2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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Walkers news: March 29 -- St. Louis 7, Chicago 3; 18-8

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Walkers news: March 30 -- Kansas City 8, St. Louis 3; 18-9

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Walkers news: March 31 -- Kansas City 8, St. Louis 3; 18-10

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Walkers news: April 1 -- Player Development Report

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Walkers news: April 1 -- Twin Cities 5, St. Louis 1; 18-11

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Walkers news: April 2 -- St. Louis 6, Madison 1; 19-11

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MBL news: April 3 -- Final spring training standings and leaders

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Walkers news: April 2 -- Final spring training statistics

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MBL news: April 6 -- Preseason predictions on opening day

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2036 season: 95-67, 1st place NL South, 6 GA Cedar Rapids; Lost 4-2 to Rockford in NLCS
2036 prediction: 81-81, 3rd place NL South, 10 GB Cedar Rapids
Manager/General Manager: Mike Renkes, 20th season, 1,708-1,371, .552 Pct., 8 playoff qualifiers; 5 World series qualifiers, World Series titles in 2018 and 2025.
2035 Award winners: NL MVP, NL Silver Slugger 1B and NL Gold Glove 1B Nick Shaw; NL Manager of the Year Mike Renkes.
2035 season summary: The River Walkers won their first four games of the season
and went 9-1 over the first 10 to quickly move atop of the National League South Division.
Outside of a few days late in June, the Walkers stood atop the division the rest of the way and never shared the lead again after July 7.
St. Louis owned a 60-40 record and a 4-game lead over Quad City and Springfield at the All-Star break. The Walkers entered September with a 74-54 record and a three-lead lead over Cedar Rapids.
Down the stretch, the advantage grew to as many as seven games with the team clinching the NL South Division title, their first since 2031, with a 6-2 win over Springfield on Sept. 30.
After that, the Walkers dropped their final three games of the regular-season to finish 95-67.
That was followed by a loss in six games to Rockford in National League championship series.
Departures
OF -- Nathaniel Dixon, 30 – 141 G, 63 GS, .224 BA, 15 HRs, 42 RBIs, .632 OPS; Unsigned free agent
OF – Yan Dixon, 34 – 94 G, 44 GS, .236 BA, 3 HRs, 25 RBs, .584 OPS; Unsigned free agent
LHP/SP – Shane Drogo, 31 – 33 GS, 16-8, 4.29 ERA, 188.2 IP, 160 Ks, 1.37 WHIP; Signed one-year contract with Rockford
RHP/SP – Edward Kunselman, 33 -- 32 GS, 10-7, 3.94 ERA, 187.1 IP, 126 Ks, 1.21 WHIP; Signed-four year contract with Detroit
RHP/CL – Nick Strother 32 – 48 G, 7-3, 30 Svs, 3 BS, 50.0 IP, 52 Ks, 1.24 WHIP; Signed three-year contract with Akron


Newcomers
SP – Ming Xiang, 25 – No stats available from Tawian; Free agent signed to three-year contract
RHP/RP – Brett McVey 31 – 59 G, 3-3, 3.39 ERA, 0 Svs; 4 BS, 77.0 IP, 79 Ks, 1.39 WHIP; Signed to one-year contract
RHP/RP Maximiliano Minelli, 24 – 44 G, 1 GS, 3-5, 2.70 ERA 8 Svs, 0 BS, 83.0 IP, 94 Ks, 1.39 WHIP (Class AA and High-A); Signed as minor-league free agent from Dayton.
RHP/RP Mike Fagan, 34 – 68 G, 9-5, 3.82 ERA, 9 Svs, 4 BS, 63.2 IP, 59 Ks, 1.51 WHIP; Signed as a free agent from Cleveland (currently injured)
IF – Jordan Quinto, 33 --- B-L, T-R – 89 G, 71 GS, .286 BA, 6 HRs, 30 RBIs, .833 OPS; Signed as free agent from Quad City
OF – Bill Pena, 34 -- B-S, T-R – 106 G, 60 GS, .205 BA, 9 HRs, 28 RBIs, .711 OPS; Signed as free agent from Detroit

