2027 St. Louis River Walkers: Looking at another postseason run

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed outfielder Lewis Brinson on the 10-day disabled list with a bruised thigh and called up outfielder Jesse Franklin from AAA Memphis.

Brinson, 32, was inched in a April 30 game against Cedar Rapids.
A mid-April free-agent signing by St. Louis, Brinson had played in five games batted .385 with a homer and an RBI.
A left-handed hitter the 28-year-old Franklin has batted .302 in 19 games for the Redbirds with seven homers and 16 RBIs.

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Record: 14-16, 5th, 6.5 GB Kansas City
Down 2-1, Josh Ealy's two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning off St. Louis starter Tanner Bibee put Cedar Rapids in front and Golden Grapplers rolled from there to a 9-2 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win helped the Golden Grapplers avoid a three-game sweep of the weekend series.
Noah Naylor doubled off Bibee in the sixth and scored when Enrique Bradfield singled off reliever Williams Jerez in the sixth to make it 4-2.
The Grapplers than poured it on with three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Pinch-hitter Jose Leyva had a two-run single off Luis Palomo in the eighth.
Cedar Rapids starter Rick Atkinson lasted just 3.2 innings,allowing two runs on two hits.
But five relievers stepped in to bail him out.
Nick Murdock (1-0) finished the fourth and worked a scoreless fifth to earn the win.
Taylor Clarke, Thomas Burrows, Kale Davis and Evan Palmer all pitched an inning apiece.

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MBL news: Week 5 Awards and standings

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The St. Louis River Walkers have made a trio of moves with position players.
Coming up from Memphis will be: 3B Fernando Tatis, catcher Keegan Fish and 1B/3B JT Schwartz.
Heading to the Redbirds are: 1B/3B Romy Gonzalez, catcher Clay Owens and infielder Ty Coleman.

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Walkers news: Ty Coleman stats

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Record: 15-16, 5th, 5.5 GB Kansas City
Brendan McKay allowed one run over eight innings and St. Louis bulit an 8-0 lead before Kansas City scored in an 8-1 win at Royals Stadium (1973).
The only run McKay (3-4) allowed came in the bottom of the eighth.
The outcome was pretty much decided by that time.
The River Walkers scored three times over the first two innings -- Jared Thomas had an RBI double off Pit Masters starter Kyle Wright in the first and in the second, Wright issued a pair of bases-loaded walks -- and then broke it open by scoring four times in the sixth.
Larry Ernesto plated a pair with a double and Jean Carmona had an RBI single.
McKay allowed the one run on five hits in eight innings. He struck out just two but didn't walk a batter.
JB Wendelken had an easy time in a scoreless ninth.

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Record: 16-16, 5th, 4.5 GB Kansas City and Cedar Rapids
Down 8-7, St. Louis scored four times in the top of the seventh inning to help it pull out an 11-8 win at Royals Stadium (1973).
Jared Thomas got things rolling right out of the gate leading off the inning with a homer off Pit Masters reliever Kyle Nelson.
Two of the next three batters, Carlos Vidal and Alek Thomas, both singled to chase Nelson.
Vidal Brujan then greeted Trevor Hildenberger with a double to score both runners.
Andrew Benintendi followed with a single to plate Brujan and make it 11-8.
The River Walkers scored three times in the first inning, only to have KC score two runs in the bottom half of the first three innings, to go up 6-3.
St. Louis scored twice in both the fourth and sixth to actually take a 7-6 lead.
But the Masters tallied twice in the boittom of the sixth -- pinch-hitter Steve Rossi with a run-scoring double and Josh Shuler earning an RBI with a sacrifice fly, both off Williams Jerez -- to forge their 8-7 advantage.
Walkers starter Angel Tiburcio lasted just three innings,. allowing six runs on six hits.
St. Louis would end up using seven relievers -- Zac Lowther (1.0 IP), Luis Palomo (1.1), Jerez (0.1), Luis Angel Medina (1.1), Nick Lodolo (1.0) and Danny Grigg (1.0) -- before it was over.
Medina (2-0) earned the win. Grigg notched his fourth save.

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Record: 17-16, 4th, 4.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Jason Froelich allowed one run over 5.2 innings and St. Louis rode a three-run top of the second inning to a 4-1 win over Kansas City at Royals Stadium (1973).
With the victory, the River Walkers swept the three-game series and knocked the Pit Masters out of first place in the National League South Division.
St. Louis broke on top in the top of the first.
Alek Thomas drew a walk from Jojo Romero to open the game.
A two-out walk to Rhys Hoskins moved him to second.
Thomas scored thanks to a passed ball, charged to catcher Austin Wells, and a wild pitch by Romero.
The Walkers stretched their lead to 4-0 an inning later.

