St. Louis Cardinals Minor-League Roundup: Randal Grichuk Strikes Out Three Times

Monday wasn’t the best of days for recently-demoted Randal Grichuk.

Monday was a solid day in the Cardinals’ minor-league system, as guys like Luke Voit, Blake Drake, and Collin Radack had standout offensive days, while Noel De Jesus had a strong day on the mound. With that said, several guys on the 40-man roster–Brayan Pena, Randal Grichuk, and Dean Kiekhefer–had days to forget.

Triple-A Memphis lost 5-4 to Iowa

• Randal Grichuk went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. He was ejected from the game after arguing a strikeout call in the bottom of the seventh inning.
• Brayan Pena, continuing his rehab assignment as he works his way back from a knee injury, had a difficult day at the plate, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout. Pena played first base rather than his usual catcher position on Monday.
• Memphis’s top hitters were rather non-notable names on Monday. Shortstop Matt Williams went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while second baseman Breyvic Valera went 2-for-3 with a walk.
• Memphis had a “Johnny Wholestaff” game on Monday, as starter Arturo Reyes exited for unknown reasons after two solid innings. Recently-demoted lefty Dean Kiekhefer took the loss, giving up a run on three hits and a walk over an inning and a third.

Double-A Springfield won 5-4 over Tulsa in the 11th inning

• Despite the final score appearing to be indicative of a major offensive effort, Springfield’s bats were rather quiet on Monday. They had just eight hits as a team, and the winning run came across as second baseman Mason Katz took a walk, stole second and third, and came in to score on a wild pitch.
• Luke Voit, who started in left field to accommodate Mike Ohlman‘s presence at first base, was the Cardinals’ leading hitter, going 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI.
• Starter Corey Baker had a rather mediocre start, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings. Pedro Echemendia had a perfect 11th inning to earn the save.

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High-A Palm Beach returned from its All-Star break and lost 2-0 to St. Lucie

• The Cardinals’ offense was largely concentrated among two players, as center fielder Blake Drake went 3-for-4 , while left fielder Collin Radack went 3-for-4 with two doubles.
• In his second start for the Cardinals, Johnny Walter got hit hard, giving up 10 hits and two walks, but he allowed just two earned runs over seven innings.

Class A Peoria was off for the first day of its All-Star break.

Short Season Class A State College lost 5-0 to Hudson Valley

• State College’s lineup looked like it was comprised of a bunch of recent draftees on Monday, as they reached base just three times while being shut out. Left fielder Vincent Jackson collected the team’s only hit, while catcher Jeremy Martinez and center fielder Mick Fennell both walked.
• 2014 second-rounder Ronnie Williams had a rough start to his 2016 season, giving up five earned runs on eight hits while striking out four in five innings. On the bright side, Bob Wheatley and Max Almonte threw four innings of scoreless relief.

Next: Mitch Harris Undergoes Elbow Surgery

DSL Cardinals won 8-1 over DSL Braves

• The Dominican Cardinals had another strong offensive day, collecting 10 hits. Left fielder Carlos Luis (2-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk), right fielder Oscar Cotes (2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI), and shortstop Moises Castillo (2-for-4 with a double and two RBI) all had multi-hit days.
• Righty Noel De Jesus had a masterful start, giving up one unearned run on three hits and no walks while striking out four in six innings.