2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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Record: 34-50, 7th, 15.5 GB Des Moines
Alex Otero broke open a scoreless game with a grand slam off St. Louis starting pitcher Jerry Tate in the bottom of the fifth inning, and Springfield cruised to a 6-0 win at Oracle Park (2020).
The Railers won the final two games of the three-game series.
Tate had allowed two hits over the first four innings, but immediately got into trouble in the fifth when Mike Murray and pitcher T.J. Darr led off with back-to-back singles.
Darr used to be a prospect in the River Walkers system, also playing catcher.
A bunt from Austin Schultz put runners at second and third before Tate walked Riley Greene to load the bases.
Tate struck out Billy Salas for the second out.
Otero, however, turned on the first pitch he saw and powdered it 459 feet over the fence in right-center.
The Railers were not done scoring in that inning either.
Justin Schneider followed the slam with a single.
Schneider scored when Ruben Villanueva hit a triple.
Springfield starting pitcher Alan Albanese didn't last long enough to earn the win, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings during which he allowed five hits.
The win went to Darr, who finished the fifth inning and worked a scoreless sixth.
Cole Duensing got the first two outs of the seventh.
Argenis Batista handled the final out of the seventh, and added a scoreless eighth.
Jon Santiago finished it off with a 1-2-3 ninth.

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Record: 35-50, 7th, 14.5 GB Des Moines
Xavier Wigfall limited Peoria to one run over 6.1 innings, and St. Louis pounded out a pair of four-run innings as the River Walkers won 9-1 at Buch Stadium (2006).
Wigfall (5-8) allowed seven hits in his 6.2 innings. He struck out four and walked three.
The right-hander exited with one out in the seventh after giving up a two-out double to Jeremiah Jackson.
Josh Forgy took over and got Mike Courtney to fly out to end the inning.
By that time, St. Louis led 5-1.
Wigfall surrendered his only run in the top of the fifth, when Johnny Castagnozzi led off the game with a single and scored on a Jackson double.
The Walkers tied it in the bottom of the second, when they lashed three straight two-out singles off Rivermen starter Sean Hopkins.
A Jovan Gill single scored Daniel Becerra with the first run for St .Louis.
The Walkers broke the game open in the fifth, scoring four times.
The outburst was all singles (five) and walks (two), all of it coming against Hopkins.
Nick Shaw and Becerra both drove in runs with their singles.
Gill got an RBI by drawing a bases-loaded walk.
St. Louis' other big inning came in the seventh.
Becerra collected an RBI with a single.
The next two belonged to Alex Greene, with a single off Carlos Aguirre.
Kyren Paris capped the scoring with another single off Aguirre.
Oscar Martinez pitched the final two innings for St. Louis without allowing a run.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have traded veteran starting pitcher Zack Hunsicker along with minor-league relief pitcher Melvin Arayujo to the Milwaukee Crushers in exchange for minor-league catcher Zach Wenman.
The 33-year-old Hunsicker has been with the Walkers since being acquired in a mid-season trade in 2030 from Louisville.
For his career, Hunsicker made 95 starts for St. Louis, going 36-25 with a 4.33 ERA.
The 2033 season has been a rough one for Hunsicker, as he is 3-6 with a 6.05 ERA in 16 starts.
His contract expires at the end of the season.
From the Crushers, the Walkers get a catching prospect in Wenman.
The 24-year-old has split the 2033 season between AA Reading and AAA Leigh Valley.
For Reading, Wenman hit .318 in 49 games with two homers and 27 RBIs.
In 13 games at AAA, Wenman hit .490 with one homer and 13 RBIs.
Also going to Milwaukee is the 20-year-old Arruajo.
In five games in Rookie Ball, he has gone 1-0 with a 3.47 ERA in five games.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have signed left-handed pitcher Justin Doughtie to a minor-league contract.
Doughtie may be asked to fill the spot in the rotation recently vacated by Zack Hunsicker, who has been traded to Milwaukee.
The 33-year-old Doughtie has pithed in seven games this season, all in relief, for Green Bay this season going 0-0 with one save and a 0.00 ERA.
For his career, Doughtie is 74-70 with 13 saves and a 4.08 ERA in 449 games, 189 of them starts.

