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

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MBL news: Week 17 report

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Record: 68-43, 1st, 2 GA Des Moines
St. Louis jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first five innings and turned it into a blowout by tallying four in the eighth and eight in the ninth to bury Springfield 16-3 at Olympic Stadium.
Up 2-0, it looked like the big blow would be a two-run single from Joe Mundy off Prairie Fighters starting pitcher Anthony Reyes that made it 4-0 in the fifth inning.
But it got ugly later, Springfield had pulled within 4-2 in the interim, as the River Walkers turned it into the rout.
The Fighters didn't help their cause issuing seven walks and hitting two batters over the final two innings. They even resorted to using infielder Tony Kemp on the mound in the ninth inning.

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Record: 68-44, 1st, 1 GA Des Moines
Home runs played a role in all of Springfield's runs in a 7-4 win over St. Louis at Olympic Stadium,
The Prairie Fighters got home runs from Michael Brantley, Travis Shaw and Jason Castro in their victory.
Shaw's came first, a two-run shot off River Walkers starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks in the second inning and gave Springfield a 2-0 lead.
Castro's came in the fifth, it also was worth two runs and also was off Hendricks.
It tied the game at 4-4.
Brantley's blast snap the tie in the eighth, it came off reliever Chaz Roe.
It was worth three runs.
Springfield starting pitcher Collin McHugh went five innings, allowing all four of St. Louis on five hits.
Four relievers -- Tim Hill (1.0 IP), Mason McCullough (1.0), Keynan Middleton (1.0) and Nathan Karns (1.0) -- followed him to the mound and all worked an inning apiece, Karns took care of the ninth for his fourth save.

Walkers rookie Bo Bichette hit a three-run homer off McHugh in the fourth inning. It put St. Louis ahead 3-2.

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Record: 69-44, 1st, 1 GA Des Moines
St. Louis broke out to a 6-0 lead over the first three innings and were never really threatened in a 9-4 victory over Springfield at Olympic Stadium.
Andrew Benintendi put the River Walkers up early with a two-run homer off Springfield starting pitcher Pablo Lopez in the top of the first innings.
A two-run homer from Tucker Barnhart and RBI triple from Bo Bichette, also off Lopez, highlighted a four-run third, making it 6-0.
The Prairie Fighters' Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo homer off Walkers starting pitcher Luiz Gohara, pulling Springfield to within 6-3.
But the Walkers broke it open again when Ender Inciarte scored three in the eighth with a bases-loaded triple off Lopez.
Gohara earned his 10th win of the season while allowing three runs on six hits over 5. innings.
Daniel Hudson (1.2 IP), Chaz Roe (1.1) and Reyes Moronta (0.1) combined to close out the game.
With a bullpen that came into the game completely exhausted, Springfield asked Lopez to work 7.1 innings, during which he threw 157 pitches.

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Record: 69-45, 1st, tied with Des Moines
Josh Hader tossed 4.1 scoreless innings and three relievers combined to limit St. Louis to a single run the rest of the way as Springfield won 2-1 at Olympic Stadium.
With the win, the Prairie Fighters split their four-game series with the River Walkers. The loss dropped St. Louis into a first-place tie with Des Moines for the lead in the National League South Division.
The Fighters broke open a scoreless game in the bottom of the third inning when Abiatal Avileno led off with a single off Walkers ace Aaron Nola.
He moved to second on a ground out and scored on a Ryan Mountcastle single.
Springfield added its second run in the seventh after Max Schrock led off with a triple off Nola. He scored on an one-out sacrifice fly by Jason Castro.
St. Louis got its lone run in the eighth after Michael Conforto drew a one-out walk from reliever Mason McCullough and scored on a Tucker Barnhart double with two outs.
McCullough, however, got Adeiny Hechavarria to fly out to end the inning.
He then struck out the side in the ninth to earn his first save.
Hader limited St. Louis to a single hit in his 4.1 innings, but he did allow four walks while striking out five.
David Phelps (1.2 IP) and Taylor Williams (1.0) followed him to the mound before McCullough took over and recorded the final six outs.
Nola was strong despite taking the loss. He went six innings allowing one run on four hits. He struck out four and walked one.

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Record: 70-45, 1st, 1 GA Des Moines
Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer had a hand both on the mound and with the bat in St. Louis 5-2 win over Ann Arbor at Crosley Field (1958).
With the ball in his hand, Bauer allowed two runs on four hits to the Wolf Pack. He also struck out five and walked two.
At the plate, Bauer had a single off Ann Arbor starter Dylan Cease in the top of the second inning that helped score Joe Mundy to tie it at 2.

