Cardinals prospect Tink Hence turned in his shortest outing of the young season on Wednesday when the 21-year-old was removed after needing 83 pitches to complete 3 1/3 frames against Arkansas.
Hence was charged with four runs — three earned — after he allowed four hits, two walks, and struck out four Arkansas hitters in Double-A Springfield’s 7-6 home win. The right-hander’s outing ended after he allowed an RBI single to Mariners farmhand Robbie Tenerowicz that plated a run and put runners on first and second base one out in the fourth inning.
The runners left on by Hence came scored after left-hander Nick Raquet gave up a one-run single and a one-run double to the first two batters he faced after Hence’s exit.
Before the early exit on Wednesday, Hence had surrendered two runs and seven hits through his first 15 1/3 innings to begin his second season in Class AA. His start to the 2024 season included three consecutive outings in which he completed five or more innings each time. The righty’s ERA rose to 2.41 following his fourth start. He’s fanned 21 batters and walked four to begin the season.
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Here are other notable Cardinals minor league performances:
Outfielder Victor Scott II, Class AAA Memphis: The speedster went one-for-four with an infield single he grounded to shortstop. Scott’s single was his first hit in Triple-A after getting sent to the minors on Sunday. He went hitless in his Memphis debut on Tuesday. Following a start to the season that began with an opening day start in center field at Dodger Stadium, Scott returned to the minors after producing a .085 average in 59 big league at-bats.
Catcher Leonardo Bernal, Class High-A Peoria: The Cardinals’ highest-rated catching prospect’s two-for-five performance against Wisconsin gave him his first multi-hit game in High-A. The 20-year-old’s day at the plate included a double and a single in Peoria’s 3-2 loss. Both hits from the switch-hitting backstop came as a right-handed batter. Through his first 13 games in High-A, Bernal has a .213 average, a .288 on-base percentage, and a .543 OPS. His double was his second extra-base hit of the year and his first since doubling on April 13.
Right-handed pitcher Adam Kloffenstein, Class AAA Memphis: Coming off his first-career quality start in Triple-A, Kloffenstein surrendered four runs in his first inning of work on Wednesday, but followed that by keeping Jacksonville scoreless across the next six innings he logged. The one run allowed over a season-high seven innings in Memphis’s 5-2 loss lowered Kloffenstein’s ERA to 5.68 over 25 1/3 frames. The 23-year-old threw 104 pitches in the outing and struck out seven. Seven of the 16 swings-and-misses he collected came on his sweeper. The breaking pitch also accounted for three called strikes.
Utilityman Noah Mendlinger, Class AA Springfield: After coming in to pinch hit in the sixth inning for second baseman Ramon Mendoza, Mendlinger went two-for-two with a double and three RBIs. Mendlinger delivered an RBI single as a pinch-hitter and, after remaining in the game to play second base, delivered a two-RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. The extra-base hit gave Springfield a 7-5 lead and helped lift the Class AA club to a win over Wisconsin. The two-hit game elevated Mendlinger’s average to .310 over 58 at-bats. The utilityman and former undrafted free agent has five doubles, 12 RBIs, and a .344 on-base percentage in 14 Double-A games.
Left-handed pitcher Ixan Henderson, Class Low-A Palm Beach: In a relief outing for Palm Beach, Henderson struck nine batters and allowed one run on one hit and a walk over 3 1/3 innings. Henderson’s nine strikeouts were his most in seven career MiLB games. Henderson, an eight-round pick from the 2023 draft, threw his sinker 34 times and induced 10 swing-and-misses for a 71% whiff rate with the pitch against Fort Myers hitters, per Statcast. Of the 51 pitches Henderson threw in Palm Beach’s 5-3 win, 16 landed for a called strike and 12 led to a swing-and-miss. With the outing, the 22-year-old has 18 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings of relief in three outings this season.