2039 and beyond -- St. Louis River Walkers thread

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Record: 60-70, 5th/(Tied/w. Springfield), 7.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Already leading 1-0, Des Moines jumped on St. Louis starting pitcher Billy Ables for four runs in the bottom of the third inning and the Harvesters went on to win 5-3 at Minute Maid Park.
Des Moines took the lead in the bottom of the second against Ables.
Willie Martinez led off the inning with a single and moved to second when Ables was called for a balk.
A single by Brian Niemira advanced Martinez to third.
After a strikeout of Zigz Mukuru, Martinez scored when Ables threw a wild pitch with pitcher Isaiah Dunlap at the plate.
The next inning was even rougher for Ables as after retiring John Docherty, he allowed five of the next six batters to reach base.
The outburst included three singles and a walk -- Fernando Mendoza drove in a run with the third single -- before Niemira delivered the big blow with a bases-loaded triple to make it 5-0.
The River Walker did make it interesting with a two-run homer from Nick Shaw off reliever Davey Matteson making it 5-3.
But that was the end of the scoring.
Dunlap (4-3) went five shutout innings, allowing two singles while striking out seven and issuing five walks.
After that it was an inning apiece from Roman Watson, Josh Ashton, Mattson and Cameron Baker to close out the game.
Baker earned his 19th save.

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Record: 60-71,5th/(Tied/w. Springfield), 8 GB Cedar Rapids
Marcos Francis burned his former team with a solo home run with one out in the top of the sixth inning snapping a 1-1 tie and helping lift Des Moines to a 2-1 win over St. Louis at Minute Maid Park.
The victory was the second in a row for the Harvesters to complete the three-game series.
Francis, who played in St. Louis in 2036 and 2037 before leaving as a free agent, hit his homer off River Walkers rookie starter Allan Almon.
It was Francis' 17th homer of the season.
St. Louis got its only run of the game in the first on Manuel Coke's 25th homer of the season.
It came off Des Moines starting pitcher Joe Black.
The Harvesters tied it in the second when Ramon Puente led off the inning with a single off Almon.
A one-out single by Fernando Mendoza moved Puente to third.
He scored on a Brian Niemira fly ball to right.
Black (5-6) went six innings, allowing the one run on three hits. He struck out six and walked two.
After that, it was shutout innings from Davey Mattson, Corey Wood and Cameron Baker.
Baker earned his 20th save of the season.

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MBL news: August 26 -- Week 22 - Awards and standings

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Record: 60-72, 6th, 9 GB Cedar Rapids
An RBI single by Lance Brown in the top of the first inning provided the lone run of the game as Sluggers starting pitcher Bryan Bohan went 5.1 innings and his team's bullpen did the rest in a 1-0 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (2006).
River Walkers starting pitcher Agustin Perdomo hit Victor Archuleta with the second pitch of the game to set up what would be the lone run of the contest
A Chris Ring single moved Archuleta to third.
He scored two batters later when Brown, who came out of the Walkers farm system, singled to left field.
The lone hit allowed by Bohan in his 5.1 innings was a two-out single in the first by Manuel Coke.
For the game, Bohan (3-9) allowed the one hit while striking out two and walking the same.
Jason Brown came on with a batter on first with one out in the sixth and struck out the next two.
After that, it was Billy Hermann (0.2 IP), Frank Jimenez (1.0) and Ruben Lopez (0.1) to get the game to the ninth.
Kyle Kulig gave up two hits in the ninth but with runners at first and second with one out, got Jose Ramon to hit into a double play for his 24th save of the season.

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Record: 60-73, 6th, 9 GB Cedar Rapids
Tied 1-1, Louisville got back-to-back extra-base hits from Lance Brown (triple) and Willie Miranda (double) off St. Louis starting pitcher Ming Xiang with one out in the top of the sixth inning to help lift the Sluggers to a 3-2 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Brown, who had driven in Louisville's first run with an RBI single in the first, tripled on a 2-2 pitch.
He then scored on a Miranda double on a 3-2 pitch.
A Joe Connel lead-off homer in the seventh off reliever Leo Hermosillo made it 3-1.
The River Walkers pulled to within a run in the bottom of the eighth when Josh Hurley doubled to drive in Adam Stewart and put runners on second and third with one out.
Billy Hermann, who Louisville acquired from St. Louis in the offseason, then walked Manuel Coke to load the bases.
The Sluggers turned over the mound duties to Ruben Lopez, and he wiggled out of the jam by with a strike out of Nick Shaw and then getting Quing Chiang to ground out.
Former Walker No. 1 starter Josh McDonald (11-5) earned the win for the Sluggers.
He went six innings, allowing one run on five hits. He struck out three and didn't issue a walk.
Jason Brown worked a scoreless seventh before Hermann and Lopez handled the eighth.
A 1-2-3 ninth earned Rob Reul his first save of the season.

