2030 St. Louis River Walkers -- This could be the last time

[rink23]

MBL news: Week 1 -- Awards and standings

[rink23]

Record: 5-2, 1st (Tied/w. Quad City), 1 GA Kansas City
Kaneo Kawamoto recorded 26 of 27 outs, and Yeison Santos finished it off with a bases-loaded fielder's choice as St. Louis shutout Quad City 5-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Kawamoto (1-1) allowed just three singles over the first eight innings, and retired the first two QC batters in the ninth before allowing a pair of singles and a walk.
Enter Santos, who got Chase Davis to into a fielder's choice, who earned his first save of the season.
Kawamoto struck out nine and walked just one during his time on the mound.
The River Walkers did all of their scoring two innings.
The first two came in the bottom of the first on a two-run homer from Jose Ramirez off QC starting pitcher Jose Castaneda.
All the rest came in the fourth, also against Castaneda.
Castenada had trouble finding the plate that inning, walking two batters and hitting another.
One of those walks, to Kawamoto, scored a run.
Alek Thomas followed that with a two-run single.

[rink23]

Record: 6-2, 1st, 1 GA Quad City and Kansas City
Jose Ramirez led off the bottom of the 12th inning with a walk-off home run off Quad City reliever Billy Weiner -- his second homer of the game -- as St. Louis downed Quad City 9-8 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Earlier, Ramirez had hit a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh -- off Thunder reliever Travis Hailey -- to turn a 7-3 deficit into an 8-7 lead.
His homer came on the first pitch of the inning, and traveled 413 feet over the right-field wall.
Quad City forced extra innings when Jacob Gonzalez hit a two-out homer off River Walkers closer Ernesto Barbosa.
St. Louis starting pitcher Trey Benton lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits.
Travis Krogman worked an inning, and was the first of six relievers for the Walkers.
Rickey Cisneros (1.2 IP). Cory Tiller (1.0), Barbosa (1.0), David Amador (2.0) and Jake Brentz (1.0) all took the mound for St. Louis.
Brentz (1=0) earned his first win of the season.

[rink23]

Record: 6-4, 1st (Tied/w. Quad City and Kansas City), 2 GA Des Moines and Springfield
Carter Kieboom's two-out single in the top of the ninth inning off St. Louis closer Ernesto Barbosa drove in Chas Davis, and gave Quad City a 3-2 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win allowed the Thunder to avoid being swept in the three-game series.
Davis had drawn a walk from reliever Jose Alvarado to lead off the inning.
Barbosa took over and struck out reigning NL MVP Nick Gonzalez.
With Ben Nelson at the plate, Davis stole second, before Nelson struck out.
Kieboom then connected for his game-winning single on a 0-1 pitch.
An RBI double from Jean Carmona in the fourth inning had allowed the Walkers to tie it 1-1.
Harper later had a pitch elude catcher Bobby Wescott, allowing Carmona to score, as St. Louis went up 2-1.
The Thunder tied it in the sixth when Davis hit a solo homer off St. Louis starting pitcher Izzy San Juan.
Harper worked six innings, allowing two runs on just two hits. He struck out seven and walked none.
Victor Moreno, Josh Holt and Travis Hailey all pitched a scoreless inning.
Holt (1-0) earned the win.
Hailey got his second save.

[rink23]

