PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (22-12) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (22-9)

Published on May 10, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (22-12) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (22-9)

Thursday, May 10 - 7:05 p.m. (CT) - Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (13,066) - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Game #35 - Road Game #19 (11-7)

LHP Austin Gomber (2-1, 3.19 ERA) vs. RHP Daniel Corcino (2-0, 2.51 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Oklahoma City Dodgers will play game three of their four-game set at 7:05 p.m. today. The Redbirds and the Dodgers split four games last week in Memphis, with Memphis winning the middle two and Oklahoma City shutting out the Redbirds in games one and four. This series continues a stretch of the clubs playing 12 times in 24 games from April 30-May 24. Memphis and Oklahoma City are two of the four teams in all of Minor League Baseball with 22 wins on the year (Jupiter Hammerheads and San Antonio Missions). Today's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Left-hander and Cardinals' No. 14 prospect Austin Gomber will take the mound tonight for the Redbirds. Gomber is coming off his first loss of the season at Nashville. Gomber lasted 5.1 innings in that outing, allowing six hits, two walks, and four earned runs, while striking out nine batters. This will be Gomber's first-career appearance against Oklahoma City. He was on the St. Louis roster last week when the Dodgers came to Memphis. So far this season, Gomber is 2-1 in five starts, spanning 31.0 innings with a 3.19 ERA. So far this season, opponents are hitting just .237 (27-for-114) against the lefty, while walking just 11 times, and whiffing 36 times. Gomber is currently tied for 11th in the PCL with 36 strikeouts.

The Dodgers are scheduled to send right-hander Daniel Corcino to the mound to face Gomber. Corcino faced the Redbirds last week, pitching 5.0 shutout innings, allowing just one hit, while striking out three batters. The Dodgers won that game 6-0 over Memphis. So far for Oklahoma City this season, Corcino has appeared in five games, making two starts. He is 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA.

HISTORY WITH OKLAHOMA CITY: Memphis and Oklahoma City have played every season dating back to when Memphis joined the Pacific Coast League in 1998, with the Oklahoma City franchise also being affiliated with Texas and Houston. In the last six season, only once has one of the teams won more than nine of the meetings (OKC, 2014; 10-6). The Dodgers have won the last five season series dating back to an 8-8 split in 2012.

BIRD BITES

BARON: Recorded second multi-hit game of the season Wednesday; also recorded first three-hit game since 6/27/17

GARCIA: Has struggled in last 16 games, going 11-for-60 (.183); recorded first multi-hit game since 4/21 on Sunday

JENNER: Transferred to Memphis Sunday after not playing yet this season; played five games with MEM in '16 and '17

MEJIA: Recorded hits in four-straight starts after going hitless in his previous four starts

MERCADO: Ten stolen bases are second in the PCL; stole nine through first 16 games, and has one in last 14 games

MUNOZ: Hitting .371 (13-35) on current nine-game hitting streak; had hits in just seven games prior to streak

O'NEILL: Was 6-for-16 with four runs scored, two home runs, and two RBI in the series with Nashville

RAVELO: Has hits in eight of last nine appearances and in 17-of-24 games on the season

SCHROCK: Currently on third 7-game hitting streak (.423, 11-29); has K'd in just 9.0 percent of career at-bats (112-1245)

TOVAR: Has seven multi-hit games in last 10 games with a hit, including going 3-for-4 with two RBI in yesterday's win

VOIT: Went 4-for-5 with three doubles and two RBI yesterday; hit .182 (10-55) in first 15 games since coming off DL

WISDOM: Has hit four homers this season, all at home; has hits in eight of his last 12 games (12-46, .261)

BY THE NUMBERS

3 Memphis pitchers have set their career-high in strikeouts so far this season: Poncedeleon (12), Gomber (16), Flaherty (13)

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds topped the Oklahoma City Dodgers 7-2 yesterday behind a brilliant pitching performance from Jack Flaherty.

