Cardinals prospect Tink Hence reached 64 pitches, his most in a game since throwing 97 on May 30, and completed 3 2/3 innings on Wednesday for Class AA Springfield. The 22-year-old right-hander allowed one run on three hits in his start. He struck out six batters before leaving the game with a runner on first base and two outs in the fourth inning of Springfield’s 2-1 road loss to Wichita
The lone run Hence allowed came on a leadoff solo home run in the fourth inning to Aaron Sabato. Before the solo home run, Hence retired eight of the previous nine batters he faced. He issued a walk on six pitches to Andrew Crossetti in the at-bat after Sabato’s homer, but bookended his outing in the same fashion he started it — with back-to-back strikeouts.
Hence’s outing continued a gradual pitch count build-up after he missed a month because of injury. After exiting starts on June 5 and June 23 early because of fatigue and discomfort with his back, Hence returned to the mound for Springfield on July 27. He threw 1 2/3 innings and reached 24 pitches in his July 27 start. Since then, Hence has completed at least 3 2/3 innings in each of his previous four starts. He’s surpassed 54 pitches in each of those four outings.
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As he’s rebuilt his workload, Hence has sported a 0.92 ERA across 19 2/3 innings and notched 27 strikeouts.
Here are other notable performances from around the Cardinals farm system:
Center fielder Michael Siani, Class AA Springfield (MLB rehab assignment): After beginning his rehab assignment on Tuesday with five innings in center field and three at-bats, Siani continued his rehab process on Wednesday with six innings on defense in center field for Springfield. Siani took four at-bats and had one hit — a single. Siani is rehabbing a strained right oblique that landed him on the injured list on Aug. 4.
Second baseman Nolan Gorman, Class AAA Memphis: Gorman provided Memphis with its only two runs in a 4-2 loss to Iowa on Wednesday when he belted a 393-foot two-run home run to right field. Gorman’s two-run homer came against a left-handed pitcher and highlighted a three-for-four game from the 24-year-old. Gorman’s other two hits were singles off right-hander Brandon Birdsell. In his first five games since being optioned to the minors on Aug. 21, Gorman has a .263 average, two home runs, and an .879 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) with Memphis. He’s struck out four times in 20 plate appearances.
Outfielder Chase Davis, Class High-A Peoria: The former first-round pick from the 2023 MLB draft went two-for-four with a double to give him his third multi-hit performance in his previous four games for Peoria. Davis, 22, has reached base safely with a hit in each of his last four games and is seven-for-19 with two doubles, two RBI, and two walks over that stretch. Davis’s two-hit game during Peoria’s 7-3 win over Beloit improved him to a .310 average through his first 23 games in Class High-A. Davis’s strong start to Class High-A also includes a .388 on-base percentage.
Catcher Leonardo Bernal, Class AA Springfield: The second-ranked catching prospect in the Cardinals’ system made his Class AA debut and formed a battery with Hence, the Cardinals’ top pitching prospect. Bernal, 20, went hitless in two at-bats and drew two walks in his Class AA debut. His efforts behind the plate helped the S-Cards to a one-run win that required them to use four pitchers in relief of Hence. The 20-year-old was promoted from Class High-A on Tuesday when Jimmy Crooks, Springfield’s primary catcher and the Cardinals’ top catching prospect, was placed on the seven-day injured list. The switch-hitting Bernal batted .268 with 10 home and a .762 OPS in 96 games before his promotion.