carmona got things rolling with a one-out double from Jean Carmona off Cedar Rapids starter Lorenzo Mascorro.
Jose Ramirez followed with his two-run shot to put St. Louis in front 5-4.
Jose Infante reliever Mascorro and got Alex Greene for the inning's second out.
Segura followed with his homer, a 384-foot shot over the right-field wall.
St. Louis added an insurance run an inning later, in the bottom of the fourth.
It all happened with two outs, beginning with a single from Kawamoto.
He scored when Daniel Becerra doubled.
Kawamoto (3-3) worked six innings, allowing four runs in six hits. He struck out six and walked one.
Cory Tiller worked a perfect seventh and recorded the first out of the eighth.
Josh Forgy ended the eighth without incident.
Ernesto Barbosa set the Grapplers down in order in the ninth for his 16th save.

[rink23]

MBL news: June 13 -- All-Star game fan voting update

[rink23]

Record: 38-25, 2nd, 1 GB Des Moines
Down 4-1, Cedar Rapids tallied four times in the top of the fifth inning against St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe, and the Grapplers went on for a 7-4 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win gave Cedar Rapids' victories in two of the three games in the series.
The River Walkers actually jumped out to a 4-0 lead -- Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the first inning and they added two more in the third -- before Cedar Rapids began its comeback with a run in the top of the fourth.
Travis Swaggerty scored that run, doubling with one out off McNaboe and scoring on the first of two triples by Jose Morillo in the game
Morillo had a huge three-game series going 6-for-9 with one double, two triples, one homer, five runs scored and eight RBIs.
Morillo's second triple came in the fifth, and it drove in the final two runs of the four-run inning.
Swaggerty drove in the first two runs, hitting just in front of Morillo.
McNaboe also walked two batters in the inning.
The final two Cedar Rapids runs came in the seventh.
Swaggerty and Morillo were again involved.
The inning opened with a walk from reliever Nick Ruffalo to Swaggerty, and Morillo followed with a single.
Josh Friedman drove in Swaggerty with another single.
Ricky Cisneros replaced Ruffalo, and was greeted by a double steal and wild throw into left field by catcher Jared Thomas which allowed Swaggerty to score.
Grapplers starting pitcher Edwin Rivera lasted four innings, allowing four runs on five hits.
But once again the Cedar Rapids bullpen was stellar.
Billy Weiner (1.1 IP), Keider Montero (1.2), Evan Palmer (1.0) and Victor Ortiz (1.0) call kept the Walkers from scoring again.
Weiner (5-2) came out of it with the win.
Ortiz upped his save total to 16.

[rink23]

MBL news: Week 9 -- Awards and standings

[rink23]

Record: 38-25, 2nd, 0.5 GB Quad City
Jose Segura hit a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning off Quad City reliever Nick Wood, to give St. Louis a 6-4 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
Nick Shaw drew a one-out walk from Wood, who came on to start the inning.
Shaw threw a strike on his first pitch to Segura, his second also was in the zone and rocketed out 492 feet over the wall in right-center.
It was Segura's 22nd homer of the season.
A three-run top of the fifth, highlighted by a two-run homer from Nick Gonzalez, against River Walkers starter Zack Hunsicker stacked the Thunder to a 4-0 lead.
St. Louis started its comeback in the seventh with a pair of runs.
Jared Thomas drew a lead-off walk from reliever Cole Duensing.
Shaw followed with a double to put runners at second and third.
Segura drove in Thomas with a ground out.
A two-out single from Jean Carmona plated Shaw.
The Walkers climbed to within 4-3 in the eighth, thanks to back-to-back doubles to open the inning from Daniel Becerra and Jose Ramirez off former St. Louis reliever Travis Krogman.
Ramirez drove in the tying run with a one-out sacrifice fly off Craig Fritzler in the botton of the ninth.
It scored Carmona, who had hit the second of consecutive singles with Matt Fulton off reliever Craig Fritzler to open the inning.
A walk to Jovan GIll loaded the bases,
Becerra hit into a fielder's choice, which saw Fulton be forced out at plate.
Ramirez followed with his deep fly ball to left on a 1-2 count.
Hunsicker allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings.
After that five relievers -- Josh Grisson (1.1 IP), Yeison Santos (0.2), Cory Tiller (1.2), Josh Forgy (0.1) and Ernesto Barbosa -- combined to shutout the Thunder over the next seven innings.
Barbosa (1-0) earned his first win of the season.