Mundy actually scored on an error by left fielder Jose Peraza, but it was Bauer who put the ball in play.
Having gone to second on the error, Bauer scored when Ender Inciarte singled to make it 3-2.
A two-run double by Andrew Benintendi off reliever Brad Hand in the seventh later made it 5-2.
Relievers Grant Dayton (0.2 IP), Reyes Moronta (1.1) and Bobby Poyner (1.0) combined to close out the win. Poyner earned his sixth save.

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Record: 70-46, 1, 1 GA Des Moines
Kolby Allard took a no-hitter into the top of the eighth inning and Peter Alonso provided all the offense with a two-run homer to help Ann Arbor defeat St. Louis 2-0 at Crosley Field (1958).
All Allard allowed over the first seven innings was a trio of walks before Andrew Tholes got too him for a one-out double in the top of the eighth.
Jonathan Holder took over after the double and allowed a single to Adieny Hechavarria to put runners at the corners.
But he buckled down to strike out pinch-hitter Nicky Delmonico and got Ender Inciarte to hit into a fielder's choice to end the threat.
The Wolf Pack's Edwin Diaz got all three of the River Walkers he faced in the ninth to ground out to earn his 23rd save.
All the game's scoring came from Alonso's two-run homer off Yu Darvish with two outs in the third inning.
Darvish went seven innings for St. Louis, allowing the two runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked two.
Allard struck out five in his 7.1 innings.

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Record: 70-47, 1st, Tied with Des Moines
Ann Arbor smacked five home runs to help overcome a 6-1 deficit and defeat St. Louis 8-6 at Crosley Field (1958).
By winning the final two games of the series, the Wolf Pack two of three games from the River Walkers. St. Louis dropped back into a tie for the National League South Division with the loss.
The Wolf Pack chipped two runs off a five-run deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning when Dansby Swanson and Peter Alonso hit back-to-back solo homers off St. Louis starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks.
Ann Arbor then really went to work in the sixth, going deep three times in a five-run frame.
Adam Jones struck first with a three-run shot off reliever Reyes Moronta. Alonso plated the other two with his second long ball in as many innings.
His 397-foot shot into the right-field seats also came off Moronta, this one with two outs.
A solo homer from Rhys Hoskins off Ann Arbor closer Edwin Diaz to open the ninth pulled the Walkers to within 8-7.
Bo Bichette later connected for a one-out double, but he would get no farther. Diaz got Tucker Barnhart to fly out for the second out.
Adeiny Hechavarria went down swinging to end it.
Ann Arbor starting pitcher Mitch Keller went four innings and allowed the first six St. Louis runs.
Trevor Cahill kept the Walkers off the board in the fifth and sixth innings, helping him earn his second win of the season.
Brad Hand, Jonathon Holder and Diaz all pitched an inning apiece to end it.
The save was the 24th for Diaz.

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MBL news: Week 18 report

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Record: 70-47, 2nd, 1 GB Des Moines
Indianapolis sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs in the process to help pave the way for a 6-3 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the loss, the River Walkers dropped to second place in the National League South Division, a game behind first-place Des Moines.
Down 2-1, D.J. Stewart got things started with a one-out walk from Jake Diekman,
Phil Maton then relieved Diekman, who faced just the one batter, and after recording the second out on a fielder's choice allowed consecutive singles to Carlos Correa, Manny Machado and Devon Travis.
The latter two each scoring runs to put the Racers ahead 3-2.
Chaz Roe replaced Maton, and it quickly got worse.
Garrett Whitley tripled to score two runs and Austin Barnes drove in the inning's final run with a double as eight consecutive batters reached base.
St. Louis did get a run back in the eighth, when Bo Bichette doubled and scored on a pair of a sacrifice flies.

That, however, was all they could muster.
The first seven innings were a pitchers' duel between Indy's Rick Porcello and St. Louis' Luiz Gohara.
Porcello went six innings, allowing two runs on a two-run homer from Michael Comforto in the bottom of the sixth.

Overall, he allowed five hits while striking out six and walking one.
Four relievers (Bruce Rondon (1.0 IP), Scott Oberg (1.0), Rowan Wick (0.1) and Taneo Ito (0.2) -- combined to finish off the game.
Ito earned his third save of the season.
Gohara allowed just one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out two and walked one.

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Record: 71-47, 1st, Tied with Des Moines
Rookie Bo Bichette homered in the first inning to start the scoring and singled in the ninth to win it as St. Louis defeated Indianapolis 5-4 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Manny Machado's second two-run homer of the game off River Walkers starting pitcher Aaron Nola in the top of the sixth inning had given the Racers the 4-3 lead they took into the ninth.
But rookie Joe Mundy continued to swing a hot bat leading off the inning with a single off Austin Brice.
Mundy moved to second on a Adeiny Hechavarria sacrifice fly and scored when Andrew Tholes followed with a pinch-hit double.
Brice got Ender Inciarte to fly out for the second out
But Bichette came through with a single to right on the third pitch he saw, as Tholes crossed the plate.
Reliever Daniel Hudson worked the final two innings for St. Louis to earn his third win of the season.
Nola gave up eight hits over six innings, including Machado's two homers.
John Curtiss (0.1 IP) and Grant Dayton (0.2) combined to keep Indy scoreless in the seventh.

