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Cardinals Minor-League Roundup: Kolten Wong Continues Triple-A Tear

By Patrick Karraker

Apr 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) fields a ground ball to end the inning against the Atlanta Braves during the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) fields a ground ball to end the inning against the Atlanta Braves during the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tuesday was a great day for several Cardinals minor-leaguers that are trying to get back to the level they started the 2016 season at.

Other than the obvious disappointment that came with the big-league club’s 5-2 loss to the Houston Astros, Tuesday was a strong day for the St. Louis Cardinals organization, as three of the four minor-league teams that played came away victorious. Interestingly, many of the guys who had success on Tuesday night are players who might have a little bit of extra adrenaline due to their recent demotions, including Kolten Wong, Jonathan Rodriguez, and Anthony Garcia. Wong was the star of the system on Tuesday and continued his bid to force the front office’s hand as he tries to get back to the major leagues.

Triple-A Memphis won 7-4 over Nashville

  • Newly-repurposed center fielder Kolten Wong was unquestionably the player of the game for Memphis on Tuesday, hitting two home runs, including a three-run shot in the fifth inning that put the Redbirds up 3-1, then a solo homer in the 10th that put the Redbirds ahead and started a three-run inning. Prior to his demotion, Wong had just one regular season homer since July 27 of last season, but he’s now hit four in six games at Memphis.
  • Left fielder Charlie Tilson tripled in the 10th inning. Tilson, who went 2-for-5, now leads the Redbirds with five triples on the season.
  • In a rare start, backup catcher Alberto Rosario went 3-for-5.
  • In his third start since receiving a long-term promotion to Memphis, righthander Mike Mayers threw five innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out six. A cast of four bullpen arms—Corey Littrell, John Church, Miguel Socolovich, and Sam Tuivailala—had his back, throwing five scoreless innings of relief.

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Double-A Springfield won 7-6 over Tulsa

  • Second baseman Bruce Caldwell and right fielder Anthony Garcia were the only two Cardinals batters to collect multiple hits, but they both did it in a very impressive fashion. Caldwell and Garcia both went 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. Garcia drove in three runs, while Caldwell drove in one. Garcia, who was added to the Cardinals’ 40-man roster this past offseason, has an OPS of 1.053 since being sent back to Double-A on May 27.
  • First baseman Jonathan Rodriguez hit his fourth homer in 14 games since being demoted to Springfield. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he has 11 for the season.
  • In his first start at Double-A this year, J.C. Sulbaran was solid but nothing more, giving up four earned runs on five hits and two walks in six innings.

High-A Palm Beach lost 2-1 to Brevard County

  • Third baseman Mason Katz had the Cardinals’ only extra-base hit on Tuesday, collecting an RBI double in the seventh inning. Catcher Steve Bean had Palm Beach’s only multi-hit night, going 2-for-3.
  • Shortstop Oscar Mercado returned to Palm Beach’s lineup after having been on the disabled list since June 6. He went 1-for-2 with a walk, but perhaps more significantly, he didn’t commit any errors. Mercado has 19 errors in 51 games at short this season.
  • After getting hit hard in his previous start, righthander Matt Pearce bounced back in a major way, allowing two earned runs on six hits and no walks over seven innings.

Class A Peoria was rained out against Clinton

Next: Cardinals Sign First-Rounder Dylan Carlson

DSL Cardinals won 17-4 over DSL Yankees 2

  • Power was a major theme of the day for the young DSL Cardinals squad. Right fielder Brian Sanchez, who’s hitting .563 through his first 32 at-bats this year, hit a grand slam in the fourth inning. Second baseman Esequeil Delgado had a two-run shot in the eighth for his first professional home run, and first baseman Leandro Cedeno hit a solo homer later in the same inning.
  • Sanchez, Delgado, and third baseman Elehuris Montego all had three-hit efforts. Left fielder Carlos Luis had both a double and a triple to his credit.
  • Righty Noel De Jesus had about as strong of a start as a 19-year-old in the Dominican League can possibly hope for, giving up just one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out five through five innings.
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