[rink23]

Record: 34-25, 2nd, 1 GB Des Moines
Rookie Jerry Tate allowed one run over 5.1 innings to earn his sixth straight win, as St. Louis downed Quad City 4-3 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Tate (6-1), who has won all of his starts since dropping his first outing after being called up from Memphis, allowed one run on seven hits in his time on the mound.
He exited after allowing a one-out homer to Gabriel Hagan in the sixth which made it 4-1.
Ricky Cisneros ended the inning with two straight outs.
Cisneroes returrned to pitch a scoreless seventh.
Josh Forgy and closer Ernesto Barbosa followed suit in the eighth and ninth.
Barbosa now has 17 saves.
The Walkers' runs came from consecutive two-run innings in the third and fourth.
Both were powered by the long ball.
Daniel Becerra hit a two-run homer off Thunder starting pitcher Connor Seabold in the third.
Rookie Nick Shaw took Seabold deep for a two-run job in the fourth.

[rink23]

Record: 40-25, 1st (Tied/w. Des Moines), 1 GA Cedar Rapids
Called up to make an emergency start, Xavier Wigfield shined in his major league debut throwing seven shutout innings to help St. Louis down Quad City 1-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win gave the River Walkers a sweep of the three-game series.
Wigfield (1-0) allowed four hits in his seven innings, while striking out three and walking the same.
Yeison Santos recorded the first two outs of the eighth inning.
Josh Grissom recorded the final four outs for his first save.
The game's lone run came in the bottom of the seventh with Thunder starting pitcher Vinny Padilla still on the mound to start the inning.
He walked Nick Shaw to open the inning.
Nathaniel Dixon replaced Shaw as a pinch runner.
Jean Carmona followed with a single, moving Dixon to second.
Edwin Cervantes took over on the mound, and walked Matt Fulton to load the bases.,
Cervantes had to leave with a shoulder injury, bringing Nick Wood into the game.
Wood walked Fulton to drive in the lone run of the game.

[rink23]

Record: 41-26, 2nd, 1 GB Des Moines
Dayton scored two runs off St. Louis closer Ernesto Barbosa in the top of the 10th inning, paving the way for a 7-5 Pilots' victory at Busch Stadium (1997).
Barbosa already had pitched a scoreless ninth inning before returning for the 10th.
Joe Allen, who had homered earlier in the game, led off with a single.
After a strikeout off Marcos Mangual, Phillip Clarke double to move Allen to third.
Barbosa, with Caiden Matheny at the plate, then uncorked a wild pitch allowing Allen to score and move Clarke to third.
Matheny followed by hitting a fly ball deep enough to score Clarke.
Dayton had jumped out to a 4-0 lead against River Walkers starter Angel Tiburcio.
But St. Louis had used the long ball -- getting two solo homers from Nick Shaw, a solo homer from Nathaniel Dixon and a two-run blast from Jean Carmona -- to take a 5-4 lead after Carmona's homer off reliever Rafael Sanders.
But Allen tied it in the top of the eighth with a lead-off homer off Yeison Santos.
Dayton starting pitcher Juan Diaz, allowing four runs on four hits in 6.1 innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
Yeison Rafael Sanders recorded the final two outs of the seventh, allowing the final St. Louis run.
After that it was Ariel Vega for two innings and Jason Pappas for a pair, with the Walkers failing to score any runs.
Pappas (2-2) earned his second win of the season.

[rink23]

Record: 41-27, 2nd, 2 GB Des Moines
Trailing 9-8, Dayton scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat St. Louis 11-9 at Busch Stadium (1997).
The River Walkers had actually taken the lead with five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The outburst featured three walks -- including two with the bases loaded -- and a two-run single from Thairo Estrada off Mike Fowler which made it 8-8.
St. Louis took the lead on a wild pick-of throw by Ariel Vega.
With closer Ernesto Barbosa unavailable because of fatigue, Josh Forgy got the call for the ninth and brought nothing to the mound.
The left-hander allowed three consecutive singles to open the inning.
Ricky Ciseneros replaced him the with the bases loaded, and proceeded to walk the first batter he faced, Marcos Mangual, to tie the game.
After a pair of strike outs, former Walkers prospect Casey Davis smacked a double to break the tie and put the Pilots ahead 11-9.
Dayton starting pitcher Mark MacDougall allowed four runs on four hits in five innings.
Six relievers combined to finish the game.
Justin O'Rourke and Yeison Rafael Sanders both pitched scoreless innings to get the game to the eighth.
Bill McGrath was charged with four runs while getting just one out in the eighth.l
Mike Fowler and Vega both recorded an out to end the eighth.
Vega (3-1) would get the win.
Jason Pappas handled the ninth to earn his 13th save.

