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

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Record: 52-37, 2nd (Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 3.5 GB Cedar Rapids
Rhys Hoskins singled off Travis Williams with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to score Adeiny Hechavarria to give St. Louis a 6-5 win over Springfield at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the win, the River Wakers swept a grueling series that covered five games in four days going into the All-Star break.
St. Louis actually trailed 5-4 going into the bottom of the 10th, after Cedar Rapids scored a run off Jake Diekman -- Ryan Mountcastle hit a sacrifice fly which scored Delino Deshields Jr. -- in the top of the inning.
In the bottom of the 10th, Manny Pina drew a one-out walk from Williams, who was pitching hell-or-high water due to overuse of the Prairie Fighters bullpen over the course of the series.
Eduardo Nunez replaced Pina as a pinch runner.
Hechavarria followed with a single, putting runners at the corners.
A walk to Tucker Barnhart loaded the bases.
A sacrifice fly from Ender Inciarte tied the score.
A walk to Andrew Benintendi then reloaded the bases, bringing Hoskins to the plate.
On Williams' 43 pitch of the game, Hoskins hit a fly ball which barely eluded right fielder Mookie Betts, allowing Hechavarria to score the game-winning run.
St. Louis jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but Springfield tied it with three runs in the top of the fifth.
Tony Kemp had an RBI triple off reliever Sarkis Ohanian, and scored on a Deshields jr. sacrifice fly.
Max Schrock followed with a solo homer, making it 4-4.
St. Louis starting pitcher Luiz Gohara did not even get out of the second inning leaving after 18 pitches with back tightness.
With no game for five days, with the All-Star break looming, the Walkers worked four relievers to earn the win.
Bobby Poyner handled two innings. Ohanian took care of 2.1. Josh Lindgren handled six outs, as did Jake Diekman who collected his first win of the season.
Gohara's injury is expected to keep him out for a week. Thanks to the All-Star break, Gohara should be healthy when it is time to make his next start.

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MBL news: Week 14 report

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MBL news: Walkers' Hoskins is MVP of NL's win in All-Star game

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Record: 52-38, 3rd, 4.5 GB Des Moines
Didi Gregorius hit a two-run home run off St. Louis reliever Grant Dayton with one out in the top of the ninth inning to lift Green Bay to a 3-2 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (1997).
A two-run homer off Long Haulers' starting pitcher Zach Davies in the bottom of the second had staked the Walkers to an early lead.
But their offense could come up with very little after that.
Green Bay made it 2-1 in the sixth inning, Rio Ruiz with a home run off St. Louis starter Aaron Nola.
In the ninth, Dayton walked lead-off batter Javier Baez, and then after getting David Peralta to fly out, watched hit a ball 414 feet into the seats in right field to put the Haulers in front.
Davies pitched six innings, allowing both of those early runs and four hits overall. He struck out three and walked one.
Five relievers followed him to the hill -- Nick Burdi (1.0 IP), Kenley Jansen (0.2), Richard Lovelady (0.1), Zach Britton (0.1) and Dellin Betances (0.2) -- to close it out. Lovelady collected his fourth win of the season.
Betances earned his second save.

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Record: 53-38, 3rd, 4 GB Des Moines
Trevor Bauer threw his best game of the season, tossing a one-hit shutout to lead St.Louis to an 11-0 win over Green Bay at Busch Stadium (1997).
Coming off a string of lackluster starts, Bauer was dominant from beginning to end. The only hit he allowed was a pinch-hit single to Alek Thomas with one out in the sixth inning.
Bauer walked two batters and struck out 13.
The Walkers took control by scoring two runs in the second through fourth innings and a single tally in the fifth to make it 7-0.
Nicky Delmonica yielded the big game hitting two homers as part of a 3 for 4 effort. He finished the game with five RBIs.

Rhys Hoskins was 1 for 3 with four RBIs, before leaving the game with an hyperextended ankle which could keep him out for four days.