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Record: 61-73, 6th, 9 GB Cedar Rapids
Tied 2-2, Manuel Coke singled off Louisville closer Kyle Kulig with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift St. Louis to a 3-2 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory allowed the River Walkers to salvage the finale of the three-game series.
Kulig failed to retire any of the four St. Louis batters in the bottom of the 10th.
Pinch-hitter Ryan Wibbenmeyer and Josh Hurley led off with consecutive singles.
Mark Herman then drew a walk to load the bases for Coke.
Coke lined a 0-1 from Kulig between the first and second to score Wibbenmeyer.
The Sluggers had forced extra innings with a run in the top of the ninth.
Juan Munoz walked Louisville's first two batters to open the inning.
Closer Tom Floria then took over but could not get out of the jam.
Pinch-hitter Willie Miranda got down a bunt to put runners at second and third.
Victor Archuleta tied it with a fly ball to deep center.
St. Louis starting pitcher Victor Archuleta went 6.2 innings, allowing one run on seven hits. He struck out six and walked two.
Curt Donaldson got the final out of the seventh.
Floria (3-3) got all three outs in the ninth and 10th to earn his third win.

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Record: 62-73, 6th, 8.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Billy Albies continued to turn in strong starts since being picked up off waivers, as this time the right-hander limited Peoria to one run on five hits over the first 6.1 innings to help lead St. Louis to a 3-1 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Ables, who the River Walkers claimed of waivers from Akron on August 2, has pitched well in three of his four starts since joining St. Louis.
In this game, Ables shut out the Rivermen into the top of the seventh when Jesse Chappelow doubled with one out.
Ables then left the game in favor of Kyle Smarr.
Chappelow would score on a double by Nick Bitsko.
It made the score 2-1,
For the game, Ables (2-1) allowed one run on five hits over 6.1 innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Smar finished the seventh inning.
Evan Palmer worked a scoreless eighth.
Tom Floria earned his 22nd save.
The Walkers jumped in front in the bottom of the first.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer reached on an error by Peoria shortstop Alfonso Mercado to leadoff the inning.
Singles from Josh Hurley and Manuel Coke off Peoria starter Seth Sipple, which followed, made it 1-0.
Hurley led off the sixth with a single off Sipple.
He stole second and scored on a Mark Herman double.
Pinch-hitter Aaron Watson hit a solo homer off Alan Albanese in the seventh, making it 3-1.

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MBL news: Sept. 1 -- Players and Pitchers of the Month for August

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MBL news: Sept. 1 -- Rookies of the Month for August and standings

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MBL news: Sept. 1 -- American League leaders

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MBL news: Sept. 1 -- American League leaders

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Walkers news: Sept. 1 -- Team statistics for August

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Walkers news: Sept. 1 -- Team statistics for 2040 season

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Player of the Month: Nick Shaw -- The 31-year-old first baseman batted .355 with five homers, 15 RBIs and 11 runs scored in 27 games. He got on base at a .384 clip and slugged .520.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Billy Ables -- The 29-year-old right-hander was claimed off waivers from Akron and made an instant impact, in four starts he went 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA. He pitched a total of 25.1 innings, where he struck out 20 and posted a 0.95 WHIP.
Relief Pitcher of the Month: Juan Munoz -- The 31-year-old right-hander got into 10 games where he went 2-0 with one save and had a 1.46 ERA. He pitched a total of 12.1 innings, during which he struck out 19 and had a WHIP of 0.97.

