2031 St. Louis River Walkers: The ring is the thing

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Player of the Month: Jose Segura -- The 26-year-old center fielder batted .221 with seven homers, 27 RBIs and 13 runs scored in 25 games. He got on base at a .325 clip and slugged .537.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Kaneo Kawamoto -- The 34-year-old left-hander was 3-2 in five starts with a 3.21 ERA. He pitched a total of 33.2 innings, during which he struck out 29 and posted a 1.04 WHIP.
Relief Pitcher of the Month: Zach Evers -- The 26-year-old right-ahnder got into 13 games during he posted one save. He worked a total of 12 innings, during which he struck out nine and had a .075 WHIP.

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Walkers news: July 1 -- Team statistics for 2031

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Record: 46-32, 1st, 3 GA Cedar Rapids
Izzy San Juan allowed one run over six innings and St. Louis snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over Cedar Rapids at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
San Juan (5-6) allowed just one run -- on a fifth-inning solo homer from Ryan Rickard which made the score 3-1 -- on five hits. He struck out three and walked two.
Andres Hernandez pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, and continued on into the ninth before running into trouble with two runners aboard with two outs.
Zach Evers took over and got Rickard, the only batter he faced, to ground out to end it and earn him his second save.
A solo homer from Ricky Liriano off Grapplers starter Rodolfo Cervantez with two outs in the top of the second inning put St. Louis ahead 1-0.
In the third, Thairo Estrada drew a walk to lead off the inning, he moved to second when Cervantez hit San Juan with a pitch.
A botched hit-and-run with Daniel Becerra at the plate, resulted in Estrada stealing third but San Juan being thrown out at second.
Becerra still was able to score Estrada with a ground ball.
Heston Kjerstad made it 3-0 with a homer off Cervantez in the fourth.
Their lead now 3-1, the Walkers got doubles from Kjerstad and Rick Scott in the seventh to extend that lead by a run.
Becerra drew a lead-off walk from Dave Schaeffer in the eighth.
He stole second and scored on a two-out single by Jordan Gorshans.

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Record: 47-32, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
Zack Hunsicker allowed one run over the first six innings and St. Louis downed Cedar Rapids 6-3 at Connie Mack Stadium (1961).
Hunsicker (8-2) shut out the Grapplers into the sixth inning when pinch-hitter Jerrion Ealy doubled with one out and later scored when Mark Hill reached on an error in left field by Jose Ramirez.
That made the score 2-1.
But the River Walkers got that run back and more in the top of the seventh, when pinch-hitter Heston Kjerstad hit a three-run homer off Cedar Rapids reliever Dave Schaeffer.
The Grapplers did score twice in the ninth when Arnold Hammond homered off Ricky Cisneros.
But Zack Evers came on with a runner on second and one out, and retired the next two to earn his third save of the season, and his second in as many games against Cedar Rapids.
Cory Tiller pitched a scoreless seventh for St. Louis.
Cisneros did the same in the eighth before running into trouble in the ninth.
The Walkers got their first run in the first inning.
Nathaniel Dixon led off the game with a double off Matt Wailzer and scored on a Steve Rossi two-out single.
Rossi scored a run in the fourth, after leading off with a double.
Jean Carmona plated Rossi with a single.

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Record: 47-33, 1st, 3 GA Cedar Rapids
Pablo Lopez took a shutout into the eighth inning, and the Cedar Rapids bullpen finished the job as the Grapplers downed St. Louis 5-0 at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
The win allowed Cedar Rapids to avoid being swept in the three-game series.
Lopez (5-4) allowed four hits over 7.2 innings. He struck out five and walked none.
He exited the game after giving up a two-out single to Ricky Liriano in the top of the eighth.
Nick Mockarski came on and retired four straight River Walkers' batters to complete the shutout.
The Grapplers got their first run in the bottom of the third off St. Louis starter Kaneo Kawamoto.
Phillip Dull led off the fame with a single.
A one-out bunt by Lopez moved Dull to second, and he scored on a two-out single from David Henderson.
Connor Walsh made it 2-0 in the fifth when he led off with a homer off Kawamoto.
Cedar Rapids added another run in that inning.
After the homer, Dull drew a walk and scored on a Henderson triple.
The Grapplers final two runs came in the seventh.
Henderson played a role again, with a double off Andres Hernandez. to plate a pair of base runners.