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Coming off a game where he hit two home runs, and for the past week or so been among the hottest hitters in the National League, I have just been informed that Nicky Delmonico will be unavailable for four days after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Isn't that a long-time illiness?
Could his career be over?
How da frick did this happen?
He goes on the disabled list with Jed Lowrie coming up from AAA Memphis.

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Record: 54-38, 3rd, 4 GB Des Moines
Andrew Benintendi drew a bases-loaded walk from Green Bay reliever Dellin Betances to score Manny Pina with the winning run as St. Louis defeated Green Bay 3-2 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Hechavarria had opened the inning with a single.

A Pina single moved him to second, another single by Ender Inciarte loaded the bases.
Ji-hwan Chang hit into a fielder's choice, with Hechavarria being retired at the plate.
But with a full count. Benintendi took ball four scoring Pina with the winning run.
Green Bay owned a 3-2 lead when Benintendi tied it with a solo homer, his 25th of the season, in the bottom of the third.
River Walkers starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks lasted 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits.
St. Louis sent six relievers to the mound after his departure.
Bobby Poyner (0.2 IP), Phil Maton (1.0), Keona Kela (0.1), Jake Diekman (1.2), Reyes Moronta (1.2) and Grant Dayton (0.1) combined to finish it off.

Dayton faced just one batter, getting Alek Thomas to ground out to end the top of the 11th, but it is enough to earn him his third win of the season.

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Record: 55-38, 2nd (Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 3 GB Des Moines
Called up to the majors after Danny Duffy went on the disabed list, veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano shined in St. Louis' 3-1 win over Green Bay at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the win, the River Walkers took three of four games in the series.
Liriano lasted seven innings, allowing just one run on a home run by Long Haulers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

Green Bay managed six hits of Liriano. He struck out five and walked two.
The River Walkers grabbed the lead early, when Jin-hwan Chung hit a two-run homer off Kershaw in the bottom of the first.
Michael Conforto had a RBI single in the third, pushing it to 3-0.

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MBL news: Week 14 report

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St. Louis River Walkers center fielder Ender Inciarte has been placed on the disabled list after suffering a bruised foot after being hit by a Robert Stephenson pitch in the first inning a 14-3 win Over Milwaukee on July 21.
Inciarte is hitting .322 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs in 80 games.

Outfielder Andrew Tholes will be called up from AAA Memphis.

Tholes is hitting .314 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs in 79 games for the Redbirds.
The Walkers also revealed after the game that Albert Almora, their backup outfielder and who was expected to take over for Inciarte, was injured in the win over the Keg Lifters.
His status is listed as pending.

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Record: 57-39, 2nd, 2 GB Des Moines
St. Louis scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning off Milwaukee closer Blake Treinen to help carry the River Walkers to an 8-5 win at Milwaukee County Stadium (1976).
With the win, St. Louis took the final two games of its three-game series against the Keg Lifters.
Down 5-4, Treinen struck out Adeiny Hechavarria to open the inning, but pinch-hitter Eduardo Nunez and Andrew Tholes followed with back-to-back singles.
Consecutive walks to Jin-hwan Chung and Andrew Benintendi then plated the inning's first run, tying it at 5.
Rhys Hoskins followed with a two-run single, and the Walkers led 7-5.
Michael Conforto drove in the inning's final run with a single.
St. Louis actually trailed 5-0 in this game, as Walkers starter Trevor Bauer had his issues.
Jose Siri and pitcher Yeo-san Park had run-scoring singles for the Lifters in the second inning.
Brett Cumberland drove in a run with a single in the third. Two scored on a Siri single, as all of a sudden it was 5-0.
Bauer, however, gathered himself to pitch six innings allowing the five runs on eight hits.
St. Louis began its comeback in the fifth when Hechavarria singled off Park. He stole second and scored on a Tholes single.
A two-run homer from Hoskins off Arquimedes Caminero in the fifth pulled the Walkers to within 5-3.

Hoskins hit his second homer of the game in the eighth, this one a solo shot off Trevor Gott, to make it 5-4.
After Bauer departed, three relievers -- Bobby Poyner, Reyes Moronta and Daniel Hudson -- all recorded three outs apiece to finish it out.
Moronta earned his third win of the season. Hudson collected his 10th save.