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Walkers news: Sept. 1 -- Player Development Report

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The St. Louis River Walkers have added three players to their roster -- RHP Alex Ramos, LHP Cory Birks and OF Armando Jaquez -- as the team's rosters expands to 28 players for the final 37 games of the season.
Birks, 25, has spent time with the Walkers this season having made four starts.
In those games, he went 0-1 with a 5.50 ERA. He pitched a total of 18.0 innings, during which he struck out 20 and had a 1.89 WHIP.
At AAA Memphis, Birks has gone 10-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 19 starts. He pitched a total of 111.0 innings, during which he struck out 135 and posted a 1.31 WHIP.
This will be the first time in the majors for the 23-year-old Ramos, who split time this season between AAA Memphis and AA Springfield.
He also missed two months with an elbow injury.
At Springfield, Ramos got into 18 games and went 3-2 with nine saves and a 1.31 ERA.
He pitched 20.2 innings for the Cardinals, during which he struck out 19 and posted a 1.26 WHIP.
At AAA Memphis, Ramos got into seven games and went 1-1 with a 5.62 ERA. He pitched 8.0 innings, in that time striking out five and posting a 1.12 WHIP.
The 23-year-old Jaquez also has played at both AAA and AA this season.
For Springfield, Jaquez played in 44 games during which he hit .305 with one homer, 22 RBIs and 20 runs scored. He got on base at a .343 clip and slugged .380.
At Memphis, Jaquez played in 69 games/65 starts and batted .315 with five homers and 34 RBIs with 40 runs scored. He had an on-base percentage of .364 and slugged .469.
To make room for Jaquez, the Walkers released veteran infielder Aaron Watson.
Signed as a free agent on June 30, Watson got into 24 games/seven starts and batted just .167 with two homers, four RBIs and seven runs scored.
He got on base at a .333 clip and slugged .361.

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Record: 63-73, 5th, 7.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Down 1-0, Manuel Coke hit a two-run homer off Peoria starting pitcher Dan Motley in the bottom of the fourth inning to help lift St. Louis to a 3-1 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Josh Hurley had opened the inning with a single.
Motley then got Quaing Chang to fly out, but Coke got ahold of a 1-1 pitch and drove it 399 feet over the wall in right field.
It was Coke's 26th home run of the season.
The River Walkers added an insurance run in the seventh on a bases-loaded single from Ryan Wibbenmeyer off Francisco Perez.
Rookie starting pitcher Allan Almon (2-3) went five innings for the Walkers, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out one and walked three.
Antonio Cruiz worked the sixth and got the first out of the seventh for St. Luis.
Evan Palmer wrapped up the seventh.
Curt Donaldson pitched around a hit in the eighth.
Juan Munoz got the first two outs of the ninth but allowed a pair of base runners.
Making his major-league debut, Alex Ramos got Bobby Dotson to ground out to end it and give him his first save.

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Record: 64-73, 6th, 7.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Down 4-3, St. Louis took the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and went on to defeat Peoria 6-4 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory completed a three-game sweep for the River Walkers.
The Rivermen had moved in front with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth against St. Louis starting pitcher Agustin Perdomo.
Tony Gamez led off the inning with a double and scored on a Jose Padilla single.
Jeff Neiderer then drove in Josiah Wedwine, who Perdomo had hit with a pitch.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer got St. Louis rolling in the bottom of the seventh with a double.
Reliever Casey Owens retired the next two on fly balls, but Nick Shaw got things going again with a single, scoring Wibbenmeyer to tie the game.
Rookie Armando Jaquez then put St. Louis, his double plating Shaw with his team's fifth run of the game.
Pinch-hitter Quaing Chang added an insurance run with an inside-the-park homer off Koki Migita with two outs in the eighth.
Perdomo went 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter.
Chris Williett finished off the sixth for the Walkers.
After that, it was a scoreless inning apiece from Kyle Smarr, Curt Donaldson and Tom Floria to close out the game.
Floria earned his 23rd save.

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MBL news: Sept. 3 -- Week 23 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 65-73, 6th, 6.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Ming Xiang took a shutout into the bottom of the ninth inning and rookie Josh Hurley drove in his team's only two runs with a fifth-inning triple as St. Louis downed Des Moines 2-1 at Minute Maid Park.
Xiang (10-12) allowed just three singles through the first eight innings before John Docherty finally got the Harvesters on the board with a one-out home run.
Tom Floria entered the game and retired the next two for his 24th save.
For Xiang, in 8.1 innings, he allowed one run on four hits. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter.
Hurley's big hit came off Des Moines starting pitcher Raul Rivas in the fifth inning.
Xiang had singled with one out and Ryan Wibbenmeyer connected for a double before Hurley came to the plate.
Wibbenmeyer left the game with an undisclosed injury after his double.
Hurley then jumped on an 0-1 pitch and drove it into left-center to score both runners.