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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (17-14) vs Iowa Cubs (21-10)

May 7, 2019 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (17-14) vs Iowa Cubs (21-10)

Tuesday, May 7 - 6:35 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #32 - Home Game #12 (6-5)

RHP Anthony Shew (1-0, 0.00) vs RHP Alec Mills (0-0, 8.38)

BY THE NUMBERS

14-2 The Redbirds' record against the Cubs in 2018. The 'Birds went 6-2 at AutoZone Park and 8-0 on the road at Principal Park.

5 Runs driven in by Tyler O'Neill in his first three games at Memphis this season. He also hit a trio of two-run homers against the Sounds last series.

THE GAME

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds open up a four-game series against the American Northern division leading Iowa Cubs tonight to begin an eight-game homestand. This is the Redbirds first home game since April 22 and first game against the Cubs this season. Tonight's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Anthony Shew is scheduled to take the mound in tonight's game and make his second Triple-A start and seventh start overall this season across all levels. In his Triple-A debut on Tuesday at New Orleans, She earned the win after tossing 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out three. Shew was transferred from Double-A Springfield on April where he went 1-2, 1.93 (6 ER/28.0 IP) over five starts. Shew has three quality starts, including quality starts in his last two Double-A outings. Overall, has allowed three runs or fewer in every start, including one earned run or less in five. The 25-year-old has fanned 31 and has issued just seven walks in 33.2 innings. Despite allowing a .284 average (21x74) with the bases empty, Shew locks down with runners on and has stymied opposing hitters to the tune of a .173 average (9x52). The University of San Francisco product split time between Double-A Springfield and Advanced-A Palm Beach, going 10-9, 3.85 (67 ER/156.2 IP) in 27 G/GS. The Bookings, Ore., native is in his fourth professional season, spending all of them with the St. Louis organization.

The Cubs are scheduled to start right-hander Mills to open up this series. The 24-year-old is scheduled to make his third start of the season and his fourth appearance overall. In his last time out on Thursday vs. San Antonio, Mills took no-decisoin (3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R/ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR) in the Cubs' 8-6 victory over the Missions. Mills has not pitched into the fifth inning in either of his starts and has allowed at least five hits in each appearance, yielding an opponents average of .432 (19x44). Mills spent the bulk of 2018 at Triple-A Iowa, going 5-12, 4.84 (67 ER/142.2 IP). He appeared in seven games and made two starts at the Major League level for the Cubs, going 0-1, 4.00 (8 ER/18.0 IP). The Clarksville, Tenn., native is in his eighth professional season and his third with the Chicago organization. He spent his first five professional seasons with the Kansas City organization.

HISTORY WITH IOWA: Memphis has faced off against Iowa every year since 1998 and lead 167-135 in the all-time series. In those 21 seasons, the Redbirds have a winning record against the Sounds in 11 seasons and have a losing record in just one season (2015) since 2013. The Redbirds posted their best record against the Cubs last season, going 14-2 overall, 6-2 at AutoZone Park and a whopping 8-0 on the road at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa.

Memphis has winning records here in downtown Memphis in 17 seasons and has lost two home games each year to the Cubs since 2016. They have not had a losing record at home to the Cubs since 2012. Overall, they lead the series in the Bluff City with a 98-52 advantage.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds (17-14) led 5-2 at the seventh-inning stretch, but the Nashville Sounds (Rangers) scored four times in the home-half of the seventh and polished off a 6-5 win over the Redbirds Monday night in Nashville, Tenn.

Tyler O'Neill homered for the third time in three games, and Daniel Ponce de Leon worked 5.0 innings on the mound and gave up just one earned run on four hits. He struck out six and walked four.

After Nashville (10-21) scored a run in the bottom of the first, Memphis took a 3-1 lead in the fourth on a Lane Thomas run-scoring single and a two-run double by Max Schrock.

The club added to its lead in the seventh with O'Neill's long ball to make the score 5-2, but Tommy Layne and Jesus Cruz were touched for four runs in the bottom of the inning as the Sounds regained a 6-5 advantage.

The Redbirds had a runner erased trying to steal to end the top of the eighth and then had the potential tying run on second in the top of the ninth, but O'Neill struck out to end the ballgame.

Despite the loss, Memphis went 8-5 on its longest road trip since 2015.

O'NEILL RETURNS: In his first Triple-A appearance of the season on Sunday, Tyler O'Neill launched two, two-run home runs in the first game of the doubleheader. It was his first multi-HR game of the year and was the second Redbird to homer twice in a game this season. O'Neill blasted another two-run shot in last night's contest to move him into T-2nd on the team with three home runs in three games. The 23-year-old led the Redbirds in 2018 with 26 HR and six multi-HR games.

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: In Friday night's series opener against Nashville, the Memphis Redbirds set numerous season-highs, and matched a couple of franchise records in their 17-2 rout of the Sounds. The 24 hits matched a franchise record and was also the most hits in a Pacific Coast League game this season. Their 10 hits in the second inning matched a franchise record for most in a single frame. The 'Birds set season-highs in, runs, hits and total bases and matched a season-high with eight extra-base hits.

APRIL RECAP: The Redbirds finished April with a 13-12 record, going 6-5 at AutoZone Park and 7-7 on the road. Since 2017, the Redbirds have posted a losing record in a month just once, August 2018, going 13-16 overall, 8-10 at home and 5-6 away. That is also the only time during that span that the 'Birds had losing records at home or away.

The 28 home runs slugged by the Redbirds ranks T-3rd for home runs in April, matching the 2014 team in that category. They fell just one home run shy of matching the 2017 Redbirds for 2nd most home runs in April. The franchise record is 34, held by the 2000 club.