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Record: 72-48, 1st, tied with Des Moines
A wild night for Indianapolis starting pitcher Perci Garner led to a boatload of runs for St. Louis in the second and third innings of their 10-2 win over the Racers at Busch Stadium (1997).
By taking the final two games of the three-game series,the River Walkers remained tied atop the National League South Division with the Des Moines Harvesters.
In a two-run second inning, the Walkers didn't need a hit as Garner offered up four walks and threw a pair of wild pitches.
In a five-run third, where St.Louis batted around, Garner walked three along giving up a three-run double to Tucker Barnhart and a run-scoring double to Michael Conforto.
Adeiny Hechavarria drove in the final run of the outburst with a two-out single off Travis Brice.
St. Louis got its final three runs in the eighth, when Conforto socked a three-run homer off James Pazos.
Walkers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer allowed two runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked one.
John Curtis followed with 1.1 innings of relief. Bobby Poyner handled the final five outs of the game.

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Record: 73-48, 1st, 0.5 GA, Des Moines
Trailing 1-0. St. Louis took control with four runs in the top of the third inning and went on to a 4-2 win over Quad City at Fenway Park (1970).
A solo homer from Russell Martin off River Walkers starting pitcher Yu Darvish gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead after two innings.
St. Louis Adeiny Hechavarria answered that blast with a solo shot of his own off Q-C starter Matt Ruppenthal to open the third.

The Walkers were far from finished.

Ender Inciarte drew a one-out walk and Bo Bichette followed with a single.

Andrew Benintendi hit it a force play, Bichette being out at second, to put runners at the corners.
A wild pitch scored Inciarte making it 2-1. Michael Conforto followed with a double making it 4-1.
Darvish pitched into the seventh inning when he allowed consecutive two-out doubles from Blake Rutherford and Anthony Alford, which pulled Q-C within 4-2.
In his 6.2 innings, Darvish allowed two runs on five hits. He struck out nine and walked three.

However, Reyes Moronta struck out Orlando Arcia to end the inning.
Moronta got the first two outs before turning it over to Grant Dayton who wrapped up the inning.
Daniel Hudson tossed a scoreless ninth for his 11th save.

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Record: 73-49, 1st, Tied with Des Moines
Quad City's Scott Kingery homered twice including a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth inning off St. Louis reliever Reyes Moronta to give the Thunder the lead for good in a 5-4 win at Fenway Park (1970).
Run-scoring doubles from Michael Conforto and Bo Bichette off Thunder starting pitcher Cody Pounce staked St. Louis to a 2-0 lead after a half inning.

That advantage grew to 3-0 in the third inning, when Bichette drove in another run, this one with a sacrifice fly.
But Quad City used the long ball to get back into it.

Justin Turner led off the fourth with a homer off River Walkers starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks.

Later in the inning, Kingery went deep for the first time tying it at 3-3.
St. Louis regained the lead in the fifth, when reliever Justus Sheffield issued a bases-loaded walk to Tucker Barnhart.
Cedric Mullins chased Hendricks in the top of the sixth with his second triple of the game, this one coming with one out.
Moronta relieved Hendricks and the fifth pitch he threw Kingery drew 371-feet into the right-field seats.
Ponce lasted four innings as the starting pitcher for the Thunder. He allowed three runs on six hits.
P.J. Conlon got the first two outs of the fifth, before leaving with a back injury.
Sheffield finished the fifth inning and pitched through the end of the seventh.
In the ninth, Craig Kimbrel allowed a lead-off double to pinch-hitter Andrew Tholes and walked Ender Inciarte to put two runners on with one out before being replaced.
Ryan Buchter was able to nail it down and earned his first save. He struck out Christian Arroyo and got Andrew Benintendi to ground out.

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Franklin Perez and three relievers combined on a shutout and Quad City hit three solo home runs to defeat St. Louis 3-0 at Fenway Park (1970).
With the win, the Thunder took the final two games in the three-game series. The loss also kept the River Walkers in a first-place tie with Des Moines atop the National League South Division.
The game was scoreless into bottom of the seventh inning when Wil Myers put Quad City on top, it turned out for good, with a one-out homer off St. Louis relief pitcher Keone Kela.
The Thunder's other two long balls came an inning later, and both were allowed by John Curtiss who got clobbered by both Justin Turner and then Derek Fisher.

