St. Louis River Walkers 2020 season: Striving to get back on top

[rink23]

MBL news: Rookies of the Month for June and July 1 standings

[rink23]

MBL news: AL leaders on June 1

[rink23]

MBL news: NL leaders on July 1

[rink23]

Walkers news: Team statistics for June

[rink23]

Player of the Month: Rhys Hoskins: The NL Player of the Month took part in 28 games and batted .364 with 11 home runs, 32 runs scored and 31 RBIs. He had an on-base percentage of .476 with a slugging percentage of .778.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Aaron Nola: The NL Pitcher of the Month, Nola went 4-2 in six starts with a 1.86 ERA. He pitched 38.2 innings and struck out 39. He boasted a WHIP of 1.03.
Relief Pitcher of the Month: Reyes Moronta: The young right-hander got into 13 games and posted a record of 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He pitched a total of 12.2 innings and struck out 16 while posting a WHIP of 0.79.

[rink23]

Record: 45-33, 2nd (Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 3.5 GB Des Moines
Rockford smacked five home runs -- including two from Yonder Alonso -- to power the Lightning to a 7-3 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the victory, Rockford took the final two games of the three-game series.
All of the Lightning's runs were tied to the long ball.
Alonso's first blast of the game, a second-inning lead-off job off River Walkers starting pitcher Luiz Gohara, made it 1-0.
After Rhys Hoskins hit a solo blast off Rockford starting pitcher David Price in the bottom of the third, Rockford launched a pair in the top of the fifth-- Charlie Blackmon's worth two runs and Yoenis Cespedes accounting for one, both off Gohara -- to take the lead for good at 4-1.
The Lightning got their final three runs in the top of the eighth.

Phil Maton was on the wrong end of both long balls. Alonso hit the first to lead-off the inning. Eddie Rosario brought home a pair.
David Price handled the first five mound innings for Rockford, giving up three runs on eight hits.
Five relievers -- Brad Brach (1.0 IP), Akeel Morris (1.0), Will Smith (1.0), David Robertson (0.1) and Erasmo Pinales (0.2) -- combined to close out the victory.

[rink23]

Record: 45-34, 3rd, 3 GB Des Moines
Kansas City racked Trevor Bauer for seven runs over the first two innings and never seemingly stopped pounding the ball in an 18-1 rout of St. Louis at Municipal Stadium (1969).
Joey Gallo homered twice, including a two-run shot off Bauer in the opening inning to make it 2-0. He went deep again off Josh Lindgren in the sixth, by which time the Pit Masters led 7-1.
Gallo finished the game with four RBIs. Kevan Smith was 3 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Jake Cave and Tyler Wade did not homer, but both drove in three runs apiece.

The Masters pounded out 14 hits off six different River Walkers pitchers -- including infielder Brock Holt who tossed 1.2 innings during which he allowed three runs.
Kansas City also got a lift from a St. Louis pitching staff which could not find the plate, issuing 14 walks. Holt was responsible for five of them.
Lost in all the offense. Kansas City starting pitcher Yonny Chirinos was impressive allowing one run on two hits over six innings. He struck out one and walked none.
Erasmo Ramirez handled a scoreless seventh and eighth innings. Wily Peralta kept the Walkers quiet in the ninth.

[rink23]

Got a note from the owner.
He's clueless as usual.
We're three games behind Des Moines in the division and there is no wild card.
He wants us to steal more bases, but we have no speed.

Still, we are second in the NL in runs scored.
He wants us to pick up another power hitter.
But we're tied for second in the NL in home runs and have no place to put him unless we want to sacrifice at one of your defensive positions (C, SS, CF).

Stay in your owner's box and let me run the team crank wanker.

[rink23]

MBL news: All-Star fan voting for July 5

[rink23]

Jameson Taillon and three relievers combined on a five-hit shutout to lead Kansas City to a 3-0 win over St. Louis at Metropolitan Stadium (1969).
With the win, Pit Masters took two of three games in its series against the River Walkers.
Taillon lasted for 5.2 innings,shutting out the Walkers while allowing three hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Dario Alvarez kept it spotless as he recorded the final out of the sixth inning and handled the seventh.
The eighth belonged to Ryan Burr and the ninth to Josh Fields, who racked up his 11th save.
St. Louis starter Kyle Hendricks could not have pitched much better. He lasted for seven innings, allowing just one hit.
However, it was a two-run home run to Willy Adames in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Masters added an insurance run in the eighth. Jake Cave, who had drawn a one-out walk from Bobby Poyner, scoring on a wild pitcher by Reyes Moronta.