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St. Louis River Walkers outfielder Albert Almora has been placed on the disabled list with a strained elbow suffered in a 14-3 win over Milwaukee on July 22.
Almora was batting .275 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 71 games at the time of his injury.
He will be replaced on the roster by right-handed relief pitcher Phil Maton, as outfielder Andrew Tholes had already been called from AAA Memphis due to an injury to Ender Inciarte, who also is in the disabled list but is expected back in nine days.

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Record: 57-40, 2nd, 3 GB Des Moines
Makiel Franco hit a pinch-hit home run off St. Louis Phil Maton with two outs in the top of the sixth inning to help give Madison a 7-5 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
River Walkers starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks was still in the game to begin the sixth, but lasted just two batters allowing a single to Nomar Mazarra and walk to Matt Olson to lead to his departure.
Bobby Poyner then got the ball for St. Louis, and walked Nolan Jones to load the bases before recording a pair of strike outs.
Maton was summoned, and like Poyner walked the first batter he faced only this time the free pass to Mike Zunino scored Mazarra with the go-ahead run.
Franco then hit the second pitch he saw 369-feet into the left-field seats.
All of a sudden, the Muskies led 7-2.
St. Louis did push three runs across in the seventh inning. Andrew Tholes had an RBI double and Andrew Benintendi drove in another with a single.
But Koda Glover retired St. Louis in order in the eighth inning. Corey Knebel followed suit in the ninth for his 16th save.
Madison starting pitcher Adam Wainwright went 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits.

Rubby De La Rosa struck out the only batter he faced (Brandon Moss) to end the fifth inning. It was enough to earn him his fifth win of the season.
St. Louis first baseman Rhys Hoskins had to leave the game after being injured while running the bases.
The injury was described as an intercostal strain. He is expected to be out for a week.

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St. Louis first baseman Rhys Hoskins has been placed on the disabled list after suffering an intercostal strain while running the bases in a 7-5 loss to Madison on July 24.
Hoskins is expected to miss a week and been placed on the disabled list.
The 27-year-old first baseman has been one of the top hitters in the National League this season, batting .294 with 30 homers and 96 RBIs in 90 games.
Filling his spot on the roster will be 24-year-old left-handed hitting first baseman Joe Mundy. In 61 games this season for AAA Memphis, Mundy is batting .,304 with eight homers and 32 RBIs.

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Record: 58-40, 2nd, 3 GB Des Moines
Luis Gohara stepped in when St. Louis starting pitcher Francisco Lirano had to depart with an undislosed injury in the top of the third inning and delievered 4.2 innings of shutout baseball to help lead the River Walkers to a 6-1 win over Madison at Busch Stadium (1997).
Gohara was scheduled to start the third and final game of the Walkers' series against the Muskies. But with ace Aaron Nola expected to be on full rest, the decision was made to use Gohara in relief.
He shined in the role, as he allowed two hits and three walks but did not allow anyone to cross the plate before exiting with one out in the eighth inning.
Grant Dayton handled the rest of the eighth.
After Brandon Moss smacked a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the eighth to make it 6-1, Keona Kela offered up a 1-2-3 ninth to close it out.
St. Louis jumped on top 2-0 in the bottom of the first thanks to a two-run homer from Michael Conforto off Madison starting pitcher Aaron Slegers.
Adeiny Hechavarria had an RBI single and Jin-hwan Chung chased in another run in the second when he drew a bases-loaded walk from Slegers.

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Tucker Barnhart snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning and Aaron Nola carried his shutout into the seventh as St. Louis downed Madison 4-1 at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the win, St. Louis took two of three games from the leaders in the National League North Division.
It was scoreless in the bottom of the sixth inning when Andrew Benintendi led off with a single off Muskies starting pitcher Arlnaldo Hernandez.
Michael Conforto followed with a single, a ground out from Jin-hwan Chung put runners at second and third.
Koda Glover took over for Hernandez and got a strike out.

