Future Redbirds

Quick programming note: I’m going to be here all day on Draft Day next Thursday. Be sure to drop by and I’ll have the latest updates on Cardinal picks and some split-second reaction. erik will probably drop by that evening to give his take (I’m sure he’ll let you know more explicitly what his plans are as the draft approaches).

Also, this is barely worth mentioning, but what the hell. With Yadier Molina down for 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist, the worthless last resort relatively unknown warm body Brian Esposito was called up to the bigs. In a related move Ryan Christianson returned from the DL for Memphis and had a pinch hit in tonights game.

Now let’s get down to business.

Memphis 2, Tuscon 3

• Skippy Skip hit a HR and took a walk.
• Rick Ankiel and Rico Washington both went 2-for-4.
• Nick Stavinoha is showing why he should still be considered a prospect. After spending the better portion of the season on the DL, he’s hitting .280/.317/.430 after going 1-for-4 with a SB. Keep an eye on him to see if the power returns more as the season goes on. He’s hitting .415 in the last 10 games so the bat control is there.
• Kiesler didn’t get lit up — sorry, that’s as excited as I can get about him. He did turn in 7.2 innings allowing 8 hits, 1 walk while striking out 2 and 2 ER.
• Brian Falkenborg coughed up the game allowing a run in the 9th.

Springfield 3, San Antonio 6

• Will Venable, the RF for San Antonio, hit for the cycle tonight.
• Sean Danielson went 0-2 but collected 2 walks.
• Tyler Greene hit the only extra base hit for Springfield with a double and his 8th stolen base of the season. Did anyone notice that Greene is walking in 9% of his place appearances? If he could increase his AVG, he’d be doing quite well. I still need to take a look at his and Brendan Ryan’s stats in the near future but that may wait till post-draft.
• Joe Mather went 1-for-3 with a walk.
• Cory Rauschenberger scattered 9 hits and a walk across 6.2 IP. He struck out 2 and allowed 4 ER.
• Matthew Scherer was good in his 1.1 innings striking out 2.
• (No worries about Rasmus not being in the lineup. Just a day off.)

Palm Beach 8, Jupiter 4

• Jim Rapoport went 1-for-2 with a triple and pair of walks.
• Ian Church and Isaias Garcia each collected 2 hits with a double.
• Allen Craig was the only position player not to collect a hit.
• Adam Ottavino wasn’t as sharp as usual only lasting 4.1 inning. He walked 2, with 4 hits and struck out 2. All told he had 3 ER to his demerit for the night. After reading this, if his stats take a plunge, I may go beserk.
• Fernando Salas had a good outing throwing 3.2 innings allowing just one run.

Quad Cities 6, Clinton 4

• Let’s start out with the newbies: Tommy Pham 1-for-5 w/ 1 K; Wilmer Alvarado 2-for-4 w/ 1 double
• Chris Grossman did the heavy lifting for the Swing with a 3-for-4 performance including a double and a HR.
• Brandon Dickson went 5 innings allowing just 2 unearned runs. He struckout 2 and walked 1 to pick up his 7th win.
• I’m guessing Blake King is ready for the tandem starting rotation to end. As a starter, he has a 3.68 ERA compared to 6.88 as a reliever. He’s generating a lot more groundballs as a starter but not necessarily striking out more batters and walks are a huge problem this season (meaning the ERA split probably isn’t that indicative of how he’s really pitching as a starter vs. reliever). Last night he threw 2 innings walking 3, striking out 3 and allowing 2 runs (1 earned). He also had 3 WP.
• Kenny Maiques collected his 11th save with a scoreless frame and 2 Ks. Both punchouts were with the batter swinging. After seeing his fastball on Monday, I can understand why batters were missing it. It’s fast and moves like crazy.