[rink23]

MBL news: Week 13 report

[rink23]

Record: 47-36, 3rd, 5 GB Des Moines
Andrew Benintendi cracked a bases-loaded double that scored three to highlight a five-run bottom of the seventh inning, helping St. Louis rally to a 6-4 win over Cedar Rapids at Busch Stadium (1997).
The loss snapped a two-game losing streak for the River Walkers, who will look to win the three-game series in their next game.
After getting dominated by Gerrit Cole for six innings, the Golden Grapplers starter had allowed just a single run on two hits, the Walkers busted loose against the Cedar Rapids bullpen in the seventh.
It started with three straight walks from reliever Jacob Rhame.
Tyler Bashlor then took over and struck out Adeiny Hechavarria and pinch-hitter Eduardo Nunez.
But Albert Almora followed with a run-scoring single.
A walk to Jin-hwan Chung scored another run, making it 4-3.

Benintendi then cleared the jammed sacks with a shot down the left-field line.
Walkers starter Luis Gohara allowed four runs in six innings.
Three relievers who followed him to the mound -- Phil Maton, Grant Dayton and Daniel Hudson -- all handled an inning apiece.
Maton got his third inning of the season. Hudson collected save number seven.
Tied 1-1, Cedar Rapids had gone ahead in the top of the fifth when Victor Robles hit a three-run homer off Gohara.

[rink23]

Record: 47-37, 3rd, 6 GB Des Moines
Cedar Rapids collected two runs in the top of the first inning of struggling St. Louis starting pitcher Trevor Bauer and never trailed in posting a 5-2 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the win, the Golden Grapplers took two of three games in the series.
Cedar Rapids' first-inning outburst began when Yoan Moncada bunted a ball back to Bauer, who was slow to get to the ball, allowing him to beat it out for a single.
Dominic Smith followed with a single, and Clint Frazier chased both of them home with a two-out double.

That lead grew to 3-0 in the fifth inning, when Moncada drew a one-out walk. A Smith single moved him to third.

Moncada crossed the plate on a Eduardo Escobar fielder's choice.
Two-out singles from Matt Duffy and Wilson Ramos off reliever Keona Kela in the seventh inning set the stage for it to become 4-0.
Kela then hit Nick Williams to load the bases, and ended Kela's outing.
Reyes Moronta got the ball, and the fourth pitch he threw to Victor Robles eluded Pina, allowing Duffy to score.
Grapplers starting pitcher Trevor Williams threw 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out two and walking one, before giving it over to the bullpen.
Cedar Rapids used five relievers to finish it off -- Tyler Hackimer (1.1 IP), Ryan Pessley (1.0), Tommy Kahnle (0.1), Jacob Rhame (0.1) and Danny Griggs (1.0) -- handling the final 4.1 innings.
Hackimer earned his first win of the season. Griggs picked up save No. 21.

[rink23]

Record: 48-37, 2nd, 6 GB Des Moines
Facing a stretch of five games in four days and dealing with a decimated bullpen, St. Louis got a huge outing from ace Aaron Nola who tossed a 2-0 shutout against Springfield at Busch Stadium (1997).
Nola allowed just three hits -- two singles and a double -- while striking out six and walking none in the opening game of a doubleheader.
The 27-year-old right-hander needed just 104 pitches to complete his gem.

The River Walkers got the only run they would need in the bottom of the first inning when Ender Inciarte led off with a triple and scored on a Michael Conforto single.
Rhys Hoskins made it 2-0 in the third inning when he led off with his 26th home run of the season off Prairie Fighters starting pitcher Josh Hader.

[rink23]

Record: 49-37, 3rd, 5.5 GB Des Moines

Albert Almora hit a walk-off grand slam to cap a six-run bottom of the ninth inning off Pablo Lopez, as St. Louis downed Springfield 14-10 in one of the wildest games I have ever seen at Busch Stadium (1997).

The bullpens were running on fumes late in the game.
Both teams scored twice in the eighth and after Springfield tallied five times in the top of the ninth, the Walkers answered with eight.
Down 6-5 in the top of the ninth, Walkers reliever John Curtiss surrendered a solo homer to Jason Castro and a two-run shot to Max Schrock.
But the Prairie Fighters were not through, as Michael Brantley clubbed Grant Dayton for a two-run homer to make it 10-6.
But the fun was not over.
Lopez must have been the only pitcher Springfield had left and he took a beating.
Michael Conforto hit a two-run homer, making it 10-8.
Then with two outs, Manny Pina and Eduardo Nunez both singled.