Starting rotation
RHP -- Josh McDonald, 30 – 32 Gs, 14-7, 3.49 ERA, 191.0 IP, 163 Ks, 1.30 WHIP
Established himself as the staff ace by the end of the season. Finished second in the National League Cy Young award voting.
RHP – Xavier Wigfall, 28 – 31 GS, 13-10, 3.45 ERA, 185 IP, 173 Ks, 1.28 WHIP
In his first full season as a starter, Wigfall proved he can be a top-notch major league pitcher and could someday top a rotation.
RHP – Ming Xiang, 25 – No stats available from Tawian; Free agent signed to three-year
Making the move to the MBL from Taiwan, especially because of his age, Xiang was one of the top free agents in the class of 2037. Not much is known of him stat-wise, but from a scouting perspective Xiang has the potential to be a No. 1 starter.
RHP – Jesse McNaboe, 28 – 8 Gs, 3-3, 2.59 ERA, 48.2 IP, 42 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
After going a combined 70-39 over the previous five seasons, McNaboe was limited to eight starts in 2036. A season which ended for him on May 15 due to a partially torn UCL in his throwing arm. McNaboe had a decent spring training, going 1-2 with a 3.54 ERA in five starts, but there are concerns with his stamina moving forward.
RHP – Kevin Hrdlicka, 25 – 23 GS, 6-5, 4.23 ERA, 125.2 IP, 130 Ks, 1.38 WHIP
For the past few seasons, Hrldicka ranked among the top starters in all the minor leagues. After McNaboe’s injury, he took a spot in the Walkers’ rotation and fared well enough to earn a chance to start in 2037. He performed especially well in September when he was named the National League Rookie of the Month and Pitcher of the Month.

Relief pitchers
CL/RHP – Bobby Westerman 28 – 50 G, 1-3, 3.23 ERA, 4 Svs., 2 BS, 64 IP, 89 Ks, 0.98
After spending the 2036 season as the set-up man for closer Nick Strother, Westerman will take over that role this season. Westerman seemed to yearn to be the ninth-inning guy, and maybe that affected his performance. Hopefully, he will run with it now that it is his.
RHP – Scott Rissler, 31 – 76 G, 7-5. 4.76 ERA, 1 Sv, 2 BS, 73.2 IP, 95 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
The 2036 campaign wasn’t the best of Rissler’s four seasons with the River Walkers. But due to his ability to pitch often, 70 games or more in three of his past four seasons, St. Louis decided not to let him leave in free agency.
RHP – Brett McVey 31 – 59 G, 3-3, 3.39 ERA, 0 Svs; 4 BS, 77.0 IP, 79 Ks, 1.39 WHIP
Coming in from Milwaukee, McVey is the kind of pitcher the Walkers like. He excels at inducing ground balls and is a good presence in the clubhouse.
RHP/RP Maximiliano Minelli, 24 – 44 G, 1 GS, 3-5, 2.70 ERA 8 Svs, 0 BS, 83.0 IP, 94 Ks,
The 24-year-old has never pitched above AA, but his stuff is considered exceptional. He also is a ground ball pitcher, something the Walkers like in their pitchers.
LHP – Greg Sones, 28 – 58 G, 3-5, 2.01 ERA, 4 Svs., 5 BS, 58.1 IP, 62 Ks, 0.98 WHIP
A strong 2036 campaign has Sones now being mentioned as one of the game’s top left-handed relievers. Sones finished third in the voting for NL Top Reliever.
LHP – Nick Ruffalo, 29 – 60 G, 1-2, 2.79 ERA, 3 Svs; 4 BS, 58.0 IP. 67 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
Ruffalo turned in yet another solid season and remains one of the top left-handed relievers in the National League.
LHP – Armando Cintron, 34 – 45 G, 4-0, 3.65 ERA, 1 Sv, 4 BS, 44.1 IP, 61 Ks, 1.13 WHIP
Cintron has been one of the better left-handed relievers around for the past nine seasons.
LHP – Ron Cox, 25 – 62 G, 1-2, 3.62 ERA, 1 Sv, 1 BS, 79.2 IP, 103 Ks, 1.05 WHIP
A starter in the minors, Cox made the official move to the bullpen in 2036 and it worked out quite well. The Walkers are well served by Cox’s ability to work multiple innings, as his 79.2 IP topped the team last season.

