SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS MEDIA NOTES GAME #139 HOME GAME #69 AWAY GAME #70 SUNDAY, SEPT. 1, 2019 6:10PM SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS (30-38, 60-78) VS. MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS (37-31, 71-66) St. Louis Cardinals Oakland Athletics Today’s Starters: Springfield – RHP Angel Rondon (6-5, 3.21) Midland – LHP Jhenderson Hurtado (0-0, 0.00) Upcoming Probables: Monday, 12:15pm – SPR RHP Johan Oviedo (7-7, 5.30) vs. MID RHP Matt Milburn (8-9, 4.90) Pitcher Profile – Angel Rondon (6-5, 3.21)… High Strikeouts – 10 Most Hits Allowed – 9 Longest Outing – 7.0 Most Walks Allowed – 6 Shortest Outing – 4.0 HR Allowed (Season) – 11 Currently leads league’s starting pitchers in ERA (3.21) and BAA (.228), while ranking 2nd in WHIP (1.21) and 3rd in winning pct. (.550) Has gone at least 5.0 innings in all but one of his 27 total starts between High-A Palm Beach and Springfield this year In 12 starts in the 2nd Half, has gone 4-5, 3.18 ERA, 13 GS, 79.1 IP, 69 H, 32 R, 28 ER, 24 BB, 73 K Set Double-A highs with 10 Ks and 7.0 IP on 6/30 vs. NWA, allowing just one unearned run on only one hit to earn TL Pitcher of Week Honors (6/24-30) 21 year old made Double-A debut on 5/18 @ NWA – 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K Excellent start to 2019 with High-A Palm Beach, going 4-1, 2.04 ERA, 7 GS, 39.2 IP, 19 H, 9 R, 16 BB, 44 K before call up to Springfield At time of his promotion to SPR on 5/18, ranked among Florida State League Leaders in ERA (2nd, 2.04), strikeouts (t-5th, 44) and BAA (1st, .142) Finished his first Palm Beach stint with season-high 7.0 IP on 5/13 vs. Tampa – 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K Tossed at least 5.0 innings in all 8 GS with Palm Beach, not allowing more than three earned runs in any of them Made his High-A debut on 4/8 vs. Daytona with 5.0 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out six Split 2018 between Short-A State College (0-4, 3.72 ERA, 5 GS) and Low-A Peoria (3-2, 2.90 ERA, 10 GS) Struck out a career-high 11 batters with Peoria on 7/25 vs. Wisconsin – 6.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 11 K Finished 2018 with a career-high 7.1 innings on 9/2 @ Quad Cities – 7.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K Pitched across three rookie levels in 2017 – DSL Cardinals (0-1, 4.76, 2 GS), Johnson City (0-0, 6.75, 1 GS) and GCL Cardinals (3-3, 2.64, 11 G / 8 GS) Signed by St. Louis as a non-drafted free agent on 1/6/16 Last Game: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (8/27 vs. Frisco) CARDINALS REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN CURRENT STREAK – .................................. 0-2 LONGEST WINNING STREAK –………………..........5 LAST 5 GAMES – ......................................... 2-3 LONGEST LOSING STREAK – ….……………...........8 LAST 10 GAMES – ....................................... 3-7 BEST RECORD – ......................................................18-22 HOME RECORD – ....................................... 39-29 WORST RECORD – .................................................60-78 AWAY RECORD – ....................................... 21-49 2019 vs. MIDLAND – ................................................... 3-8 Cardinals’ Chirps… Last game… Midland made it two in a row with a 4-3 win against the Cardinals on Saturday evening. The ‘Hounds hopped in front early with a three-run home run from RF Greg Deichmann in the 2nd. DH Chris Chinea countered in the bottom of the inning with a solo shot to get the Cardinals on the board, the first of his four hits on the night. Chinea struck again with an RBI double in the 4th, followed by a game-tying RBI sac fly from LF Juan Yepez to square the score at 3-3. LHP Evan Kruczynski kept the tie intact through the rest of his 6.2 innings, but the RockHounds reclaimed the lead in the 8th with a two-out RBI single by 1B Dan Gamache and hung on from there for the 4-3 win. Carlson named Player of the Year… OF Dylan Carlson has been named the 2019 Texas League Player of the Year, in addition to being selected as an exclusive Postseason All-Star. One of the youngest players in Double-A at just 20 years old, Carlson tallied career-highs in average (.281), slugging (.518), home runs (21), hits (117), doubles (24), triples (6), stolen bases (18), OPS (.882), extra-base hits (51) and total bases (216) in 108 games with Springfield. St. Louis’s #2 prospect and the #50 prospect in all of MiLB, Carlson is the ninth Cardinal to win the TL Player of the Year award in its 89-year history. He joins OF Oscar Taveras (2012) and 1B Matt Adams (2011) as Springfield Cardinals who have taken home the league