Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (10-2) at Omaha Storm Chasers (2-9)
Published on April 17, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release
Memphis Redbirds (10-2) At Omaha Storm Chasers (2-9)
Tuesday, April 17 - 6:35 p.m. (CT) - Werner Park (9,023) - Omaha, Nebraska
Game #13 - Road Game #6 (4-1)
LHP Austin Gomber (1-0, 4.22 ERA) vs. LHP Jonathan Dziedzic (0-1, 1.64)
THE GAME
TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds hit the road for their second road trip of the season. The first stop on the seven-game trip will be against the Omaha Storm Chasers. The Redbirds and Storm Chasers faced off just a few days ago during Memphis' homestand. The 'Birds swept the series 3-0. With their win yesterday, the Redbirds have moved into a tie with the 2000 and 2001 teams for the best 12-game start in franchise history. Today's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.
ON THE HILL: Left-hander Austin Gomber will get the ball for the 'Birds tonight. Gomber is coming off his first Triple-A win last week against Omaha. The lanky lefty pitched 6.2 innings of two-run ball against the Storm Chasers on April 12. He allowed just six hits and two walks while striking out four on the evening. Gomber has dominated at every level in his young career, and coming into the game, opponents are hitting just .222 against him in his career.
The Storm Chasers are scheduled to send lefty Jonathan Dziedzic to the mound to face Gomber. The two dueled last week, with Gomber coming out on top. Dziedzic pitched 6.0 innings in that game, allowing seven hits and four runs, only two of which were earned, en route to the loss.
HISTORY WITH OMAHA: The Redbirds and Storm Chasers have played each other every year dating back to 1998. The Redbirds hold the advantage against Omaha with an all-time record of 153-135 against the Storm Chasers. Memphis also holds the upper-hand on the road, with a slight two-game advantage in the all-time series record at 72-70. After sweeping the Storm Chasers in three games last week, the 'Birds have now won seven-straight against Omaha coming into tonight's game. So far against the Storm Chasers this year, Memphis is hitting .247 against Omaha pitching compared to .218 for Omaha. Memphis also holds the pitching advantage, boasting a 2.00 ERA compared to a 4.88 ERA for Omaha pitching.
BIRD BITES
AROZARENA: Stole three bases in the third game of his Triple-A career, and stole two Saturday night
BARON: Joins St. Louis organization after spending entire career in Seattle organization
GARCIA: Is hitting .313 in 52-career Triple-A games with 15 doubles, three triples, and four home runs
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: Hitting .432 in 11 games this season with two doubles, one triple, six home runs and 18 RBI
RAVELO: Second season in organization and with team. Helped lead Memphis to PCL Pennant in 2017
SCHROCK: Hit home run in first game of Triple-A career, a three-run shot in the sixth inning
TOVAR: Second season with Memphis. Has played in nine MLB games with St. Louis and the New York Mets
URIAS: Is making Triple-A debut after spending last five years in the Mexican League
WISDOM: Reigning PCL Playoffs MVP. Hit career-high 31 home runs for Memphis last season
BY THE NUMBERS
10-2 record through first 12 games is tied with 2000 and 2001 teams for best 12-game start in franchise history
THE SEASON
ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The defending Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds' smashed three home runs to push them past the Iowa Cubs 7-4 yesterday. The win secured a third-straight series victory to start the 2018 season.
Dakota Hudson had his best start of the season, lasting 6.0 innings, allowing seven hits, two earned runs, and one walk, while striking out four batters.
After Iowa snatched a run in the first, Oscar Mercado crushed a leadoff homer to left to tie the game, and two batters later Tyler O'Neill crushed a two-run homer to give the 'Birds the lead.
O'Neill followed that home run with another two-run shot in the third inning to give him two on the day, and six on the year. Max Schrock also continued to hit the ball well, notching three hits and an RBI. Preston Guilmet closed out the game for Memphis, notching his PCL-leading fourth save of the season.
