Redbirds' Weaver hurls seven scoreless frames

Luke Weaver did not baby-step into his return from the disabled list. Last week, the Cardinals' third-ranked prospect threw six scoreless innings, and he took things one step further for Triple-A Memphis on Sunday.
Weaver posted seven more zeros during the Redbirds' 10-1 rout of the Iowa Cubs at Principal Park. The right-hander scattered four hits and struck out four without issuing a walk, facing just one over the minimum for the second consecutive start.

A first-round pick in the 2014 Draft, Weaver lasted only two innings in his first start on Opening Day before departing with lower-back issues that kept him sidelined until May 2. Weaver also suffered a broken wrist last March that pushed his 2016 debut to June 5. He told MiLB.com last week that he needs to learn the process of dealing with injury trouble. The Florida State product seems to be mastering that course.
Box score
Weaver threw only 63 pitches in his six-inning return against Omaha last week and pushed it to 82 pitches -- 59 for strikes -- on Sunday. MLB.com's No. 60 overall prospect has not allowed a run in 15 innings this season.
The outing began for the 23-year-old with a 1-2-3 first inning before he surrendered a single to Taylor Davis to lead off the second. Victor Caratini then bounced into the first of two double plays induced by Weaver. The second came in the next frame when Iowa pitcher Williams Pérez bunted into a 1-6-4 double play following a single by Bijan Rademacher.
Weaver delivered clean innings in the fourth, fifth and seventh, pitching around singles to Caratini and Rademacher in the fifth.

Nick Martini amassed four hits, including two doubles, scoring four times and driving in a run for Memphis. Cardinals' second-ranked prospect Carson Kelly went 3-for-3 with an RBI and No. 11 Paul DeJong added two singles and two RBIs.
First baseman Luke Voit and right fielder Rangel Ravelo both went yard and plated three runs apiece. Ravelo's homer, a three-run shot, followed the ejections of Miguel Mejia and Iowa manager Marty Pevey after the reliever hit Voit with a pitch.
Cubs' second-ranked prospectIan Happ singled in two at-bats in his return to the lineup after a short disabled-list stint for a bruised left thumb. Happ drove in Iowa's only run in the eighth against reliever Ryan Sherriff.