Catchers
Jackson Miller, 35, B-L, T-R – 102 G, 98 Gs, .297 BA, 15 HRs, 40 RBIs, .832 OPS
Assorted injures probably cost Miller 25 starts last season, but when he played there were few catchers better in the National League. The 35-year-old still performs at a high-level both at the plate and behind it.
Zac Wenman, 28, B-R, T-R – 63 G, 52 Gs, .286 BA, 0 HRs, 21 RBIs, .670 OPS
Wenman is back for his fourth season as the River Walkers’ backup catcher. Due to injuries to the starters, he’s gotten some decent playing time and proven to be a solid hitter in terms of average.
Infielders
1B Nick Shaw, 28, B-R, T-R – 127 G, 122 Gs, .374 BA, 30 HRs, 106 RBIs, 1.092 OPS
Despite missing four weeks with a fractured rib suffered in late May, Shaw still managed to put together a season which saw him earn his first National League MVP award. (The last St. Louis play to earn the award was Andrew Benintendi in 2019). Shaw led the NL in batting average, on-base percentage (.439), slugging percentage (.439) and OPS. He also earned a Gold Glove at first base.
2B Marcos Francis, 32, B-R, T-R – 147 G, 146 Gs, .297 BA, 24 HRs, 92 RBIs, .849 OPS
An off-season free-agent signing from Rockford, Francis made quite an impact in his first season with the Walkers. He ranked among the best hitting second baseman in the National. Also a top-of-the-line defensive player. A member of the 2036 NL All-Star team.
SS – Abdur-Nasser bin Amr, 26, B-R, T-R – 138 G, 137 Gs, .277 BA, 6 HRs, 57 RBIs, .701 OPS
Bin Amr won the starting shortstop position in spring training as a rookie. He did nothing during the season to lose it. His batting average remained above .275 for almost the entire season. Bin Amr also flashed gold-glove potential at shortstop.
3B – Bob Saavedra, 25, B-R, T-R – 150 G, 145 Gs, .290 BA, 9 HRs, 64 RBIs, .719 OPS
Saavedra saw quite a bit of a dip in his offensive numbers from his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2035. (He hit .336 with 14 HRs and 90 RBIs). But he did nothing to make people think he won’t be around for the long haul. He’s a durable player, who can put the bat on the ball.
IF Chris Duncan, 34, B-R, T-R – 62 G, 39 GS, .231 BA, 3 HRs, 14 RBIs, .603 OPS
He doesn’t offer much with the bat, but Duncan’s above average defensive play at second, third and shortstop has brought him back for his fourth season in St. Louis.
IF – Jordan Quinto, 33 B-L, T-R – 89 G, 71 GS, .286 BA, 6 HRs, 30 RBIs, .833 OPS
Quinto’s ability to play second and shortstop are what attracted St. Louis to sign Quinto away from Quad City. He’s also a decent left-handed bat off the bench.
Outfielders
RF Manuel Coke, 24, B-L, T-L -- .149 G, 141 Gs, .303 BA, 39 HRs, 106 RBIs, .949 OPS
Combined with Shaw to give St. Louis one of the best No. 3 and 4 hitters in the MBL. His 39 homers topped the team and his 106 RBIs tied Shaw for the team lead. Should be a future candidate for MVP. And he just turned 24 years old.
CF Jose Segura, 31, B-L, T-R – 114 G, 102 Gs, .224 BA, 15 HRs, 53 RBIs, .734 OPS.
Hampered by injuries which forced him to miss at least four weeks’ worth of games, Segura’s career continued to be a bit of a disappointment. He hit under .200 for most of the campaign before showing some improvement late. Segura still has power, but will need to step it up if he hopes will pick up his $17 million option for 2038.
LF – Mark Herman, 24, B-S, T-R – 110 G, 107 Gs .284 BA, 11 HRs, 65 RBIs, .805 OPS
Herman finally got his shot when St. Louis finally gave up on former top prospect Hector Tavarez by trading him to Ann Arbor on June 21. Herman took immediate advantage tearing the league up for his first month before cooling off but remaining a steady performer. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2034 draft, Herman demolishes right-handed pitching but needs to improve against southpaws before being considered a top-of-the-line player.
OF Eddie Estrella, 33, B-R, T-R – 46 G, 22 Gs, .287 BA, 6 HRs, 18 RBIs, .857 OPS (started season in Ann Arbor)