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)
BEST START IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: The Redbirds have been on fire to start the 2018 season. With the win yesterday, Memphis tied the 2000 and 2001 Redbird teams at 10-2 for the best 12-game start in franchise history. With a win tonight, they would move into sole possession of the best 13-game start in franchise history. So far, the team has dominated in all aspects of the game. Offensively, they have outscored opponents 80-to-42. The club is hitting .310, has hit 13 home runs, 24 doubles, and two triples, while collecting 38 walks. They also have a collective OBP of .375 and an OPS of .845. The pitching staff has gotten off to a hot start, as well. The staff has a collective ERA of 3.36, have allowed just nine home runs, have struck out 99 batters, have a WHIP of 1.24, and are holding opposing hitters to a .239 average.
SHOW SOME MUSCLE: Slugging outfielder and No. 4 Cardinals' prospect, Tyler O'Neill has played in 11 of 12 games this season, and has hit safely in the last 10. O'Neill has been on a tear since the season-opener, hitting .487 (19-for-39) in those 10 games. After his second-two home run game of the season yesterday, O'Neill is now hitting .432 (19-for-44) in 11 games, has scored 13 runs, has hit two doubles and one triple, has slugged four home runs, knocked in 18 runs, and has struck out just 10 times. O'Neill now leads the league in home runs (6), RBI (18), total bases (41), and is tied for the league-lead with nine extra-base hits. The slugging outfielder also tied for second in hits (19), behind only teammate Max Schrock (20), is second in runs scored (13), second in slugging percentage (.932), third in home runs per at-bat ratio (1/7.33), and is tied for fourth in batting average (.432).
O'Neill's 10-game hitting streak is also tied for the third-best streak in his career. In Seattle's system in 2016, O'Neill had three separate 10-game hitting streaks (4/7-4/18, 6/13-6/24, 7/22-/8/2), and a 14-game hitting streak from 4/23-5/11. His second-best career hitting streak was 11 games from 5/1/15-5/15/15.
MAD MAX: Infielder Max Schrock has been nothing short of consistent in his first season at the Triple-A level. In 11 games so far this season, Schrock is hitting .408 (20-for-49), has scored 11 runs, has two doubles, one homer, eight RBI, and two walks, while striking out just three times. He currently leads the PCL with 20 hits, one ahead of teammate Tyler O'Neill. He is also tied for fourth in total at-bats (49), and is fourth in total plate appearances per strikeout ratio at 17.33. Schrock has also been a force on defense. He has yet to make an error this season, and has made just six errors in his last 117 games dating back to the beginning of the 2017 season.
HUDSON ON THE BALL: Pitcher Dakota Hudson turned in his best start of the year yesterday to grab another win and start the season 3-0. After allowing a run in the first inning, Hudson shut down the I-Cubs, not allowing another run until the fifth inning. Hudson pitched a season-high six innings, allowing seven hits and one walk, while striking out four batters. His three wins is tied for the PCL lead.
SPEED AND POWER: Outfielder and Cardinals' No. 13 prospect Oscar Mercado has gotten off to a hot start this season. Through the first 10 games of his Triple-A career, Mercado is hitting .341 (14-for-41). He has also recorded a hit in his last six games and is hitting .435 (10-for-23) over that stretch. Mercado has crushed two home runs in the lasts two games, including a leadoff home run in yesterday's game. and teammate Max Schrock are tied for second in the PCL with four stolen bases, and are second behind teammate Randy Arozarena who has six.
GIVE ME GUILMET: After spending the 2017 season in Japan, trying to get his stuff back, reliever Preston Guilmet is turning heads out of the Memphis bullpen. The veteran righty has been manager Stubby Clapp's most reliable arm out of the 'pen. So far, he has made five appearances, spanning 8.2 innings, allowing just two hits and one run, while striking out 12 and holding batters to a .077 (2-for-26) average. Guilmet leads the PCL with four saves, is tied for the lead with five games finished, leads the league in fewest baserunners per nine innings at 3.12, and is in fifth in fewest walks per nine innings at 1.04.