Jared Thomas set it in motion when he reached on an Romero error with one out.
A Froelich bunt moved him to second.
Thomas then walked for the second time in as many innings.
Jean Carmona chased both home with a double.
Andrew Benintendi scored Carmona with a single.
The only run Froelich allowed came in the bottom of the second on a Greg Jones homer.
He exited after allowing a two-out single to Josh Shuler in the sixth.
For the game, Froelich (3-0) allowed one run on four hits. He struck out eight and walked none.

J.B. Wendleton came on to finish the sixth without incident.
Wendleton then recorded the first two outs of the seventh.
Williams Jerez finished the seventh.and worked a scoreless eighth.
A scoreless ninth earned Luis Palomo his first save.

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Record: 18-16, 5th, 4.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Jean Carmona hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning to stake St. Louis to a 4-0 lead and the River Walkers rolled to a 5-2 win over Fort Wayne from there at Busch Stadium (1997).
Carmona's homer came off Mad Men ace Chandler Champlain, who came into the game leading the American League in ERA.
The Walkers lead grew to 5-0 in the sixth on a pinch-hit homer from Fernando Tatis Jr.
St. Louis, however, saw two of its pitchers lead the game due to injuries.
Starter Jimmy Lambert exited in the fourth inning with a oblique strain which could keep him out for up to two weeks.
In his 3.1 innings, Lambert allowed just one hits. He struck out two and walked one.
Danny Grigg also got hurt, suffering a shoulder injury while pitching in the seventh. He might be out for five days.
Luis Angel Medina relieved Lambert and didn't allow a run while getting the game in the sixth inning.
Medina (3-0) would earn the win.

Zac Lowther wrapped up the sixth, with the score still 5-0.
Nick Lodolo did run into trouble allowing a pair of runs while recording just one out in the seventh.
Grigg left after facing just one batter, but JB Wendelken finished the seventh without allowing a run and then worked a scoreless eighth.
Jake Brentz allowed two hits, but no runs to earn his fifth save in the ninth..

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed right-handed pitchers Jimmy Lambert and Danny Grigg on the injured list after both were hurt during a 5-2 win over Fort Wayne on May 7.
Lambert suffered an oblique strain and could miss up to two weeks.
The 31-year-old is 0-1 in the 2027 season with a 4.08 ERA in seven starts.
Out with a shoulder injury, Grigg, 34, has pitched in 13 games in relief owning an 0-1 record with four saves and a 0.93 ERA.
Coming up from Memphis is right-hander Adonis Medina, who had just pitched two-thirds of an inning for the Redbirds on an injury rehab after missing time with a back injury.
The 30-year-old right hander has started three games for the Walkers this season going 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA.
Right-handed reliever Tony Ramirez, 23, has been called up to the majors for the first time.
He has pitched in 13 games for Memphis this season, going 0-0 with one save and a 1.45 ERA.

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Record: 18-17, 5th, 5.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Jonathan India homered twice and Jake Junis and three relievers combined to limit St. Louis to a single run to help lead Fort Wayne to an 8-1 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
India was 3 for 3 with two homers and a single and scored three times.
His first homer came off River Walkers starting pitcher Tanner Bibee in the top of the sixth inning and made it 4-1.
His second was a solo shot off Nick Lodolo in the seventh and put the Mad Men up 6-1.
The Walkers lone run came in the bottom of the fourth inning on a solo homer from Larry Ernesto off Junis, slicing their deficit to 2-1.
An inning and a half later, India's homer made it 4-1.
Fort Wayne scored twice against the St. Louis bullpen in both the eighth and ninth.
Junis (3-1) handled the first five innings, allowing one run on four hits.
Anyelo Gomez pitched a scoreless sixth.
Maurcio Cabrera took care of the seventh and eighth.
The ninth belonged to Omari Gordon, who kept it at 8-1.

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Record: 19-17, 4th, 5.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Larry Ernesto staked St. Louis to a 2-0 lead with a first-inning home run and Brendan McKay turned in a strong seven innings as the River Walkers downed Fort Worth 4-2 at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win allowed St. Louis to take two of three games in the series.
Rhys Hoskins drew a two-out walk from Mad Men starting pitcher Stephen Gonsalves in the first putting him on base with Ernesto hit the ball 429 feet over the center-field wall.
Fort Wayne would tie it -- Jose Augusto Rodriguez hit a solo homer off McKay in the third, and an RBI double from Darlin Guzman in the sixth evened it -- but the Walkers scored single runs in the seventh and eighth to regain control.
Jesse Franklin led off the seventh with a double off reliever Maurcio Cabrera and scored on a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Andrew Benintendi.
Vidal Brujan scored in the eighth.
He led off with a single off Josh Friedman and scored on a Jean Carmona single.
McKay (4-4) allowed two runs on seven hits over seven innings. He struck out nine and walked none.
Williams Jerez took care of the eighth.
Jake Brentz worked a scoreless ninth for his sixth save.