Record: 6-4, 1st (Tied/w. Quad City and Kansas City), 1.5 GA Des Moines and Louisville
Jared Poland hit a two-run home run off St. Louis reliever Cory Tiller with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning to give Detroit a 4-3 win at Tiger Stadium (1980).
Yeison Santos opened the bottom of the 12th on the mound for the River Walkers.
He got pinch-hitter Baek-ho Kang to fly out before allowing a walk to Mike Coats.
With a series of right-handed hitters set to hit, Tiller took over and retired pinch-hitter Cady Doughty, although he did get down a bunt which moved Coats to second.
Poland then ended it hitting a 1-0 pitch 455 feet over the fence in left-center field.
St. Louis had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th.
Jean Carmona led off with a single off Adrian Arnesen.
He then stole second, and moved to third on a throwing error by catcher Mike Vaughan.
Jordan Groshans scored Carmona with a sacrifice fly.
The Diesels had gone up 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth.
Ronald Acuna Jr. singling with one out off Walkers reliever Ricky Cisneros and scoring on a Bryce Harper sacrifice fly.
But St. Louis forced extra innings when Jared Thomas hit an inside-the-park homer off Detroit reliever Pablo Ochoa.
Diesels starting pitcher Luca Dalatri lasted just 4.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits.
Six relievers followed him to the mound, led by T.J. Polkington, who finished the fifth and got the game to the seventh.
He was followed by Omar Enriquez (1.0 IP), Ochoa (0.2), Juan Arroyo (1.0), John Goulet (1.0) ands Arnesen (1.1).
Arnesen (1-2) earned his first win of the season.
Walkers starting pitcher Robby Albarran exiting after 4.1 innings with an undisclosed injury.

[rink23]

Robby Albarran was eager to prove he was ready to be a major-league starter after being named to the starting rotation of the St. Louis River Walkers.
That chance has ended before it ever really started, as the 25-year-old has been told he will be out for up to 10 months with a ruptured ulner collateral ligament,
Albarran left his most recent start after 4.1 innings -- an eventually 4-3 12-inning loss to Detroit -- and had made two starts total before suffering the injury.
The Walkers will likely look to AAA Memphis for a replacement, although their most viable fill-in, Ron Peterson, is currently injured himself with a back injury.

[rink23]

Record: 7-4, 1st (Tied/w. Quad City), 1 GA Kansas City
Trailing 4-2, Jared Thomas hit a three-run home run off Detroit reliever Omar Enriquez in the top of the ninth inning to help lift St. Louis to a 5-4 win at Tiger Stadium (1985).
A walk to Peter Ahn followed by a pinch-hit single from Alberto Checcinato, both against reliever T.J. Polkinghorne, had got things going for the River Walkers in the top of the ninth.
With nobody out, Enriquez replaced Polkinghorne and on a 3-2 pitch Thomas turned it around and powered it 395 feet over the wall in right field to put St. Louis in front.
Trailing 1-0, the Walkers had scored twice in the top of the eighth to grab the lead.
A bases-loaded single by Jordan Groshans off Diesels starter Damon Casetta-Stubbs plated both runs.
But Detroit regained the lead in the bottom of the inning.
Mike Coats driving home one run with a single, and Shinya Mori a pair, also with a single, both coming with two outs off reliever David Amador.
Walkers ace Angel Tiburcio handled the first seven innings, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out nine and walked one.
Amador (1-0) got the win despite giving up three runs.
Jose Alvarado pitched around a base runner in the bottom of the ninth for his first save.
St. Louis outfielder Alek Thomas left the game after he was injured running the bases in the eighth inning.
A diagnosis is pending.

[rink23]

Record: 7-5, 2nd, 1 GB Quad City
Shinya Mori hit a three-run home run off St. Louis starter Kaneo Kawamoto in the bottom of the first inning -- staking Detroit to a 3-0 leads -- and the Diesels went on for a 6-4 win at Tiger Stadium (1985).
Kawamoto allowed three home runs in 5.1 innings, as Detroit never trailed although the River Walkers made it interesting at the end.
Jared Poland led off the fifth with a homer off Kawamoto to make it 4-2.
An inning later, Brady House hit another lead-off bomb off Kawamoto to make it 5-2.
St. Louis plated a pair of runs in the seventh -- pinch-hitter Andrew Benintendi driving in the first with a double off reliever T.J. Polkinghorne and Peter Ahn the other with a double off Omar Enriquez -- but that was the end of the scoring.
Diesels starter Jeff Hoffman worked the first five innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out eight and walked one.
It took five relievers -- Juan Arroyo (1.0 IP), Polkinghorne (0.2), Omar Enriquez (0.1), Pablo Ochoa (1.0) and Adrian Arnesen (1.0) -- to finish the game.
Arnesen came out of it with his second save.

