St. Louis River Walkers 2019 season: Is a repeat in the Cards?

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Down 4-2, St. Louis put up five runs in the seventh inning and seven more in the eighth to blow out the Chicago G-Men at Busch Stadium.
Chicago's Justin Turner hit a three-run homer off St. Louis starting pitcher Luiz Gohara in the first to build the bulk of that 4-2 lead.
But the River Walkers came to life in a big way in the seventh.
Andrew Benintendi drove in two of the runs with a triple. Michael Conforto also plated a pair, his coming on a double.
The eighth inning was a massacre as St. Louis belted out eight hits.

Benintendi drove in two of his five RBIs for the game with a single.
Adeiny Hechavarria had a pair of run-scoring singles in the frame.
Luiz Gohara made his first start of the season for the Walkers and allowed three of his four runs on Turner's homer.
He ended up going five innings. Three relievers (Phil Maton (2.0), Brad Boxberger (1.0) and Jerry Blevins (1.0) -- combined to shut out Chicago the rest of the way.

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Once again, St. Louis hulked up against the Chicago bullpen scoring four times in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 3-3 tie and pave the way for a 7-3 victory at Busch Stadium.
Michael Conforto did the bulk of the damage with a three-run home run, his 32nd of the season off Corey Taylor.
Earlier, Rhys Hoskins had given the River Walkers a 4-3 lead with a sacrifice fly off Taylor, scoring Adeiny Hechavarria who had led off the inning with a single off Jimmy Herget.
St. Louis had trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, but had tied it when Manny Pina scored on a Ryan Meisenger wild pitch.
All three of Chicago's runs came on solo homers -- from Derek Fisher, Will Myers and Alfred Alford -- off St. Louis starter Kyle Hendricks.

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Once again, a shaky bullpen proved to be the downfall of Quad-City as the St. Louis River Walkers tallied four times in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 4-2 win at Busch Stadium.
Making his second start since being called up to fill in for the injured Carlos Martinez, Manuel Soliman performed probably as well as could be expected allowing a pair of runs in the fourth inning on a two-run single by Orlando Arcia, before departing after five still trailing 2-0.
Quad City starter Michael Wacha departed after six shutout innings, allowing just three hits with five strikeouts and a walk, and after he left the Walkers busted loose.
Tucker Barnhart greeted Ryan Meisinger with a solo homer.
Nicky Delmonico followed with a single, leading to Meisinger's departure in favor of Corey Taylor
But the damage continued.
Jedd Gyorko and Brock Holt both singled to load the bases. Manny Pina drove in the inning's first run with a walk.
Jimmy Herget then took the mound for the Thunder, and got Albert Almora to struck out.
However, Andrew Benintendi followed with a two-run single to put St. Louis ahead 3-2.
Benintendi later scored when Michael Conforto hit into a fielder's choice with one out against Ryan Webb.

Five relievers followed Soliman to the mound. John Curtiss tossed a scoreless seventh and earned his second win. Keone Kela set Q-C down in order in the ninth for his 22nd save.

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MBL news: Week 14 report

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Des Moines' A.J Pollack singled off St. Louis' Chaz Roe to score Carson Kelly in the top of the eighth inning and help give the Harvesters a 1-0 win at Busch Stadium.
It was quite a pitchers' duel with Eduardo Rodriguez throwing six scoreless innings for Des Moines and Trevor Bauer eight for the Walkers.
The Harvesters finally broke through in the eighth once Bauer was out of the game.Kelly reached on a two-out single off Roe.
He moved to third on another single from Austin Meadows. And when Pollack made it three straight base knocks, Des Moines was on the board.
A trio of relievers (Will Smith, Dellin Betances and Jandel Gustave) all scored a scoreless inning apiece to close out the victory. Smith (5-5) earned his fifth victory of the season, while Gustave earned save No. 19.

