Cardinals infield prospect Thomas Saggese continued his strong start in the Arizona Fall League with a three-hit game on Tuesday that included two singles and a double for the Glendale Desert Dogs in their 19-9 win over Peoria.
The three-for-five game vs. Peoria, which included a walk, was the 22-year-old Saggese鈥檚 second multi-hit showing this fall. In five games for Glendale, Saggese is seven-for-19 (.368 batting average) with two doubles and five walks. Saggese has produced a 1.132 on-base plus slugging percentage for the Desert Dogs.
Saggese, who started at second base and batted second for Glendale, began Tuesday鈥檚 performance with a one-out single in the first inning on the second pitch he saw from left-handed Marlins prospect Patrick Monteverde.聽
To lead off the third inning, Saggese found himself in a 2-2 count against Monteverde and fouled off three consecutive two-strike pitches before lining a double to left field.
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After striking out in the fourth inning and reaching base on an error in the sixth, Saggese walked with no outs on five pitches in his first plate appearance of the eighth inning. Saggese came up to bat later that inning and lined a single to right field in what became a 10-run inning for the Desert Dogs.
Saggese was one of three Cardinals prospects to appear in Tuesday鈥檚 game.
Left-hander Alex Cornwell, who pitched for Class AA Springfield and Class AAA Memphis this past season, allowed one run on three hits in an inning of relief. Cornwell struck out two batters in his outing.
Cornwell, who entered in the sixth inning, began his outing by allowing a leadoff single to Brewers prospect Luis Lara. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt to first base allowed Lara to advance to third base and a groundout from Mariners prospect Jared Sundstrom in the following at-bat scored Lara.
Cornwell recorded back-to-back strikeouts to leave runners stranded on first and third base after allowing a double and a single.
In two relief outings this fall, Cornwell, 25, has allowed one run in two innings.
Right-hander Matt Svanson, a Class AA reliever who converted all 27 of his save opportunities in the regular season for Springfield this past season, allowed one unearned run in an inning of relief.聽
Svanson walked Braves prospect Drake Baldwin to begin the eighth inning. Baldwin reached third base later that inning and scored on a wild pitch.
Svanson, 25, has given up one run in two innings across two relief outings since the start of the AFL.