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Johnson City Doughboys

Memphis Redbirds at Iowa Cubs

May 8, 2017 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Johnson City Doughboys News Release


Memphis Redbirds (20-11) vs. Iowa Cubs (13-16) Monday, May 8 * 6:38 p.m. (CT) * Principal Park (11,000) * Des Moines, Iowa Game #32 * Road Game #20 (13-6) RHP Josh Zeid (1-1, 5.81) vs RHP Seth Frankoff (0-1, 3.44)

THE GAME TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds continue their eight-game road trip with the third of four games against the Iowa Cubs. Memphis has set a new franchise record with 10 straight victories and is a perfect 6-0 on this road trip. Today's game will be broadcast live on Sports56 and 87.7 FM and internet webcast at MemphisRedbirds.com, with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Josh Zeid toes the slab today, seeking his second win of the season. Zeid is coming off back-to-back tough-luck no-decisions, each lasting into the sixth inning. Against Round Rock on 4/27, a five-run ninth inning denied him a victory, while in his last time out against Omaha on Wednesday, a three-run rally with two outs in the sixth denied him a potential victory. He ended up allowing four runs on six hits in six innings. Home runs have been a problem for Zeid, who has given up 7 in his first 26.1 IP.

Iowa counters with righthander Seth Frankoff, who makes his sixth appearance and fourth start of the year. Frankoff last pitched on Tuesday in a no-decision against New Orleans. He yielded just one hit in five innings of work, a solo homer to Tomas Telis. As a starter this year, the righthander is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA. Overall this season, Frankoff is averaging just about a strikeout per inning (18 K in 18.1 IP).

SCHEDULE WITH IOWA: The Redbirds and Cubs meet for the third time in 2017 with 13 more scheduled meetings this season. The two teams split the season series a year ago with each club winning six of eight at their respective ballpark. The Redbirds are 6-12 at Principal Park in the last two-plus seasons and 62-77 all-time in Des Moines. After eight meetings this month, the two teams will not see each other until eight-straight matchups in August.

THIS DATE IN REDBIRDS HISTORY (May 8, 2005): John Nelson hit his fourth home run in as many days to lead the Redbirds to a 10-2 victory at Iowa. Anthony Reyes went the distance for Memphis, striking out 7 without a walk allowed.

BIRD BITES BADER: 12 of his 24 hits have come when batting 6th (12-for-32, 2 2B, HR, 6 R, 2 RBI) CUNNINGHAM: Possesses third-longest active hitting streak in the PCL (Raimel Tapia, ABQ, 13) DeJONG: Has hit safely in 22 of his 26 starts this season; Hits in six of his last seven (8-for-27, .296, 2B, 4 HR, 5 R, 11 RBI) HUFFMAN: Average at a season-high .290 after going 1-for-1 on Saturday KELLY: Hits in four straight (9-for-15, .600, 2 2B, HR, 4 R, 4 RBI) after 3-for-21 skid MARTINI: Collected four hits (two doubles) and scored four runs in his first start with Memphis on Sunday RAVELO: Has recorded at least one hit and one RBI in four of his first seven games with Memphis; Hit first HR on Sunday ROSARIO: Snapped 0-for-11 skid with a hit in Wednesday's contest TOVAR: 12 of his 17 hits this season have come batting 8th (12-for-31, .387, 3 2B, 9 R, 3 RBI); Back-to-back MHG VALERA: Multiple hits in six of his last 10 games (17-for-38, .447, 2 2B, 4 3B, 7 R, 2 RBI); Average up 102 points VOIT: 6-game hitting streak (11-for-29, .379, 2B, 2 HR, 4 R, 7 RBI); 3rd hitting streak of at least six games this season WISDOM: Eight-game hitting streak (12-for-33, .364, 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 R, 8 RBI)

BY THE NUMBERS 6.6 runs per game for the Redbirds during their 9-game winning streak (3.8 first 21g) 23.2 consecutive scoreless innings for Memphis starters in the last three-plus games

THE SEASON ABOUT THE LAST ONE: Luke Weaver was dominant yet again and the Memphis offense pounded out 16 hits, leading to a 10-1 win over Iowa for its 10th straight victory.

Weaver faced just one over the minimum in seven innings, striking out four. Luke Voit and Rangel Ravelo both went deep in the contest while newcomer Nick Martini collected four hits, including two doubles, and scored four times.