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MBL news: Week 5 Awards and standings

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Record: 20-17, 4th, 4..5 GB Cedar Rapids
St. Louis tallied seven runs in the bottom of the second inning to wipe out a 3-0 deficit and rolled to a 10-6 win over Detroit at Busch Stadium (1997).
The Wheelmen's Nolan Jones cranked a three-run homer off River Walkers starting pitcher Angel Tiburcio in the top of the first to stake Detroit to its early lead.
But it was Tibrucio who had the big hit of the bottom of the second with a grand slam off former St. Louis ace Aaron Nola.

The slam made it 5-3, as Rhys Hoskins had already driven in a run with a single.
The Walkers would add two more run before the inning was over. Andrew Benintendi plated the first with a triple which chased Nola from the game.
Larry Ernesto later singled to scored Benintendi.
Detroit would again make it close, as Jones, with his second homer of the game, and CJ Abrams went back to back in the top of the third making it 7-5.
A solo shot from pinch-hitter Shinya Mori, the fourth long ball of the game off Tiburcio, made it 7-6 in the sixth.
But Jared Thomas launched the sixth homer of the game in the bottom of the seventh, off Kerry Maple, to make it 10-6.
Despite allowing the four homers, Tiburcio (3-2) came out of it with the win. He worked 5.2 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits.
Zac Lowther finished off the sixth and worked a silent seventh.
JB Wendelken handled the eighth and ninth, striking out four of the six batters he faced.

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Record: 21-17, 4th, 3.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Adonis Medina allowed two runs over seven innings in his first major league start since a stint on the 10-day disabled list with a back issue, and St. Louis downed Detroit 8-2 at Busch Stadium (1997).
A two-run homer from Bryce Harper in the top of the sixth accounted for the only Wheelmen's runs.
It made it 3-2 at the time.
Altogether, Medina (2-1) allowed the one run on six hits. He struck out just one but didn't walk any.
The River Walkers seized the lead in the bottom of the fourth against Detroit starter Hunter Greene.
Alek Thomas led off the inning with a single and was moved to second when Vidal Brujan reached on a sacrifice bunt attempt.
Jean Carmona singled home Thomas. Myles Austin also singled, to score Brujan.
St. Louis went up 3-1 an inning later.
Greene hit Keegan Fish with a pitch to open the inning.
A double by Rhys Hoskins landed him at third.
Thomas then got down a bunt, which got Fish across the plate.
Their lead down to 3-2, the Walkers doubled their run total in the sixth.
Greene walked the first two batters and his replacement, Nick Spear, issued another free pass to jam the sacks.
A single by Fish made it 4-2.
Hoskins sent two more runners across with a single.
Back-to-back homers from Brujan and Andrew Beintendi to lead off the seventh capped the scoring.
Walkers rookie reliever Tony Ramirez made his MBL debut with scoreless eighth and ninth innings.

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Veteran outfielder Lewis Brinson has returned to St. Louis after spending 10 days on the disabled list with a bruised thigh.
An April free-agent siging by the Walkers, Brinson has played in five games this season batting .385 with one homer and one RBI.
Moving back to Memphis will be 27-year-old outfielder Jesse Frankin.
Franklin played in five game while in St. Louis, batting .500 with an RBI.

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Record: 22-17, 3rd, 3.5 GB Cedar Rapids

Carlos Vidal broke up a scoreless game with a two-run pinch-hit home run off Detroit's Matt Rumley with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and St. Louis went on for a 2-0 victory over the Wheelmen at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win completed a three-game sweep for the River Walkers, who have won four in a row and nine of 11 since the start of May.
Jean Carmona was aboard when Vidal went deep. He had reached on a one-out single.
The Walkers added an insurance run in the eighth.
Two walks and a single had loaded the bases and pinch-hitter Lewis Brinson, fresh off the disabled list, drew another free pass from reliever Jacob Lindgren,
Detroit pitchers issued eight walks in the game.
St. Louis starter Jason Froelich (4-0) was impressive spinning seven shutout innings. He allowed six hits, but no walks and struck out nine.
Luis Angel Medina set the Wheelmen down in order in the ninth.
Walkers closer Jake Brentz did allow a pair of baserunners, but did strike out the other three batters he faced for his seventh save.
St Loiuis pitchers recorded 14 strikeouts in the win.