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Record: 48-33, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
Down 2-0, St. Louis put up seven run in the top of the fourth inning against Quad City and rode that to a 7-4 win at Fenway Park (1976).
The outburst featured the seven runs on eight hits and a walk, most of it coming against Thunder starting pitcher Carlos Lomeli.
The big hits were two-run homers from Jose Ramirez and Jose Segura.
Segura's homer came off Pascal Marcovicci, who had just entered the game.
Steve Rossi also had a two-run double.
Pitcher Jesse McNaboe also had a run-scoring single.
McNaboe (6-2) wasn't too bad on the mound allowing just the two runs -- Chase Davis hit a two-urn homer in the second inning to put Quad City up 2-0 -- on just two hits. He struck out three and walked the same.
Ricky Cisneros held the Thunder scoreless in the eighth, but got into trouble in the ninth, issuing two walks and an RBI double to Ben Nelson.
Closer Ernesto Barbosa entered and did allow a run on a sac fly, but nothing else to earn his 13th save.

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Record: 48-34, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
St. Louis scored single runs in each of the first three innings, but Quad City tallied the game's remaining five runs as the Thunder downed the River Walkers 5-3 at Fenway Park (1976).
A two-out solo homer from Jordan Groshans off QC starter Bob Rios capped the scoring for the Walkers in the top of the third.
The Thunder started getting too Walkers starter Angel Tiburcio with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third.
Chase Davis drove in the first run with a double.
Angel Solis plated the other with a sacrifice fly.
QC tied it an inning later, Jacob Gonzalez singled with one out.
A Chris Shelley double moved Gonzalez to third, and he scored on a Nick Gonzalez fly ball.
The Thunder took the lead in the fifth.
Solis doubled with two outs and scored on a single by No. 8-hitter Myles Austin.
QC scored for the fourth straight inning in the sixth.
Jacob Gonzalez scored again after drawing a lead-off walk from Tiburcio.
Cory Tiller replaced Tiburcio only to give up a single to Shelley to put runners at the corners.
Nick Gonzalez scored Jacob Gonzalez with his second sac fly of the game.
QC starting pitcher Bob Rios worked four innings, allowing three runs on three hits.
Bobby Stover (4-0) followed with a pair of silent innings, and earned the win.
Jorge Aristizabal, Alex Claudio and Craig Fritzler kept the shutout going with a scoreless inning apiece.
Fritzler earned his 19th save of the season.

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Walkers news: July 6 -- Mid-season note from ownership

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MBL news: July 6 -- All-Star game fan voting update

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Record: 48-35, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
A two-run homer from Rick Scott in the top of the second inning staked St. Louis to a 2-0 lead, but the River Walkers would not score again as they fell 8-2 to Quad City at Fenway Park (1976).
The win gave QC victories in two of the final three games of their series, which now switches to Busch Stadium in St. Louis for a trio of games.
The Thunder tied it in the bottom of the second on a two-run homer from Gabriel Hagan off St. Louis starter Izzy San Juan.
QC then took control of the game with a four-run fifth.
Jacob Gonzalez drove in the first run with a double.
Ben Nelson notched the next two with a single.
When Nick Gonzalez scored on a Myles Austin fly ball, the Thunder led 6-2.
Nelson capped the scoring with a two-run homer off Argenis Batista in the seventh.
QC starter Jose Castenada lasted just four innings, allowing two runs on four hits.
Travis Hailey (2-0) finished the fifth inning and worked a scoreless sixth, which was enough to earn him the win.
Nick Wood (1.2 IP), Pascal Marovicci and Sam Stoutenborough (1.0) combined to finish the game.

