In the span of half an inning, Yairo Muñoz doubled his home run output this spring.The Cardinals' 12th-ranked prospect went yard twice in the seventh inning of St. Louis' 10-9 come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Orioles in Grapefruit League action Wednesday.
In the span of half an inning, Yairo Muñoz doubled his home run output this spring.
The Cardinals' 12th-ranked prospect went yard twice in the seventh inning of St. Louis' 10-9 come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Orioles in Grapefruit League action Wednesday.
The 23-year-old utilityman opened the frame by driving a pitch from Orioles lefty Andrew Faulkner over the left-field wall for his first homer of the spring. Later in the frame, he stroked another shot to left off righty Steven Klimek. Munoz's blasts keyed an eight-run inning for the Cardinals, helping them erase a 9-1 deficit.
The native of the Dominican Republic also singled home a run in the fourth, between flyouts to center in the second and right in the ninth. He finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored, lifting his average to .467 in four games this spring. Acquired from the Athletics in a trade for outfielder Stephen Piscotty this offseason, Munoz batted .300 with 13 homers, 68 RBIs and 22 steals in 112 games between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Nashville in 2017.
St. Louis' ninth-ranked prospect Andrew Knizner chipped in a single and a walk and scored once while No. 5 Harrison Bader singled and scored over four at-bats.
Baltimore's second-ranked prospectRyan Mountcastle swatted a solo homer after pinch-hitting for Jonathan Schoop in the sixth.
Brewers 10, Giants 10 Box
Milwaukee's top prospect Keston Hiura tallied a pair of RBI singles and crossed the plate once in a seven-run ninth to help force the stalemate. The No. 56 overall prospect is 5-for-11 (.455) through five games.
Blue Jays 7, Phillies 1 Box
Philadelphia's third-ranked prospect Scott Kingery provided his team's only run with a solo shot in the third. The blast was the second of the spring for the No. 35 overall prospect, who is 4-for-9 (.444) at the plate in four Grapefruit League games.
Padres 10, Dodgers 5 Box
Fernando Tatis Jr. -- the No. 8 overall prospect -- went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI for the Padres. Los Angeles' ninth-ranked prospect Will Smith hit a solo homer and doubled in two plate appearances.
Rockies 9, D-backs (ss) 3 Box
Fourteenth overall prospect Brendan Rodgers finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored while Colorado's No. 11 prospect Tom Murphy slugged a solo shot for his first Cactus League home run. Yency Almonte (No. 10) struck out a pair over three perfect innings to pick up the win.
Tigers 9, Yankees 6Box
Detroit's No. 10 prospect Christin Stewart went 1-for-1 with two runs, an RBI, a walk and a stolen base. Third-ranked New York prospect Estevan Florial knocked a two-RBI single, stole a base and came around to score in his only at-bat.
Rays 3, Twins (ss) 1 Box
No. 22 overall prospect Willy Adames slapped an RBI single in the first while No. 81 Christian Arroyo went 3-for-3 in the victory. Tampa Bay's Justin Williams added a run-scoring single in the eighth to cap the lead. Ryan Yarbrough (1-0) got the start, working around a hit with a strikeout in two shutout innings and Yonny Chirinos followed by allowing a walk with one punchout in 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
Marlins 3, Nationals 1 Box
As he continues to get acclimated to the Miami system, Lewis Brinson -- the No. 27 overall prospect -- went 2-for-2 with a double and a run, though he was caught stealing. Washington's No. 10 prospect Kelvin Gutierrez went 1-for-1 with a walk and a run. Jefry Rodriguez (No. 17) issued two walks while striking out one in a hitless seventh.
Mets 6, Braves 4 Box
No. 2 overall prospect Ronald Acuña Jr. knocked a two-run single and added another base knock in the loss. On the mound, Kolby Allard (No. 58 overall) walked two and fanned one in two hitless innings of relief. Mets No. 4 prospect Peter Alonso went 1-for-1 with a walk.
Twins (ss) 4, Astros 2 Box
Showcasing his above-average fastball, No. 68 overall prospect Fernando Romero allowed a walk in two hitless frames while Twins No. 15 prospect Zack Littell fanned two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his second spring save. Zack Granite (No. 26) collected a sacrifice fly, a walk and a run. For the Astros, No. 16 prospect Framber Valdez allowed three hits and two walks with one punchout in two scoreless innings and eighth-ranked David Paulino added 2 2/3 scoreless frames with two free passes and two strikeouts.