[rink23]

Record: 42-27, 2nd, 2 GB Des Moines
Trailing 2-1, St. Louis scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and went on to defeat Dayton 4-2 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Daniel Becerra got things rolling with a lead-off single off Pilots reliever Justin O'Rourke.
O'Rourke retired the next two batters but Nick Shaw got things moving with a single which moved Becerra to second.
Jean Carmona drew a walk to load the baes.
Matt Fulton followed with a double to unload the bases, scoring all three runners, to put the Walkers ahead 4-2.
St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe wasn't great but good enough.
He pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on nine hits.
Nick Ruffalo finished off the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth.
Ernesto Barbosa set the Pilots down in order in the ninth for his 18th save.

[rink23]

Record: 43-27, 2nd, 2 GB Des Moines
Alex Greene shook off a brief slump by going 4 for 6, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs to help power St. Louis to an 11-4 win over Dayton at Busch Stadium (1997).
The victory gave the River Walkers a four-game sweep of their series with the Pilots.
Greene's slam came in the bottom of the seventh inning off Dayton relief pitcher Yeison Rafael Sanders and made the score 10-0.
Earlier, Greene had driven in a run with a double off Pilots starting pitcher in the fourth to make it 2-0.
Rookie Nick Shaw had started the scoring earlier in the same inning when he hit his 10th homer of the season.
Greene made it 3-0 in the sixth with an RBI single off Ariel Vega.
That hit scored Shaw, who had doubled with one out.
Greene's slam was one of three homers hit in the seventh by St. Louis, as pinch-hitter Jovan Gill and Jean Carmona also hit solo shots in the same inning.
The Walkers got a strong effort out of its bullpen, as starting pitcher Zack Hunsicker had to leave in the second inning with an undisclosed injury.
Ricky Ciseneros (5-0) began the parade of six relievers, who took the mound for St. Louis.
He would also earn the win with three shutout innings.
After that, it was Cory Tiller (1.2 IP), Nick Ruffalo (1.0), Andres Hernandez (0.2), Yeison Santos (0.1) and Josh Grissom (1-0).
Dayton did all of its damage against Hernandez, who surrendered all four of its runs in just two-thirds of innings.
But by that time, St. Louis already led 10-0.

[rink23]

MBL news: Week 10 -- Awards and standings

[rink23]

The St. Louis River Walkers announced that the back injury which forced starting pitcher Zack Hunsicker to exit their June 20 game against Dayton is not serious and the right-hander is expected to be available to make his next start.
Hunsicker pitched just over an inning, in a game St. Louis would win 11-4.
For the season, the 33-year-old is 3-4 with a 4.36 ERA in 14 starts.

[rink23]

Record: 44-27, 2nd, 1 GB Des Moines
Rookie Jerry Tate won his seventh consecutive decision with six shutout innings, and St. Louis downed Des Moines 7-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Tate (7-1), who has not dropped a game since making his season debut, allowed four hits over his six innings. He struck out five and walked one.
The River Walkers jumped in front with a pair of runs off Harvesters starting pitcher Liam Henry in the bottom of the second.
Jose Segura led off the inning with a double, and scored on a one-out double by Matt Fulton.
Fulton scored when Tate followed his hit with an RBI single.
St. Louis added three runs in the fifth against Des Moines reliever Jim Kendall.
The Walkers put their first three batters on base to load the bases.
Kendrall retired the next two hitters, but followed that by surrendering RBI singles to Daniel Becerra and Jose Ramirez before issuing a free pass with the bags still full to Alex Greene.
Jose Ramirez capped the scoring with a two-run homer in the eighth off Jonathan Loaisiga.
Josh Forgy took over for Tate and pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings.
Josh Grissom allowed two hits but no runs in the ninth.