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MBL news: Week 13 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 49-35, 1st, 5 GA Cedar Rapids
St. Louis poured seven runs across in the bottom of the second inning, and rode it to an 8-5 win over Quad City at Busch Stadium (1997).
Trailing 1-0, the River Walkers put their first five batters on base against Thunder starting pitcher Danny Garza to start the bottom of the second.
Garza was his own worst enemy sandwiching three straight walks between a pair of singles.
The first out came on a sac bunt by pitcher Zack Hunsicker, which scored a run.
After that, two more runners reached -- Jose Ramirez with an RBI single and another walk, this one to Thairo Estrada, which also scored a run -- before Garza made his exit.
Bobby Stover took over and got Jose Segura to hit into a fielder's choice, which plated the inning's sixth run.
Jordan Groshans drove in the seventh with a sac fly.
Jose Ramirez hit a solo homer off Travis Hailey in the sixth, making it 8-1.
Quad City did score some runs late against the River Walkers' bullpen.
Hunsicker (9-2) wasn't great but good enough to earn his ninth win.
He pitched into the seventh inning, and got into trouble without recording an out, and ended up with a line of four runs on eight hits over six innings.
Yeison Santos finished the seventh and got the first out of the eighth.
Zack Evers wrapped up the eighth.
Elian Acosta allowed a run in the ninth, but never let it get interesting.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed shortstop Jean Carmona on the injured list, after learning he will not return from a wrist injury suffered on July 4.
Carmona was expected to miss just five games, but the team has been informed he could miss up to two weeks.
In 71 games this season, the 31-year-old Carmona has batted .234 with seven homers and 23 RBIs.
Getting the callup from AAA Memphis is Armando Morales, who started the season with the Walkers.
While with St. Louis, he got into 20 games during which he batted .184 with one RBI.
At Memphis, Morales has played 37 games and hit .248 with one homer and 17 RBIs.

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Record:49-36, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
Tied 1-1, Chase Davis connected for a two-run double in the top of the eighth inning to help give Quad City a 3-1 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (1997).
River Walkers starter Kaneo Kawamoto had limited the Thunder to one run through the first seven innings, but when he exited to start the eighth things went south.
Yeison Santos took over and was greeted by a single by pinch-hitter, and former Walker, Alek Thomas.
Santos struck out the next two batters, but Nick Gonzalez got things going again with a single.
Davis followed with his double, scoring both runners and putting Quad City in control.
Thunder starting pitcher Vinny Padilla took care of the first five innings, allowing one run on three hits.
After that it was one inning each for Jorge Aristizbal, Sam Stoutenborough, Travis Krogman and Craig Fritzler, none of whom allowed a run.
Stoutenborough (2-4) earned the win.
Fritzler now has 20 saves.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed infielder Joshua Rivera on the 10-day disabled list after he suffered an injured neck in a 3-1 loss to Quad City on July 9.
Rivera, 32, has played in 45 games for the Walkers batting .239 with two homers and 11 RBIs.
Getting the callup from AAA Memphis, is 26-year-old infielder Steve Sullivan, who will be playing in the majors for the first time.
For the AAA Redbirds, Sullivan has played in 46 games where he batted .278 with two homers and 16 RBIs.

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Record: 50-36, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
Jesse McNaboe pitched 5.2 shut-out innings and four relievers handled the rest, as St. Louis downed Quad City 4-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win gave the River Walkers' wins in two of the three-game series, and a split of the six straight games St. Louis played against the Thunder.
McNaboe (7-2) scattered three hits during his time on the mound. He struck out seven and walked two.
The right-hander exited with two outs in the sixth after allowing a pair of batters to reach with the score just 1-0.
Ricky Cisneroes came in with runners on the corners and struck out Adam Ferrera to end the inning.
Cory Tiller, Argenis Batista and Andres Hernandez all pitched scoreless innings to close out the game.
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning, when St. Louis went out in front.
Catcher Ricky Liriano led off with a double off Thunder starter Carlos Lomeli.
A ground out moved Liriano to third and Thairo Estrada made it 1-0 with a fly ball.
Steve Rossi hit a three-run homer off Nick Wood in the eighth to make it 4-0.