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Record: 23-17, 2nd (Tied/w. Kansas City), 3 GB Cedar Rapids
Trailing 5-2, St. Louis exploded for six runs in the top of the sixth inning and went on to defeat Springfield 10-6 at Oracle Park (2020).
A three-run fourth inning and a two-run fifth had put the Prairie Fighters out in front.
But the River Walkers went to work against the Springfield bullpen in the sixth.
Owen Sharts replacted starting pitcher Pablo Lopez to start the inning, and was greeted by a walk and two singles that loaded the bases.
Things only got worse when Justin Jarvis took over.
He struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. for the first out, but followed that with a walk to pinch-hitter Carlos Vidal to make it 5-3.
Alek Thomas sliced by another run with a single.
Another walk, the third of the inning, to Vidal Brujan then tied it.
Yet another free pass, Andrew Beintendi the beneficiary, put the Walkers in front 6-5.
Keegan Thompson got the all, only to give up a run-scoring single to Larry Ernesto.
Rhys Hoskins drove in the final two runs with a two-out single.
St. Louis would add solo homers from JT Schwartz (in the seventh) and Tatis Jr. (in the eighth) to expand its lead.
Bibee (1-2) wasn't very good, allowing five runs on nine hits in five innings, but came out of it with the win.
JB Wendelton, Zac Lowther, Luis Angel Medina and Tony Ramirez all pitched an inning to wrap it up.

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Record: 23-18, 3rd, 3.5 GB Cedar Rapids

St. Louis handed Jake Brentz the closer's role he so coveted at the start of the 2027 season, so far he has not lived up to it.
Springfield scored twice off Brentz in the bottom of the ninth inning to squeak out a 4-3 win over the River Walkers at Oracle Park.
The loss ended a five-game streak for St. Louis.
Brentz had come on to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, striking out Franmil Reyes to keep the Walkers in front 3-2.
But in the ninth, he didn't seem to bring anything to the mound.
He walked lead-off hitter Riley Greene and Dylan Crews followed with a single.
Daniel Becerra struck out for the first out.
But Anthony Siegler followed with a double to tie it.
Wander Samuel Franco was walked to load the bases.
Victor Caratini hit into a fielder's choice with Crews retied at the plate for the second out.
Luis Palomo was brought in to clean up the mess.
But Alex Bregman singled, to bring hom Seigler with the winning run.
The loss dropped Brentz to 0-2 for the season and was his second blown save. His ERA sits at 5.25
Prairie Fighters ace Raul Ahumada shut out the Walkers for 6.2 innings before departing.
He allowed just two hits, while striking out six and walking a pair.
But the second game in a row St. Louis got to the Springfield bullpen.
A three-run seventh put St. Louis in front 3-2.
Andrew Benintendi had the big hit with a bases-loaded double, which scored two.

Jared Thomas drove in the inning's third run with a two-out single.
Owen Sharts followed Ahmada to the mound to finish the seventh and got the first out of the eighth.
Justin Jarvis finished the eighth.
The first two outs of the ninth went to Keegan Thompson.
Juan Then (1-0) retired the only batter he faced, but came out of it with the win.

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Record: 24-18, 2nd, 3.5 GB Cedar Rapids
St. Louis scored twice in each of the first two innings and never trailed in a 9-6 win over Springfield which may not have been as close as it seemed at Oracle Park (2020).
Andrew Benintendi had an RBI triple in the first off Prairie Fighters starter DJ Jefferson and scored on an Larry Ernesto fly ball.
In the second, pitcher Angel Tibrucio had an RBI double and scored on a Jean Carmona single as the River Walkers went up 4-0.
As he is wont to do, Tibrucio gave up back-to-back homers to Springfield's Daniel Becerra and Eric Hosmer in the bottom of the second ot make it 4-2.
But by the time the Fighters scored again, it was 9-2 as Springfield scored four times against the St. Louis bullpen in the bottom of the ninth.
The Walkers had increased their lead with a run in the seventh -- RBI single from JT Schwartz -- two in the eighth -- RBI singles from Benintendi and Fernando Tatis Jr. -- and two in the ninth on a home run from Keegan Fish.
Springfield managed to make it interesting in that bottom of the ninth.
Austin Schultz connected for a sacrifice fly off Williams Jerez to make it 9-6 with two outs.
Jerez walked the next batter to put two runners aboard.
But Luis Angel Medina came on to strick out pinch-hitter Franmil Reyes to end it.
Tibrucio (4-2) pitched to one batter in the seventh, and overall worked six innings allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out seven and walked none.
Zac Lowther and Tony Ramirez handled the seventh and eighth, respectively.
But Ramirez got into trouble right away in the ninth.
The save was the first of the season for Medina.