2024 St. Louis River Walkers -- Why can't this thing be fixed?

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MBL news: Week 25 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 81-75, 3rd (Tied/w. Quad City), 2 GB Springfield and Des Moines
Trailing Springfield 5-1, St. Louis scored four times in the top of the ninth inning and tallied two more in the 11th to defeat Springfield 7-6 at Olympic Stadium (Montreal).
The win dropped the Prairie Fighters (83-73) into a first-place tie with Des Moines. The River Walkers sit just two games back, and are tied for third with Quad City.
Andrew Benintendi actually led off the Walkers' 11th with a single off Springfield reliever Justin Jarvis.
Benintendi, however, was thrown out trying to steal second.
Rhys Hoskins followed that with a solo homer, putting St. Louis up 6-5.
The Walkers then proceeded to load the bases -- Jared Thomas walked, Bo Bichette singled and Edmond Americaan reached on an error by first baseman Ryan Mountcastle -- before Alek Thomas drew a walk to score Jared Thomas.
The Fighters, however, responded and almost stole the game in the bottom of the inning.
Riley Greene led it off with a homer off Sean Doolittle.
Pitching in the majors for the first time since August 7, Jason Jester retired the next two batters before giving up a double to Jonathan LuCroy.
Trevor Larnach was given an intentional walk.
Jester struck out Mountcastle to end the game, and earn his first Major League save of the season.
Back-to-back homers from Wander Samuel Franco, off Kenley Jansen, and Nate Traylor, off Brad Brann, to open the seventh inning had put Springfield up 5-1.
But limited to two hits over the first eight innings, the Walkers' bats woke up in a big way in the ninth.
Alek Thomas led off the inning with a single off reliever Juan Then.
Two batters later Michael Toglia doubled to put runners at second and third.
An Andrew Benintendi double off Justin Lawrence made it a 5-3 game.
Jean Carmona singled to place runners at the corners.
A Rhys Hoskins singled made it 5-4.
Carmona scored when Jared Thomas hit into a fielder's choice against Reid Schaller.
It took 11 pitchers for St. Louis to get through 11 innings.
Starter Argenis Batista handled just over half of them, allowing three runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings.
After that, Brad Brann (1.0 IP), Brandon Spagnuolo (1.0), Jake Brentz (1.1) and Jester (1.0) all worked at least an inning.
Caleb Ferguson (3-2) got the final out of the 10th and would earn the win.

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Record: 81-76, 3rd (Tied/w. Quad City), 3 GB Springfield and Des Moines
Nate Traylor hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to help spur Springfield to a 3-1 win over St. Louis at Olympic Stadium (Montreal).
The loss leaves the River Walkers tied with Quad City for in the National League South Division. Springfield and Des Moines are tied for first, three games ahead of the Thunder and River Walkers.
Wander Samuel Franco reached bases ahead of Traylor with a one-out triple off St. Louis starter Steven Brault.
Traylor then spanked the first pitch he saw 407 feet over the wall in right-center field.
The Prairie Fighters pushed their lead to 3-0 in the seventh when Odubel Herrera doubled off Brault and scored on a Ryan Mountcastle single.
The Walkers only run came in the eighth on an inside-the-park homer from Alan Dondero off Springfield reliever Gerson Moreno.
Fighters starter pitcher Steven Gingery (9-2) kept the Walkers off the board for his 6.1 innings on the mound. He allowed just four hits while striking out six and walking none.
Matt McConnell got the final out of the seventh inning.
Gerson Moreno handled the eighth inning.
The ninth belonged to Drew Steckenrider, who allowed a pair of hits before exiting with one out.
Ryan Schaller got George Valera to hit into a fielder's choice for the second out.
Dahiandy Johnson then grounded out to end it, as Schaller notched his first save.

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Record: 82-76, 3rd, 3 GB Des Moines
Trailing 4-3, St. Louis scored six runs in the top of the eighth inning and held on for an 9-6 win over Springfield at Olympic Stadium (Montreal).
With the win, the River Walkers sit solo in third place in the National League South Division, three-games behind first-place Des Moines. The Prairie Fighters trail the Harvesters by a game.
Down 3-2, Trevor Larnach had hit a two-run, two-out homer off St. Louis reliever Sean Doolittle to give Springfield a 4-3 lead.
Christian Arroyo got the Walkers going in the eighth with a lead-off single. off Springfield reliever Michael Santos.
Romy Gonzalez followed with a walk.
Arroyo scored on a Bo Bichette double. A walk to Michael Toglia then loaded the bases.
Andrew Benintendi belted in a double which drove in two.
Pinch-hitter Larry Ernesto capped the outburst with a three-run homer.
All of the runs were given up by Santos.
Springfield did not go quietly, scoring a pair of runs in the ninth.
Jimmy Lambert, now in the bullpen after starting much of the season, opened the inning with a trio of walks to load the bases.
He then allowed a single to Jonathan Lucroy, scoring Michael Brantley to make it 9-5.
Closer Jake Brentz got the ball and got Larnach to hit into a double play, scoring another run.
Brentz followed that by enticing Odubel Herrera to ground out to end it.
Walkers starter Aaron Nola gave up two runs on six hits in five innings.
Again, a boatload of relievers, six altogether got into the game for the Walkers.
Four combined to handle the sixth and seventh innings.
Doolittle (5-0) allowed a homer to one of the two batters he faced, but still came away with the win.

