2022 St. Louis River Walkers: Two years without a postseason

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Player of the Month: Nicky Delmonico: The 30-year-old third baseman batted .271 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 26 games. He scored 14 runs, while boasting an on-base percentage of .340 and a slugging percentage of .469.
Starting pitcher of the month: Alex Faedo: The 26-year-old right-hander went 2-2 in six starts with an ERA of 2.77. He worked a total of 9 innings, during which he struck out 36 and boasted a WHIP of 0.85.
Relief pitcher of the month: 27-year-old right-hander Eduardo Jimenez pitched in 14 games going 1-0 with one save and an ERA of 0.87. He tossed a total of 11.1 innings, during which he complied a WHIP of .0.75 and he struck out 19.

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Record: 73-62, 2nd, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Rookie Michael Toglia continued his impressive introduction to the majors hitting a walk-off home run off reliever Bryan Garcia with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving St. Louis a 2-1 win over Des Moines at Busch Stadium.
The River Walkers struck first when Rhys Hoskins and Nicky Delmonico connected on back-to-back doubles off Des Moines starting pitcher Jose Berrios to begin the bottom of the second inning.
The Harvesters tied it in the fifth after Carlos David Rodriguez drew a lead-off walker from St. Louis starting pitcher Aaron Nola.
A sacrifice bunt moved Rodriguez to second. Nicky Lopez planted him on third with a single.
A Carlos Diaz fly ball to left field proved deep enough to score Rodriguez.
Nola worked seven innings, allowing the one run on seven hits. He struck out eight and walked two.
Brad Hand handled the eighth inning and Phil Maton took care of the ninth and eventually earned his seventh win.

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Record: 73-63, 2nd (Tied/w. Kansas City), 9.5 GB Des Moines
Des Moines cranked three home runs which played a role in all of its scoring as the Harvesters downed St. Louis 5-3 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Des Moines grabbed the lead in the fourth inning, when a solo homer from Rafael Devers and later a two-run shot from Austin Meadows, both of River Walkers starting pitcher Alex Faedo, staked the Harvesters to a 3-0 lead.
Rookie Tyler Esplin went deep in the bottom of the fourth, a two-run shot off Harvesters starting pitcher Shelby Miller, quickly slicing the deficit to a run.
Des Moines got those two runs back with one swing of the bat in the sixth, Faedo allowing his third long ball of the game, this one to Carson Kelly as the Harvesters went up 5-3.
Miller earned his first win of the season by allowing two runs on three hits over five innings.
Hector Neris, Jandel Gustave, Ken Giles and Edwin Diaz all worked an inning apiece to close out the victory.
Diaz earned his eighth save in the process.

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Record: 74-63, 2nd, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Kyle Hendricks went six innings and that was long enough for him to become the Midwest Baseball League's first 20-game winner in a 4-2 St. Louis' victory over Des Moines at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the victory, St. Louis took two of three games from the Harvesters and moved into second place in the South Division, sitting 8.5 games behind Des Moines with 25 games remaining.
The River Walkers took the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning.
Tyler Esplin got things going with a lead-off single off Harvesters starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel..
Byron Buxton followed with a two-run homer.
Keuchel retired the next two battters, but consecutive singles from Hendricks and Ender Inciarte set the stage for an RBI double from Christan Arroyo, making it 3-0.
The St. Louis lead grew to 4-0 on a lead-off homer from Rhys Hoskins off Keuchel in the third inning.
Hendricks worked six innings, allowing two runs on on six hits. He struck out five and walked one.
It took five relievers to cover the final three innings.

Reyes Moronta only faced one batter in the seventh.
Bobby Poyner handled the seventh and got the first out of the eighth.
Phil Maton finished the eighth.
Closer Tommy Kahnle got the first out of the ninth, but had to leave with a blister on his finger.
Felipe Vazquez closed it out for his fifth save.