honors since the team's inception in 2005, along with RHP Dakota Hudson winning Texas League Pitcher of the Year in 2017. Gomber back at Hammons… LHP Austin Gomber has joined Springfield for the final homestand of the season as he continues to work back from injury. The 25 year old made his St. Louis debut on 6/2/18 and went 6-2 with a 4.44 ERA in 29 games/11 starts through his first big league season last year. He opened the 2019 campaign with eight starts in AAA-Memphis, going 4-0 with a 2.98 ERA before hitting the Injured List on May 17. Gomber spent a terrific 2017 season with Springfield, posting a 10-7 record with a 3.34 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 143.0 IP across 26 starts. Rondon right up there… RHP Angel Rondon’s 6.0 two-run frames with seven Ks on Tuesday continued what has been an outstanding debut season in Double-A for the 21 year old. If he makes his scheduled 20th start for Springfield on Sunday, Rondon has a chance to finish among some of the best single season pitching performers with at least 20 starts in team history, currently with the 3rd-best ERA (3.21), only behind Lance Lynn (2.92, 22 GS, 2009) and David Kopp (3.05, 21 GS, 2010). He also is in line to finish 4th in WHIP (1.21), only behind Seth Maness (1.06, 2012), Austin Gomber (1.17, 2017) and Randy Leek (1.18, 2005). O’Keefe to Memphis… C Brian O’Keefe has been promoted to AAA-Memphis for the first-time in his six-year professional career. The 26 year old backstop tallied a .229 average with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs through 88 games this year, his first full campaign of Double-A ball. A 7th-round pick in 2014 out of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, O’Keefe is a .246 career hitter with 56 blasts and 238 RBIs in 465 professional games. Bird Seed… RAYDER ASCANIO – Hits in 14 of last 15G – .356 (21x59), 1 HR, 8 RBI, 5 2B, 12 R… Hits in 18 of last 20G – .351 (26x74), 1 HR, 11 RBI, 6 2B… 3rd-career 4H game on 8/29 vs. FRI (4x6, 1 2B, 2 RBI)… Hit in 23 of 25G from 6/22-7/24 – .319 (30x94), 3 HR, 19 RBI, 6 2B … 13G hit streak, 7/10-7/24 – .360 (18x50), 2 HR, 3 2B, 12 RBI, 9 R… Hit first-career grand slam on 7/2 vs. TUL… With PB this year - .259, 4 2B, 9 RBI, 31 G… Spent 2018 with Low-A Peoria - .246, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 6 2B, 27 R, 66G… Acquired by STL from Seattle in exchange for RHP Mike Leake, cash considerations and international cap space on 8/30/17… In 2017, played 42G for Clinton (Low-A), 3G for Tacoma (AAA) and 66G Modesto (High-A) in Seattle’s system, before finishing year with 3G in Palm Beach… Originally signed as a non- drafted free agent with Seattle on 12/16/12 CONNER CAPEL – Hits in 9 of last 12G with PA – .306 (15x49), 2 RBI… Hits in 12 of last 18G – .274 (20x73), 5 RBI, 1 2B… Hit safely in all 8G with AAA- Memphis from 6/14-6/23 - .433 (13x30), 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 2B… Currently ranked by MLB.com as STL #25 prospect… Acquired by STL from Cleveland with OF Jhon Torres for former SPR OF Oscar Mercado on 7/31/18… In 2017 with Low-A Lake County, ranked among Midwest League leaders in HR (22, 3rd), runs (73, t-9th) and triples (7, t-6th)… Has two career 2-HR games, both in 2017 with Lake County… Son of former MLB pitcher Mike Capel, who appeared in 49 games for Cubs (1988), Brewers (1990) and Astros (1991)... Godson of Roger Clemens… 5th round pick in 2016 out of Seven Lakes HS (TX) CHRIS CHINEA – Hits in 8 of last 10G - .469 (15x32), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 2B, 4 R… 4th-career 4H game on 8/31 vs. MID – 4x4, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI… Hit safely in 7 of 8G from 7/14-7/28 – .235 (8x34), 3 RBI, 4 2B… 8G hit streak from 4/25-5/4 - .313 (10x32), 2 HR, 2 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 4R, 2BB… Spent 2018 season with SPR, 3rd on team with career-best 14 HR… Named TL Player of Week for 6/25-7/1/18 – 7x15, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 4 G… Led SPR with 5 HRs in June, 2018 - .269 (21x78), 5 HR, 11 RBI, 14 R, 22 G… Hit first-career Double-A home run (solo) in first at-bat of the year on 4/7/18 in MID… .260, 6 HR, 48 RBIs, 24 2B in High-A Palm Beach in 2017… Louisville Slugger and Baseball America High School All-American at Gulliver Prep in Miami… 17th round pick in 2015 out of Louisiana State ZACH KIRTLEY – On base in last 11G with PA – .259 (7x27), 1 2B, 4 BB, 1 RBI… 8G hit streak, 7/10-7/18 – .379 (11x29), 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 2B, 6 R… 12G on-base streak, 6/17-7/3 - .297 (11x37), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB… Two walk-off singles with SPR – one in 11th on 6/13 vs.