[rink23]

Record: 8-5, 2nd, 0.5 GB Quad City
Trey Benton allowed one run over six innings and St. Louis took three out of four games against Detroit with a 4-1 win at Tiger Stadium (1980).
Benton (1-1) allowed one run on four hits in his time on the mound. He struck out three and walked none.
The River Walkers went up 2-0 in the top of the third inning against Diesels starting pitcher Rich Nelson.
Nelson struck out the inning's first two batters, but Peter Ahn doubled and scored on an Edward Olivares single.
Olivares took second on the throw home.
Jose Ramirez then scored Olivares with a single.
It's lead at 2-1, St. Louis added two more runs in the eighth.
Jean Carmona tripled to score Ahn, who had led off the inning with a single off reliever Juan Arroyo.
Jared Thomas chased home Carmona with a double.
Ricky Cisneros got the first two outs of the seventh for St. Louis.
Travis Krogman took over to finish that inning, and worked a scoreless eighth,
Jake Brentz earned his first save with a scoreless ninth.

[rink23]

MBL news: Week 2 -- Awards and standings

[rink23]

Record: 9-5, 1st, 0.5 GA Quad City
Izzy San Juan went the distance, allowing one run on five hits over nine innings as St. Louis routed Cedar Rapids 9-1 at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
A big lead, a low-pitch count and weary bullpen led to the decision to allow San Juan to pitch a complete game.

The left-hander set Cedar Rapids down in order in the ninth, getting Jose Morillo to fly out to end it and end a 104-pitch day on the mound.
San Juan (1-0) struck out three and walked one in the contest.
The River Walkers went up 1-0 in the top of the second on Jose Segura's solo homer off Grapplers starter Pablo Lopez.
St. Louis broke the game open when it batted around in the fifth, scoring four times.
Edwards Olivares had a two-run single in the frame, while Jared Thomas and Cris Rosario both drove in runs, also with singles.
The Walkers made it a blow out with a three-run seventh.
Rosario drove in two more runs with a single.
Segura scored a run on a throwing error by right fielder Jose Hernandez when he tried to advance from second to third on a fly ball hit by San Juan.
An RBI double from Jared Thomas in the top of the ninth made it 9-1.

[rink23]

Record: 10-5, 1st, 1.5 GA Quad City
Peter Ahn hit a two-run pinch-hit home run in the top of the 13th inning to help lift St. Louis to a 5-4 win over Cedar Rapids at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
Grapplers reliever Matt Wailzer retired the first two River Walkers batters in the 13th, but was then replaced by Rick Atkinson.
It proved a bad decision.
Luke Berryhill, who is 0 for 19 for the season, drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch.
Ahn then powered a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right-center to put St. Louis in front.
Jose Morillo did homer off Walkers reliever Ricky Cisneros in the bottom of the 13th with one out.
Jose Hernandez also singled with two outs.
But Cisneros got Phillip Dull to fly out to end it, and earn him his first save of the season.
A three-run top of the first, highlighted by a two-run homer from Jordan Groshans off Cedar Rapids starter Evan Steele, staked the Walkers to a 3-0 lead.
But the Grapplers pecked away.
Morillo singled off St. Louis rookie starter Wilson Lara to lead off the bottom of the second and later scored.
When the Grapplers got a single from Jesus Berrios and double by Mark Hill to open the eighth against reliever Cory Tiller, St. Louis decided to go to closer Ernesto Barbosa.
It didn't work.
Matt McLain drove in Barrios with a ground ball, making it 3-2.
Rhys Hoskins later hit a two-out double to tie it.
Lara pitched well in his first opportunity to lock down the No. 5 spot in the St. Louis rotation.
He allowed one run on four hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Tiller and Barbosa both ended up pitching an inning apiece.
Travis Krogman and David Amador both followed with two innings.
Amador (2-0) would earn his second win of the season.
Cisneros took the mound to begin the 13th.

