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IL Memphis Redbirds

9.3 Redbirds Game Notes

September 3, 2022 - International League (IL)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


The Memphis Redbirds (64-62) take on the Nashville Sounds (77-49) in game five of a six-game series at First Horizon Park.

LHP Connor Thomas (6-7, 4.98 ERA) will start for Memphis opposite RHP Tyler Herb (5-5, 4.41 ERA) for Nashville.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm CDT. You can stream the Redbirds broadcast here.

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TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds look to salvage the series against the Nashville Sounds on Saturday evening at First Horizon Park. LHP Connor Thomas will start opposite RHP Tyler Herb. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm CDT.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Memphis Redbirds dropped a close 6-5 contest to the Nashville Sounds on Friday night at First Horizon Park. Nashville led 6-0 after Weston Wilson hit a three-run home run in the third inning, but Memphis mounted a comeback in the fourth. With the bases loaded and two-outs, a wild pitch from Robert Gasser scored the first run for the Redbirds. Gasser then walked another batter to load the bases for Evan Mendoza, who stroked a two-run single to bring the deficit to 6-3. After a mound visit, Juan Yepez cranked a blast to left field that hit off the top of the wall and resulted in a two-run double that made it 6-5. The Redbirds offense couldn't muster much against the Sounds' bullpen. They tallied four hits the rest of the way and did not advance a runner past first base. Garrett Williams (0-5) took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits, walking a season-high five batters and striking out three. Matt Hardy (3-0) earned the win, retiring four batters in relief. Trevor Kelley (S, 8) earned the save.

CLOSE CALLS: Since the All-Star break, Memphis has played in 13 one-run contests, posting a 4-9 record in those games. Prior to the break, Memphis was 17-7 in one-run ball games. Two of the nine losses have come on walk-offs against Gwinnett (August 16) and Nashville (September 1) while Moises Gomez walked-off the Stripers on July 24. In four of the nine losses, Memphis led or was tied with their opponent after the eighth inning. The Memphis bullpen late in games has been solid, blowing just 17 saves this season, tied fourth fewest in the league.

YAY FOR YEPEZ: Juan Yepez extended his hitting streak to nine-games with a 2-for-5 effort on Friday night. Over that span, Yepez has hit .382 with two doubles, five home runs, 15 RBIs and a 1.357 OPS. The streak dates back to August 20 and was interrupted by a breif appearance with the Cardinals against the Braves on August 26. Since rejoining the Redbirds on August 9, Yepez has a hit in 12 of 15 games and has reached safely in all but two of those games.

BURLY TIME: Alec Burleson had a night Wednesday, going 3-for-5 with 4 RBIs. It marked the 23rd multi-RBI game this season for Burleson as well as his 42nd multi-hit effort. After starting August hitting .268 with two home runs and 8 RBIs in 16 games, the Denver, NC native turned it on the last six games, hitting .346 with four doubles and 7 RBIs.

LEAGUE LEADERS: Tommy Parsons earned his 10th win of the season on Wednesday against Nashville, ranking 2nd most in the International League. His .206 batting average against ranks best in the league, while his 1.20 WHIP is 5th best. Burleson is among IL leaders in batting average (.325, 1st), home runs (20, T-9th), RBIs (84, 2nd), slugging (.527, 3rd), OPS (.893, 4th), hits (136, T-1st), totals bases (221, 2nd) and extra-base hits (44, T-10th). Zach McAllister's 49 relief appearances are T-4th in the league.

Luken Baker's 21 home runs are also T-7th. Connor Thomas' 97 strikeouts are currently 11th. Kramer Robertson is ranked 3rd with 73 walks this season, the most in his career.

AGAINST NASHVILLE: Memphis heads to First Horizon Park for the second time this season time this season. The Redbirds hold an 8-7 series advantage, having taken four of six games against the Sounds the week before the All-Star break. The offense has been sharp, hitting .284/.362/.417 with 15 home runs and 96 runs scored across 16 games. The Memphis staff has also outdueled Nashville, posting a 4.38 ERA compared to the Sounds' 5.85 ERA. Aaron Brooks has dominated against Nashville, posting a 3-0 record and a 2.55 ERA across 17.2 innings pitched. At the plate, Alec Burleson has hit .373 with two home runs and nine RBIs.

