#SLTCards - WHO’S HOT HEADING INTO THE MiLB PLAYOFFS? The Cardinals’ farm system has some serious heat at the plate as postseason baseball arrives, and several hitters are carrying big-time momentum into the playoffs. Leading the way is Jesús Báez, who has been absolutely scorching at Double-A. Over his last 13 games, Báez is hitting .420 with six home runs and 17 RBI, posting a 1.294 OPS. That is exactly the kind of middle-of-the-order production Springfield would love to carry into the Texas League Championship Series. He isn’t alone. Rainiel Rodriguez continues to strengthen his case as one of the organization’s premier offensive prospects, batting .391 with three homers, 10 RBI and a 1.100 OPS over his last 12 games. Cade McGee has been another major contributor for Springfield, hitting .341 with five home runs, 10 RBI and a 1.193 OPS in 12 games. And don’t overlook Jack Gurevitch. The first baseman has launched six homers in 13 games, driving in 15 runs and posting a .941 OPS. There is plenty of swing-and-miss in the line — 27 strikeouts — but when Gurevitch connects, the baseball has been leaving the yard. At Triple-A Memphis, Zach Levenson has been one of the hottest run producers in the organization, hitting .353 with five home runs and 18 RBI over his last 12 games, good for a 1.097 OPS. Jimmy Crooks is also swinging a hot bat, batting .357 with a 1.042 OPS, while Brody Moore has simply been piling up hits — 21 in 48 at-bats, good for a remarkable .438 average over his last 14 games. Chase Davis has driven in 17 runs in 13 games, and Noah Mendlinger continues to get on base and produce consistently, hitting .340 over his last 14. September hot bats to watch in postseason play; • Jesús Báez - .420 AVG, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 1.294 OPS • Cade McGee - .341 AVG, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 1.193 OPS • Rainiel Rodriguez - .391 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 1.100 OPS • Zach Levenson - .353 AVG, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 1.097 OPS • Jimmy Crooks - .357 AVG, 1.042 OPS • Brody Moore - .438 AVG, 21 hits • Jack Gurevitch - 6 HR, 15 RBI • Chase Davis - 17 RBI in 13 games Regular-season numbers tell us what a player has done over several months. September momentum tells us who may be ready to make a difference right now. And heading into postseason baseball, the Cardinals have several hitters arriving at exactly the right time.

#STLCards Top 30 Prospect Watch Rainiel Rodriguez, MLB Pipeline No. 1 - Went 0-for-4 with a walk for Springfield. His season line is listed at .324 with a .987 OPS, 27 home runs and 87 RBIs. Liam Doyle, MLB Pipeline No. 2 - Worked 3.2 innings, allowing one earned run on no hits while striking out eight and walking five. His season line is listed at 3.76 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 130 strikeouts over 103.0 innings. Tanner Franklin, MLB Pipeline No. 5 - Did not pitch. His season line is listed at 3.94 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 133 strikeouts over 105.0 innings. Brandon Clarke, MLB Pipeline No. 7 - Did not pitch. His season line is listed at 3.34 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 44 strikeouts over 29.2 innings. Jurrangelo Cijntje, MLB Pipeline No. 9 - Did not pitch. His season line is listed at 4.87 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 162 strikeouts over 133.0 innings. Josiah Ragsdale, MLB Pipeline No. 10 Went 0-for-3 with two walks for Springfield. His season line is listed at .295 with a .952 OPS, 24 home runs and 65 RBIs. Daniel Eagen, MLB Pipeline No. 17 - Worked three innings in relief for Springfield, allowing two earned runs while striking out five. His season line is listed at 4.72 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 157 strikeouts over 122.0 innings. Mason Molina, MLB Pipeline No. 18 - Worked five innings for Memphis, allowing one earned run with no walks. His season line is listed at 3.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 150 strikeouts over 123.2 innings. Tai Peete, MLB Pipeline No. 19 - Went 1-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored for Springfield. His season line is listed at .296 with a .908 OPS, 13 home runs and 56 RBIs. Jesús Báez, MLB Pipeline No. 21 - Went 1-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, two runs scored and a walk for Springfield. His season line is listed at .283 with a .915 OPS, 39 home runs and 109 RBIs. Sandro Santana, MLB Pipeline No. 22 - Did not pitch. His season line is listed at 2.01 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 99 strikeouts over 62.2 innings. Jack Gurevitch, MLB Pipeline No. 30 - Went 2-for-4 with a double for Springfield. His season line is listed at .283 with a .901 OPS, 32 home runs and 96 RBIs.