Acquired in the trade for Hector Tavarez in late June, Estrella provided a solid right-handed bat off the bench for St. Louis. His defense isn’t the best, but he’s got power at the plate and puts the ball into play.
OF Bill Pena, 34, B-S, T-R – 106 G, 60 GS, .205 BA, 9 HRs, 8 RBIs, .711 OPS
Signed as a free agent from Detroit, Pena will mainly be looked at as a defensive replacement and a player who can hit from both sides off the bench. With other options available at AAA Memphis, his leash could prove to be short.
Others to watch
RHP – Danny Burch, 27 – 25 GS, 12-7, 4.17 ERA, 140.1 IP, 126 Ks, 1.36 WHIP (AAA Mempis)
Burch has seemed to be on the cusp to breaking through to the majors for a few seasons, now but has been unable to bust in the Walkers’ deep rotation. With McNaboe coming off an injury, Hrdlicka still a rookie and Xiang a bit of unknown, his opportunity could come soon.
OF – Mark Waterson, 24, B-L, T-L -- .236 BA, 21 HRs, 61 RBIs, .780 OPS
Waterson is another player who seems to be stuck behind a logjam at the major-league level. His best chance would seem to be replacing Segura In center field next season, but his defense is suspect. His struggles when given a chance to play in the majors are also a concern, in 51 games with the Walkers, Waterson is batting just .183 with five homers and 11 RBIs.
RHP – Brennan Weldon, 29 – 67 G, 6-2, 5.27 ERA, 6 Svs, 6 BS, 70.0 IP, 46 Ks, 1.29 WHIP (currently on waivers)
Weldon spent the entire 2036 season with St. Louis and while he did have some success, a rough spring and the emergence of Maximiliano Minelli forced the Walkers to make the gamble Weldon could make it through waivers and start the season at AAA Memphis
Injured
RHP/RP Mike Fagan, 34 – 68 G, 9-5, 3.82 ERA, 9 Svs, 4 BS, 63.2 IP, 59 Ks, 1.51 WHIP
Signed as a free agent away from Cleveland in the offseason, Fagan is another one of those relievers who excel at inducing ground balls. He’s had four seasons of 28 saves or more. Fagan is expected to miss first few games with a sore back and possibly follow that with a few games at Memphis.
Consensus
A year ago, the River Walkers won 95 games and advanced to the National League championship series.
From the starting eight, there is no difference. They’re all back.
And that might be a good thing.
Nick Shaw is the reigning NL MVP. Manuel Coke, at just 24 years old, seems ready to join Shaw in that rarified air of the top players in the league.
Left fielder Mark Herman is young and has similar potential, and former rookie of the year Bob Saavedra is as steady as they come at third base
Age is a concern at second base, Marcos Francis, and catcher, Jackson Miller, but both were near the best at their positions a year ago.
Shortstop Abdul-Nasser bin Amr could be a future Gold Glove winner, and only needs to maintain what he did with the bat.
The biggest question mark is in center field with Jose Segura.
A former MVP caliber player, Segura doesn’t even rate as a quality starter any more except for his salary.
If he can bat .250 with 20-25 HRs, the Walkers will be satisfied. It it’s more like 2036, .227 with 15 homers, and a change will likely have to be made during the season.
On the mound, the rotation doesn’t have a four- or five-star ace but it’s depth is among the best in the league.
McDonald and Wigfall give you a chance to win every time out, and McNaboe was a top five pitcher in the MBL at one time.
But he is a big question mark coming off an elbow injury.
Newcomer Ming Xiang as the markings of a potential ace but is coming out of an inferior league in Taiwan.
Kevin Hrdlicka was ranked among the top pitchers in all of the minors for a number of seasons.
Now he'll get his chance.
Bobby Westerman has all the tools to be a lockdown closer, and I doubt any team has as many quality left-handed relievers.
The right-side of the pen is a question mark, but they're all ground ball pitchers and if they pitch to their defense the Walkers should be fine.
If all the pieces fall into place, the postseason should again be in play for St. Louis.

