PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (12-4) at Iowa Cubs (4-9)

Published on April 21, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (12-4) at Iowa Cubs (4-9)

Saturday, April 21 - 7:08 p.m. (CT) - Principal Park (11,000) - Des Moines, Iowa

Game #17 - Road Game #10 (6-3)

RHP John Gant (2-0, 1.42 ERA) vs. Duane Underwood Jr. (0-1, 2.25 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds will head to Iowa for the final three games of the seven-game road trip. The 'Birds are coming off their first series-split of the season after dropping the series finale to Omaha last night 5-0. Memphis won its first three series of the season before the Omaha series. The 'Birds and I-Cubs faced off last week, with Memphis taking three of four from the I-Cubs. Today's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander John Gant will get the ball for the 'Birds tonight. Gant has been dominant this season, going 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA through three starts on the year. Gant faced Iowa in his last start, lasting 6.0 innings, allowing just three hits and two runs from two solo home runs. Memphis ended up dropping that game after the bullpen allowed seven runs in the last two innings. So far this season, Gant is 10th in the PCL in ERA, and fifth in innings pitched at 19.0.

Right-hander Duane Underwood Jr. will get the ball for the I-Cubs tonight. Underwood faced the 'Birds in the series last week, and pitched well. The righty tossed 5.0 innings, allowing just five hits and two runs, both of which were unearned, while striking out six en route to the loss.

HISTORY WITH IOWA: The Redbirds and Iowa Cubs have played each other every year dating back to 1998. The Redbirds hold the advantage against Iowa with an all-time record of 156-134 against the Cubs. Memphis has dominated the I-Cubs at home, boasting a 95-51 record, but has struggled on the road. Iowa owns the advantage at 83-61 at Principal Park. The two teams met last week, with the 'Birds taking the series 3-to-1. In that series, Memphis slugged the ball, hitting a collective .326 against Iowa pitching, compared to just .250 for Iowa bats. The 'Birds also hold the pitching advantage so far this season, with a team ERA of 4.25, compared to 5.45 for Iowa.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Six stolen bases is tied with Mercado for PCL lead; stole three bases in the third game of his Triple-A career

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: Six stolen bases is tied with Arozarena for PCL lead; currently on a seven-game hitting streak (.444, 12-27)

MUNOZ: Joins the team after spending the first three weeks of the season with St. Louis

RAVELO: Second season in organization and with team; helped lead Memphis to PCL Pennant in 2017

SCHROCK: Ranks second in the PCL in hits and eighth in batting average

TOVAR: Second season with Memphis; has hits in seven games this season

VOIT: Played in the first game of the season before going on the Disabled List; Redbirds went 9-3 in absence

WISDOM: Reigning PCL Playoffs MVP; hit career-high 31 home runs for Memphis last season

BY THE NUMBERS

10-1 record for Memphis starting pitchers this season with 10 quality starts and a 2.47 ERA

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The defending Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds' bats went cold last night as they managed just three hits in a 5-0 loss.

Daniel Poncedeleon pitched well for Memphis, throwing six innings, allowing seven hits and two runs, only one earned, while walking one and striking out four. It was his first quality start of the season.

Memphis' bats were frigid throughout the entire game, with only Carson Kelly, Patrick Wisdom, and Wilfredo Tovar managing hits against the Omaha pitching.

The game was close until the seventh and eighth inning when Omaha snagged three more runs off Memphis reliever Arturo Reyes, opening the game and putting it out of reach.

BEST START IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: The Redbirds have been on fire to start the 2018 season. After the Omaha series, the 'Birds have moved to 12-4 through 16 games. With its doubleheader sweep earlier in the series, Memphis moved past the 2000 team that started 10-4 for the best start in franchise history. So far, the team has dominated in all aspects of the game. Offensively, they have outscored opponents 91-to-54. The club is hitting .293, has hit 15 home runs, 26 doubles, and two triples, while collecting 50 walks. They also have a collective OBP of .361 and an OPS of .792. The pitching staff has gotten off to a hot start, as well. The staff has a collective ERA of 3.18, have allowed just nine home runs, have struck out 125 batters, have a WHIP of 1.28, and are holding opposing hitters to a .241 average.

STARTING STRONG: Starting pitcher Daniel Poncedeleon has been a force on the mound to start the 2018 season. After his six inning performance last night, he lowered his ERA to 1.06 for the season, good for fifth in the PCL. Despite taking the loss last night, Poncedeleon recorded his first quality start of the year after allowing just one earned run through six innings. Poncedeleon's name is all over the PCL leaders list, as well. He is fifth in ERA, fourth in strikeouts with 21, and second in highest strikeouts per nine innings pitched ratio at 11.81.