Lambert worked a quiet eighth before unraveling in the ninth.
Two runs scored while Brentz was on the mound, but he still came way with his sixth save.

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The Cincinnati Skyline will get the opportunity to defend their Mississippi Baseball League championship after clinching the American League East Division title with a 7-3 win over Akron on Sept. 25.
The win improved the Skyline to 98-60 and gave it a five-game lead over Akron with four games left in the season.
In the battle for the best record in the American League, Cincinnati trails Detroit by a game with four left.

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Record: 83-76, 3rd, 2 GB Des Moines
Alan Dondero hit a three-run home run off Springfield's Mark McConnell in the top of the ninth inning to help give St. Louis a 9-6 win over the Prairie Fighters at Olympic Stadium (Montreal).
The victory gave the River Walkers wins in three of the four games in their series against Springfield.
With three games left in the season, St. Louis sits in third place in the National League South Division two games behind first-place Des Moines. Springfield is in second, a game behind the Harvesters.
Romy Gonzalez led off the top of the ninth with a single and moved to second on a Christian Arroyo sacrifice bunt.
McConnell then intentionally walk pinch-hitter Alec Thomas to bring Dondero to the plate.
He burned them spanking the first pitch he saw 365 feet over the right field fence.
The Walkers had owned a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, only to have Springfield explode for five runs to tie it.
Trevor Larnach led off the inning with a single off Walkers relief pitcher Brendan Spagnuolo.
Spagnuolo retired the next two batters, but after that he lost it.
He walked two straight batters before allowing a single to Jonathan Lucroy.
Caleb Ferguson took the mound, and on a 0-1 pitch Odbubel Herrera hit a grand slam to tie the game.
St. Louis starter Ernesto Rios kept the Prairie Fighters silent for six innings, allowing three hits. He struck out seven and walked two.
Spagnuolo worked a scoreless seventh and got the first two outs in the eighth before melting down.
John Curtiss had to come in to finish the eighth.
Edwin Diaz allowed no real damage in the ninth, earning his 19th save.

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Record: 84-76, 3rd, 1 GB Springfield and Des Moines
St. Louis scored eight runs over the first two innings and rolled from there for a 10-4 win over Kansas City at Municipal Stadium (1969).
With the win, the River Walkers pulled to within a game of Des Moines and Springfield who are tied for the top spot in the National League South Division.
St. Louis didn't waste any time seizing command scoring five runs in the top of the first inning against Pit Masters starting pitcher Pablo Lopez.
The Walkers put five of their first six batters on base -- two singles, a double, a hit by pitch and a walk -- with Andrew Benintendi driving in a run with a single and Jean Carmona one with a double.
A Jared Thomas ground out yielded the inning's third run.
Bo Bichette plated the final two with a single.
An Alek Thomas double followed by a Michael Toglia single to open the second chase Lopez from the mound.
Mario Galvez took his place but would yield three more runs before the inning would end.
Benintendi plated the first run with a fielder's choice.
Jean Carmona chased home the second run with a sacrifice fly.
An error by Galvez on a ball hit by Arroyo helped make it 8-0.
Trailing 9-0, Kansas City used the long ball to get to Walkers starter Alex Faedo in the sixth.
Joey Gallo's 38th homer of the season was a three-run shot.
Two batters later, Yasmani Grandal hit a solo blast.
But that was all the scoring for the Masters.
Faedo worked six innings allowing four runs on five hits.
Jackson Smeltz pitched the final three, allowing two hits in his time on the mound.

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Record: 84-77, 3rd, 1 GB Springfield and Des Moines
Kansas City put four runs on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 6-3 lead and held on to defeat St. Louis 6-5 at Municipal Stadium (1969).
Despite the loss, the River Walkers remained alive with just one day left in the regular season.

Both Des Moines and Springfield also lost keeping them at 85-76, one game ahead of St. Louis with just the final day of the regular season to go.
The Walkers' Andrew Benintendi's 30th homer of the season, a two-run shot, off Pit Masters starting pitcher Johnny Kuhn Jr. put them up 3-2 going into the bottom of the fifth.
But St. Louis starter Argenis Batista melted down.
He walked Canaan Smith to open the inning, and followed that by allowing a double to Jeffry Marte and a Alex McKenna single.
Smith scored on McKenna's hit to tie it.
Batista was given one more chance against Yordan Alvarez and he got torched.
Alvarez hit a 1-0 pitch 405 feet over the wall in right-center field to give Kansas City a 6-3 advantage.
Michael Toglia did everything he could to rally the Walkers, hitting solo homers in the seventh and ninth innings.
But K.C. closer Zach Burdi recovered from Toglia's homer and got both Benintendi and pinch-hitter George Valera to fly out to end it.
Kuhn Jr. lasted 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits.
Kyle Nelson (6-5) finished the fifth and by that earned himself the win.
David Berg, Andrew Ryan, Chance Adams and Burdi all worked an inning apiece.
The save was the 31st of the season for Burdi.

