2025 St. Louis River Walkers -- Here we go again

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Record: 59-38, 1st, 9 GA Kansas City
Tied 6-6. Madison tallied three times off St. Louis reliever Danny Grigg in the top of the eighth inning to help give the Muskies a 9-6 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
It's been a fairly impressive season for Grigg, but this game was not one of them.
He didn't retire any of the five batters he faced, walking three and allowing an RBi single to Joe Gray Jr. while one of those free passes, to Ariamis Ademan, also plated a run.
Nomar Mazara drove in the inning's final run with a single off Tim Hill.
A grand slam from Gray in the fourth off Derek Gordon helped give the Muskies a 6-1 lead.
St. Louis stormed back with five runs in the seventh, Rhys Hoskins plated four of them with a grand slam off reliever Andrew Ryan, as the Walkers evened the game at 6.
Muskies starter Nick Lewis worked five innings giving up one run on four hits.
Brudsar Graterol allowed a pair of runs while working the sixth.
David McLoughlin (5-4), who earned the win, Brian Rose and Ethan Haskins all retired three batters apiece to close it out.
Haskins notched his 12th save.

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Record: 60-38, 1st, 9 GA Kansas City
Tied at 6, St. Louis scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to squeak out an 8-6 win over Madison at Busch Stadium (1997).
In the top of the eighth, the Muskies had tied the game by scoring three times.
Joe Gray Jr. drove in the first run with a double off reliever Luis Palomo.
Josh Smith and Aramis Ademan later drove in runs against Jake Brentz to tie it.
But in the bottom of the eighth, the River Walkers found a way to win it and end a six-game losing streak.
It all happened with two outs and came against former St. Louis reliever Kenley Jansen.
Jean Carmona and Rhys Hoskins both connected for two-out single.
Austin Barnes then doubled, scoring Carmona,
Larry Ernesto then hit a ground which was botched by first baseman Kevin Maitan allowing another run to score.
A six-run second inning had allowed the River Walkers to take a 6-0 lead.
Carlos Vidal drove in three of the runs with a homer.
The Muskies chipped away at the deficit until scoring three times in the eighth.
Walkers starting pitcher Hunter Barco allowed two runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked two.
John Curtiss allowed a run while pitching the seventh.
Palomo and Brentz combined to worked an eighth where Madison scored three times.
Brentz (5-0) came out of the ninth with the win.

But with the lead back in the hands of the Walkers, Edwin Diaz worked around three Madison hits to earn his 17th save.

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Record: 61-38, 1st, 9 GA Kansas City
Jared Thomas homered twice to power St. Louis to a 6-4 win over Madison at Busch Stadium (1997).
It was the second straight win for the River Walkers over the Muskies, after dropping the series opener.
Thomas struck first in the bottom of the second, hitting a two-run, two-out homer off Madison starter Josh Tomlin.
Alek Thomas followed the long ball with a single and eventually scored on a Bo Bichette single, as St. Louis strung together four straight hits.
A throwing error by Walkers starting pitcher Jimmy Lambert helped lead to pair of runs for Madison in the fourth.
Kevin Maitan drove in the first run with a double. The second came on a Jordan Myrow sacrifice fly.
Rhys Hoskins hit his 19th homer of the season in the fifth off Tomlin, upping the St. Louis advantage to 5-2.
But the Muskies got those runs back in seventh, Aramis Ademan connected for a two-run job off reliever Danny Grigg.
Thomas second homer of the game, a solo shot off reliever David McLoughlin, gave St.Louis a bit of insurance.
Lambert worked 5.1 innings before exiting with back stiffness.
He allowed two runs on four hits, while striking out four and walking one.
The injury is not expected to prevent him from making his next scheduled start.
Grigg worked 1.2 innings, allowing the Ademan homer.
Nick Lodolo and Jake Brentz both pitched a scoreless inning.
Brentz earned his 12th save.

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MBL news: Week 14 Players of the Week and standings

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Although, the St. Louis River Walkers own a comfortable nine-game lead in the National League South Division.
They also are competing with three of the pitchers from their rotation on Opening Day -- Argenis Batista, Adonis Medina and Brent Honeywell -- on the disabled list.
And while Batista and Medina are expected to return in September, nothing is assured, and the River Walkers 5.5 games in back of Chicago for the best record in the National League.
So on Sunday night, they completed a trade with Green Bay to land right-handed starting pitcher Aaron Civale.
In the deal, the River Walkers sent AAA Memphis right-hander Justin Doughtie to the Long Haulers.
A free agent to be at the end of the season, the 30-year-old Civale's 6-10 record probably belies his performance.
He owns a 3.16 ERA to go with a 1.17 WHIP.
Doughtie, 25, was the No. 1 starter for Memphis, he departs having gone 8-4 with a 3.70 ERA this season.

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The July. 28 game between the Quad City Thunder and St. Louis River Walkers at Busch Stadium has been postponed by rain.
It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on July 29.

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Record: 61-39, 1st, 9 GA Springfield
Quad City pounded St. Louis starting pitcher Alex Faedo for six runs over the first three innings and never really slowed down as it downed the River Walkers 11-2 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Randolph Thorne put the Thunder up 1-0 with an RBI single in the top of the first inning.
But Q-C turned it up a notch in the second.
Carter Kieboom led off the inning with a single off Faedo, only to have him retire the next two batters.
That's when it fell apart.
Jacob Gonzalez drew a walk before Nick Gonzalez singled to make it 2-0.
Thorne followed with a three-run homer to make it 5-0.
The Thunder drove a stake into Faedo an inning later, Kameron Misner hitting a solo homer which led to his departure after the inning ended.
An RBI single from Misner and run-scoring double from Kieboom in the fifth off reliever Luis Palomo would make it 8-0.
Thunder starting pitcher Nick Wood drove in a run with a double off Palomo in the seventh, to make it 9-0.
Chase Davis made it 11-2 with a homer off John Curtiss in the top of the ninth.
Wood took care of the first 6.1 innings for Quad City, allowing one run on seven hits. He struck out four and walked one.
Garret Williams took care of the final 2.2 innings.