But Barnhart followed with his single on a 1-2 pitch, scoring both runners and making it 2-0.
The Walkers added another run in the inning, when Nola connected for a two-out single off Glover.
It was Nola's second hit of the game.
Nola shined on the mound as well, with six shutout innings before exiting with one out in the seventh.
He allowed one run -- which scored on a Francisco Lindor single off Reyes Moronta in the seventh -- on six hits. He struck out seven and walked two.
Moronta did close out the seventh without any more damage.
Grant Drayton pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Bobby Poyner did the same in the ninth for his third save.

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MBL news: Week 15 report (Hoskins is NL Player of the Week; Walkers are ranked No. 1)

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When veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano left St. Louis' game against Madison in the top of the third inning with an injury, there was no question it seemed serious.
Now it looks like it might be career-ending.
Liriano has been diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon that is expected to keep him out for a year.
With him being 37 years old later this season, it's doubtful Liriano will be in much demand if he should become healthy again.
He didn't do much on the major league level this season for the River Walkers, going 1-0 with three starts and a 3.29 ERA.
The game does not detail his entire career stats, which began back in 2005 with the Minnesota Twins.
The Walkers have yet to determine how they plan to fill Liriano's spot, as he already was filling in for Danny Duffy who is expected to be out another week with a strained abdominal muscle.
For now, right-handed reliever John Curtiss has been called up from AAA Memphis.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have made a major three-player deal with the Dayton Fighter Pilots, sending second baseman Jin-hwan Chung and utility infielder Eduardo Nunez to the Pilots in exchange for starting pitcher Yu Darvish.
Signed by St. Louis before the 2019 season, Chung has ranked among the league leaders in on-base percentage in his two seasons with the Walkers. He sat at .385 at the time of the trade this season.
But he has struggled to put the bat on the ball. He was batting .240 with 12 homers and 53 RBIs at the time of the trade.
Nunez was nothing more than a pinch-hitter, fill-in infielder in his only season in St. Louis, and he had struggled hitting just .215 with two homers and five RBIs.
The Walkers also were glad to shed his $2.2 million salary.
In Darvish, St. Louis acquires a top-three starting pitcher with one more year of control, albeit at $21 million.
But Trevor Bauer, who is demanding a 10-year deal north of $25 million per and would be impossible to re-sign, should make one season of Darvish worth it.
It doesn't hurt that Chung was pulling down $16M per season.

This season, with a struggling Dayton team, Darvish has gone 2-7 in 20 starts with a 3.57 ERA.
The trade of Chung, also opens the door for the Walkers' top prospect second baseman Bo Bichette, to get a long look in the majors.
For AAA Memphis, Bichette has hit .319 with 16 homers and 72 RBIs in 88 games.

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Record: 60-41, 2nd. 2.5 GB Des Moines
Yu Darvish's first start with St. Louis got off to an inauspicious beginning when Quad City lead-off hitter Alfred Alford hit the second pitch he saw over the left-field wall, and it didn't get much better from there as the Thunder downed the River Walkers 8-5 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Darvish lasted 5.1 innings allowing six runs on seven hits, including three homers. He struck out six batters, walked three and also hit one batter.
Down 2-1, the Thunder took the lead for good with a three-run top of the fourth.
Alford drove in the first two runs with a single. Orlando Arcia followed with another single, which plated a pair.

Quad City chased Darvish in the top of the sixth inning, when two of the first three batters homered. Will Myers led off the inning with his 15th long ball of the season. After an out, Blake Rutherford launched his ninth homer.
The two solo shots put Quad City up 6-3.
Russell Martin hit a two-run homer off Chaz Roe in the seventh, pushing it to 8-3.
Thunder starting pitcher Matt Ruppenthal allowed three runs over five innings and earned his third win of the season.
Six relievers -- J.D. Hammer (0.1 IP), Sam Holland (0.2), Hyun-Jin Ryu (1.0), Jesse Hahn (0.2), Ryan Buchter (0.1) and Craig Kimbrel (1.0) -- followed him to the mound to close out the game.
Kimbrel earned his 17th save of the season.