Flaherty dominated the Dodgers, striking out a career-high 13 batters on the afternoon. The Cardinals' No. 2 prospect allowed one run to score in the first and third innings before shutting down the Dodgers.

After the run scored in the third inning, Flaherty struck out seven-straight batters, and recorded 11-consecutive batters. He sent down 13 of his final 16 batters, striking out 10 of them.

Luke Voit led the offensive charge for the 'Birds. Voit was 4-for-5 with three doubles, and two RBI on the day. Adolis Garcia and Wilfredo Tovar both hit solo home runs, their fourth and third, respectively.

Andrew Morales relieved Flaherty after 6.2 innings with the bases loaded, and got out of the jam. He pitched 1.1 shutout innings before Edward Mujica shut the door in the ninth.

CAN'T TOUCH THIS: Yesterday, Memphis pitcher and Cardinals' No. 2 prospect Jack Flaherty dominated the Oklahoma City Dodgers. Flaherty pitched 6.2 innings, allowing just two runs without a walk, while striking out a career-high 13 batters. Flaherty allowed a solo home run in the first, and a run with two outs in the third. After the run crossed in the third inning, Flaherty sent down 11-straight Oklahoma City batters, the first seven of which were by strikeout. Of the final 16 batters he faced, he retired 13 of them, 10 of which were by strikeout. So far this season, Flaherty has dominated the competition. For Memphis, he is 4-1 in five starts, posting a 2.27 ERA with 41 strikeouts, second-best in the PCL. Flaherty also owns the fifth-best ERA in the league, the third-best WHIP (0.92), the third-best batting average against (.190), the third-best strikeouts per nine innings pitched ratio (11.65), and the third-best baserunners per nine innings ratio at just 9.09.

HOPEFULLY A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: Infielder and Cardinals' No. 16 prospect, Luke Voit, has struggled through the first month of the season. Yesterday, Voit dominated at the plate. He went 4-for-5 with three doubles, two runs scored and two RBI. Before yesterday, Voit had been struggling at the plate since being injured on Opening Day. In his first 14 games off the disabled list, Voit was hitting just .180 (9-for-50) with three doubles, one home run, five RBI, and six walks, while striking out 13 times. With his four-hit performance yesterday, Voit's season average is now up to .246 (15-for-61). He is also riding a three-game hitting streak. Over that streak, he has gone 6-for-14 (.429) with five extra-base hits (four doubles and a home run), six RBI, and just one strikeout. Over the last three games, his batting average has risen from .191 to .246, a 55-point difference.

JEEZ, YAIRO: Infielder and Cardinals' No. 17 prospect Yairo Munoz had a hot spring and started the season on St. Louis' roster. When he was optioned three weeks ago, he initially struggled, but is riding a nine-game hitting streak, dating back to April 30, coming into today's game. In his first 11 games with Memphis, the young infielder was hitting just .250 (9-for-36) and struck out nine times. In his last nine games, he is 13-for-35, a .371 batting average. Four of those hits have been for extra-bases, and he has struck out just four times over this period. His .371 average is also tied for the 15th-best average in the PCL in that time frame, and is the best on the Redbirds.

SHARP ON THE MOUND: 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 3.25 ERA through the first 34 games, including a 2.80 ERA and 17 quality starts from the starting rotation. The 3.25 team ERA is second in the PCL, only behind Oklahoma City (2.91). The pitching staff has also done a fantastic job at preventing free-passes, as well as keeping the ball in the yard. Only five PCL teams have allowed less home runs than the 'Birds this season. Memphis has allowed 24 long balls, Iowa has allowed 20, Oklahoma City, Tacoma, and Omaha have allowed 19, and Nashville has allowed 16. Of the 33 home runs Memphis batters have hit, 20 have come against the teams that have allowed fewer home runs than them (60.6%). Memphis is also one of three teams to have walked under 100 batters this season, with 97. Oklahoma City owns the fewest with 95 walks, and New Orleans is tied with the 'Birds.