MR. APRIL: On April 22, LHP Austin Gomber was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for April 15-21 following his complete-game shutout on Saturday in the second game of the doubleheader against Round Rock. Gomber allowed just three hits in his outing and faced the minimum over the final five innings. In his first five starts of the season, Gomber is 3-0, 2.54 (8 ER/28.1 IP) to go along with 30 strikeouts.

In April 2018, Gomber also won PCL Pitcher of the Week for April 23-29 and was also named Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month as well. In his last two Aprils, Gomber is 5-0, 2.50 (15 ER/54.0 IP) in nine starts and has held opponents to a .214 batting average (41x192).

CLUTCH HITTING: Edmundo Sosa delivered the Redbirds first walk-off victory of the season on April 21 vs. Round Rock with his two-run shot in the 10th. With runners in scoring position, Sosa is 15-for-30 (.500) with three doubles, a home run and 16 RBI. With runners in scoring position and two outs, Sosa ranks 2nd on the team with a .643 average (9x14) and leads the team nine RBI.

Sosa has the second-highest batting average in the Pacific Coast League with runners in scoring position (min. 30 AB).

In Friday's contest against Nashville, Sosa set a career-high with five RBI, four of which came with two outs.

EXTRA! EXTRA!: The Redbirds have recorded at least one extra-base hit in every game this season, collecting 62 doubles, eight triples and 36 home runs. Tommy Edman and Adolis Garcia share the team lead with 14 extra-base hits, combining for 13 doubles, four triples and 11 home runs.

After Adolis Garcia's home run Thursday, the Redbirds 27-game run of having at least one extra-base hit surpassed the 2018 Redbirds mark of 26 consecutive games with at least one extra-base hit.

TRIPLE THREAT: Through his first 22 starts of the season, Tommy Edman has nine multi-hit games, including five, three-hit performances, April 12 at San Antonio, April 13 at Round Rock, April 17 vs. San Antonio, April 26 at Omaha and last night at Nashville. His team-high 10-game hitting streak came to end on April 21, but he has reached safely in 20 of 24 contests. His 33 hits and nine doubles are most among the current Redbirds roster.

In Sosa's first 22 starts, he has matched Edman's multi-hit game total (9) and has three-hit performances on April 15 at Round Rock, April 17 vs. San Antonio and Friday at Nashville. Sosa leads the team with a .337 batting average and ranks T-2nd with 17 RBI.

Not to be out-done, Andrew Knizner also has eight multi-hit gmaes. Knizner had his season-high eight-game hitting streak come to an end Tuesday, but has hits in 17 of 22 games. He ranks 4th on the team with a .317 batting average.

The trio has combined for 90 hits, which accounts for 31.7 percent of all the Redbirds hits this season, 42 runs (23.0 percent), 30 extra-base hits and 44 RBI.

WALKING IN MEMPHIS: After matching a season-high nine walks in the second game of their doubleheader on April 20, the Memphis Redbirds rank T-7th in the Pacific Coast League with 120 walks through 31 games. The Redbirds' .361 on-base percentage also ranks 6th in the PCL. John Nogowski holds the team lead by drawing 22 free passes.

WALK IT OFF: The Redbirds walk-off defeat to the Missions on April 9 was the first time since Aug. 5, 2017 that the Redbirds had lost in such fashion. The following night, it marked the first time since June 23-24, 2014 that the Redbirds had lost consecutive games in the last at-bat of the game. The three walk-off defeats this season have already surpassed last year's total.

CAUGHT IN A STORM: The Redbirds' 11-run defeat on April 8 marked the first time that Redbirds lost by 11 runs or more since June 16, 2018, when the Redbirds fell 13-1 at El Paso. Additionally, Omaha's 12-run second was the first time since May 12, 2016 against the Storm Chasers, that the Redbirds had given up more than 10 runs in an inning.

Elier Hernandez and Nick Dini became the first two opponents to hit back-to-back home runs against the Redbirds since May 8, 2017 and Hernandez became the first player to post a 6 RBI against Memphis since June 9, 2018.

FIRST NO MORE: Following Memphis' defeat on April 6, the Redbirds fell out of first place for the first time since April 28, 2017. It also marked the first time since April 27, 2017 that their record fell below the .500 mark. The Redbirds played the final 120 games of the 2017 season in first place, and played all 140 games of 2018 in first place. They had been in first place for the 708 calendar days, playing 262 regular-season games and 20 playoff games in that span.

The Redbirds entered April 7 in T-3rd place in the division, which marked the first time since April 12, 2016, that they had fallen out of the top two spots in the standings.

WELCOME HOME BEN: Hailing from nearby Germantown, Tenn., new Redbirds manager Ben Johnson earned the first win of his managerial career on April 4 with the 'Birds 9-2 victory over the Storm Chasers. Johnson spent last season at Triple-A Durham (Tampa Bay), as part of a staff that captured the International League title before falling to the Redbirds in the 2018 Triple-A National Championship. The 37-year-old is also the youngest manager in team history, a mark that was previously held by Danny Sheaffer, who was 41 years old when he was named manager on June 10, 2003.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: The Opening Night roster featured 20 players that were not on the roster for Opening Night last season. Of the five returning players (Adolis Garcia, Austin Gomber, Daniel Ponce de Leon, Rangel Ravelo, Max Schrock) only three (Garcia, Ravelo, Schrock) were starters in the 2018 opener against Round Rock at Dell Diamond. Garcia, Gomber and Ponce de Leon all went on to make their big-leauge debuts last season with St. Louis.

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from May 7, 2019


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