A PERFECT 10: Memphis has won 10 consecutive contests, the longest streak in franchise history. The Redbirds have outscored opponents 66-29 during the run, scoring at least four runs eight times and limiting the opponent to two runs or fewer on seven occasions. Memphis has dominated on both sides of the diamond, hitting .325 with 15 homers over the stretch while averaging 6.6 runs per game. On the mound, Redbird pitchers have posted a 2.86 ERA and a 3.08 K-to-BB ratio (71 K to 23 BB).

The wins have come in a variety of ways for Memphis, with seven of the 10 being decided by three runs or fewer, four victories coming from behind, two last at-bat triumphs, and two wins in extra innings.

The longest winning streak in Memphis baseball history is 18 set by the 1928 Chickasaws of the Single-A Southern Association. The 1980 Chicks (Double-A Expos) have Memphis' longest affiliated winning streak at 14. The PCL record is 19 straight set by the 1939 Los Angeles Angels.

THE FINE PRINT: Memphis' 10-game winning streak is the longest-active in professional baseball (Lakewood, Phillies A, 8)... The Redbirds are tied for the most wins in MiLB with 20 (Durham, Rays AAA, 20-8; Dayton, Reds A, 20-10; Buies Creek, Astros A+, 20-11)... The 'Birds were the second-fastest team in franchise history to 20 wins (2000, 20-10 on 5/6)...

OFFENSIVE OASIS: Memphis' offense has reached new heights over the past week and a half, pounding out 73 runs on 129 hits for a .326 team average in the last 11 games. The team's average has increased 33 points during the 11 contests from .237 to .270.

Prior to this stretch, Memphis had reached double-digit hits in just six of its first 20 games, something it has now done in eight of the last 11 games. The 'Birds have at least seven hits in 10 of their last 11 with the outlier being a rain-shortened five-inning win on April 29. In the stretch, Memphis has 25 doubles, six triples, and 18 homers, good for a .556 team slugging percentage.

TURN THE BEAT AROUND: After registering just one quality start in the first 14 games of the season, Memphis starters have tallied 10 quality starts and a complete game in the last 17 contests. The Redbird rotation already has more quality starts in May (6) than it did in April (5) and has not allowed a run in its last 23.2 frames dating back to Thursday.

Entering a doubleheader on April 21, Memphis starters held a 5.72 ERA (39 ER/61.1 IP) through the first 14 games. Since then, though, Redbirds starters have yielded just 28 ER in 96 IP for a 2.63 ERA. Overall, Memphis' team ERA has dropped from 5.09 to 4.09 over the stretch.

Perhaps more importantly, Redbird starters are working deeper into games, averaging 5.64 innings per start over the last 17 games. Comparatively, starters worked an average of 4.38 innings in the season's first 14 games. The shortest start in the last 11 games was Arturo Reyes' rain-shortened five-inning complete game on April 29.

BEALE STREET BOMBERS: The Redbirds have made their power presence known at the plate, connecting on a league-leading 37 home runs entering today's game, including 18 in the past 11 contests. The Redbirds have reassumed the top spot on the PCL leaderboard and are tied for the most homers in all of MiLB with Quad Cities (Astros A) and Jackson (Diamondbacks AA).

The Redbirds are way ahead of their pace from a season ago when the squad did not hit its 37th homer until game 57, which came on June 9.

STARTING OUT QUICK: The 'Birds have scored 19 runs in the first inning and 18 runs in the second inning of games, which are two of their most fruitful frames of the season (5th, 22).

Memphis has scored first in 19 of its initial 31 games this season, which trails only Iowa (20) in terms of times scoring the game's first run. However, the Redbirds are just 13-6 in those contests, which is tied for the ninth-best mark in the league.

The Redbirds have scored the game's final run 13 times and are 12-1 in such games, tied for the best mark in the circuit.

EXTRA, EXTRA: The Redbirds have posted 285 hits in the first 31 games of the season, including 111 extra-base hits (66 doubles, eight triples, 37 home runs), which is tied with Reno for the most in the PCL. The Redbirds have vaulted to seventh in the league in hitting (.270), and now rank third in both total bases (478) and slugging percentage (.454).

RUN, RUN, RUNAWAY: The Redbirds are 16-for-36 in steal attempts and have been picked off 11 times. The 20 caught stealings are the most in the PCL, with no other squad having been caught more than 14 times (Salt Lake, 39-for-53).

Memphis has also struggled with controlling the opponents' running game, catching just seven of 34 would-be base stealers (20.6%), the third-lowest success rate in the PCL.

NEEDING EXTRA TIME: The Redbirds played in their fourth extra-inning game of the season Thursday and remained undefeated in such affairs. Memphis is just one of three PCL teams that remain unbeaten in extra-inning games, while the four wins are tied for the most in the circuit. The 'Birds have out-scored opponents 7-0 in extras this season.