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Des Moines pushed across four runs in the top of the sixth inning to defeat St. Louis 5-4 at Busch Stadium.
River Walkers starting pitcher Luiz Gohara went into the inning with a 4-1 lead, but immediately got into trouble.
He hit A.J. Pollack with pitch to open the inning and followed it with a walk of Rafael Devers. An RBI double by Cody Bellinger then ended Gohara's outing.
With the lead down to 4-2, Chaz Roe didn't do any better.

He hit the first batter he faced, Giancarlo Stanton, with a pitch. Austin Hays followed with a double that tied it.

Jorge Alfaro followed with a single to load the bases, and end Roe's outing.
Phil Maton got Thiaro Estrado to hit into a fielder's choice, with Stanton being retired at the plate.
However, third baseman Nicky Delmonico could not handle Delino DeShields Jr.'s ground ball, as his error allowed Hays to score what proved to be the game-winning run.
The Walkers had taken their 4-1 lead with a three-run fourth. Michael Conforto's two-run double off Des Moines starter Mike Clevinger was the big blow.
Clevinger left after allowing four runs in four innings.
Six relievers combined to shut out the Walkers the rest of the way, with Drew Pomeranz, one scoreless inning, earning the win and Jandel Gustave earning his 20th save.

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River Walkers center fielder Ender Inciatre's 24-game hit streak ended when he went 0-for-4 in their 5-4 loss to Des Moines on August 6.
Inciarte was acquired in a trade with the Ann Arbor Wolf Pack on July 31. The first 20 games of the hit streak came while he was playing for Ann Arbor.

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St. Louis' Rhys Hoskins sacrifice fly off Des Moines reliever Erasmo Ramirez drove in Albert Almora with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as the River Walkers squeaked out a 2-1 win at Busch Stadium.
Almora had reached with a one-out single off Ramirez and an Andrew Benintendi single moved him to third with Hoskins coming to the plate.
Much of the game was a pitchers' duel.

St. Louis went up 1-0 in the fourth inning when Almora took Harvesters starting pitcher Jose Berrios to lead off the inning.
Walkers starter Kyle Hendrick was cruising until Carson Kelly touched him for a solo shot with one out in the seventh.
A trio of reliever followed Hendricks to the mound. Brad Boxberger (5-0) recorded the final four outs to earn his fifth win.

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St. Louis' Jedd Gyorko had an RBI single and Michael Conforto scored two with a double as the River Walkers scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning to snap a 2-2 tie and defeat Des Moines 5-2 at Busch Stadium.
Light-hitting Carlos Asuaje got things going with a lead-off double off Harvesters starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel.
Gyorko drove Asuaje home with a single off reliever Erasmo Ramirez.
Michael Conforto plated the other two with a double, also off Ramirez.
St. Louis rookie starter Manuel Soliman turned in another decent start, allowing two runs over 5.1 innings.
He allowed a solo homer to Rafael Devers in the top of the sixth to make it 2-1.
Soliman later offered up a walk to Cody Bellinger, and after a Giancarlo Stanton double, he scored on an Austin Hays sacrifice fly off John Curtiss to tie it.
Jake Diekman got the final out of the seventh inning to earn the win.
Keone Kela tossed a scoreless ninth for his 23rd save.

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St. Louis scored two runs in the seventh inning and one in the eighth to overcome a 6-4 deficit and defeat Toledo 7-6 at Braves Field.
A three-run bottom of the fifth had put the Mud Hens in front, as a three-run homer from Khris Davis chased River Walkers top starting pitcher Aaron Nola from the game.
But St. Louis responded, with Tucker Barnhart doing the bulk of the damage.
His two-run home run off Dario Alvarez in the seventh tied the game.
In the eighth, it was a Barnhart two-out single off Ian Hamilton which put St. Louis in front for good.
Nicky Delmonico, who had hit a solo homer in the fifth inning, scored the winning run. He had reached when he hit into a fielder's choice, Michael Conforto being retired at second for the second out.
A wild pitch moved Delmonico to second, and he scored when Barnhart's ground ball found a hole in the left side of the field.
Four relievers (Jake Diekman, Chaz Roe, Andrew Miller and Keone Kela) combined to shut out the Mud Hens the rest of the way after Nola exited.