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Record: 36-50, 7th, 13.5 GB Des Moines
Justin Doughtie made a nice debut for St. Louis -- throwing 5.1 innings of one-run relief after starting pitcher Ricky Cisneros exited with a injury after just three batters -- to help the River Walkers to an 8-3 win over Peoria at Busch Stadium (2006).
Cisneros exited the game after Mike Courtney to hit into a fielder's choice for the second out of the top of the first inning.
The trainer listed him as having a sore back, and is expected to miss a week.
Doughtie, who the Walkers signed just a day earlier to a free-agent contract, got off to a rocky start.
But it could have been rockier.
He walked the first three batters he faced, to score the game's first run.
Doughtie followed that with a strikeout to keep it 1-0.
St. Louis seized the lead in the bottom of the second, when it score three times.
Nick Shaw and Jose Ramirez hit consecutive doubles off Rivermen starter Enrique Castillo to open the inning.
Later, backup catcher Kevin Melendez hit a two-out, two-run homer making it 3-1.
St. Louis increased its lead to 5-1 in the fourth.
Doughtie got into the action, driving in both runs with a double off reliever Elvin M. Rodriguez.
The Walkers added single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth.
Cisneros was credited with pitching just 0.2 innings, during which he allowed one run on one hits.
Doughtie (1-0) worked 5.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits. He struck out four and walked the same.
Scott Rissler handled two innings of scoreless relief.
Nick Ruffalo (0.1 IP) started the ninth and got the first out.
Cory Tiller (0.2) was called upon to close it out.

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Record: 37-50, 6th, 12.5 GB Des Moines
Trailing, 2-1. St. Louis seized control with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and went on to defeat Peoria 6-4 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory capped a three-game sweep for the River Walkers.
All of the Walkers' fourth-inning runs came with two outs -- although a walk and single by Jovan Gill off Rivermen starting pitcher Shane Drogo did get things going.
A two-out walked to Glenallen Hill loaded the bases.
Jared Thomas and Nick Shaw both connected for RBI singles.
Jae-hong Chang then drove in a pair with a single.
Gill, who went 4 for 4, made it 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth with a homer off reliever Elvin M. Rodriguez.
St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe (8-6) allowed two runs on four hits over the first six innings.
Cory Tiller worked the seventh, allowing a pair of runs.
Josh Forgy set Peoria down in order in the eighth.
Ernesto Barbosa did the same in the ninth for his 13th save.

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Record: 37-51, 7th, 13.5 GB Des Moines
Ann Arbor made the debut of St. Louis rookie starter John Good a rough one, collecting five runs off him in just 3.2 innings on its way to a 6-2 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Good (0-1) was called up from AAA Memphis after an injury to Ricky Cisneros in a recent game left the River Walkers short a starter.
Good allowed five hits in his time on the mound, and hurt himself by issuing six walks.
The Wolf Pack jumped in front 2-0 with a pair of runs in the first inning.
That inning a walk, a hit by pitch and wild pitch by Good.
RJ Teijeiro collected an RBI with a sacrifice fly.
Danny Cushing ended Good's out in the fourth inning with a three-run homer to make it 5-0.
Both runners in front of Cushing had gotten on via walks.
Ann Arbor starting pitcher Josh Downer was impressive, allowing two runs on five hits over 6.1 innings. He struck out nine and walked one.
Rob Reul finished the seventh inning for the Wolf Pack.
The eighth and ninth were handled by Josh Walker and Edwin Cora, respectively.

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Record: 38-51, 7th, 13.5 GB Des Moines
St. Louis got two-run homers from Jose Segura and Nick Shaw and starting pitcher Jerry Tate allowed one run over seven innings, as St. Louis downed Ann Arbor 4-3 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Shaw's homer came early, with two outs in the bottom of the first inning off former St. Louis pitcher Joey Thacker, to put the Walkers up 2-0.
Shaw took Thacker deep in the bottom of the third making it 4-1.
Tate (3-6) allowed a single run, it coming in the top of the third, on four hits. He struck out one and walked one.
Nick Ruffalo threw a scoreless eighth for St. Louis.
Ernesto Barbosa was given a chance for a save, but wasted it allowing a two-run homer to Ramon Montes with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Yeison Santos saw the first batter he faced reach base when shortstop Kyren Paris booted a ball hit by pinch-hitter Ryan Wibbenmeyer.
It was Paris' second error of the inning and the fourth of the game for the Walkers.
Pinch-hitter William Contreras, however, flew out to end it and give Santos his first save of the season.

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Record: 38-52, 7th, 13.5 GB Des Moines
Ann Arbor scored two runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back on its way to a 5-4 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (2006).
The Wolfpack saw their first three batters of the game reach base -- two singles and a walk -- against River Walkers starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall.
That loaded the bases.
Jaden Green drove in the game's first run with a one-out single.
RJ Teijeiro made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.
Ann Arbor made it 3-0 an inning later
William Contreras drawing a lead-off walk, and later scoring on a two-out single by Danny Cushing.
The Walkers' Jared Thomas connected for a two-out double off Wolf Pack starter Adam Wilkes in the bottom of the fourth, making it 3-2.
But Marco Luciano responded with two-run double of his own off Wigfall in the top of the fifth to make it 5-2.
Wilkes (7-7) allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out five and didn't issue a walk.
David Bergeron, Edgar Lamas and Stephen Von Lehmden all pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
Von Lehmden posted his 14th save.

