PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (22-14) vs Nashville Sounds (17-17)

Published on May 12, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (22-14) vs Nashville Sounds (17-17)

Saturday, May 12 - 6:35 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #37 - Home Game #17 (10-6)

RHP Daniel Poncedeleon (2-2, 2.23 ERA) vs. LHP Eric Jokisch (0-5, 4.98 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Nashville Sounds will kick off a four-game set, tonight at 6:35 p.m. It will be the second time the two teams have met in the last week. Memphis started their eight-game road trip at Nashville last week, and dropped three of four games in the series. Memphis took the series finale in that game 4-1. Both starting pitchers from that game, Daniel Poncedeleon and Eric Jokisch, will be on the mound again tonight. Today's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon will get the ball for Memphis tonight. The righty is coming off one of his best starts of the season. In the series finale against Nashville, Poncedeleon threw 6.0 innings of one-run ball, while walking three and striking out eight Sounds batters. His last outing lowered his ERA to 2.23 on the season, the third-best mark in the PCL. Poncedeleon also owns the fifth-best strikeouts per nine innings pitched ratio in the PCL at 10.9. Three Memphis pitchers sit in the top-five in that category. Jack Flaherty is third with a 11.65 mark, and Austin Gomber is fourth at 11.00.

The Sounds are scheduled to send lefty Eric Jokisch to the mound to face Poncedeleon. Jokisch also pitched in the series finale last week, taking the loss. He threw 6.2 innings, allowing six hits and four runs, while striking out four batters. So far this season, he is 0-5 with a 4.98 ERA in six starts.

HISTORY WITH NASHVILLE: Memphis and Nashville have played every season dating back to 1998. In that span, Memphis has always been affiliated with St. Louis, and Nashville has changed affiliations twice. For the first seven years of the rivalry, they were Pittsburgh's affiliate before becoming Milwaukee's, and now Oakland's. The two teams met just last week for the first time this season. Nashville won three of four games in that series.

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 18 games, going 11-for-67 (.164); recorded first multi-hit game since 4/21 on Sunday

MARTINEZ: Joins Memphis after playing with Springfield to start season; appeared in one game with Memphis in 2017

MEJIA: Before Thursday, had 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 15 games

MUNOZ: Went hitless last night, snapping 10-game hitting streak .385 (15-39); hit first-career grand slam Thursday

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 11 appearances and in 17-of-26 games on the season

SCHROCK: Thursday night, ended 3rd 7-game hitting streak; has K'd in just 9.0 percent of career at-bats (112-1249)

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

VOIT: Went hitless last night, after recording six hits in previous two games (4-for-5 Wednesday, 2-for-4 Thursday)

WISDOM: Has hit four homers this season, all at home; hit .222 (6-for-27) in seven games on road trip

BY THE NUMBERS

4 shutouts against the Redbirds this season, three of them by the Oklahoma City Dodgers. They were shutout only twice in all of 2017

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds dropped last night's contest to the Oklahoma City Dodgers 2-0.

Last night's game was a pitcher's duel from start to finish with Oklahoma City prevailing in the late innings.

Redbirds' starter Kevin Herget tossed his best start of the season, twirling 5.0 shutout innings before allowing a run in the sixth. He finished the game with a line of 6.2 innings pitched, allowing seven hits and one run, while striking out seven to take the loss.

Dodgers' starter Justin DeFratus outdueled Herget, grabbing the win while tossing a complete game shutout. He allowed just four hits, and struck out three batters. It was the first time a pitcher had pitched a complete game shutout against the Redbirds since August 26, 2014 when Nick Tepesch of Round Rock did so.

Herget, Max Schrock, Oscar Mercado, and Patrick Wisdom recorded the only hits for Memphis last night. Schrock and Herget both recorded doubles. It was the first extra-base hit by a Memphis pitcher this season.

OLD FACES, NEW THREADS: Former Redbirds Josh Lucas, Anthony Garcia, and Nick Martini all return to AutoZone Park tonight. Garcia and Martini both appeared for Memphis in 2015, 2016, and 2017, while Lucas appeared with the club in 2016 and 2017. In three seasons with Memphis, Garcia played in 102 games and hit .232 (73-for-315). In 50 career games at AutoZone Park, Garcia hit .217 (35-for-161) with seven homers. In three seasons with Memphis, Martini played in 206 games and hit .299 (201-for-672). In 102 games at AutoZone Park, he hit .255 (83-for-326) with three homers. In two seasons with Memphis, Lucas was 8-1 with 17 saves. He appeared in 54 total games, spanning 67.2 innings, and posted a 3.88 ERA. In 22 home games, spanning 28.2 innings, he posted a 2.87 ERA.

ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END: Infielder and Cardinals' No. 17 prospect Yairo Munoz saw his season-long 10-game hitting streak come to an end after going 0-for-3 at the plate last night. His hitting streak dated back to April 30, and was the second time a Redbirds player had a 10-game streak this season. Tyler O'Neill also had a 10-game hitting streak from April 6-16. In his first 11 games with Memphis, Munoz was hitting just .250 (9-for-36) and struck out nine times. Over his 10 game streak, he was 15-for-39, a .385 batting average. Five of those hits were for extra-bases, and he struck out just five times over this period. His .385 average was also tied for the 14th-best average in the PCL in that time frame, and was the best on the Redbirds. Thursday night, he cranked his third homer of the season, and his first-career grand slam. The 10-game hitting streak also tied for his third-best career streak. He had an 11-game streak last season, and he set his career mark with a 17-game streak from July 20 to August 6, 2014.

PITCHERS WHO RAKE (SOMETIMES): The last two games have seen Memphis pitchers record their first two hits of the season. On Thursday, Austin Gomber singled against the Dodgers, marking the first hit for Redbird pitchers this season. Last night, Kevin Herget did one better, and smacked a double, the first extra-base hit for Memphis pitchers this season. The hit was the fifth of Herget's career, and his first extra-base hit. So far this season, Memphis pitchers have a collective .069 (2-for-29) batting average. They have scored four runs, and walked three times, as well.

SURGING EARLY, STRUGGLING LATE: So far this season, the Redbirds have outscored opponents early in games, but have struggled late. Through the first four innings of games this season, Memphis has outscored opponents 90-to-49. After the fourth inning, Memphis is only outscoring opponents in the sixth and seventh innings, and extra innings. After the fourth inning, Memphis is being outscored by a total of 84-to-79.

WRONG SIDE OF SHUTOUTS: After being shutout 2-0 by the Oklahoma City Dodgers last night, the Redbirds have now been shutout four times this season after being shutout only twice last season. Three of the four shutouts have come against Oklahoma City, while the other came against Omaha. Memphis has only shutout opponents twice this season. Last season, Memphis shutout opponents five times. In last night's game, Justin DeFratus of Oklahoma City pitched a complete game shutout. It was the first time a pitcher had thrown a complete game shutout against the Redbirds since August 26, 2014 when Nick Tepesch of Round Rock accomplished the feat. It was also the first nine inning complete game shutout in the PCL this season. James Naile of Nashville threw a seven inning complete game shutout on April 15.

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 332 batters through the first 36 games (9.2/game), which is just behind Fresno (338) for the best mark in the PCL this season. 'Birds batters are also towards the bottom of the league in total strikeouts. Memphis batters have struck out 257 times through the first 36 games, behind only Fresno (256) and Omaha (252) for the lowest mark in the league so far. Through the first 36 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 Wednesday at Oklahoma City.

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 four separate appearances with the Cardinals, with Mayers being recalled again yesterday. Gant has made two different trips to St. Louis. Through 36 games this season, the Redbirds have already seen 53 transactions (1.5/gm) after 159 in 152 total games in 2017 (1.0/gm).

MAYERS' WHACKY SEASON: Mike Mayers was recalled to join the St. Louis Cardinals again yesterday. It is the fourth time he has been recalled this season, and the second time in the last five days. After starting the season on the St. Louis roster, he spent the first 12 days of the season with them, traveling to New York and Milwaukee before going to St. Louis. On April 9, he was optioned to Memphis, but did not appear in a game before being recalled on April 12 to join the Cardinals in Cincinnati. He was optioned again on April 16 when the Cardinals' game with the Cubs was postponed due to weather. He then joined the Redbirds in Omaha and Iowa before being recalled again on April 27 to join the Cardinals in Pittsburgh. He was optioned again on May 1 and traveled with the team to Nashville before being recalled on May 6 and joining the Cardinals in St. Louis. He was optioned again the very next day and joined the Redbirds in Oklahoma City before being recalled again Thursday and joining St. Louis in San Diego. Despite his never-ending travel, Mayers is having a solid season. He has appeared in nine games so far, five with St. Louis and four with Memphis, and is 1-0 with three saves in 16.1 innings. He owns a 1.10 ERA between the two clubs and has allowed just 15 hits and two earned runs, while striking out 13 batters. He is also holding opponents to a .234 (15-for-64) batting average.

CAN'T TOUCH THIS: Wednesday, 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 fourth-best ERA in the league, the fourth-best WHIP (0.92), the second-best batting average against (.190), the third-best strikeouts per nine innings pitched ratio (11.65), and the fourth-best baserunners per nine innings ratio at just 9.09. The 41 K's are tied for third in the league, as well.

LIGHTS-OUT PITCHING: 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. The Redbirds have continued that dominant stretch to start the 2018 season. So far, the 'Birds have the second-best ERA in the league at 3.37, behind only Oklahoma City (2.82).

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. 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).

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 12, 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