Roe earned his fifth win of the season. The save was Keone's 24th.

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Toledo snagged an 8-0 lead and then held on as St. Louis charged back late for an 8-6 win at Braves Field.
River Walkers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer allowed run-scoring hits to Curt Casail (double) and Alex Blandino (single) in the fifth inning as the Mud Hens snapped a scoreless tie.
Ramiel Tapia smacked a two-run homer off Bauer in the sixth, helping to end his day.
Toledo then doubled its advantage in the seventh, Khrys Davis with a three-run blast off Phil Maton. Tapia added an RBI single off Jerry Blevins later in the inning.
But Andrew Benintendi and Rhys Hoskins set the stage for a furious St. Louis rally, when they led off the top of the eighth with back-to-back solo shots. Benintendi's came off Ian Hamilton while Zack Burdi was victimized by Hoskins.
The damage continued into the ninth. Hoskins hit a two-run double off Tammy Kahnle. Adeiny Hechavarria later drove in a run with a single, making it 8-6 with teo outs.
But Kahnle settled down to get Brock Holt to ground out to end it.

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MBL news: Week 15 report

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A bullpen breakdown in the top of the eighth inning helped the Indianapolis Racers come away with a 5-3 win over the St. Louis River Walkers at Busch Stadium.
Kept in the game to get one out, Kyle Hendericks' luck was not good as third baseman Nicky Delmonico mishandled Lorenzo Cain's ground ball to open the eighth.
Called into replace Hendricks, Chaz Roe's recent struggles continue as he hit Dexter Fowler and allowed a single to Wladimir Balentien loaded the bases with Brad Boxberger entering the game.
So far, so good. Boxberger struck out Manny Machado for the inning's first out.
But Jerry Blevins was brought into face left-hander Josh Bell, and he was not so lucky.
Bell singled, scoring Cain to snap the tie.
St. Louis fourth pitcher of the inning, Phil Maton, then entered the game.
He promptly allowed a two-run double to Austin Barnes, making it 5-3.
St. Louis owned leads of 1-0, but the Racers tied it with solo shots off Hendricks.

Bell took him deep in the second inning. Balentin hit one of his own in the sixth.

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St. Louis' Andrew Benintendi led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a game-winning home run off Indianapolis' Ryan Witt, giving the River Walkers a 2-1 win at Busch Stadium.
The reigning NL MVP, and maybe well on his way to a second one, the homer was the 36th of the season for Benintendi and gave him 97 RBIs.

His homer total ties for the lead (with Joey Gallo) and he is tied for second in RBIs.
Indy jumped in front in the bottom of the fourth when Wladimir Balentien drew a lead-off walk from Aaron Nola and scored on a sacrifice fly from Austin Barnes.
The Walkers tied it in the bottom of the eighth.

Pinch-hitter Albert Almora drew an one-out walk. A single from Ender Inciarte moved him to third.
An Benintendi sacrifice fly allowed him to touch the plate, evening the score.
St. Louis starter Aaron Nola, who continues to pitch well but is struggling to earn wins, allowed one run in seven innings. He gave up four hits while striking out three and walking none.
Rick Porcello was possibly more impressive for Indy. He didn't give up a run in 6.1 innings. He struck out five while walking one and allowed four hits.

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Springfield's Justin Verlander took a no-hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning before allowing an one-out single to Nicky Delmonico and the Prairie Fighters held on for a 3-1 win at Busch Stadium.
The Fighters led 3-0 by the time Delmonico finally broke up the no-hitter.

Leury Garcia reached base on a dropped third strike to start the game. He later scored on a Mookie Betts ground out, after an Enrique Hernandez double had moved him to third.
Springfield's other runs came on solo homers off Gohara.