#STLCards Quick Hits: 10 Players, 10 Stats 1. Dakota Harris, Memphis: 3-for-6, home run, double, three RBIs, four runs, stolen base. 2. Graysen Tarlow, Memphis: 4-for-5, three RBIs, two runs, walk. 3. Liam Doyle, Springfield: 3.2 innings, no hits, one earned run, five walks, eight strikeouts. MLB Pipeline No. 2 4. Tai Peete, Springfield: 1-for-5, home run, two RBIs, run scored. MLB Pipeline No. 19 5. Jesús Báez, Springfield: 1-for-4, home run, RBI, two runs, walk. MLB Pipeline No. 21 6. Brody Moore, Memphis: 3-for-6, two stolen bases. 7. Jimmy Crooks, Memphis: 3-for-4, RBI, two walks, stolen base. 8. Zach Levenson, Memphis: 2-for-6, double, three RBIs. 9. Trey Paige, Memphis: 2-for-6, triple, three RBIs. 10. Ryan Campos, Springfield: 3-for-4, run scored.

#STLCards - Springfield Cardinals, Texas League North Division Champions for the second straight season, with a 6-4 win over the Tulsa Drillers!

#STLCards - Drillers don't look like a team tonight, that they'll be able to battle back in the bottom half of the ninth.

#STLCards — Daniel Eagen takes over on the mound for Springfield in the Texas League playoffs. And here’s an interesting wrinkle: Eagen was activated for tonight’s game only about 90 minutes before first pitch. This is some serious strikeout power coming out of the bullpen. Eagen finished the 2026 regular season with 157 strikeouts in 122 innings, leading the Texas League in strikeouts while averaging 11.6 K/9. Since joining Springfield in the August trade that sent Lars Nootbaar to Arizona, Eagen made six starts for the Cardinals, striking out 48 batters in just 34.2 innings while posting a 0.98 WHIP. Liam Doyle gave Springfield a strong start tonight. Now the Cardinals turn to another one of the Texas League’s premier swing-and-miss arms — a pitcher who wasn’t even officially on the active roster until roughly 90 minutes before game time. It’s playoff baseball. Every roster move matters.

#STLCards - Springfield Cardinals go up 2-1, with the bullpen on the bump.

#STLCards PLAYOFF UPDATE — TIED 1-1 We’ve got ourselves a ballgame in Tulsa. The Springfield Cardinals and Tulsa Drillers are tied 1-1, with Springfield trying to finish this series tonight and punch its ticket to the Texas League Championship Series. Springfield entered tonight with a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three North Division Final, so a Cardinals victory tonight ends the series. And here’s what’s waiting if they get it done: 🏆 TEXAS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Game 1 — Sunday, Sept. 20 at the South Division champion Game 2 — Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the North Division champion Game 3 — Wednesday, Sept. 23, if necessary at the North Division champion. That means a Springfield win tonight would not only send the Cardinals to the championship series — it would also guarantee Texas League Championship baseball in Springfield next Tuesday, with a possible winner-take-all Game 3 at home Wednesday. Still tied 1-1 tonight. A championship-series berth is on the line. Stay tuned.

#STLCards — Liam Doyle’s night is finished after 87 pitches, but Tulsa still does not have a hit against him. Doyle worked 3⅔ no-hit innings tonight as Springfield holds a 1-0 lead over Tulsa in Game 2 of the Texas League North Division playoffs. The performance comes just a week after Doyle carried a no-hitter through five innings in his previous start, only to lose it in the sixth and exit with a blister. And this isn’t exactly a soft Tulsa lineup. The Drillers feature three MLB Top 100 prospects in Mike Sirota, Eduardo Quintero and Charles Davalan. Doyle entered tonight ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Cardinals organization and No. 43 overall by MLB Pipeline. He finished the regular season with a 3.76 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 103 innings, including a 1.73 ERA over his final 10 starts. Springfield leads the best-of-three series 1-0. A win tonight sends the Cardinals to the Texas League Championship Series. Quite a night for Liam Doyle, even with the elevated pitch count.