HOME COOKING: In 12 games at AutoZone Park this year, Memphis has posted 45 extra-base hits, including 20 home runs. The Redbirds hit 49 homers all of last season at home.

The series against Round Rock increased the team's batting average at home by 65 points to .267. Memphis is slugging 66 points better at home (.496) compared to on the road (.430).

MEMPHIS PLAYERS AND COACHES HE IS ONE WITH THE FORCE: Opening Day starter Luke Weaver missed 22 games with a back injury, but it has not slowed him down at all. In three starts this season, Weaver has not allowed a run or walked a batter in 15 innings of work.

Weaver was named the PCL Pitcher of the Week today after combining to throw 13 scoreless frames against Omaha and Iowa this week.

CUNNINGHAM'S NEW GROOVE: Todd Cunningham has settled into a nice rhythm with his new organization, currently riding a team season-best 11-game hitting streak. During that stretch, Cunningham is batting .362 (17-for-47, 3 2B, 2 3B, 11 R, 7 RBI, 8 BB) and increased his average 123 points to .275.

The stretch is the third-longest active in the PCL and the second-longest of Cunningham's career, trailing a 16-game burst from June 2-21, 2012 when he played for Double-A Mississippi (Braves).

EN FUEGO: Breyvic Valera was a revelation for Memphis a year ago, hitting .341 in 73 games. After a slow start to this year (.193 through 15 games), Valera has found his stroke in his last 10 games, going 17-for-38 (.447) in the stretch with two doubles and four triples. Valera has six multi-hit games in his last 10 contests after doing so just once in his first 15 games. Last year, he tied for second on the team with 20 multi-hit games. He has now hit safely in seven straight games.

PEARLS OF WISDOM: After a rough stretch on the previous road trip, Patrick Wisdom has returned to his strong hitting with 15 hits in his last 10 games, including a pair of three-hit affairs. Six of the 15 hits have gone for extra bases, including four home runs. Wisdom has hit safely in eight consecutive games, increasing his batting average 36 points to .283.

STRIKING NEW GROUND: Daniel Poncedeleon and Arturo Reyes have become quite the unexpected 1-2 punch at the top of the Redbirds rotation considering Poncedeleon didn't start the season with Memphis and Reyes began the year in a piggyback role.

Poncedeleon is tied for the team lead with 24 strikeouts and currently ranks tops among PCL starters (second overall) with a .186 opponents' average. He is also 10th in the PCL in ERA (2.25).

Thanks to his strong eight-inning outing Friday, Reyes leads the league in opponents' average (.173) and is tied for second in wins (4). He also ranks fifth in the league in ERA (1.33) and third in WHIP (0.85) .

VOIT OF CONFIDENCE: The St. Louis Cardinals tabbed Luke Voit as the organization's Minor League Player of the Month for April, his second straight month winning the award (August '16 with Springfield). Voit hit .360 with five homers and 16 RBI in 23 April games. Overall, he led the 'Birds in AVG, H (27), 2B (tie, 7), 3B (tie, 1), HR, OBP (.448), SLG (.680), and OPS (1.128) in April.

THE ROSTER: Of the 24 players who comprise Memphis' roster, 20 appeared at Triple-A last season, be it with Memphis or another organization. Of those who played at Triple-A, 12 donned a Redbirds uniform. Additionally, the roster is full of Major League experience with nine players combining for 202 games played.

PROSPECTING: The Cardinals organization has seen a steady growth in its prospect ranking the last three years, elevating from 15th to 14th to 12th this season, according to Baseball America. While top prospect Alex Reyes is sidelined for the season, five of the top 30 prospects tabbed by the publication are currently on the Redbirds roster. That includes Luke Weaver (#2), Carson Kelly (#4), Harrison Bader (#7), Paul DeJong (#14), and Breyvic Valera (#29).

ST. LOUIS MAJORITY: When digging into St. Louis' current 25-man roster, 16 players have spent time in Memphis: pitchers Lance Lynn (2009-11), Carlos Martinez (2013-14), Kevin Siegrist (2013-14), Miguel Socolovich (2015-16), Sam Tuivailala (2014-17), Michael Wacha (2013), and Adam Wainwright (2004-05, '08); catcher Yadier Molina (2004); infielders Matt Adams (2012, '14, '16), Matt Carpenter (2011-12), Aledmys Diaz (2015), Greg Garcia (2013-16), and Kolten Wong (2013-14, '16); and outfielders Randal Grichuk (2014, '16), Jose Martinez (2016), and Tommy Pham (2013-17).

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