Betts took him deep to lead off the sixth and Mike Zunino did the same in the seventh.
The River Walkers did make it interesting in the bottom of the ninth against Josh Hader loading the bases with one out.
Brock Holt broke up the shutout with a sacrifice fly. But pinch-hitter Adeiny Hechavarria flew out to end it.
Verlander left after allowing Delomonico's hit. He struck out three and walked four.

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Freddie Freeman hit a two-run home run off St. Louis starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks in the top of the fifth inning to help lift the Springfield Prairie Fighters to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis River Walkers at Busch Stadium.
Earlier, Springfield had owned a 2-0 lead after scoring a pair of runs in the fourth inning.
But a two-run shot from Nicky Delmonico off Fighters starting pitcher Gerrit Cole had evened it.
Cole ended up going 5.1 innings, allowing both of St. Louis runs and three hits. He struck out three and walked none.
Four relievers combined to finish the job.
The Walkers did get a run in the bottom of the ninth against Springfield closer Carl Edwards Jr., when pinch-hitter Adeiny Hechavarria rapped an RBI triple with two outs.
But Brock Holt struck out to end it.

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MBL news: Week 16 report

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Aaron Nola and a pair of relievers combined on a five-hit shutout as the River Walkers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over Cedar Rapids at Busch Stadium.
Nola (13-3) went the first seven innings and didn't allow a run. He gave up four hits while striking out six and walking none.
Andrew Miller handled a scoreless eighth before walking Dominic Smith to open the ninth.
Closer Keone Kela then got the call. Clint Frazier greeted him with a single, moving Smith to second.
Kela,however, struck out Nick Williams and Braxton Lee grounded into a double play to end it.
The game's lone run came way back in the bottom of the first inning against Golden Grapplers starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner.

Lead-off hitter Ender Inciarte reached on an error by shortstop Eduardo Escobar.
Inciarte stole second and advanced to third on a Rhys Hoskins fly ball.
Michael Conforto then chased him home with another fly ball, for what proved to be the contest's lone run.

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St. Louis' Nicky Delmonico hit a pair of solo home runs off Green Bay ace Clayton Kershaw, but it was not enough to trump the grand slam Evan Longoria hit off River Walkers starter Trevor Bauer in the fourth inning that helped give the Long Haulers a 4-2 win at Busch Stadium.
Bauer really only had one bad inning in his seven on the mound, but the Haulers made the most of it as after singles by Marcel Ozuna and Chance Sisco and a walk to Xander Boegarts, Longaria hit a two-out pitch from Bauer 386-feet into the left-field stands.
Delmonico's solo shots came in the second and seventh innings, but the River Walkers could muster little else against Kershaw and the Green Bay bullpen.
Kershaw left after allowing Delmonico's second homer, having gone 6.1 innings and allowing six hits. He struck out seven and walked none.
Three relievers (Tony Cingrani, Nick Burdi and Richard Lovelady) combined to maintain the two-run lead.
Lovelady gave up an unintentional/intentional one-out walk to Delmonico in the ninth but retired the next two for his four save.

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Rhys Hoskins hit a two-run homer off Green Bay starting pitcher Max Scherzer in the bottom of the fourth inning and it was all the St. Louis River Walkers would need to post a 2-0 win at Busch Stadium.
It was the second consecutive game of strong pitching performances, only this time the Walkers came out on top.
It was Kyle Hendricks handling the mound duties for St. Louis, with six shutout innings. He scattered six hits while striking out 10 and walking nine.
He was followed to the mound by four relievers (Brad Boxberger, Jake Diekman, Chaz Roe and Keone Kela) to complete the shutout.
Kela allowed a two-out double to Evan Longoria but got Javier Baez to fly out to earn save No. 26.
Outside of the one pitch to Hoskins, Scherzer was impressive while pitching in the town where he grew up, allowing the two runs on four hits in 6.1 innings. He whiffed eight and walked one.