[rink23]

Record: 10-6, 1st, 1.5 GA Quad City and Kansas City
Devin Eyre handled the first 17 outs, and a quartet of relievers took care of the rest as Cedar Rapids shut out St. Louis 3-0 at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
The victory allowed the Grapplers to avoid being swept in the three-game series.
Eyre, who did not figure into the decision,allowed just one hit -- a two-out single from Alek Thomas in the sixth -- after which he was removed.
Ivan Alonzo took his placed and got Thairo Estrada to fly out to end the inning.
The Grapplers would get all three of their runs in the bottom of the sixth.
St. Louis ace Angel Tiburcio allowed the first three batters -- on two singles and a walk -- to reach loading the bases.
He retired the next two without a run scoring -- a fielder's choice with the runner thrown out at the plate and a strikeout -- but reserve catcher Ben Breazaele drew a walk to score Mark Hill with the game's first run.
Phillip Dull followed with a two-run single, as the Grapplers went up 3-0.
Alonzo (2-0) ended up earning the win.
Shuto Ogata, Dave Schaeffer and Evan Palmer all worked a scoreless inning.
Palmer collected his first save.

[rink23]

The St. Louis River Walkers have decided to make a change when it comes to their reserve catching role.
Signed in the offseason Luke Berryhill, 31, has been optioned to AAA Memphis with veteran catcher Hayden Jones being called up from the Redbirds.
Berryhill, who has to clear waivers, has played in five games/four starts for St. Louis and gone 0 for 18 with 12 strikeouts.
The season has just started for Memphis, with Jones having played in just two games with only a few at bats.

[rink23]

Record: 10-7, 1st, 1 GA Kansas City
Quad City rocked St. Louis starting pitcher Kaneo Kawamoto for six runs on 10 hits in a little over five innings and the Thunder pulled away after the game had been tied at 5 for a 9-5 win at Fenway Park (1976).
A 20-game winner a year ago, Kawamoto got bounced around the entire game.
A three-hit bottom of the first inning, opening with a lead-off double from Cesar Silva, helped QC take a 1-0 lead.
Angel Solis got to him for a two-run homer in the third, as the Thunder went up 3-0.
The River Walkers, however, took the lead with a four-run top of the third.
Jose Seguara provided the big blow with a three-run homer off QC starter Jose Castenada.

Jared Thomas drove in the inning's first run with a single.
The Thunder regained the lead with a pair of runs off Kawamoto in the fifth.
Bobby Wescott plated them both with a two-out single.
The Walkers tied it in the top of the sixth on a lead-off homer from Jose Ramirez off reliever Travis Hailey.
The bottom of the sixth proved to be the turning point.

The Thunder chased Kawamoto when Greg Pagan led off with a double.
Cory Tiller took over and allowed the next three batters -- pinch-hitter Carter Kieboom with a double and singles from Silva and Jacob Gonzalez -- as QC retook the lead at 6-5.
Tiller struck out Nick Gonzalez for the first out.
Ricky Cisneros got the ball and allowed Chase Davis to chase in a run with a fly ball.
Solis followed with an RBI single, and the Thunder would go into the seventh inning up 8-5.
Greg Pagan added an insurance run with a homer off Cisneros in the seventh.
Thunder starting pitcher Jose Castaneda and four relievers combined to strike out 14 hitters.
Castenada registered half of them while allowing four runs on four hits over the first four innings..
Hailey (1-1), who got the win, Billy Weinier, Josh Holt and Alex Gallegos all pitched an inning apiece.