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Record: 1-0, 1st (Tied/w. Springfield), 0.5 GA Louisville, Kansas City and Quad City
Manuel Coke hit a two-run home run off Des Moines reliever Wade Hreha in the top of the seventh inning to wipe out a 5-4 deficit and lift St. Louis to a 6-5 win on Opening Day at Green Canyon Park.
The Harvesters had taken the lead with a three-run bottom of the sixth.
Ryan Rivet drove in the first two runs with a home run off River Walkers starting pitcher Josh McDonald.
Josh Moss plated the third with a sacrifice fly off Ron Cox, scoring Raul Estrada who had singled off McDonald and moved to third on a Zigza Mukuru single.
Once it went ahead 6-5, St. Louis got an insurance run on a Mark Herman solo homer off Hreha in the eighth.
It was the third home run of the game for St. Louis, Nick Shaw having hit a two-run homer off Harvesters starter Dave Vacarri in the third inning.
At that time, the Walkers led 4-0.
St. Louis starting pitcher Josh McDonald worked 5.1 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits.
Cox finished the sixth.
Greg Sones, Scott Rissler and Bobby Westerman all worked scoreless innings in relief for St. Louis.
Westerman earned his first save.

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Record: 1-1, 2nd (Tied/w. Des Moines and Quad City); 1 GB Springfield
Leo Cerna hit a three-run home run off St. Louis rookie reliever Maximiliano Minelli in the bottom of the 13th inning to lift Des Moines to a 6-3 win at Green Canyon Park.
Minelli, who had made his major league debut with a scoreless bottom of the 12th inning, failed to retire any of the three batters he faced in the 13th.
Justin Oates and Steve Carroll drew back-to-back walks to open the inning.
Cerna then turned on a 1-1 pitch and smacked it 382 feet over the wall in right field to win it.
The Harvesters scored a pair of runs in the first inning and added another in the second off River Walkers starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall to go up 3-0.
St. Louis tied it with a three-run top of the fourth against Des Moines
starting pitcher Jacob Dexheimer.
Marcos Francis drove in the first run with his first hit of the season, an RBI double.
The other runs scored on a wild pitch and a successful squeeze bunt by Wigfall.
Dexheimer lasted five innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Six relievers combined to finish the game for the Harvesters.
Jose Tafoya, Wade Hreha and Davey Mattson all pitched an inning apiece.
Mark Polzin handled the ninth and got the first two outs of the 10th.
Matt Gernhardt finished 10th, worked a scoreless 11th and got the first two outs of the 12th.
Bill Gomez (1-0) wrapped up the 12th and set St. Louis down in order in the 13th to eventually earn the win.

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Record: 1-2, 4th (Tied/w. Cedar Rapids); 1 GB Des Moines, Springfield and Quad City
Josh Moss hit a three-run pinch-hit homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning off St. Louis closer Bobby Westerman to lift Des Moines to a 6-5 win at Green Canyon Park.
The Harvesters took the final two games of their season-opening three-game series with the River Walkers.
Leading 5-3 Westerman struck out Willie Martinez to open the bottom of the ninth, but Kyle Roberts followed with a single and Dusty McEvoy doubled to put two runners aboard.
Tha brought Moss to the plate and facing a 2-0 pitch he drove it 361 feet over the wall in left field to give his team the win.
Trailing 2-1, St. Louis had gone up 4-1 in the top of the third against Des Moines starting pitcher Teddy Loetzsch.
Jackson Miller drove in the first two runs with his first home run of the season.
Marcos Francis later singled with two outs.
A wild pickoff throw to third moved Francis to second.
A wild pitched advanced him to third.
Mark Herman scored Francis with a single.
After the Harvesters drew to within 4-3 thanks to solo homers from Hector Hidalgo and Kyle Roberts in the bottom of the third and sixth innings -- both allowed by Walkers starting pitcher Ming Xiang, who made his North American debut -- St. Louis went back up by two runs when Nick Shaw hit his second homer of the season.
This was a lead-off shot off reliever Wade Hreha to open the top of the eighth.
Loetzch went five innings, allowing three runs on six hits. He struck out seven and walked two.
Bill Gomez supplied two scoreless innings of relief.
Hreha pitched the eighth, allowing Shaw's homer.
Jose Tafoya (1-0) handled the top of the ninth and earned the win and the Harvesters won it in the bottom of the inning.

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Record: 2-2, 4th, 1 GB Des Moines, Springfield and Quad City
Nick Shaw went 3 for 5 with two homers and six RBIs to help power St. Louis to a 9-5 win over Peoria in its home opener at Busch Stadium (2006).
Down 3-0, Shaw’s first homer came in the bottom of the fourth inning, a three-run shot off Rivermen starting pitcher Frank Garcia to highlight a four-run inning.
Pitcher Jesse McNaboe later plated the inning’s fourth run with a two-out single.
Tied 4-4 after Peoria’s Wes Cohen homered off McNaboe in the top of the fifth, the River Walkers responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning.
Shaw again played a big role, with a two-run homer off reliever Riley Pallister to plate the inning’s first two runs.
Marcos Francis scored the third, following that homer with a double. He scored on a Mark Herman single.
The Walkers lead grew to 9-4 with single runs in the sixth – when Shaw collected his sixth RBI of the game with a run-scoring single off Alex Rios – and seventh – Abdul-bin Amr with a RBI double off Lorenzo Mascorro.
Making his first start in the majors since May 15 of last season, when he suffered a torn UCL, McNaboe (1-0) pitched six innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. He struck out two and didn’t issue a walk.
Scott Rissler and Ron Cox worked scoreless seventh and eighth innings.
Rookie Maximilliano Minelli had his troubles in the ninth loading the bases and walking in a run.
Greg Sones got the call to face one batter and got Cohen to fly out to end it and earn his first save.