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MBL news: Week 23 Awards and standings

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Record: 74-64, 2nd (Tied/w. Kansas City), 9.5 GB Des Moines
Tied 1-1, Cedar Rapids put up five runs over the top of the seventh and eighth innings to help carry it to a 6-3 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (1997).
Catcher Sam Cohen provided the big blow of the seventh inning, connecting on a two-run shot off River Walkers starting pitcher Argenis Batista to make it 3-1.
In the eighth, Dominic Smith powered a three-run homer off reliever Phil Maton to put the Golden Grapplers ahead 6-1.
Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Max Scherzer worked six innings, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out four and walked two.
Tyler Bashlor handled the seventh inning and got the first out of the eighth.
The rest of the eighth belonged to Brent Suter.
Danny Grigg took care of the ninth, earning his 22nd save of the season.

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Record: 75-64, 2nd (Tied/w. Kansas City), 8.5 GB Des Moines
Andrelton Simmons connected for an RBI single off Cedar Rapids reliever Jason Henmauer with one out in the 17th inning to give St. Louis a 7-6 win over Cedar Rapids at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the victory, St. Louis split its two-game series with the Golden Grapplers and remained tied for second in the South Division of the Midwest Baseball League, some 8.5 games behind first-place Des Moines.
Rhys Hoskins drew a walk from reliever Sean Harp to open the bottom of the 17th inning.
Walkers pitcher Danny Ure then got down a bunt which moved Hoskins to second.
Henmauer then entered the game, and allowed a single to Michael Amditis which moved Hoskins to third.
Andrelton Simmons finally ended the marathon game with a single to between short and third scoring Hoskins with the game-winning run.
The River Walkers entered the top of the ninth with a 5-2 lead, but watched that advantage melt away.
Victor Robles drove in all three runs with a homer off Bobby Poyner,
Robles had five hits in the game, tying a team record.
Neither team would score again until the 17th.
Aaron Nola worked the first seven innings for St. Louis, allowing two runs on four hits.
The River Walkers used 10 relievers after that, with rookie Danny Ure making the biggest contribution with four scoreless innings.
That was good enough to earn him his second win of the season.

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Record: 76-64, 2nd, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Nicky Delmonico had a pair of hits and three RBIs to help lead St. Louis to a 5-3 win over Green Bay at Busch Stadium (1997).
Delmonico put the River Walkers in front for good in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-run double off Long Haulers starting pitcher Gerrit Cole.
That lead grew to 4-0 an inning later, after Ender Inciarte drove in a pair with a single off Cole.
Green Bay sliced that deficit to one in the bottom of the sixth when Chance Cisco connected for a two-run homer against St. Louis starter Brendan Spagnuolo.
Delmonico got one of those runs back in the bottom of the eighth, his two-out single off Jason Jester bringing in Tyler Esplin with the Walkers fifth run of the game.
Making a spot start after the Walkers chewed up their pitching staff in a 17-inning win the previous night, Spagnuolo took a shutout into the sixth inning before tiring.
He allowed two runs on six hits over 5.2 innings.
Phil Maton and Brad Hand got two outs apiece to get the game to the eighth inning.
Making his first appearance in the majors of the 2022 season, Bill Warson allowed just one hit and no runs as he closed it out to earn himself a save.

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Record: 77-64, 2nd, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Down 3-1, Carlos Arroyo connected on a bases-loaded, bases-clearing triple off Green Bay relief pitcher Jake McGee to suddenly put St. Louis into the lead and send it to a 5-3 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The River Walkers added an insurance run in the eighth when Bo Bichette homered off Luis Angel Medina.
St. Louis starter Kyle Hendricks didn't have his best stuff but still managed to work six innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out nine and walked five.
Five relievers -- Thad Ward (0.2 IP), Felipe Vazquez (0.1), Reyes Moronta (0.1), Bobby Poyner (1.0) and Eduarda Jimenez (0.2) -- combined to close out the win for St. Louis.
The win went to Vazquez, his second, Jimenez notched his fourth save.

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Record: 77-65, 2nd, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Pat Pisano handled the first 4.2 innings by throwing shutout baseball and five relievers handled the rest, as Green Bay whitewashed St. Louis 2-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Pisano allowed just one hit in his time on the mound. He struck out five and walked four.
The line of relievers who completed the shutout featured -- Lachlan Wells (0.1), Kodi Mederios (1.0), Luis Angel Medina (1.1), Jason Jester (0.2) and Kenley Jansen (1.0) -- with Medeiros earning his sixth win of the season and Jansen save No. 9.
The Long Haulers got the only run they would need in the top of the third when Alek Thomas singled with one out off River Walkers starting pitcher Alex Faedo.
A Yoan Moncada double chased Thomas to third.
Thomas scored on an Aaron Judge ground out.
The deficit grew to 2-0 in the fifth when Pisano drew a lead-off walk.
Thomas got down a bunt to move him to second.
He scored on a Judge single, giving him both of his team's RBIs in the game.