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MBL news: July 10 -- All-Star game fan voting final results

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MBL news: July 10 -- All-Star game rosters

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MBL news: July 10 -- Prospects game rosters

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Record: 38-53, 7th, 14.5 GB Des Moines
Making his first start for St. Louis, Ann Arbor roughed up Justin Doughtie for seven runs in 4.2 innings on its way to an 11-5 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win was the Wolf Pack's third of the four-game series as the season heads into the All-Star break.
St. Louis will take a 38-53 record into the break, easy the worst in the team's 15-year history.
Doughtie had turned in a strong effort in relief in his first outing for the Walkers.
This one was different.
Ann Arbor broke open a scoreless game in the top of the third inning with a solo homer from pitcher Josh McDonald and a two-run sot from Eddie Estrella.
Two innings later, with the score 3-2, the Wolf Pack chased Doughtie with four more runs.
McDonald, the pitcher, led off the inning with his second homer of the game.
What followed was Ann Arbor getting hits five of its next seven batters.
Alex Verdugo and Mike Healy had RBI singles in that span.
Ramon Montes capped the outburst with a run-scoring double, which sent Doughtie to the showers.
The Wolf Pack added three more runs in the seventh against reliever Scott Rissler.
Healy collected two more RBIs with a single.
In addition to the two homers, McDonald (6-8) also was strong on the mound while earning his sixth win.
In five innings, McDonald allowed two runs on six hits.
After that it was Jim Dunphy for an inning, during which he allowed one run.
Edwin Cora, who gave up a run in the eighth.
Chris Novotny allowed two runs in the ninth, but with an 11-4 lead it didn't matter.

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MBL news: Week 13 -- Awards and standings

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MBL news: July 10 -- American League wins Prospects Game 2-0

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MBL news: July 11 -- QC's Nelson wins Home-Run Derby

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MBL news: July 12 -- American League wins All-Star game 4-2

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Record: 38-54, 7th, 15.5 GB Des Moines
Leading 1-0, Louisville broke open its game against St. Louis with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and went on for a 6-1 win at Dodger Stadium.
The Sluggers saw six of their first seven batters reach base against River Walkers starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe in their big inning.
The second batter, Tom Blevins, struck the first big blow with a two-run homer.
The first of Belvins' two home runs in the game.
Dan Boyle followed that long ball with a walk.
He scored on a Bobby Chapman double.
Jacob Campbell later scored Chapman with a single.
Blevins provided the game's final run in the sixth.
It also came off McNaboe.
Louisville starting pitcher Jim Martin (11-3) worked 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out five and walking thee.
Martin also drove in the game's first run with a double in the bottom of the third.
Chris Lewis finished the fifth inning, allowing the lone St. Louis run, and worked a scoreless sixth.
Masyn Winn pitched a scoreless eighth inning and got the first out of the ninth.
Brian Rose got the game's final two outs.

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Record: 38-55, 7th, 15.5 GB Des Moines
Tied 1-1, Louisville took the lead for good with two run in the bottom of the third inning, and the Sluggers went on for their second straight 6-1 victory over St. Louis at Dodger Stadium.
It was Danny Boyle's 19th homer of the season, with two outs off River Walkers starting pitcher Jerry Tate, which put Louisville ahead 3-0.
The Sluggers broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Errors by Walkers shortstop Kyren Paris and Javon Gill both played into the outburst.
Bobby Chapman collected an RBI for the first run with a single off Tate.
Jario Diaz drove in the final run with a fly ball off Josh Forgy.
Louisville starting pitcher Andres Garcia lasted 6.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits.
Chris Lewis finished off the seventh inning worked a scoreless eighth and got the first out of the ninth.
The final two outs of the game were recorded by Masyn Winn.

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Record: 38-56, 7th, 15.5 GB Des Moines
Zachary Fuller limited St. Louis to one run over 6.1 innings to help Louisville complete a three-game sweep with a 5-4 win at Dodger Stadium.
Down 1-0, the Sluggers grabbed the lead in the bottom of the second inning thanks to back-to-back home runs from Tom Blevins and Bobby Chapman off River Walkers starting pitcher Ricky Cisneros.
Louisville expanded its lead to 5-1 with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Cole Turney led off the inning with a triple off Cisneros and scored when Jacob Campbell followed with a single.
Jario Diaz followed with another single.
Fuller got down a bunt to put runners on second and third.
After a fly out, Hisanori Yasuda made it 4-1 with a single to score Campbell.
That ended Cisneros' time on the mound.
Scott Rissler took over and was greeted by a Dan Boyle single, which made it 5-1.
St. Louis did make it close.
Nathaniel Dixon hit a two-run homer off reliever Rafael Espinoza in he seventh.
The Walkers added another run in the ninth -- Daniel Becerra led off the inning with a single and Dixon followed with a RBI double --- but Brian Rose, after the rough start, struck out the next three to end it.
Fuller (5-10) allowed one run on three hits in 6.1innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Rafael Espinoza got the final two outs of the seventh, allowing the Dixon homer.
Joe Wahl pitched the eighth.
Rose earned his 17th save in the ninth.