#daniel poncedeleon

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CINCINNATI | Cards' righty unhittable in debut, Reds rally for 2-1 win

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CINCINNATI | Cards' righty unhittable in debut, Reds rally for 2-1 win

CINCINNATI— St. Louis starter Daniel Poncedeleon made a sensational debut 14 months after suffering a severe head injury, throwing no-hit ball for seven innings Monday night before Eugenio Suarez led the Cincinnati Reds’ two-out rally in the ninth for a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals.

Suarez’s two-out, solo homer off Bud Norris (3-3) tied it 1-1. The closer then loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, and pinch-hitter Dilson Herrera singled to end the Reds’ losing streak at four games. Jared Hughes (3-3) pitched the ninth.

The late rally overshadowed Poncedeleon’s incredible comeback.

The 26-year-old right-hander was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis on May 9 last year, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery.

Poncedeleon was one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League when St. Louis called him up Monday to help their injury-depleted rotation. He walked three and struck out three, threw 116 pitches and gave way to a pinch-hitter in the eighth with St. Louis up 1-0.

Jordan Hicks gave up a one-out single up the middle by pinch-hitter Phillip Ervin in the eighth for Cincinnati’s first hit. Suarez’s tying homer was only Cincinnati’s second hit. It was Norris’ third blown save in 21 chances.

Matt Carpenter had a pair of hits that extended his streak, including a double in the fifth inning off Luis Castillo. Yadier Molina followed with a single for his 17th RBI against the Reds this season, the most by any major league player against Cincinnati.

Carpenter homered in six straight games last week, a streak that ended on Sunday. He’s 14 for 28 in the last eight games.

ROOKIE SHOW

The Cardinals plan to start three rookies in the series, the first time they’ve had three rookies start in a row since September 1997 when Mike Busby, Matt Morris and Manny Aybar pitched against the Cubs. The last time they had three straight rookie starters before September was in August 1959, when Bob Gibson, Ernie Broglio and Marshall Bridges faced the Phillies, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Infielder Kolten Wong went on the 10-day DL with a sore left knee, opening a roster spot for Poncedeleon.

Reds: Second baseman Scooter Gennett was sick and out of the lineup. He pinch hit in the ninth and struck out. … Infielder Alex Blandino had surgery to reconstruct his ACL and repair damage to his MCL. He was injured in Friday’s game. His recovery is expected to take between six and eight months.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: LH Austin Gomber (0-0) makes his first major league start after 15 relief appearances this season, including two against the Reds.

Reds: Homer Bailey (1-7) returns from the DL and makes his first start since May 28. He’s been sidelined by a sore right knee. Bailey has made 12 starts for the Reds and has a 6.68 ERA.

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By JOE KAY, AP Sports Writer,  Associated Press

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CINCINNATI | STL rookie working no-hitter in debut year after head injury

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CINCINNATI | STL rookie working no-hitter in debut year after head injury

CINCINNATI— St. Louis right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon hasn’t allowed a hit through six innings of his major league debut against the Reds, 14 months after he suffered a life-threatening head injury on the mound.

Poncedeleon was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis on May 9 last year, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery.

The 26-year-old was one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League when St. Louis called him up to help its injury-depleted rotation.

Poncedeleon has walked two through six innings, using 90 pitches. Catcher Yadier Molina’s single in the fifth inning gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.

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By JOE KAY, AP Sports Writer,  Associated Press

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CINCINNATI | STL rookie working no-hitter in debut year after head injury

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CINCINNATI | STL rookie working no-hitter in debut year after head injury

CINCINNATI— St. Louis right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon hasn’t allowed a hit through six innings of his major league debut against the Reds, 14 months after he suffered a life-threatening head injury on the mound.

Poncedeleon was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis on May 9 last year, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery.

The 26-year-old was one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League when St. Louis called him up to help its injury-depleted rotation.

Poncedeleon has walked two through six innings, using 90 pitches. Catcher Yadier Molina’s single in the fifth inning gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.