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Record: 3-2, 2nd (Tied/w. Des Mes Moines and Quad City); 1 GB Springfield
Bill Pena hit a two-run walk-off home run off Peoria reliever Francisco Perez with one out in the bottom of the ninth as St. Louis downed the Rivermen 6-4 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Abdul-Nasser bin Amr had gotten on base in front of Pena, with a one-out single off Perez.
Pena then hit a 2-1 pitch 380 feet over the right-field wall for his first homer as a member of the River Walkers.
St. Louis owned a comfortable 4-0 lead going into the top of the ninth, only to see closer Bobby Westerman struggle for the second straight outing.
For the second straight game, Westerman gave up a three-run homer, this one to Ryan Palmer, which made it 4-3.
He followed that by allowing a single to Drew Bowser and hitting Johnny Castagnozzi with a pitch.
Westerman did strike out Bobby Dotson for the inning's second out, before exiting the game.
Wes Cohen, however greeted Greg Sones with a single which scored Bowser to tie the game.
Nick Shaw continued his hot start to the season with a three-run double in the third inning. Part of a four-run outburst for St. Louis.
Shaw has 13 RBIs in the first five games of the season.
St. Louis starter Kevin Hrdlicka worked 6.2 shutout innings, allowing just two hits.
Hrdlicka struck out six, but also walked a half-dozen batters.
Brett McVey and Nick Ruffalo both pitched two-thirds of an inning before Westerman took over with one out in the ninth.
Sones (1-0) earned the win despite being hit with a blown save.

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Record: 4-2, 1st (Tied/w. Des Moines and Springfield); 1 GA Quad City
Trailing 6-4, St. Louis scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning and went on to defeat Peoria 7-6 and complete a three-game sweep of Busch Stadium (2006).
The River Walkers went right to work against Rivermen reliever Gil Meier to start the bottom of the seventh, putting their first four batters on base.
Bob Saavedra set things in motion with a lead-off double.
Marcos Francis drew a walk.
Manuel Coke then tied it with a triple.
Nick Shaw scored Coke with a single, his 16th RBI of the opening week of the season.
Shaw had driven in a pair of runs earlier in the game -- collecting an RBI single in the first inning and a run-scoring double in the third.
The Rivermen jumped out to a 4-1, scoring twice in both the first and third innings.
Shaw's RBI double was part of a three-run third where the Walkers tied the game.
Manuel Coke plated the inning's other two runs with a double off Peoria starting pitcher Brad Monroe.
The Rivermen went back in front with single runs in the fifth -- Roberto Guerra with an RBI single off St. Louis starter Josh McDonald -- and sixth -- Wes Cohen with a run-scoring sac fly off Nick Ruffalo.
McDonald went six innings, but it was rough allowing five runs on six hits.
Scott Rissler starter the seventh but gave up what would be Peoria's final run without recording an out.
Nick Ruffalo (1-0) wrapped up the seventh. He would earn the win.
Rookie Maximillliano Minelli got into trouble in the eighth, but somehow scrambled out of it without allowing a run.
Armando Cintron set the Rivermen down in order in the ninth for his first save.

