Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (0-0) at Round Rock Express (0-0)
Published on April 5, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release
Memphis Redbirds (0-0) At Round Rock Express (0-0)
Thursday, April 5 - 7:05 p.m. (CT) - Dell Diamond (11,631) - Round Rock, Texas
2018 Opening Day - Game #1 - Road Game #1 (0-0)
RHP John Gant (NR) vs. RHP David Ledbetter (NR)
THE GAME
TODAY'S GAME: The defending Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds take on the Round Rock Express in Texas to kick off the 2018 regular season. The Redbirds open the 2018 season in their 21st year as the St. Louis Cardinals' affiliate against the Texas Rangers' Triple-A affiliate for a five-game set at Dell Diamond. The Redbirds have lost just one Opening Day since 2011, which was a 4-3 loss to Colorado Springs in 2016. Last season, Memphis took down New Orleans in 13 innings, 5-4. Today's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.
ON THE HILL: John Gant, will take the mound for the Redbirds on Opening Day. The lanky right-hander spent most of the season with Memphis in 2017, while also appearing in seven games for St. Louis. With the 'Birds last season, Gant was 6-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 18 appearances, all of them being starts. He was durable, tossing 103.1 innings and striking out 99, while only allowing 25 walks. In his brief stint with St. Louis, he went 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA in seven games, two of them being starts. Gant comes into the season with 27 Major League appearances, including nine starts, between St. Louis and Atlanta.
The Redbirds are scheduled to face Round Rock's David Ledbetter. Ledbetter split time with Double-A Frisco and Round Rock in 2017, going a combined 4-8 with a 4.81 ERA in 17 starts and 12 relief appearances. Ledbetter started at AutoZone Park against the Redbirds on July 16, working 6.0 one-hit innings and striking out six while walking four.
HISTORY WITH ROUND ROCK: The Redbirds and Express have played each other every year since 2005, with Memphis holding a slight edge over Round Rock with a 110-95 all-time record. The Redbirds dominated the Express in the 2017 season, going 14-2 against them and outscoring them 99-to-50. Redbirds' pitching held Express bats to just a miniscule .248 batting average, while boasting a 3.17 ERA. Express pitching, meanwhile, struggled against the red-hot Memphis bats, allowing a .322 batting average and a whalloping 6.34 ERA.
BIRD BITES
AROZARENA: Making Triple-A debut after playing 121 games between Palm Beach and Springfield in 2017
BARON: Joins St. Louis organization after spending entire career in Seattle organization
GARCIA: Second stint with Memphis after debuting last season and hitting a dazzling .301 in 40 games
KELLY: Third stint with Memphis. Spent second half of 2017 on St. Louis roster backing up Yadier Molina
MEJIA: Fourth stint with Memphis, appearing with team in each of the last four years. Made MLB debut last season
MERCADO: Making Triple-A debut after hitting .287 in 120 games and stealing 38 bases with Springfield in 2017
O'NEILL: Second stint with Memphis after being traded to the organization last July from Seattle
RAVELO: Second season in organization and with team. Helped lead Memphis to PCL Pennant in 2017
SCHROCK: Will be making Triple-A and organization debut after being traded from Oakland in the offseason
TOVAR: Second season with Memphis. Has played in nine MLB games with St. Louis and the New York Mets
VOIT: Second stint with Memphis. Spent second half of 2017 with St. Louis, hitting .246 with four home runs in 62 games
WISDOM: Reigning PCL Playoffs MVP. Hit career-high 31 home runs for Memphis last season
BY THE NUMBERS
5-1 record for Memphis on Opening Day dating back to 2012
THE SEASON
ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Redbirds dropped the 2017 Triple-A National Championship Game in a close game to the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The defeat brought the club just short of the title after the best season in franchise history. For the third time in franchise history, the Redbirds were crowned champions of the Pacific Coast League after a 3-1 win over El Paso in the decisive Game 5 of the championship series in El Paso.
Dakota Hudson was stellar for the Redbirds in his Championship Game start, going 3.0 innings and allowing just one run, while striking out five. The Redbirds held a 2-1 lead over Durham before the Bulls hit Memphis' bullpen for four runs in the fourth inning. Josh Zeid took the loss for Memphis. Tyler O'Neill and Wilfredo Tovar highlighted the Redbirds' offense, both collecting two hits in the game, but it was not enough to mount a late-innings comeback against Durham.
