PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (18-17) vs Nashville Sounds (12-22)

May 11, 2019 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (18-17) vs Nashville Sounds (12-22)

Saturday, May 11

- 6:35 p.m. (CT)

- AutoZone Park (10,000)

- Memphis, Tennessee

Game #36

- Home Game #16 (7-8)

RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (2-1, 3.25) vs RHP Phillips Valdez (0-3, 3.60)

BY THE NUMBERS

38 Number of runs scored by the Redbirds in their first four games against the Sounds this season. Twenty-one of those runs were scored during the second inning.

14 Home runs by the Redbirds through 10 games in May. The franchise record for the month is 38, held by the 1999 team.

THE GAME

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds open up a four-game series against the Nashville Sounds tonight in the final set of this eight-game homestand. The two teams met earlier this month in the Music City and split a four-game series. Tonight's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon is scheduled to take the mound in tonight's series opener and make his third home start and sixth start overall. Ponce de Leon's last outing came on Sunday at Nashville, where he took no-decision (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO) in the Redbirds' 6-5 defeat to the Sounds. In three starts against the Sounds in 2018, Ponce de Leon went 1-1, 2.98 (5 ER/15.1 IP) to go along with 21 strikeouts. In back-to-back starts against the Sounds last season, Ponce de Leon allowed just three hits over 11.0 innings, striking out 14 while only issuing five walks. In his last start at First Tennessee Park, the 27-year-old tossed a gem, twirling 6.0 innings of one-run ball on two hits and fanning eight. He has won eight of his last 11 decisions at the Triple-A level. The Anaheim, Calif., native made one Major League start this season on April 23, taking no-decision (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR) in the Cardinals' 4-3 win over the Brewers.

The Sounds are scheduled to start right-hander Phillips Valdez to open this series. The 27-year-old is scheduled to make his seventh start of the season and his eighth appearance overall. In his last time out on Monday vs. Memphis in the series finale between the two clubs, Valdez took no-decision (6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) in the Sounds' 6-5 victory over the Redbirds. It was the first quality start of the season for Valdez and his first such outing since Aug. 31, 2018. Valdez has completed at least 5.0 innings just twice and has two starts of 3.0 innings or fewer. Valdez split 2018 between Triple-A Syracuse and Double-A Harrisburg, going a combined 6-7, 2.73 (41 ER/135.0 IP). The San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, native is in his tenth professional season and his first with the Texas organization. He has also spent time at various levels with the Washington and Cleveland organizations.

HISTORY WITH NASHVILLE: Memphis has faced off against Nashville every year since 1998 and trail 158-178 in the all-time series. In those 21 seasons, the Redbirds have a winning record against the Sounds in just six seasons, the most recent coming in 2017. This year marks the first that the Sounds are the Rangers' top-affiliate, after spending the last four seasons as the Athletics' Triple-A club. The Redbirds went 8-8 against the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate (Round Rock) in 2018 and a dominant 14-2 in 2017. Their overall record against the Texas Triple-A affiliate is 156-175.

Memphis a winning record at AutoZone Park in just three seasons against the Sounds, the most recent coming in 2014 (5-3). Prior to that year, the last time the Redbirds had a winning record here in downtown Memphis against their in-state rivals was in 2005 (6-2).

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds (18-17) fell behind 7-0 to the Iowa Cubs (Cubs) Friday night at AutoZone Park, and despite scoring the next four runs came up short in the series finale, 7-4.

The first-place Cubs (24-11) picked up their 10th win in their last 11 games.

Genesis Cabrera struck out nine in 6.0 innings in a start, but he was hampered by allowing three first-inning runs and four more in the third. But after that, the left-hander kept the Cubs scoreless for his final 3.0 innings of work and retired eight of the final nine men he faced.

Memphis got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, as Drew Robinson picked up an RBI single before Tyler O'Neill added a two-run base hit of his own to make the score 7-3.

Carlos Martinez followed Cabrera out of the bullpen with his second injury rehabilitation appearance in Memphis, and he got two strikeouts in a quick seventh inning. He tossed nine-of-11 pitches for strikes.

Memphis got its fourth run in the bottom of the eighth, with pinch-hitter Adolis Garcia walking, moving to third on a Ramon Urias single, and scoring when Lane Thomas reached on an error on a ground ball to the right side.

After Martinez' outing, Chris Ellis and Chris Beck worked the last two innings in scoreless fashion to help the Redbirds keep Iowa at bay and set up the potential comeback.

But Memphis went down in order in the bottom of the ninth to seal the ballgame.

Six different Redbirds had one of the team's six hits in the game.

IOWA SERIES WRAP: The Redbirds lost their first series since April 8-11 at San Antonio after the Iowa Cubs took three of four at AutoZone Park. It was the first time that the Cubs won a series against the Redbirds since Aug. 13-16, 2018 and the first time winning a series at this facility since May 25-28, 2012.

Tyler O'Neill and Rangel Ravelo led the way for the Redbirds offensively in the series, with the pair combining to go 10-for-27 (.370) with five runs scored, two home runs and six runs batted in.

Anthony Shew turned in the best start by the Memphis rotation in the series, tossing 6.0 scoreless frames while only allowing one hit and striking out eight in the series opener.

SHEW SHINES: In his first two career Triple-A starts, Anthony Shew has not allowed a run in 11.2 innings and has allowed just four hits in 39 at-bats (.103). In Wednesday's series opener, Shew delivered his first quality start at the Triple-A level, tossing 6.0 scoreless frames and allowing a season-low one hit while fanning a season-high eight. The Bookings, Ore., native has not allowed a run in 17.2 innings across all levels and has allowed one earned run or fewer in all seven of his outings in 2019 overall.

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 Monday's contest and ranks T-3rd on the team with three home runs in four games. In Wednesday's series opener against Iowa, O'Neill collected his first three-hit game of the season. The 23-year-old led the Redbirds in 2018 with 26 HR and six multi-HR games.

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: In their series opener against Nashville on May 2, 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 April 20 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 seven starts of the season, Gomber is 4-0, 2.82 (12 ER/38.1 IP) to go along with 44 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-31 (.484) with three doubles, a home run and 17 RBI. With runners in scoring position and two outs, Sosa leads the team with a .643 average (9x14) and nine RBI.

Sosa has the second-highest batting average in the Pacific Coast League with runners in scoring position (min. 31 AB).

On May 2 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 64 doubles, nine triples and 42 home runs. Adolis Garcia holds the team lead with 15 extra-base hits with for four doubles, two triples and nine home runs.

After 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 23 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 21 of 26 contests. His 34 hits and nine doubles are most among the current Redbirds roster.

In Sosa's first 25 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 ranks 3rd on the team with a .314 batting average and 2nd with 18 RBI.

Not to be out-done, Andrew Knizner also has nine multi-hit games. Knizner had his season-high eight-game hitting streak come to an end April 30, but has hits in 19 of 24 games. He ranks 2nd on the team with a .322 batting average.

The trio has combined for 95 hits, which accounts for 30.4 percent of all the Redbirds hits this season, 46 runs (22.8 percent), 31 extra-base hits and 46 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 8th in the Pacific Coast League with 135 walks through 35 games. John Nogowski holds the team lead by drawing 24 free passes, which also ranks T-3rd in the PCL.

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.

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from May 11, 2019


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