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Record: 84-78, 3rd (Tied/w. Quad City), 1 GB Des Moines
A strength much of the season, the St. Louis bullpen laid an egg for the second straight game allowing four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to help Kansas City escape with a 5-4 win at Municipal Stadium (1969).
With this loss on the final day of the season, the River Walkers will fail to make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.
St. Louis (84-78) finishes in a third-place fie with Quad City and two games behind National League South Division champ Des Moines.
Springfield fell 6-4 in its final game and settled for second, a game behind the Harvesters.
Tied 2-2, St. Louis grabbed the lead in the top of the seventh.
Christian Arroyo, who had singled with one out, scored on an Andrew Ryan wild pitch.
A single from Michael Toglia then scored Alek Thomas to make it 4-2.
Steven Brault had limited the Pit Masters to a pair of runs through six innings but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh despite having thrown just 69 pitches.
In his first game back since a brief injury, Phil Maton got Brian Mundell to fly out to open the bottom of the seventh.
Maton, however, seemed to reaggravate his injury and had to leave the game.
In stepped John Curtiss, and it started to unravel.
Yasmani Grandal greeted him with a single and a Yan Contreras double moved him to third.
A walk to Jayson Gonzalez loaded the bases.
This led to Kenley Jansen taking the mound.
His second pitch to Greg Jones eluded catcher Jared Thomas, scoring Grandal to make it 4-3.
Jones walked to reload the bases.
Alex McKenna followed with a two-run single and K.C. led 5-4.
Masters starter Trevor Oaks allowed two runs on four hits over five innings.
David Berg worked a silent sixth.
Albert Hernandez got the first out of the seventh before Andrew Ryan came on and allowed the two runs which gave the Walkers a brief lead.
Chance Adams pitched a scoreless eighth.
Austin Hansen struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth for his fourth save.

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Luis Tuero two-run double in the top of the eighth inning highlighted a four-run inning and lifted Chicago to a 4-1 win over Green Bay on the final day of the regular season.
The victory gave the G-Men (86-76) the National League North Division title by a single game over the Long Haulers and Milwaukee who tied for second just a game back.
Milwaukee defeated Rockford 3-2 in its regular-season finale

Third-place Madison finished just two games behind the leaders.
The win advances Chicago to the National League playoffs, where it will face NL South Division champ Des Moines.
The Harvesters also wrapped up their season with an 86-76 record.

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Des Moines exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to set the stage for a 7-5 division clinching win win over Cedar Rapids.
The win wrapped up a third straight National League South Division title for the Harvesters and their fourth in five years.
Milwaukee, who fell 6-4 to Springfield in 10 innings in its regular-season finale, finished just one game behind Des Moines.
St. Louis and Quad City finished tied for third, just two games out.

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MBL news: Players and Pitchers of the Month for September

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MBL news: Rookies of the Month for September; Final Power Rankings and standings

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MBL news: 2024 American League final leaders

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MBL news: 2024 National League final leaders

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Walkers news: Team statistics for September

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Player of the month: OF Michael Toglia -- Called back up from Memphis, the 26-year-old Toglia finally performed like the River Walkers had hoped he would at the start of the season batting .386 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 18 games. He also scored 12 runs while boasting a .450 on-base percentage and a .729 slugging percentage.
Starting pitcher of the Month: LHP Steven Brault: The 32-year-old Brault finished strong going 3-1 in six starts. He boasted a 1.90 ERA over 42.2 innings, striking out 32 while holding the opposition to a .084 WHIP.
Relief pitcher of the Month: LHP Jake Brentz: The 30-year-old Brentz got into 10 games going 0-1 with two saves and a 0.87 ERA. He worked a total of 10.1 innings, during which he struck out eight and posted a 0.97 WHIP.

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Walkers news: Final team statistics for 2024

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Player of the Year: OF Andrew Benintendi: The 30-year-old played in 155 games during which he batted .269 with 28 home runs and 99 RBIs. He scored a total of 80 runs while getting on base .339 percent of the time and slugging at a .483 clip.
Starting Pitcher of the Year: Alex Faedo: The 28-year-old Faedo established himself as the River Walkers No. 1 starter moving forward by going 13-11 in 34 starts and posting a 2.91 ERA. He worked a total of 207.0 innings, during which he boasted a 1.14 WHIP and struck out 196 batters.
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Jake Brentz: Brentz, 30, got into 60 games going 4-8 with six saves and a 2.27 ERA. He pitched a total of 67.1 innings, during which he struck out 85 and had a 1.08 WHIP.

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Walkers news: Player Development Report for Oct. 1