BY THE NUMBERS Overall ...................64-62 Home ....................32-30 Road ......................32-32 Day ........................14-12 Night .....................50-50 vs. LH starter .........19-14 vs. RH starter .........47-46 Record in series ......7-6-7 Series openers .........13-9 Series finales ...........11-9 Doubleheaders .......0-2-0 Last 10 ......................6-4 +/- ........... +58 (683-625) W streak ..................0 (6) L streak ...................2 (5) Most over .500 .....11 (49-38) Most under.500 .........1 (1-2) Extra innings ..............4-5 1-run games ..........20-15 2-run games ............9-13 Shutouts ....................7-5 Walk-offs ...................3-4 Scoring first ...........37-22 Scoring last ............26-39 Up after 7/8 ......... 52-7/56-5 D after 7/8 ..........6-46/2-53 vs IND........................6-6 vs IOW .......................5-1 vs OMA ......................3-3 vs CLT ......................11-7 vs DUR ....................12-6 vs GWN ....................7-14 vs JAX ......................4-14 vs NAS .......................8-8 vs NOR ......................8-3 AVG/IL Rank ...... .265/1st OBP ....................346/4th SLG .................. .441/2nd 2B ....................195/18th 3B ...................19/T-13th SB ......................135/5th HR ..................... 172/2nd RBI .....................633/4th Runs ...................683/3rd K% ....................... 21.7% BB% ....................... 9.9% ERA .................4.66/11th R/G .......................... 4.96 SO ....................1114/7th K% ....................... 23.1% BB ......................452/6th BB% ....................... 9.3% SO/BB ..................... 2.47 H allowed .......1111/16th HR allowed .......154/16th

TEAM LEADERS AVG ...................................... Burleson, .325 Hits ....................................... Burleson, 136 Home Runs ................................... Baker, 21 RBI .......................................... Burleson, 84 Stolen Bases .......................... Robertson, 25 Walks..................................... Robertson, 73 Wins ..........................................Parsons, 10 ERA ........................................Parsons, 4.71 Saves ..............................................Walsh, 6 Strikeouts ..................................Thomas, 97 Innings .................................Thomas, 112.0

IL WEST STANDINGS TEAM W-L GB STRK R-DIFF Nashville 77-49 - W2 122 Columbus 73-52 3.5 L1 121 Toledo 68-57 8.5 W1 1 Indianapolis 65-60 11.5 W3 12 Memphis 64-62 13.0 L2 58 St. Paul 61-64 15.5 L1 12 Gwinnett 60-66 17.0 L3 -33 Omaha 60-66 17.0 W1 25 Iowa 58-69 19.5 W1 -44 Louisville 52-75 25.5 L3 -132

FRONT PAGE AND COACHES Ben Johnson enters his fourth season as manager of the Memphis Redbirds and his fourth year in the Cardinals organization.

MANAGER BEN JOHNSON -¢ 130 - 138 managerial record entering 2022 season -¢ Oversaw a franchise record 15-game winning streak in 2021 (7/9-7/25); tied for longest in MiLB that season -¢ Oversaw a franchise record 200 home runs in 2019; team won 29 of final 40 games and were in contension for division until 2nd to last day of the season -¢ Spent 2018 as third base coach for the Durham Bulls (Rays' Triple-A) -¢ Spent 2014-2017 as a scout in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization -¢ Coached at Millenium HS in Goodyear, AZ from 2011-2013 -¢ Previously managed Arizona Centennials in the Independent League in 2012 COACHING CAREER

PLAYING CAREER

-¢ Drafted by the Cardinals in the 4th Rd. of 1999 Draft; traded to Padres in 2000 -¢ Made MLB debut on June 26, 2005 with the Padres; played 98 games over next three seasons with the Padres and Mets -¢ Named Padres Minor League Player of the Year in 2005 when he hit a career-high .312 with 25 home runs and 83 RBIs as a member of the Portland Beavers -¢ Played 901 MiLB games over 10 seasons with Cardinals, Padres, Mets and Tigers; hit .262 with 115 career home runs and 473 RBIs PERSONAL -¢ Born in Memphis and played baseball at Germantown HS; named Memphis-area HS Player of the Year in 1999; lives with his dad during the season -¢ He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children, Ethan and Ruby; reside in Phoenix, AZ Dernier Orozco enters his fifth season as pitching coach for Memphis and his 17th season in the Cardinals organization, serving at five different levels.

PITCHING COACH DERNIER OROZCO COACHING CAREER

-¢ Led 2018 Redbirds staff to a 3.54 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 44 saves which paced the Pacific Coast League; Dakota Hudson won PCL Pitcher of the Year and Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year -¢ Spent 2015-17 as pitching coach for Peoria; 2014 with State College -¢ Coached in the Venezuelan Summer League from 2006-08 PLAYING CAREER

-¢ Played in six pro seasons in the Red Sox organization -¢ Final season was 2003 in the Gulf Coast League; went 4-2 in 14 games Brandon Allen enters his third season as hitting coach for Memphis and his sixth year in the Cardinals organization.