[rink23]

Record: 10-8, 1st (Tied/w. Quad City), 1 GA Kansas City
Quad City pounded St. Louis starting pitcher Trey Benton for five runs in the bottom of the first inning and then chased him with two more in the third, as the Thunder went on for a 7-4 win at Fenway Park (1976).
QC put three straight runners on base to open the bottom of the first -- two singles, followed by a walk -- Jacob Gonzalez drove in the first run when Nick Gonzalez hit into a bases-loaded fielder's choice.
Bobby Wescott made it 2-0 by scoring Chase Davis with a sacrifice fly.
Former River Walkers Myles Austin did the rest of the damage with a two-out three-run homer.
It's lead at 5-1, Quad City opened the bottom of the third with four straight single s off Benton, the final one by Austin scoring two more runs, to send him to the shower.
St. Louis did make it interesting by scoring three times in the top of the eighth to pull within 7-4.
But Peter Ahn was struck out by reliever Travis Hailey with the bases loaded to end the inning.
For the second straight game, the Thunder pitching staff piled up the strike outs whiffing 13 batters.
Starter Danny Garza notched nine of them during his 4.2 innings. He also allowed just one run on three hits.
Victor Moreno (2-2) earned the win by finishing the fifth inning and working a scoreless sixth.
Josh Holt pitched the seventh without incident.
St. Louis three-run seventh was divided between Billy Weiner (0.2 IP) and Hailey (0.1).
Craig Fritzler pitched around a lead-off single in the ninth by getting a double play, to earn his first save.

[rink23]

The St. Louis River Walkers have announced the firing of hitting coach Wendell MaGee after just 18 games.

He will be replaced by Bobby Segal, 45, who has six seasons of experience as a hitting coach in the Midwest Baseball League.
MaGee spent the 2022 through 2024 seasons with Cleveland, but really showed some results during his time in Kansas City.
The Monarchs ranked as one of the MBL's best hitting teams during his tenure and made the playoffs in 2027.

MaGee, 57, was hired by St. Louis in the offseason despite having spent most of the coaching career with the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League.
The fit did not go well, St. Louis struggled at the plate throughout spring training and it continued into the opening weeks of the regular season.
Despite going 10-8, the Walkers ranked 12th out of 14 teams in the National League in batting average at .219.
They also have struck out 10 times or more in 11 of 18 games.
MaGee will be given the option of accepting assignment in the Walkers' minor league system.

[rink23]

Record: 10-9, 2nd, 1 GB Quad City
Andy Harper pitched six scoreless innings and the Quad City bullpen did the rest, as the Thunder completed a three-game sweep of St. Louis with a 4-0 win at Fenway Park (1976).
Harper (1-0) scattered three hits over his six innings, striking out eight and walking one.
Alex Gallegos pitched a scoreless seventh inning, the final two belonged to Bob Rios.
The three QC pitchers combined for 12 strikes and whiffed a total of 39 River Walkers hitters in the three games.
A lead-off homer from Chase Davis in the bottom of the second, followed by another solo shot by Myles Austin two batters later, pushed QC out to a 2-0 lead over former Thunder pitcher Izzy San Juan.
The game's only other run came an inning later when Cesar Silva worked his way around the bases after a lead-off walk from San Juan and scored on a Nick Gonzalez fly ball.

[rink23]

MBL news: Week 3 -- Awards and standings

[rink23]

Record: 10-10, 2nd (Tied/w. Kansas City and Springfield), 2 GB Quad City
Tied 2-2, Pavin Smith delivered a tie-breaking two-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning to help lift Green Bay to a 4-2 win over St. Louis at War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo).
The loss was the fifth in a row for the River Walkers.
The Walkers had just tied it with a run in the top of the inning -- Jose Ramirez hitting a solo homer off Mallards reliever Chris Rodriguez -- but Mark Vientos singled to right off River Walkers reliever Ricky Cisneros and moved to second when right fielder Peter Ahn misplayed the ball.
Smith followed with a single on a 1-2 pitch.
Green Bay added an insurance run in the eighth.
Austin Hendrick led off the inning with a single of Cisneros and scored on another single by Smith, this one off Cory Tiller.
Green Bay starter Ryan Agnew allowed one run on five hits in the first five innings.
Rodriguez (2-0) allowed a run, but still got the win with a scoreless sixth.
Bobby Marquez, Argenta Batista and Armondo Cintron all pitched silent innings to close it out.
Cintron earned his seventh save.
The Walkers struck out 12 times, marking the sixth time in seven games they have struck out 10 times or more.