PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (13-4) at Iowa Cubs (4-10)

Published on April 22, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (13-4) at Iowa Cubs (4-10)

Sunday, April 22 - 1:08 p.m. (CT) - Principal Park (11,000) - Des Moines, Iowa

Game #18 - Road Game #10 (6-3)

RHP Dakota Hudson (3-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Jen-Ho Tseng (0-3, 7.63 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds will take on the Iowa Cubs in game two of the three-game set. Memphis used a four-run first and a two-run eighth to propel themselves over the I-Cubs 8-4. The 'Birds won behind strong pitching and hits from the top eight spots in the lineup to grab the win. 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 Dakota Hudson will take the mound for the 'Birds this afternoon. Hudson has gotten off to a strong start this season. He has a 3-0 record through his first three games, and boasts a 3.86 ERA. Hudson faced the I-Cubs last week, and 6.0 innings of two-run ball en route to the win. In that game, Hudson allowed two earned runs on seven hits and one walk, while striking out four batters on the afternoon.

Right-hander Jen-Ho Tseng will take the mound for Iowa to face the red-hot 'Birds. Tseng, one of Chicago's top prospects, has gotten off to a shaky start this season. In his three starts, he is 0-3 with a 7.63 ERA. Tseng dueled Hudson in the series between the two teams last week. In that game, he surrendered three home runs and six earned runs in 5.0 innings 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 157-134 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 84-61 at Principal Park. The two teams met last week, with the 'Birds taking the series 3-to-1. Between the two teams matchup last week, and last night, Memphis is out-hitting Iowa with a .320 batting average, compared to a .274 average for Iowa. The 'Birds also hold the pitching advantage so far this season, with a team ERA of 4.20, compared to 5.57 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

11-1 record for Memphis starting pitchers this season with 10 quality starts and a 2.63 ERA

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The defending Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds' bats bounced back and struck early and often to propel them to an 8-4 win over Iowa last night.

John Gant got the ball for Memphis last night, and pitched well. Gant tossed 4.2 shutout innings before allowing three runs with two outs in the fifth. He earned the win, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing eight hits, three runs, and three walks, while striking out five batters.

The first four batters of the game reached for the 'Birds to give them an early 4-0 lead. The 'Birds snagged another run in the second, and two in the eighth and one in the ninth to hang on and grab the win.

The Redbirds were led to victory by hits from the top-eight spots in the lineup, and multi-hit games from Max Schrock (2-for-5), Luke Voit (2-for-4), Adolis Garcia (2-for-5), and Patrick Wisdom (2-for-5).

BEST START IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: The Redbirds have been on fire to start the 2018 season. After the series split with Omaha, and the win over Iowa last night, the 'Birds have started 13-4, and 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 99-to-58. The club is hitting .293, has hit 15 home runs, 29 doubles, and two triples, while collecting 52 walks. They also have a collective OBP of .361 and an OPS of .789. The pitching staff has gotten off to a hot start, as well. The staff has a collective ERA of 3.23, have allowed just 10 home runs, have struck out 134 batters, have a WHIP of 1.33, and are holding opposing hitters to a .250 average.

STARTING STRONG: Starting pitcher John Gant has been a force on the mound through his first four starts this season. Last night, Gant pitched 5.0 innings, allowing eight hits, three runs, and three walks, while striking out five to earn the win. Memphis has won all but one of his starts so far this season. Gant is tied for second in the PCL with three wins, and is tied for the lead with 24.0 innings pitched. So far this season, Gant is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four starts spanning 24.0 innings, allowing 22 hits, six earned runs, and nine walks, while striking out 18 batters on the year. Batters are also hitting at just a .244 clip against the righty.

LIGHTS-OUT STARTERS: The starting rotation for the Redbirds this season has been outstanding. The starters have a combined record of 11-1, have struck out 81 batters, have allowed just 28 earned runs, surrendered only five homers and 34 walks, all combining for a 2.63 ERA. Through 17 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.

MAD MAX: Infielder Max Schrock has been nothing short of consistent in his first season at the Triple-A level. In 15 games, 14 of them starts, so far this season, Schrock is hitting .391 (25-for-64), has scored 13 runs, has four doubles, one homer, nine RBI, and two walks, while striking out just three times. He currently is second in the PCL with 25 hits, and he is also second in total plate appearances per strikeout ratio at 22.33. Schrock also comes into this afternoon's game with the fifth-best batting average in the PCL at .391. 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 120 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 16-of-17 games, starting 15 of them, and is hitting .309 with four doubles, two home runs, nine RBI, and has swiped two bases. Garcia is hitting .333 (10-for-30) with runners on so far, and is hitting .500 (4-for-8, 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 54 career-regular season games at the Triple-A level, Garcia is hitting .304 (58-for-191) with 31 runs scored, 15 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 19 RBI, 12 walks and 43 strikeouts.

BREAK OUT THE GOLD MEDALS, THESE GUYS CAN RUN: While the Redbirds have proved they can smash the baseball, starting the season by notching at least one extra-base hit in the first 15 of the first 17 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, and last night, they stole four bases as a team in the eighth inning last night. The 'Birds have now stolen 24 bases as a team through the first 17 games of the season, and have been caught just eight times, good for a .750 stolen base percentage. The 24 stolen bases lead the PCL, seven ahead of Colorado Springs. Memphis is one of 12 PCL teams with at least 10 stolen bases, and among those teams, they are seventh in stolen base percentage (.760) behind Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Colorado Springs, Reno, Nashville, and Omaha. Last season, Memphis did not record their 24th stolen base until the 59th game on June 7.

VOIT'S BACK: Luke Voit played in the first game of the season before being injured, missed 12 games, and has returned for the last three. Voit has played well since his return. After going 2-for-4 last night with a run scored, a walk, and two RBI, he is now hitting .313 on the season. Voit has also provided a strong presence at first base, not making an error yet this season.

FINALLY SOME RUNS IN THE FIRST: After its four-run outburst to start the game last night, Memphis is now outscoring opponents 9-to-6 in the first inning this season. Last season, the 'Birds dominated the competition in the first, outscoring them 118-to-51. So far this season, Memphis is outscoring opponents 99-to-58, but the majority of those runs have come in the second and third, and sixth and seventh innings. Between the second and third innings, Memphis has scored 32 runs, compared to eight from their opponents. Memphis has also scored 27 runs between the sixth and seventh innings, compared to just 11 from the competition.

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 3.23 ERA through the first 16 games, including a 2.63 ERA and 10 quality starts from the starting rotation. The 3.18 team ERA is third in the PCL behind Nashville (2.46), Oklahoma City (2.75), and slightly ahead of Colorado Springs (3.33).

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.

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 the first 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 13-4, and have surpassed the 2000 and 2001 clubs with the best 17-game start in franchise history.

FASTEST TO 100: With a win last week, 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 .658. Clapp's regular season record now sits at 104-54.

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 22, 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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