BETTER SIDE OF THE STRIKEOUTS: Memphis is among the PCL leaders for strikeouts by the pitching staff, and is towards the bottom of the league in strikeouts by batters. The pitching staff has struck out 316 batters through the first 34 games (9.3/game), which is the best in the PCL, narrowly above Fresno (314). 'Birds batters are also towards the bottom of the league in total strikeouts. Memphis batters have struck out 245 times through the first 34 games, with only Fresno (240) and Omaha (241) having struck out fewer times than the 'Birds. Through the first 34 games of the season, three Memphis starters have also set their career-highs in strikeouts. Daniel Poncedeleon set a career-high with 12 strikeouts on April 14 against Iowa, Austin Gomber set his career-high and tied the franchise record on April 23 at Iowa with 16 strikeouts, and Jack Flaherty set his career-high with 13 strikeouts yesterday at Oklahoma City.

LOVE OUR GLOVES: After not making an error last night, Memphis continued its errorless streak to five games, the second time they have gone five games without making an error this season. The 'Birds are currently tied for second in the PCL with a .986 fielding percentage, behind only Albuquerque (.989). As a team, the 'Birds have made just 17 errors in 1,202 chances. Memphis catchers have also allowed just one passed ball this season, second only to Iowa catchers who have yet to allow a passed ball.

SETTLING DOWN: After getting off to a shaky start this season, veteran Sean Gilmartin has been nothing but consistent in his last six appearances. In his first four relief appearances of the season, he gave up seven earned runs in just 4.0 innings, giving him a 15.57 ERA. However, since making a spot-start in game two of a doubleheader at Omaha on April 19, Gilmartin has been lights-out. Including his April 19 start, Gilmartin has appeared in six games since his rough start to the season, making spot-starts in three of them. In his last 14.2 innings, Gilmartin has allowed just five runs, only three of them earned, while striking out eight batters. After Tuesday's five inning, one-run performance, Gilmartin now has a 1-0 record and 2.53 ERA in three starts this season.

MAD MAX: After starting out his first season at the Triple-A level at a blistering pace, infielder Max Schrock hit a bit of a road bump, but seems to be getting his feeling back at the plate. In his first 13 games of the season, Schrock was hitting .397 (23-for-58). However, in his next eight games, he hit just .222 (6-for-27), and went hitless in back-to-back games for the first time all season. He has collected hits in eight of his last nine games and is currently on his third seven-game hitting streak of the season. On Thursday, he provided most of the offense for Memphis, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles. It was his first three-hit game since April 16 against Iowa. After his recent hot-streak, Schrock is now hitting .336 on the season. He is tenth in the PCL with 41 hits, and is fifth in the league at hardest to strikeout, fanning just once every 10.92 PA.

RIDING THE I-55 SHUTTLE: Three Redbirds pitchers, in particular John Brebbia and Mike Mayers, have been burning up the 280 miles between Memphis and St. Louis this season. Brebbia and Mayers have already made three separate appearances with the Cardinals, with Mayers currently on his fourth different stint with the Redbirds. Gant has made two different trips to St. Louis. Through 34 games this season, the Redbirds have already seen 47 transactions (0.77/gm) after 159 in 152 total games in 2017 (1.0/gm).

MORE HONORS FOR GOMBER: Starting pitcher Austin Gomber was named the PCL Pitcher of the Week last Monday after his 16-strikeout performance April 23, and he was also named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April. In that, he pitched 8.0 shutout innings, allowing six hits and no walks, while striking out 16 batters. The 16 strikeouts bested his previous career-high of 11 strikeouts, which he set last season. The 16 strikeouts also tied the franchise record for most strikeouts in a game (Lance Lynn 9/10/10), and bested the regular-season strikeout record of 15 set by Anthony Reyes (8/14/05) and Bill Pulsipher (9/3/05).

RECORD APRIL: Despite a loss in April's finale, Memphis still put together its best April in franchise history with 17 wins. The 17 victories topped the 2000 club's 16 at the end of the season's first month.

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

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Pacific Coast League Stories from May 10, 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.

OurSports Central