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By JOE KAY, AP Sports Writer,  Associated Press

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How the Cardinals Should Replace Michael Wacha

How the Cardinals Should Replace Michael Wacha

Michael Wacha was on his way to a potential All-Star Game appearance this season before suffering a left oblique injury on June 20th. The initial reports sound like Wacha will miss a few weeks at the very least. We’ve seen in the past how pesky those oblique injuries can be. I don’t think we should be counting on him only missing a few starts. It’s a massive blow to a rotation that has been a…

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ST. LOUIS | Cardinals' Poncedeleon reaches majors after head injury

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ST. LOUIS | Cardinals' Poncedeleon reaches majors after head injury

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A little more than a year after a life-threatening brain injury, Daniel Poncedeleon is ready to make his major league debut.

The St. Louis Cardinals bought the 26-year-old right-hander’s contract from Triple-A Memphis on Monday before they opened a three-game series against the San Diego Padres.

“I was pretty speechless when I first heard about it,” Poncedeleon said. “I didn’t believe it. I thought (Memphis manager) Stubby (Clapp) was playing a little joke on me. I was called into the office and they told me. My wife (Jennifer) was waiting outside the door and the first person I called was my dad (Ramon Poncedeleon).”

Poncedeleon was 5-2 with a Pacific Coast League-leading 2.41 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) for Memphis this season, winning each of his last four decisions. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound California native is tied for second among PCL pitchers with his 71 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings.

The promotion comes 13 months since a line drive struck Poncedeleon in the right temple, fracturing his skill during a game against the Iowa Cubs on May 9, 2017. Poncedeleon underwent an emergency craniotomy to fix an epidural hematoma, which is bleeding from his brain. He then went through weeks of rehab and endured three months of inactivity as he recovered.

When Poncedeleon returned to playing this spring, he wore a carbon fiber insert under his hat to prevent another injury. It’s a bit cumbersome but necessary.

“You get used to it,” he said.

Poncedeleon knows the injury, which could have ended his career, remains a big topic for everyone.

“That’s long gone for me,” he said. “I was hoping everyone would forget about it and notice me as pitcher and not a guy who got hit in the head. The dent will always be there. But it’s not going to define me.”

John Mozeliak, the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, is pleased about the happy ending to Poncedeleon’s story.

“I think a year ago he was still in the ICU and obviously dealing with a very scary injury so the story is amazing,” Mozeliak said. “We couldn’t be more excited for him. That’s just true perseverance. He’s worked extremely hard to get back to where he is and given some of the ups and downs of our bullpen it was a unique opportunity for us to give him this chance, so hopefully he makes the most of it and hopefully also helps our bullpen.”

Poncedeleon appeared in just six games for Memphis last season, missing the remainder of the season after the injury in the game at Des Moines. The former 2014 draft selection (ninth round, 285th player overall) was the recipient of the Bob Badman “Physical Comeback Award” from the St. Louis Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America at their January awards dinner.

“It’s been a long road back but it’s taught me a lot,” Poncedeleon said. “It helped me grow up a bit. There was never a doubt I’d come back. I have faith and confidence in myself.”

Besides his wife and son, Casen, his mother-in-law and her sister, his father and his uncle will be in attendance.

“I’m very excited to be here,” Poncedeleon said. “I’m ready to go. He said he going to change his last name to three words: Ponce de Leon.

“People mess up my name all the time,” he said. “People think my first name is Ponce. For convenience, my parents put it all one word. I want to be who I really am, which is three words.”

The Cardinals also announced that first baseman Luke Voit was optioned to the Redbirds following Sunday’s game.

Voit has appeared in five games for the Cardinals this season, going 2 for 4 with one home run and three RBIs. His pinch-hit homer on June 7 against Miami was the Cardinals’ first pinch-homer this season.

With his first game appearance, Poncedeleon will become the fifth player to make his MLB debut for the Cardinals this season, joining Jordan Hicks, Yario Munoz, Tyler O’Neill and Austin Gomber.

By WARREN MAYES by Associated Press

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Daniel Poncedeleon making his way to the bullpen to warm up on April 22

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Daniel Poncedeleon warming up before the Memphis Redbirds take on the Oklahoma City Dodgers on April 22