Class AAA Memphis mashes three home runs to snap three-game slide: Minor League Report (2024)

On the brink of a fourth successive loss, Class AAA Memphis rediscovered its winning ways behind an all-around offensive effort.

Eight playersrecorded at least one hit for the Redbirds, including a trio of solo home runs in the third inning, to propel them to a 6-5 win overColumbus Clippers on Thursday night at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. Memphis scored the first five runs of the game before holding on for a slim victory behind a strong bullpen that allowed just one run in 5⅓ innings.

As part of the early offensive outburst, right fielder Jordan Walker and catcher Ivan Herrera drilled back-to-back solo blasts to lead off the third inning. First baseman Luken Baker thenfollowed up three batters later with his team-leading 27th home run of the season to push the Redbirds' lead to 5-0.

Walker's blast, his fifth of the season and first of July, had an exit velocity of 102.2 mph and traveled 369 feet, while Herrera's third home run with Memphis snuck out down the right-field line at 336 feet and with a 92.9 mph exit velocity. Baker's home run barely left the ballpark at 334 feet, and it represented the 27-year-old's fourth home run of July.

Center fielder Victor Scott II, the Cardinals' third-ranked prospect, had a two-hit effort, as did left fielder Matt Koperniak and designated hitter Gavin Collins. Memphis totaled 11 hits, reached base four times via walks and went 2 of 9 with runners in scoring position.

Cardinals 18th-ranked prospect Cesar Prieto had one of those hits, an RBI single in the first inning to open the scoring. The Redbirds' only other run came in the fourth inning when Collins scored on a sacrifice fly from Walker, which extended the Redbirds' lead to 6-2.

Despite the strong offensive start, Memphis starting pitcher Ian Bedell allowed four runs on four hits and five walks in 3⅔ innings. The University of Missouri alum had four strikeouts but departed in his shortest start of the season, handing it off to a bullpen tandem of Andre Granillo, Jacob Bosiokovic, Kyle Leahy and Ryan Loutos.

Granillo (1⅓ innings) and Bosiokovic (two) each had scoreless showings, while Leahy allowed one run on three hits in one inning. Loutos earned his 10th save of the season with a scoreless ninth that included two strikeouts, lowering his season ERA to 2.04.

Right-handed pitcher Chen-Wei Lin, Class Low-A Palm Beach:The Cardinals' 22nd-ranked prospect carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning in Class Low-A Palm Beach's 5-1 victory against St. Lucie at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, finishing with six innings of one-hit, one-run action. As part of the dominant outing, Lin struck out a season-high nine batters and picked up his sixth quality start of the season. A one-out triple by Willy Fanas in the sixth spoiled Lin's bid at a no-hitter, and Fanas scored on a fielding error one batter later. Lin faced just two over the minimum, and outside of the triple and error, the only other baserunner to reach was Ronald Hernandez on a hit by pitch in the second inning. The impressive showing provided quite the bounce back for Lin, who allowed six runs on six hits in four innings in his final start before the All-Star break. With the victory, Lin moved to 6-5 this season with a 3.51 ERA, 84 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP in 82 innings.

First baseman Chase Davis, Class Low-A Palm Beach:One night after going hitless in five at-bats, the left-handed hitting outfielder drilled a pair of doubles as part of a two-hit performance in the PB-Cards' victory. The multi-hit effort marked Davis' 16th of the season,including his sixth game with at least two extra-base hits. After striking out in the first inning, Davis lined a double to right field in the third and later came around to score on Jose Cordoba's two-run double. Davis added a two-out double in the fifth inning but was left stranded in scoring position, and he grounded out and struck out in his final two at-bats. Despite the two-hit performance, the Cardinals sixth-ranked prospect remains in search of more consistency after winning Cardinals minor league player of the month in June. Through 14 games in July, Davis is hitting .200 with a .274 on-base percentage and 18 strikeouts.

Left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews, Class AA Springfield:In his fourth start of the season for Class AA Springfield, the 6-foot-5 left-hander permitted two runs on five hits with five punchouts and three walks in 4⅓ innings — the shortest start of the season for Mathews since April 19 when he was with Class Low-A Palm Beach. Mathews, who tossed 63 of his 93 pitches for strikes, allowed a solo home run in the third inning and a run-scoring single in the fifth, the latter of which knotted the game at 2-all. The southpaw retired the first six batters of the game, including three via strikeouts, before serving up a leadoff home run to Jeron Williams. From there, Mathews allowed seven baserunners to reach in his final 2⅓ frames, although only one came around to score, on Jeremy Arocho's RBI single in the fifth inning. After rising up the minor league ranks in short order, Mathews owns an 0-1 record and a 6.46 ERA across his past three starts with Springfield with 18 strikeouts to seven walks in 15⅓ innings.

Outfielder Joshua Baez, Class High-A Peoria:The 21-year-old snapped a 21-game homerless drought with a three-run blast in the fourth inning of Class High-A Peoria's 5-3 victory over South Bend at Four Winds Field in South Bend, Indiana. Baez, who went 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk and two runs scored, turned on the fifth pitch of his at-bat in the fourth and sent it beyond the right-field wall for his ninth home run of the season. The blast marked just the second extra-base hit in the past 15 games for Baez, who possesses a .170 average and .296 on-base percentage through that stretch.

Shortstop Jonathan Mejia, Florida Coast League:Looking to build upon a recent stretch of strong play, the Cardinals' 30th-ranked prospect extended his hitting streak to six games and had a season-high three stolen bases in a 5-2 loss by the Cardinals' Florida Coast League affiliate to the FCL Marlins. Mejia recorded one of the two hits for the FCL Cardinals, reaching on a two-out single in the seventh inning. He also reached base via a walk and hit by pitch, improving his slash line to .283/.450/.370 in July.