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MBL news: April 13 -- Week 1 - Awards and standings

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Record: 5-2, 1st (Tied/w. Springfield), 1 GA Des Moines
Six St. Louis players had two hits or more, as the River Walkers unleashed 16 hits to power their way to a 15-6 rout of Cedar Rapids at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
The host Grapplers actually jumped out to a 2-0 lead, scoring a pair of runs off St. Louis starter Xavier Wigfall in the bottom of the first.
Tim Jurgensen drove in the first run with a double.
Arnold Hammond followed with a single to score Jurgensen.
The Walkers took control by scoring three times in the top of the third, four in the fourth and once in the fifth.
Manuel Coke collected the first two of his five RBIs in the game with a two-run double off Cedar Rapids starter Josh Downer in the third.
Wigfall, who had doubled to lead off the third, hit his first major league homer in the fourth.
It was a two-run shot off Downer, making it 5-3.
Nick Shaw, who had driven in Coke with double in the third, collected two RBIs in the fourth on a single off Ian Goshe.
Mark Herman led off the fifth off Jordyn Ibarra and scored when Abdul-Nasser bin Amr reached on an error by first baseman Eric Gerhardt.
That made it 8-3.
A two-run double by Miguel Mena in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted a three-run inning for Cedar Rapids which made it 8-6.
The Walkers, however, broke it back open with seven runs in the top of the eighth.
The big hits were a three-run homer from Coke and a bin-Amr two-run double.
Both came off Hector Miro.
Wigfall (1-0) wasn't great on the mound, but didn't need to be with all the run support.
He lasted five innings, allowing six runs on five hits. He struck out three and walked two.
Brett McVey pitched a scoreless sixth innings.
Greg Sones (0.2 IP) and Scott Rissler (0.1) combined on a scoreless seventh.
Ron Cox didn't allow a base runner in the eighth or ninth.

bin-Amr drove in two runs with a double.

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Record: 6-2, 1st (Tied/w. Springfield), 2 GA Des Moines
St. Louis jumped out in front with four runs in the top of the first inning and also got a strong start from rookie Ming Xiang, as the River Walkers downed Cedar Rapids 7-1 at Connie Park Park (1960).
Mark Herman provided the big blow of the top of the first with a three-run home run off Grapplers starting pitcher Joey Ross.
Before that, though, Manuel Coke had scored Bob Saavedra with a sacrifice fly.
Saavedra had led off the game with a bunt single.
He had moved to third when Jackson Miller reached on an error by Cedar Rapids second baseman Mark Hill.
The St. Louis lead grew to 5-0 in the top of the fourth, when Jean Segura led off with a triple off Ross.
He scored when catcher Tim Jurgensen was charged with a passed ball.
Now up 5-1, the final two Walkers runs came in the eighth.
Nick Shaw led off the inning with his fifth homer, and 20th RBI, of the young season.
It came off Keith Kirby.
Herman later doubled and scored when Abdul-Nasser bin amr singled off Jordyn Ibarra.
Xiang, making just his second start in the MBL after signing with St. Louis in the offseason, didn't allow a hit until Miguel Mena hit a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the fifth.
Altogether, Xiang (1-0) went 5.2 innings, allowing the one run on two hits. He struck out six and walked three.
Maxilliano Minelli, also a rookie, got the final out of the sixth and first out of the seventh.
Ron Cox finished off the seventh for St. Louis.
Brett McVey kept the Grapplers off the scoreboard in the eighth and ninth.

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Record: 7-2, 1st (Tied/w. Springfield), 3 GA Des Moines
For the second straight game, St. Louis banged out 16 hits and scored in double digits as the River Walkers downed Cedar Rapids 10-3 at Connie Mack Stadium (1960) to complete a three-game sweep.
St. Louis has now won six in a row.
Once again, for the second consecutive game, the Walkers put up four runs in the top of the first inning on the Grapplers.
The first three St. Louis batters of the game -- Bob Saavedra (walk), Jackson Miller (single) and Manuel Coke (single) -- all reached base against Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Joel Glenn.
Coke's single scored Saavedra with the game's first run.
That set the stage for Marcos Francis to drive in the game's second run with a double.
Miller scored the third on a Mark Herman ground out.
A single by Jose Segura plated Coke to make it 4-0.
The game did get close when Eric Gerhardt hit a three-run homer off Walkers starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe, pulling Cedar Rapids to within 4-3.
All the rest of the scoring would be done by St. Louis.
Abdur-Nasser bin Amr hit a two-run homer off Glenn in the fifth.
Segura had an RBI single off reliver Miguel Britten in the seventh.
Another run scored that inning on a wild pitch.
Coke capped the scoring with a two-run home run off Hector Miro in the eighth.
McNaboe (2-0) fought through 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked one.
Rookie Maximilliano Minelli got the final out of the sixth
Scott Rissler pitched a scoreless seventh and recorded the first out of the eighth.
Nick Ruffalo handled the rest of the eighth.
Greg Sones took care of the ninth.