Today’s #STLCards Minor League Starters The Cardinals’ minor league pitching slate is short today, but it has some real weight to it. At Triple-A Memphis, Mason Molina gets the start at Nashville. Molina enters at 4-2 with a 4.71 ERA, which shows the adjustment at Triple-A has begun to settle after a rough first stretch with Memphis. Molina had already shown earlier this season why the Cardinals pushed him up the ladder, and now the focus is on finishing strong against upper-level hitters. For Molina, this is about command, efficiency, and continuing to prove he can handle older, more experienced lineups. Triple-A is a tough classroom. Mistakes get punished quickly. But left-handed pitching depth matters, and Molina remains one of the arms worth tracking closely in the upper levels of the system. The headline start, though, is in Double-A. Liam Doyle gets the ball for Springfield tonight at Tulsa in Game 2 of the Texas League Semifinals. Springfield leads the best-of-three series 1-0, which means the Cardinals have a chance to punch their ticket to the next round with a win tonight. And Doyle is exactly the kind of arm you want watching in a game like this. He enters at 7-7 with a 3.76 ERA, but the full-season number does not tell the whole story. Doyle has been one of the best pitching stories in the Cardinals’ system in the second half. The strikeouts have been there. The swing-and-miss has been there. The run prevention has been much sharper. This is not just another prospect start. This is a postseason start. And those matter. The Cardinals need to know which arms can handle pressure, execute in bigger moments, and take the baseball when the game carries a little more edge. Springfield has been one of the best stories in the entire organization this season. The lineup has thunder, the roster has future big-league talent, and now Doyle gets the chance to help move them one step closer to another Texas League championship run. Tonight’s watch list is simple: Mason Molina looks to finish strong at Triple-A Memphis. Liam Doyle gets the spotlight in a playoff game for Springfield. Circle Doyle tonight.

#STLCards - Congratulations to Josiah Ragsdale — a name Cardinals fans should be getting familiar with. The Midwest League Post-Season All-Star selection is well deserved, but what stands out to me is just how complete Ragsdale’s offensive season has been. Before his June 30 promotion to Double-A, the 22-year-old hit .327/.447/.528 in 60 games with Wisconsin, collecting 27 extra-base hits, walking 44 times, and stealing 24 bases. And this hasn’t simply been a good two-month stretch. Across 116 games this season, Ragsdale has put together a .295/.418/.536 with 24 home runs, 52 extra-base hits, 65 RBI, 86 walks, and 37 stolen bases. That’s a rare combination: power, speed, and the ability to get on base. Acquired from Milwaukee at the trade deadline, Ragsdale has already reached Double-A at age 22 and has quickly become one of the more interesting young players in the Cardinals system. The 24 home runs will get your attention. The 37 stolen bases will too. But those 86 walks and .418 on-base percentage may tell us just as much about the kind of hitter the Cardinals acquired. A seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft, Ragsdale has done nothing but raise his stock during his first full professional season. Definitely one player to keep watching.

#STLCards — A few fans have asked about watching the Springfield Cardinals during the playoffs. Yes — you can watch the Springfield Cardinals’ playoff games live online through Bally Sports’ MiLB streaming coverage. Springfield continues its postseason run Thursday, September 17, and fans who can’t make it to the ballpark can still follow the action live. Watch here: ballysports.com/zones/milb/g… It’s playoff baseball in Springfield. Time to see how far this group of young Cardinals can take it.

"How can you not be romantic about baseball?" ~ Brad Pitt (Billy Beane, Moneyball)

#STLCards Quick Hits — 10 Players, 10 Stats Jesús Báez, Springfield: 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB. Jack Gurevitch, Springfield: Three-run home run. Cade McGee, Springfield: Two-run home run. (going to AFL) Randel Clemente, Springfield: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Yhoiker Fajardo, Springfield: Seven strikeouts in four innings. Rainiel Rodriguez, Springfield: 2-for-5, run scored. Won-Bin Cho, Springfield: 1-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R. César Prieto, Memphis: 2-for-6. Zach Levenson, Memphis: 2-for-4, BB, RBI. Ryan Fernandez, Memphis: 2.0 scoreless innings.

#STLCards - Top 30 Prospect Watch Rainiel Rodriguez — No. 1 2-for-5, run scored for Springfield. Season: .324 AVG | .987 OPS | 27 HR | 87 RBI Jesús Báez — No. 21 3-for-4, home run, three RBIs, two runs and a walk. Season: .283 AVG | .915 OPS | 39 HR | 109 RBI Josiah Ragsdale — No. 10 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Season: .295 AVG | .952 OPS | 24 HR | 65 RBI Tai Peete — No. 19 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. Season: .296 AVG | .908 OPS | 13 HR | 56 RBI Jack Gurevitch — No. 30 1-for-4 with a three-run home run. Season: .283 AVG | .901 OPS | 32 HR | 96 RBI Yhoiker Fajardo — No. 11 4.0 innings, five hits, three earned runs, two walks and seven strikeouts. Season: 3.82 ERA | 1.33 WHIP | 130 K | 101.1 IP