Minor Matters

MILWAUKEE -- Highlighting news and notable performances from down in the Cardinals' farm system:

• The Texas League named outfielder James Ramsey its first player of the week in 2014 after Ramsey opened the season with a .410/.477/.846 slash line, four homers, 11 RBIs, eight extra-base hits and 10 runs scored in 10 games. He hit safely in Double-A Springfield's first eight games of the season.

• Stephen Piscotty hasn't earned any Pacific Coast League honors, but the Triple-A Memphis outfielder is off to a similarly strong start. Piscotty enters Monday riding a streak of seven straight wins, during which he has gone 12-for-29 with six runs scored and eight RBIs. Piscotty is batting .375/.432/.450 though his first 10 games in Triple-A.

• Despite a three-hit game from Joey Butler and another homer from Greg Garcia, Memphis fell to Iowa, 6-3, on Sunday. Butler raised his season average to .464 with the multihit game, while Garcia now leads the team with three home runs. Starter Boone Whiting struck out nine, including six in a row at one point, and allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.