HITTING COACH BRANDON ALLEN COACHING CAREER

-¢ Served has hitting coach for Springfield (2019), Palm Beach (2018 and Johnson City (2017) PLAYING CAREER

-¢ Played in four MLB seasons; hit .203 with 12 HRs and 41 RBIs in 116 games between Arizona (09-11), Oakland (11-12) and Tampa Bay (12) -¢ Drafted by the White Sox in the 5th Rd. of 2004 Draft out of Montgomery (TX) HS; earned a football scholarship to Rice and baseball scholarship to University of Houston

MINOR LEAGUE LEADERS: Moises Gomez is having a career year, splitting the season with Double-A Springfield and Memphis. The slugger has belted a career-high 33 home runs this season which is second in the minor leagues behind Hunter Goodman (Rockies). Gomez also ranks 2nd in the MiLB in slugging (.641) and is 6th in OPS (1.021). Alec Burleson's .325 batting average ranks 8th in the minors while his 135 hits are T-14th most. On the pitching side, Zack McAllister's 49 appearances are T-5th most, while Zach Lee (Albuquerque, Triple-A) leads with 56 games. Tommy Parsons' .769 W% is 6th best in the minors.

FLIP THE CALENDAR: It was a rough August for Memphis. The Redbirds compiled a 10-16 record, their worst monthly record this season. In August, Memphis slashed .259/.346/.397 with 124 runs scored, tied for the fifth fewest runs scored in the International League. Their 340 total bases in the month were the seventh fewest in the league while their 22 home runs were fourth fewest. That's 9 less home run then their previous monthly low from May while their .397 slugging percentage was the first time the Redbirds' had a monthly slugging percentage below .400. Memphis also tied their longest losing streak of the season with a five-game skid from 8/2-8/7.

E FOR EXCELLENT: Since August 11, Memphis has committed 13 errors in their last 21 games. For the most part, Memphis has been fundamentally sound on the defensive end the entire season. The Redbirds have committed 70 errors on the year, the third fewest in the International League and 5th fewest in MiLB.

Their .984 fielding percentage trails Nashville (.986), Tacoma, Hartford and Toledo for best in the minor leagues.

SPANGY: Cory Spangenberg extended his on-base streak to 10-games on Friday with a 1-for-4 night. Since August 21, Spangenbergy has hit .368 with four doubles, a triple, four RBIs and six runs scored. It is tied for the longest on-base streak he's had this season, dating back to a 10-game streak from May 26-June 9. Spangenberg is coming off his best month at the plate, hitting .288 with six extra-base hits and nine runs scored. His batting average was the highest monthly total this season while his .699 OPS was second highest. In his first season back in affiliated baseball since 2019, Spangenberg has tallied the third highest home run total in his career (10). With San Antonio in the PCL, the left-hander hit 14 home runs while he slugged 13 big league homers with the Padres in 2017.

CLINT IN STINTS: Despite limited playing time, Clint Coutler has taken advantage of his opportunities at the plate. On Friday, Coulter went 1-for-4 against the Sounds. In 37 games played, Coutler has reached safetly in 35 of them, while he has tallied an RBI in six of his last nine games played. He posted a 16-game on-base streak from June 5-August 11, the fourth longest on-base streak for a Redbird this season. Since June 1, Coulter is hitting .338/.386/.638 with nine doubles, five home runs, 21 RBIs and just 14 strikeouts in 88 plate appearances. Coulter has seen time all over the diamond for Memphis: he's made starts in left field (10), right field (4), catcher (11) and third base (1) while DHing 7 times.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING: Kodi Whitley has been outstanding out of the bullpen as of late. Whitley pushed his scoreless streak to 10-games on Thursday night with 1.2 innings in relief. He earned his third hold of the season. Whitley's streak dates back to August 2 and is the longest scoreless streak of the season for a Redbird pitcher. Over that span, Whitley has walked six and struck out 10 batters in 10.2 innings. Clint Coulter currently has a four-game RBI streak and extra- base hit streak, one shy of the most for a Redbird this season.

FRESH TOP-30: MLB Pipeline released its brand-new top-30 prospects for each organization last week and the Memphis roster continues to be loaded with top prospects. In the St. Louis Cardinals organizaiton, Memphis rosters three of the top-10 and eight of the St. Louis top-30. LHP Matthew LIberatore (4), OF Alec Burleson (5) and C Ivan Herrera (7) find spots in the top-10 while RHP Jake Walsh (21), RHP Freddy Pacheco (22), LHP Connor Thomas (24), RHP Ryan Loutos (26) and OF Moises Gomez (30) round out the list. In the top-100, Liberatore (85) and Burleson (93) represent Memphis overall.