Both starting pitchers were outstanding.
Perez went six scoreless innings for Quad City, allowing five hits. He struck out seven and walked none.
Three relievers pitched an inning apiece to finish it out. The seventh and eighth were handled by J.D. Hammer and Jimmy Herget, respectively.
Normally a starter, Justus Sheffield pitched the ninth and earned his first save.
Gohara allowed four hits while pitching six innings for St. Louis. He struck out seven and walked two.

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MBL news: Week 18 report

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Record: 74-50, 1st, 0.5 GA Des Moines
Aaron Nola and two relievers combined on a three-hit shutout and St. Louis breezed to a 3-0 win over Kansas City at Municipal Stadium (1969).
The River Walkers got the only runs they would really need in the top of the first when Michael Conforto cracked a two-run, two-out double off Pit Masters starting pitcher Dinelson Lamet.
That lead grew to 3-0 in the top of the third, Rhys Hoskins with an RBI single of Lamet.
The remainder of the onslaught came late in the game against a Kansas City bullpen that came into the game running on fumes.
St. Louis scored six runs in a five-run seventh inning which featured five walks.
The Walkers added on five more runs in the ninth, an inning in-which they drew four walks.
Altogether, Kansas City pitchers combined to issue 14 walks in the game.
On the flipside, Nola was impressive while improving to 14-6.
He allowed five hits while striking out seven and walking none in his six innings.
Jake Diekman tossed a scoreless seventh inning. Phil Maton didn't allow a baserunner while pitching the eighth and ninth.

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Report: 75-50, 1st, 0.5 GA Des Moines
Tucker Barnhart led off the top of the 10th inning with a home run and Joe Mundy later added a two-run pinch-hit blast as St. Louis rallied for a 6-2 win over Kansas City at Municpial Stadium (1968).
The Pit Masters had taken a 2-1 lead when Brian Mundell hit a two-run homer off River Walkers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer in the fourth inning.
That lead stood until the ninth when St. Louis tied it on a two-out double from Michael Conforto off Kansas City reliever Ryan Burr.
Ender Inciarte scored the run after drawing a two-out walk.Bo Bichette was then hit by a pitch, moving Inciarte to second.
Bauer lasted five innings for the Walkers, allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out five and walked none.
Five relievers -- Daniel Hudson (0.2 IP), Jake Diekman (0.2), Reyes Moronta (1.2), Grant Dayton (1.0) and Chaz Roe (1.0) -- combined to throw six shutout innings after Bauer's departure.
Dayton earned his fourth win of the season.
Masters starter Shelby Miller went just 4.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits.

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Record: 75-51, 1st, 0.5 GA Des Moines
Chance Adams and two relievers combined on a six-hit shutout and Allen Cordoba drove in the game's lone run in a 1-0 win at Municipal Stadium (1968).
Yordan Alvarez drew a lead-off walk from St. Louis starting pitcher Yu Darvish in the bottom of the second inning.

A one-out walk to Yasmani Grandal moved Alvarez to third.
But Alvarez was eliminated on a botched bunt by Adams, which had him thrown out at third.
However, Cordoba followed with a double down the left-field line, scoring Grandal.
A one-out double to Joe Mundy was the lone hit allowed by Adams in his five innings on the mound.
Brian Duensing kept St. Louis off the board in the sixth through eighth inning, however, ran into trouble when he moved into the ninth.

Bo Bichette walked to to open the inning and Manny Pina followed with a single.

Tommy Hunter then took control and struck out Manny Pina.
He got pinch-hitter Nicky Delmonico to hit into a fielder's choice, leaving runners at first and third.
Pinch-hitter Rhys Hoskins hit into another fielder's choice to end it.
The save was Hunter's third of the season.
Darvish pitched 5.1 innings, allowing the one run on four hits. He struck out nine and walked three.

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Record: 76-51, 1st, 1.5 GA Des Moines and Cedar Rapids
Kyle Hendricks and five relievers combined on a five-hit shutout and St. Louis defeated Kansas City 4-0 at Municipal Stadium (1968).
With the win, the River Walkers took three of four in the series and now own a 1.5 game lead in the National League South Division over Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.
The Walkers grabbed the lead early in the top of the first inning on a two-run, two-out single from Michael Conforto after Ender Inciarte and Bo Bichette had opened the game with consecutive singles off Pit Masters starting pitcher David Price.
A run-scoring fly ball from Andrew Tholes off Danny Barnes in the seventh inning made it 3-0.
Adeiny Hechavarria added the final run with a homer off Dario Alvarez in the ninth.
Hendricks tossed six shutout innings, scattering five hits while striking out 10 and walking one.
A parade of five relievers followed Hendricks to the mound -- Phil Maton (0.1 IP), Chaz Roe (1.0), Daniel Hudson (0.0), Jake Diekman (0.2) and Keone Kela 1.0) -- to close out the victory.