A Jin-hwan Chung single made it 10-9.

With St. Louis out of pinch-hitters, Daniel Hudson drew a bases-loaded walk.
Another walk to Ender Inciarte scored Pina, tying the game.
This brought Almora to the plate.
The third pitch he saw was deposited 385-feet into the left-field bleachers.
Nicky Delmonico also homered for the Walkers and finished the game with three RBIs.
Schrock and Brantley both drove in three runs for Springfield.

[rink23]

Record: 50-37, 3rd, 5.5 GB Des Moines
Pinch-hitter Manny Pina scored Nicky Delmonico from third base with a sacrifice fly off Springfield reliever Cesar Puello in the bottom of the ninth inning to give St. Louis a 9-8 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
An outfielder, Puello was pitching for the Prairie Fighters as once again both teams were short on relievers having been asked to play five games in four days.
Delmonico drew a one-out walk to get things going against Puello.

The St.Louis batters just remained patient after that, daring him to throw strikes.
Tucker Barnhart also drew a walk and Adeinny Hechavarria singled, loading the bases in front of Pina.
Springfield had tied it in the top of the ninth inning.

Puello, hitting for pitcher Carl Edwards Jr., led off with a single off Walkers reliever Daniel Hudson.

Delino Deshields Jr. followed with another single.
An error by first baseman Rhys Hoskins on a ball hit by Max Schrock then loaded the bases.
A two-run single by Mookie Betts off Chaz Roe tied the score.
A three-run homer from Hechavarria in the second inning off Springfield starting pitcher Matt Andriese gave the Walkers a 3-0 lead.
A four-run fourth inning for the Fighters, featuring a solo shot by Adam Lind off sand a three-run job from Abiatal Avelino, both off Walkers starter Manuel Soliman, later put Springfield up 6-3.
It was crazy from there -- St. Louis later going up 7-6 and later 8-6 -- only to have Springfield come back once again.

[rink23]

Record: 51-37, 3rd, 4.5 GB Des Moines
St. Louis scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning and never trailed as it downed Springfield 6-4 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Michael Conforto led off the bottom half of the second with a solo homer off Prairie Fighters starting pitcher Anthony Reyes.
Nicky Delmonico later doubled with one out. A Tucker Barnhart single moved him to third, and he scored when Reyes uncorked a wild pitch.
The River Walkers lead grew to 3-0 three innings later, when Ender Inciarte singled with two outs, an Andrew Benintendi double moved him to third and he scored on another wild pitch. This one from Nathan Karns.
Delmoinco made it 6-1 in the seventh inning, hitting a three-run home run off Karns.
That meant when Springfield scored three times in the top of the eighth -- Dylan Couzens with a three-run shot off Reyes Moronto -- it really didn't mean a whole lot.
St. Louis starting pitcher Danny Duffy turned in a strong outing after a series of poor ones, but it ended badly.
Duffy left the game with two outs in the fourth inning with a strained abdominal muscle. He had not allowed a run to that point, and just one hit.
Duffy is expected to be out for four weeks.
With the bullpen still running on fumes it took six relievers to close out the win for the Walkers.
Keone Kela got the final out of the fourth inning and tossed scoreless fifth to earn his second win of the season.
He was followed by Chaz Roe (0.2 IP), Bobby Poyner (0.1), Moronta (1.2), Grant Dayton (0.1) and Daniel Hudson (1.0).
Hudson earned his eighth save of the season.

[rink23]

MBL news: All-Star final fan voting results

[rink23]

MBL news: All-Star game rosters

[rink23]

St. Louis starting pitcher Danny Duffy suffered a strained abdominal muscle during a 6-4 win over Springfield on July 11, and has been placed on the 10-day disabled list.
The left-hander is expected to miss up to four weeks.
Duffy is 6-7 in 18 starts with an ERA of 5.15.
Called from AAA Memphis will be right-handed reliever Sarkis Ohanian.
This will be Ohanian's first opportunity to pitch in the majors and comes about due to a glut of games in recent days and some short outings by the starting staff.
At AAA Memphis this season, the 26-year-old right-hander has goten into 30 games posting a record of 2-0 with six saves. He owns a 2.05 ERA.
Another starting pitcher will have to be added to the major league staff after the All-Star break. The bullpen also is expected to be reshuffled.