PITCHING PROWESS: 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. They have gotten off to a hot start this season, as well. Memphis boasts a 3.36 ERA through the first 12 games, including a 2.61 ERA and seven quality starts from the starting rotation. The 3.36 team ERA is fourth in the PCL behind Nashville (2.51), Oklahoma City (2.60), and Colorado Springs (3.22).
BLINK AND YOU MIGHT MISS THEM: While the Redbirds have proved they can smash the baseball, starting the season by notching at least one extra-base hit in the first 11 of the first 12 games, they have also proved that they can put runs on the board by dominating on the base paths. On Saturday, they stole five bases as a team for the first time since June 13, 2016 at Nashville. In addition, the 'Birds have now stolen 16 bases as a team through the first 11 games of the season, and have been caught just five times, good for a .762 stolen base percentage. The 16 stolen bases are tied with Colorado Springs for the PCL lead. Memphis is one of seven PCL teams with at least 10 stolen bases, and among those teams, they are third in stolen base percentage behind Colorado Springs (.842, 16-19) and Salt Lake (.786, 11-14) Last season, Memphis did not record their 16th stolen base of the year until the 47th game on May 24 at Sacramento.
GARCIA'S GAME: Outfielder and No. 9 prospect in the organization, Adolis Garcia has proven he's a hitter at every level, and has been dominating this season with the Redbirds. So far, Garcia has played in all 12 games, starting 11 of them, and is hitting .350 with four doubles, a home run, seven RBI, and has swiped two bases. Garcia is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with runners on so far, and is hitting .571 (4-for-7, 2 2B, 4 RBI) with runners on with two outs and .750 (3-for-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI) with runners in scoring position with two outs. In his 52 career-regular season games at the Triple-A level, Garcia is hitting .313 (55-for-176) with 29 runs scored, 15 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 17 RBI, 11 walks and 41 strikeouts.
SIGNS OF LIFE IN THE FIRST: In the 2017 season, the Redbirds dominated the competition in the first inning, outscoring them 118-to-51. After scoring three runs in the first inning yesterday, thanks to home runs from Oscar Mercado and Tyler O'Neill, Memphis has now scored as many runs (5) in the first inning as they have allowed. Yesterday, the 'Birds rattled off three-straight extra-base hits to start the game. Mercado led-off the game with a home run, Max Schrock followed with a double, and Tyler O'Neill hit his first of two homers on the day to give Memphis the lead.
ALL THEY DO IS 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. The 'Birds have continued their winning ways to begin the 2018 season. They have started 10-2, and have matched the 2000 and 2001 clubs with the best 12-game start in franchise history at 10-2. With a win tonight, they would move into sole possession of the best 13-game start in franchise history.
Last season, Memphis 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.
MEMPHIS PLAYERS AND COACHES
FASTEST TO 100: With the win Saturday night, second-year manager Stubby Clapp secured his 100th regular season win as manager of the Redbirds. The accomplishment made him the fastest manager in Redbird history to reach 100 games. He also sits at sixth on the all-time win list for the Redbirds and has the best winning percentage at .660. Clapp's regular season record now sits at 101-52.
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.
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 17, 2018
- 14 Ks Drop I-Cubs - Iowa Cubs
- Winning Streak Hits Four Games as Sounds Win in Iowa - Nashville Sounds
- Baby Cakes Snap Seven-Game Slide - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Sky Sox Begin Road Trip with 4-2 Loss in New Orleans - Colorado Springs Sky Sox
- Redbirds Lose on Walk-Off Walk in 10th - Memphis Redbirds
- Nashville Sounds Game Information: Nashville Sounds (6-6) at Iowa Cubs (3-7) - Nashville Sounds
- Baby Cakes Activate Giavotella - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 17, 2018 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Reno Aces Game Notes vs. El Paso - Reno Aces
- Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (10-2) at Omaha Storm Chasers (2-9) - Memphis Redbirds
- Fresno Grizzlies Partner with Poverello House for Food Donation - Fresno Grizzlies
- Ramos Delivers 8-7 Walk-Off Win for Dodgers - Oklahoma City Comets
- 'Cakes Lose on Another Walk-Off, 8-7 in OKC - New Orleans Baby Cakes
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