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Record: 77-66, 2nd (Tied/w. Kansas City), 8.5 GB Des Moines
Down 2-0, Green Bay busted loose in the top of the fifth inning against St. Louis rookie starter Jimmy Lambert scoring three times, helping send the Long Haulers to a 4-2 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the win, Green Bay took the final two games of the four-game series to earn a split.
Kyle Williams got things going against Lambert, who had just been called up from Memphis to help a starting rotation which was still recovering from a 17-inning game four days prior, with a lead-off walk in the top of the fifth.
Pitcher Clayton Kershaw then got down a bunt and was safe at first, moving Williams to second.
A walk to Alek Thomas loaded the bases.
Yet another walk, this one to Yoan Moncada, forced in a run and

spelt an ending to Lambert's time on the mound.John Curtiss got the call, and gave up a two-run single to Chance Sisco, putting the Haulers ahead 3-2.

Bobby Gulden hit a homer off reliever Reyes Moronta to lead off the eighth stretching the Green Bay lead to 4-2.
Kershaw allowed two runs on nine hits over five innings, helping him improve to 7-4 on the season.
Bryan Shaw, Kodi Mederios, Jason Jester and Kenley Jansen all worked an inning apiece to close out the win.
Jansen earned his 10th save.

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MBL news: Week 24 Awards and standings

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Record: 77-67, 3rd (Tied/w. Springfield), 9.5 GB Des Moines
Drew Ellis homered twice to help power Rockford to a 4-1 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium (1997).
The first of Ellis' long balls came off River Walkers starting pitcher Aaron Nola with two outs in the top of the second inning and gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead.
His second came in the ninth and capped the scoring, this time it was a lead-off homer coming off reliever Eduardo Jimenez.
In between, St. Louis had tied it in the bottom of the third, Bo Bichette providing what would be its only run of the game with a homer off Rockford starter Gunner Hoglund.
The Lightning regained the lead in the seventh when it loaded the bases against Nola.
Felipe Vazquez replaced Nola with two outs, but allowed an RBI single to pinch-hitter Troy Montgomery.
The Lightning's lead grew to 3-1 in the eighth, Evan Skoug with a homer of Vazquez.
Hoglund worked the first five innings for Rockford, allowing one run on five hits.
Gabriel Moya handled the sixth and earned his second win of the season.
Erasmo Pinales was the mound for scoreless seventh and eighth innings.
Jimmy Shefry got the first two outs of the ninth, and with two runners aboard Shawn Semple got the third for his first save of 2022.

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Record: 77-67, 3rd (Tied/w. Springfield), 9.5 GB Des Moines
The game between Rockford and St. Louis at Busch Stadium on Sept. 13 was postponed by rain.
It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sept. 14.

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Record: 77-68, 4th, 10 GB Des Moines
Rockford cranked out three home runs off 20-game winner Kyle Hendricks to power the Lightning to a 6-2 win over St. Louis in the first game of a doubleheader at Busch Stadium.
Two of the homers came in the top of the first.
Lead-off hitter Willli Castro smacked the second pitch of the game 388 feet over the right-field wall.
Later, Troy Montgomery launched a two-run shot to make it 3-0.
The rest of Rockford's runs came via a three-run homer from rookie Andrew Noviello in the sixth.
St. Louis got its runs in the eighth when Byron Buxton went deep off reliever Taylor Widener.
Lightning starting pitcher Adrian De Horta worked 4.1 shutout innings allowing five hits.

Reliever Cody Anderson finished the fifth inning.

By pitching a scoreless sixth and seventh innings, Andy Pagnozzi collected his second win of the season.
The eighth belonged to Taylor Widener. Jaden Foster handled the ninth.