DINGERS: Juan Yepez tallied a late home run on Wednesday night. The Redbirds' season home run total has improved to 172, the second most in the International League. Memphis trails Albuquerque (205), Sacramento (189), El Paso (188), Durham (184), Sugar Land (183), Tulsa (182), Somerset (180), Tacoma (177) and Round Rock (173) for most home runs in the minor leagues. Out of the 169 homers, 87 have been solo shots, 49 have been two-run homers, 28 have been three-run jacks and three have been grand slams. The Redbirds became the first professional baseball team to hit 50 home runs in 2022, doing so in 26 games.

They also became the fastest team to hit 100 home runs, accomplishing the feat in 60 games. When Memphis hit a franchise record 200 home runs in 2019, it took the team 80 games to hit 100 homers. The Redbirds also homered in 17-straight games from 5/21-6/9 in which they hit 33 home runs. Memphis hit 47 home runs in April, falling short of the franchise record 54 homers in a month (August 2019). Overall, Memphis has hit a home run in 91 of 126 games this year.

STARTING PITCHER Height: 5-11 Weight: 173 B/T: L/L Age: 23 (05/29/98 in Tifton, GA) Acquired: 5th Round, 2019 Draft CONNOR THOMAS - LHP

#56 2021: 6-6, 3.39 ERA 26G(18GS) CAREER: 12-9, 3.59 ERA 48G(30GS)

Repertoire: FB/SN/CH/SL TODAY'S START: Connor Thomas is scheduled to start game five of the series against the Nashville Sounds on Saturday afternoon.

LAST TIME OUT: Thomas allowed two runs in the first and fourth innings of his most recent start against the Charlotte Knights on Sunday afternoon. In the middle two innings of his four-inning start, Thomas did not allow a baserunner.

The left-handed pitcher is 1-4 in his last five decisions.

BALL IN PLAY: Thomas embraces contact on the mound. Among qualified pitchers in the International League according to Fangraphs, the lefty currently ranks 3rd with a 51.4% ground-ball rate and has the third highest BABIP against at .333 among qualified pitchers (MLB average is .291 in 2022).

AMONG THE LEADERS: Thomas currently has the third best walks per 9 innings mark at 2.09 and has the 3rd fewest walks allowed (26). His 1.99 ground ball to fly ball rate is also third highest in the IL.

2021: Thomas had an outstanding campaign with the Redbirds last season, posting a 3.10 ERA that ranked second-best in Triple-A East among pitchers with 100 IPs. The left-hander made four starts in Double-A Springfield before he was promoted to Memphis in late May. In total, Thomas struck out 116 batters and walked just 33 in 122 innings pitched, which ranked second among Cardinals farm hands.

TO START OR TO RELIEVE?: Thomas started his professional career in a relief role, making 18 appearances out of the pen. After the pandemic year, Thomas started four games with Springfield and was promoted to Triple-A, where he initially bounced between the rotation and bullpen. The southpaw finally settled back into a starting role, where he posted a 3-3 record and a 2.75 ERA in 14 starts with Memphis. As a reliever in eight appearances, Thomas went 3-1 with a 4.10 ERA.

THEY SAID IT:

On his style: "I'm absolutely a groundball pitcher. I think I was top-5 in the minors last year in groundball rate [60.5% GB rate ranked 2nd among 155 MiLBers w/ 100 IPs]. I really just go after them, throw it after them.

My stuff moves enough..." On learning at each level : "... when I first got drafted, the M.O. from all of these guys was to throw strikes and be competitive with every pitch. I took that with me, and then AA, it was competing and making sure you weren't falling behind counts- trying to always be in plus counts, like 0-1, 0-2. And then AAA, it was OK, we're facing major league caliber hitters. How do we sequence, when do we throw each pitch, what not to throw in different counts. Really learning how to pitch and how to be a professional..." On what he is working on : "I would say two-seam command, in general. Last year I struggled when I would get tired, I would lose the feel for it..."

GET TO KNOW 'EM: Drafted by the Cardinals in the 5th round of the 2019 Draft out of Georgia Tech... Set school record with 1.55 BB/9 over his career and did not walk more than two batters in any of his 2019 starts... Made first college pitching appearance at Truist Park in Atlanta against Georgia.

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics



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