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Record: 61-40, 1st, 8.5 GA Springfield
Randolph Thorne broke up a scoreless game with a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to help lift Quad City to a 2-0 win and a doubleheader sweep of St. Louis at Busch Stadium (1997).
Shutout over 7.1 innings by Steven Brault, who got Nick Gonzalez for the first out of the eighth before exiting, a throwing error by catcher Austin Barnes got things moving for the Thunder as Kameron Misner reached base.
Thorne followed with a 378 foot homer on a 2-2 pitch from Tim Hill, delivering the only runs which would be scored in the game.
Matt Ruppenthal (3-5) handled the first seven innings of the shutout, allowing just three hits while striking out five and walking one.
Jake Diekman worked a scoreless eighth inning.
Nick Goody did the same in the ninth for his 18th save.

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Record: 61-41, 1st, 8 GA Kansas City
Tied 1-1, Andrew Bethea hit a two-out homer off St. Louis starting pitcher Derek Gordon in the bottom of the fourth inning to send Quad City to an 8-1 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win completed a three-game sweep for the Thunder, who outscored the River Walkers 21-3 in the series.
A two-run shot from Thomas Dillard off Gordon in the sixth inning made it 5-1.
Bethea struck again in the eighth with an RBI double off reliever Nick Lodolo, as the Thunder took a 6-1 lead.
Izzy San Juan (6-8) allowed one run on three hits over the first five inning to earn the win.
Brenan Hanifee (1.0 IP), Thad Ward (2.0) and Trae Harmon (1.0) combined to shut out the Walkers over the final four innings.

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Looking to add a bit of leadership, the St. Louis River Walkers have traded for 30-year old catcher Reese McGuire of the Madison Muskies.
In exchange, St. Louis gave up 24-year-old outfielder Nick Hunt who was playing at AA Springfield.
McGuire has played in 27 games this season for the Muskies, batting .203 with two homers and 11 RBIs.
Hunt, primarily a corner outfielder, was hitting .253 with nine homers and 40 RBIs this season for the Cardinals.
It is uncertain what the Walkers intend to do with Austin Barnes, their current backup to starting catcher Jared Thomas.

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With Reese McGuire brought into the fold, the St. Louis River Walkers have traded backup catcher Austin Barnes to the Toledo Mud Hens in exchange for left-hander reliever Williams Jerez.
The 35-year-old Barnes has served as the backup to St.Louis starter Jared Thomas this season, batting just .167 with no homers and six RBIS in 32 games.
In Jerez, St. Louis picks up a 33-year old left-handed reliever who has gone 5-3 with 13 saves, along with a 2.56 ERA in 34 games at AAA Charlotte this season.

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Walkers news: Player Development Report for August 1

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MBL news: Players and Pitchers of the Month for July 2025

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MBL news: Rookies of the Month for standings for July 2025

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MBL news: American League leaders on August 1

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MBL news: National League leaders on August 1

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Walkers news: 2025 season statistics on August 1

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Walkers news: River Walkers statistics for July

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Player of the Month: Jared Thomas: The 24-year-old catcher had perhaps his best month at the plate since making the majors, in 19 games he batted .328 with seven homers, 19 RBIs and 13 runs scored. He posted an on-base percentage of .361 and slugged at a .657 clip.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Steven Brault: In five starts, Brault went 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA. He worked a total of 32.0 innings, posting a 1.18 WHIP and striking out 28.
Relief Pitcher of the Month: Jake Brentz: In eight games, Brentz was 2-0 with one save and an 0.00 ERA. He worked a total of seven innings, striking out 10 and posting a 0.89 WHIP.

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Record: 62-41, 1st, 8.5 GA Springfield
Aaron Civale's debut with St. Louis could not have gone any worse giving up six runs in just one inning, but the River Walkers' bullpen bailed him out with eight shutout inning and opening the door for an unlikely 8-6 win at Shibe Park (1949).
Newly acquired just before the trade deadline from Green Bay, Civale was lucky to get out of the first inning.
In all he allowed six runs on seven hits and a walk to the Golden Grapplers.
Terrin Vavra drove in two runs with a double, while Matt McLain plated a pair with a single.
A solo homer from Rhys Hoskins off Grapplers starter Patrick Weigel ignited the comeback.
In the fourth, the Walkers loaded the bases and Weigel walked Carlos Vidal to plate their second run.
Pinch-hitter Johan Camargo tripled and drove in a run in the fifth to make it 6-3.
After a silent sixth, St. Louis busted loose to take the lead in the seventh scoring four runs.
Jean Carmona tripled to drive in the first run and scored on a wild pitch.
Larry Ernesto then put the Walkers on top with a two-out homer off Felipe Vazquez.
St. Louis added an insurance runin the eighth after Bo Bichette led off with a double off Thomas Burrows.
A sacrifice bunt from Carlos Vidal moved him to second.
A Burrows wild pitched scored Bichette.
However, it was the bullpen which really came up big for St. Louis.
Luis Palomo took the mound in the second inning and handled things through the fourth.
After that, it was a string of one-inning stints.
Dan Jennings led things off. He was followed by John Curtiss, Danny Grigg, Jake Brentz and Edwin Diaz.
The win would end up going to Curtiss (5-2). Diaz allowed a pair of base runners, but came out of it with his 18th save.