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Record: 77-69,4th, 10.5 GB Des Moines
Pinch-hitter Jean Segua's two-out single off St. Louis reliever Phil Maton in the bottom of the 11th inning scored Gage Canning with the winning run to give Rockford a 3-2 win in the second game of a doubleheader at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the win, Rockford swept its three-game series with the River Walkers.
Canning had opened the 11th with a lead-off walk from Felipe Vazquez.
He moved to second on an Evan Skoug single.
A Willi Castro ground out put runners at second and third.
Rio Ruiz struck out for the second out, but Vazquez walked Troy Montgomery to load the bases and bring Maton into the game to face Segura.
Rockford had taken a 2-1 lead in the seventh when Ruiz hit a solo homer off St. Louis starter Argenis Batista.
The River Walkers, however, tied it in the bottom of the inning.
Tyler Esplin with an RBI double off reliever Erasmo Pinales.
Rockford starter Konnor Pilkington allowed one run on four hits over the opening five inning.
The Lightning used seven relievers to close it out -- Casey Meisner (1.0 IP), Pinales (0.1), Shawn Semple (1.2), Riley Wade Smith (1.0), Craig Kimbrel (1.0) and Jimmy Sherfy (1.0) -- the win went to Kimbrel, his fifith, Sherfy collected his second save.

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Record: 77-70, 3rd, 10.5 GB Des Moines
Trevor Oakes pitched six shutout innings and four relievers combined to handle the final three as Kansas City downed St. Louis 2-0 at Municipal Stadium (1969).
Oakes allowed just two hits in his time on the mound while striking out four and walking one.
David Berg worked a scoreless seventh inning. The eighth belonged to Albert Hernandez (0.1 IP) and Andrew Ryan (0.2).
Chance Adams allowed two hits in the ninth, but didn't allow a run to notch his fourth save.
The Pit Masters took the lead early.
Brian Mundell doubled off River Walkers starter Alex Faedo with one out in the bottom of the first and scored when Eric Thames followed with another double.
The only other run of the game came in the sixth, again it was back to back doubles off Faedo.
Gallo led off the inning with a double and scored when Mookie Betts followed with one of his own.

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Record: 77-71, 4th, 10 GB Des Moines
Yasmani Grandal hit a walk-off home run off St. Louis Bill Warson with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Kansas City a 4-3 win at Municipal Stadium (1969).
The loss was the sixth in a row for the River Walkers.
A Nicky Delmonico two-run homer off Pit Masters starting pitcher Pablo Lopez highlighted a three-run top of the first for St. Louis.
But that lead would not hold up.
Greg Jones had a two-run double off Walkers starting pitcher Danny Ure in the second, making it 3-2.
The Masters tied it an inning later when Joey Gallo doubled with one out.

An Eric Thames single moved him to third.
Enrique Hernandez singled off Ure, bringing home Gallo with the tying run.
Lopez allowed three runs on six hits over 5.2 innings.
Todd Peterson finished the sixth and worked a scoreless seventh.
Andrew Ryan, Chance Adams and Max Fried all worked an inning apiece to close it out.
The win, for Fried, was his third of the season.

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Record: 78-71, 4th, 10 GB Des Moines
Tied 1-1, Christian Arroyo connected for a two-run double off Kansas City relief pitcher Kyle Gibson to highlight a three-run top of the fifth inning to key a 5-3 St. Louis victory at Municipal Stadium (1969).
With the win, St. Louis salvaged the final game of the three-game series and put an end to a six-game losing streak.
Jean Carmona led off the fifth inning with a double and when Bo Bichette followed with a single, the River Walkers had runners at the corners.
Taillon retired the next two hitters, but issued a bases-loaded walk to Michael Taglia.
Arroyo then came through with his double which scored two.
Edmond Americaan followed with an RBI single, making it 4-1.
The Walkers added a bonus run in the fifth when Bo Bichette singled and Nicky Delmonico and Rhys Hoskins followed with doubles, but only one run scored.
Yasmani Grandal, who else, hit a solo homer off Walkers reliever Phil Maton in the seventh, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
But that was all the runs the Pit Masters could manage.
Nola worked six innings, giving up two runs on five hits. He struck out seven and walked none.
Phil Maton, Bill Warson and Tommy Kahnle all pitched an inning apiece to end it.

Kahnle earned his 26th save.

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MBL news: Week 25 awards and standings