LIGHTS-OUT STARTERS: The starting rotation for the Redbirds this season has been outstanding. The starters have a combined record of 10-1, have struck out 76 batters, have allowed just 25 earned runs, surrendered only four homers and 31 walks, all combining for a 2.47 ERA. Through 16 games this season, Memphis starters have twirled 10 quality starters, two more than El Paso has this season. Memphis, El Paso, and Fresno are the only PCL teams with at least five quality starts.

ICY BATS: Last night, the 'Birds managed just three hits off Omaha's pitching. Carson Kelly, Patrick Wisdom, and Wilfredo Tovar were the only 'Birds with hits. It was the first time since June 16 last year that the 'Birds did not record at least four hits.

MAD MAX: Infielder Max Schrock has been nothing short of consistent in his first season at the Triple-A level. In 14 games, 13 of them starts, so far this season, Schrock is hitting .390 (23-for-59), has scored 11 runs, has two doubles, one homer, eight RBI, and two walks, while striking out just three times. He currently is second in the PCL with 23 hits, and he is also second in total plate appearances per strikeout ratio at 20.67. Schrock also comes into tonight's game with the fifth-best batting average in the PCL at .390. Schrock has been a force on defense, as well. Despite making his first error of the season Tuesday night, the infielder has made just seven errors in his last 118 games dating back to the beginning of the 2017 season.

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 15-of-16 games, starting 14 of them, and is hitting .300 with four doubles, two home runs, nine RBI, and has swiped two bases. Garcia is hitting .296 (8-for-27) 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 53 career-regular season games at the Triple-A level, Garcia is hitting .301 (56-for-186) with 30 runs scored, 15 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 19 RBI, 12 walks and 42 strikeouts.

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 six appearances, spanning 9.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run, while striking out 13 and holding batters to a .074 (2-for-27) average. Guilmet leads the PCL with four saves, leads with six games finished, and is tied for the league in fewest baserunners per nine innings at 3.00.

FLASHIN' THE WHEELS AND POP: Outfielder and Cardinals' No. 13 prospect Oscar Mercado has gotten off to a hot start this season. Through the first 13 games of his Triple-A career, Mercado is hitting .347 (17-for-49). He has also recorded a hit in his last eight of the last nine games. Mercado has crushed two home runs in the last week, and has also continued his dominance on the base paths. A three-time stolen base leader, he has gotten off to a quick start this season. After stealing two bases Tuesday night, he has six steals on the season, second in the PCL with teammate Randy Arozarena.

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 14 of the first 16 games, they have also proved that they can put runs on the board by dominating on the base paths. Last Saturday, they stole five bases as a team for the first time since June 13, 2016 at Nashville. The 'Birds have now stolen 20 bases as a team through the first 15 games of the season, and have been caught just eight times, good for a .714 stolen base percentage. The 20 stolen bases lead the PCL, three ahead of Colorado Springs. Memphis is one of 11 PCL teams with at least 10 stolen bases, and among those teams, they are seventh in stolen base percentage (.760) behind New Orleans, Colorado Springs, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Reno, and Nashville. Last season, Memphis did not record their 20th stolen base until the 52nd game on May 29.

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 3.18 ERA through the first 16 games, including a 2.47 ERA and 10 quality starts from the starting rotation. The 3.18 team ERA is fourth in the PCL behind Nashville (2.34), Oklahoma City (2.78), and Colorado Springs (3.11).

CAN'T STOP HITTING: Before his promotion to St. Louis for his Major League debut, outfielder and No. 4 Cardinals' prospect Tyler O'Neill was on a tear to start the season. O'Neill played in 12 of 13 games for Memphis this season, and had hit safely in 10-straight before Tuesday night. Since the season-opener, O'Neill hit .432 (19-for-44) in those 11 games. O'Neill was tied for the PCL lead in home runs (6) and lead in RBI (18), total bases (41), and was tied for third with nine extra-base hits. The slugging outfielder was also tied for fourth in hits (19) and tied for fifth in runs scored (13), second in slugging percentage (.837), and third in home runs per at-bat ratio (1/8.17).

WINNING WAYS: 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 12-4, and have surpassed the 2000 and 2001 clubs with the best 16-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. 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.

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 .656. Clapp's regular season record now sits at 103-54.

2017 PCL CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

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.

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)

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 21, 2018


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.

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