FOR THE RECORD:
- Memphis' 91 wins in 2017 were the 10th-most in 119 seasons of professional baseball in Memphis dating back to 1877, and the season's .645 winning percentage was fourth-best
- Memphis was one of four teams in MiLB in 2017 with 90+ wins (Trenton Thunder [AA], 92-48; West Michigan Whitecaps [A], 91-45; Chattanooga Lookouts [AA], 91-49; Memphis Redbirds [AAA], 91-50)
- Memphis went 41 games over .500 during the regular season, the most by a PCL club since Albuquerque was 56 games over at 94-38 in 1981
- The Redbirds won the PCL American Southern Division by 22.0 games, and since divisions were established in the PCL in 1963, only two other teams won their division by 20 or more games (1970 Spokane Indians, 26.0 games; 1981 Albuquerque Dukes, 25.0 games)
- Memphis ended the season with its best ERA in franchise history (3.77) (3.89, 1998 and 2003), matched its best fielding percentage (.984) (.984, 2014), and had its third-best batting average (.278) (.284, 1999; .279, 2004)
WHAT'S NEW?: The 2018 Redbirds will have three starters back from last year's Opening Day lineup. Luke Voit, Patrick Wisdom, and Carson Kelly will all be on the roster for tonight's game. Of those three, only Wisdom did not appear on St. Louis' roster at any point in the season. Players in bold appeared with St. Louis last season.
Opening Day (April 6, 2017)
Bader, CF
DeJong, SS
Pham, RF
Voit, 1B
Wisdom, 3B
Kelly, C
Garcia, Anthony, LF
Valera, 2B
Weaver, P
ALL THEY DID WAS WIN, WIN, WIN: The 2017 Redbirds became the winningest club in the franchise's 20 seasons with their 84th win on Aug. 21 against New Orleans. The previous record was 83 wins, set by the 2000 team. At the time the record was set, 17 Redbirds had also played for St. Louis this season, including six making their Major League debuts.
The Redbirds then became the first PCL team since Tucson in 2006 to win 90 games in the regular season with a win at Colorado Springs on Sept. 3. They finished the season with a record of 91-50, and went on to win an additional six games in the PCL playoffs, giving them a total of 97 for the year.
IT'S NOT JUST ERA: Memphis' 2017 pitching staff was one of its main reasons for success. The 'Birds led the PCL in ERA (3.77), which was a franchise record (3.89, 1998 and 2003), and Memphis was the only club in the PCL with a team ERA under 4.20. The Redbirds allowed 4.0 runs per game, issued the fewest walks (366, 2.6 BB/9), and gave up the second-fewest hits (1216, 8.6 per game) in the league. Additionally, Memphis pitchers were second in the league in strikeouts (1121, 8.1 K/9).
MEMPHIS MASHERS: Memphis hit 164 home runs last season, which was the third-most in the PCL and its most since also hitting 164 in 2005. Memphis hit 107 all of last season and 97 in 2015. The Redbirds hit 83 homers at AutoZone Park this season after blasting 51 in The Bluff City all of last year and 49 in 2015. The club record for home runs in a season is 174 (2004). Ten players starting the year with Memphis hit at least one home run with the Redbirds last season. Wisdom (31), Bader (20), Voit (13), and O'Neill (12) led the pack. The ten returning players combined for 115 of the 'Birds 164 dingers in 2017.
STACKED WITH PROSPECTS: The Redbirds open the season with 11 of St. Louis' top-30 prospects. Prospects on the roster are: Jack Flaherty (No. 2), Carson Kelly (No. 3), Tyler O'Neill (No. 4), Dakota Hudson (No. 7), Adolis Garcia (No. 9), Randy Arozarena (No. 11), Oscar Mercado (No. 13), Austin Gomber (No. 14), Luke Voit (No. 16), Max Schrock (No. 19), and Derian Gonzalez (No. 27).
CHAMPS BRINGING BACK THE EXPERIENCE: On the Opening Day roster, the Redbirds will have 20 players who have played at the Triple-A level and 10 who have made their Major League debuts. Carson Kelly, Luke Voit, Alex Mejia, and John Brebbia all spent significant time with St. Louis last season. Also on the team with Major League experience are Jack Flaherty, John Gant, Sean Gilmartin, Preston Guilmet, Edward Mujica, and Wilfredo Tovar.