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Record: 51-36, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
St. Louis hit four home runs -- including one in the second inning and two in the third -- to power its way to a 5-3 win over Dayton at Busch Stadium (1997).
Down 1-0, the River Walkers got their first long ball when Rick Scott hit a solo homer off Pilots starter Joe Diaz in the bottom of the second to even things.
An inning later, pitcher Angel Tiburico (solo homer) and Jose Segura (two-run HR) both took Diaz deep as the lead grew to 4-1.
St. Louis' final run came in the sixth, courtesy of a Jordan Groshans blast off reliever Edgar Cardenas.
It made the score 5-3.
It wasn't the best of starter for St. Louis ace Angel Tiburcio, but he did hit a homer and earn the win.
Tiburcio (6-5) worked 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out seven and walked two.
The right-hander exited the game with a run in and a runner on second with one out in the sixth.
Ricky Cisneros took over and retired the next two Pilots hitters, keeping it 4-3.
Cisneros then pitched a scoreless seventh.
Elian Acosta pitched around a two-out hit in the eighth.
Walkers closer Ernesto Barboso allowed two hits, but no runs, in the ninth to earn his 14th save.

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Record: 52-36, 1st, 4 GA Cedar Rapids
Thairo Estarda drove in Armando Morales with a one-out single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give St. Louis a 3-2 win over Dayton at Busch Stadium (1997).
Kevin Melendez had led off the inning with a single off Pilots reliever Jason Pappas
But Melendez was eliminated at second when Morales hit into a fielder's choice.
Jose Ramirez then singled on a hit-and-run as Morales moved to third.
Estrada then flipped a fly ball over the shortstop's head to score Morales with the game-winning run.
Dayton led 2-0 going into the bottom of the ninth.
The game had been scoreless into the seventh when Marcos Mangual hit a two-out homer off River Walkers starter Izzy San Juan.
The Pilots second run came in the ninth after Doug Brinton drew a lead-off walk from Yeison Santos.
Andres Hernandez took over the mound duties and issued another walk, this one to And Machacek.
A Mangual single loaded the bases.
Brinton scored on a Caiden Matheny fly ball.
But St. Louis tied it in the bottom of the inning on a one-out, two-run homer from Steve Rossi off Justin O'Rourke.
San Juan pitched seven innings, allowing the one run on three hits. He struck out six and walked none.
Cory Tiller and Santos combined to pitch the eighth and started the ninth.
Hernandez finished the ninth, allowing the second Pilots' run which was charged to Santos.
Argenis Batista (1-1) walked a pair of batters in the top of the 10th, but didn't allow a run to help him secure his first win of the season.

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Record: 52-37, 1st, 3 GA Cedar Rapids
Dayton roughed up St. Louis starting pitcher Zack Hunsicker for six runs in a little over two innings, and the Pilots breezed to a 13-3 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The Pilots hit five homers in the game, including a pair off Hunsicker over the second and third innings.
Joe Allen hit a two-out, three-run homer to drive in the final three runs of a four-run second for Dayton.
Edgar Cardenas plated the first run with a single.
Ken Puckett then basically chased Hunsicker with a two-run homer, two batters into the third inning as the Pilots lead grew to 6-0.
An inning later, Peter Crow-Armstrong got into the act with a three-run homer off Andres Hernandez to make it 9-1.
Dayton's final two homers were solo blasts, Bobby Carrasco taking Hernandez deep in the fifth and Puckett hitting his second of the game, this one off Ricky Cisneros, in the sixth as the Pilots pulled ahead 11-1.
Dayton starting pitcher Lenny Torres exited the game after allowing a lead-off single to Daniel Becerra in the first/
He was diagnosed with a shoulder injury, which is expected to keep him out up to six days,
With that six relievers had to pick up the slack.
Edgar Cardenas (5-3) started the line of relievers going 2.2 innings, and earning the win.
He was followed by Trey Cobb (1.1 IP), Jason Pappas (2.0), Jason GIldea (1.0), John Goulet (1.0) and Justin O'Rourke (1.0).

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MBL news: July 13 -- All-Star game fan voting final results