SPEED DEMONS: No. 11 prospect and No. 13 prospects Randy Arozarena and Oscar Mercado will be making their Triple-A debuts in 2018. The two outfielders are known for their speed, making them a threat with the Redbirds this season. In his first season in the organization last year, Arozarena stole 18 bases, while only being caught six times, between Palm Beach and Springfield. Mercado, now in his sixth season in the organization, has stolen 320 bases across five levels of the organization, inluding a career-high 50 with Peoria in 2015.
CAN'T KEEP HIM DOWN: Right-handed pitcher Daniel Poncedeleon will start the season with Memphis for the second-consecutive year. Poncedeleon will return to the team after being hit in the head by a line drive on May 9 last season at Iowa. The righty was dominant through his first six starts last season, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.17 ERA and 25 strikeouts before his life and career were threatened. Poncedeleon began a throwing program in August, and rejoined the Redbirds as a spectator for the pennant race last season.
BRUH, BREBBIA IS BACK: To start the 2018 season, lock-down reliever John Brebbia will be back with Memphis. In 2017, the righty appeared in 65 games between Memphis and St. Louis, and was dominant. In 14 relief appearances with the Redbirds last season, Brebbia allowed just three earned runs in 23.2 innings, good for a dazzling 1.14 ERA. In his lone spot start for the Redbirds, he went three innings, allowing just two runs, making his season ERA with the 'Birds 1.69. Brebbia was called up to St. Louis for his Major League debut on May 28, and spent the rest of the season with the Cardinals. In 50 relief appearances, the righty allowed just 14 earned runs in 51.2 innings of work, while striking out 51 batters.
STREAKS GALORE: Part of Memphis' success last season was due to long winning streaks. The Redbirds won a franchise-record 11-straight games April 28-May 8, bettering nine-straight wins during the 2000 and 2014 seasons, and then had streaks of seven-straight and nine-straight in July. The 'Birds also won 12-straight home games from July 3-27 and seven-straight road games from May 2-8.
The Redbirds also won or split 27-straight series from April 18-21 at Colorado Springs through Aug. 15-18 versus Nashville (17-0-10).
MEMPHIS PLAYERS AND COACHES
START THE SLOW CLAPP: In 2017, first-year skipper Stubby Clapp led the Redbirds to their best season in franchise history. The 'Birds soared to a 91-50 record in the 2017 regular season and added six more wins in the PCL playoffs to win 97 total games on the year. Clapp was named the 2017 PCL Manager of the Year for his efforts, and was also named the 2017 Baseball America Minor League Manager of the Year. Clapp became the first minor league manager in the history of the St. Louis organization to win the Baseball America award.
Clapp also earned the organization's prestigious George Kissell award, given in honor of developmental excellence.
THE COACHING STAFF: Mark Budaska returns to the coaching staff as the hitting coach. Budaska has held the position since the 2008 season. Pitching Coach Dernier Orozco is set to begin his 13th season in the St. Louis organization, and his first as a Memphis coach. Bench coach Brian Burgamy will round out the staff in his first year in the organization, and his first year in player development.
WISDOM WOWS IN 2017: Returning infielder Patrick Wisdom was an All-PCL Team performer, Memphis' first since Brock Peterson in 2013, thanks in part to a career-high 31 home runs and 89 RBI. The 31 homers ranked fourth in the PCL and were tied for the fifth-most in a season in Redbirds history, and the 89 RBI were tied for the seventh-most in a campaign in franchise history.
Wisdom was also named Most Valuable Player of the PCL Playoffs, highlighted by his decisive two-run home run in Game 5 at El Paso and a diving catch at first base to strand two Chihuahuas on base.
2017 HONOREES: Manager Stubby Clapp was named the 2017 PCL Manager of the Year and the 2017 Baseball America Minor League Manager of the Year. Clapp became the first manager in the history of the St. Louis organization to earn the Baseball America Award. Carson Kelly and Ryan Sherriff represented the Redbirds at the Triple-A All-Star Game in Tacoma, with Luke Weaver selected but unable to play due to a promotion to St. Louis. Jack Flaherty participated in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star festivities in Miami.
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