PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (27-19) vs Oklahoma City Dodgers (28-14)

Published on May 23, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (27-19) vs Oklahoma City Dodgers (28-14)

Wednesday, May 23 - 6:35 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #47 - Home Game #23 (12-10)

RHP Kevin Herget (1-4, 4.15 ERA) vs. RHP Justin DeFratus (2-2, 4.03 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Oklahoma City Dodgers will play game three of their four-game set tonight at 6:35 p.m. The two teams have met 10 times in the last three weeks, and have evenly split the games with five wins and five losses apiece. Memphis is coming off a 3-1 series victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, while Oklahoma City is coming off a four-game sweep of the Nashville Sounds. Today's game will be broadcast on memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Kevin Herget will take the mound for the Redbirds tonight, making his fifth-consecutive start after starting the year in the bullpen. Coming into tonight's game, he is 1-4 with a 4.15 ERA. In four starts this season, Herget is 0-3 with a 4.95 ERA in 20.1 innings. In six appearances as a reliever this season, Herget is 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 10.1 innings. Herget has faced the Dodgers once this season, taking the loss on April 30. The game on April 30 was Herget's first start this season, and he pitched 3.0 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs. Memphis lost the game 6-0.

The Dodgers will counter with righty Justin DeFratus. DeFratus comes into tonight's game with a 2-2 record and a 4.03 ERA in six starts this season. DeFratus has faced Memphis twice this season and is 1-1 in those games. In his first start against the 'Birds, the righty allowed five earned runs over six innings to take the loss. In the next game, he threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just four hits to take the win.

HISTORY WITH OKLAHOMA CITY: Memphis and Oklahoma City have played 10 games against each other already this season. So far, the two teams are knotted up with five wins and five losses apiece. Through the first 10 games of the season series, Oklahoma holds a slight advantage both at the plate and on the mound. The Dodgers are hitting .260 against Memphis pitching, while posting a 3.38 ERA. The Redbirds, meanwhile are hitting .251 against the Dodgers' staff, and are posting a 4.04 ERA on the mound.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Including last nine Double-A games, has 12-game hitting streak; .386 (17-for-44) in that stretch

GARCIA: Recorded his league-leading seventh outfield assist Thursday night, cutting down a runner trying to take third

KNIZNER: Has recorded a hit in each of his 4 games with Memphis; was hitting .333 in 27 games with Double-A Springfield

MARTINEZ: Notched his first Triple-A RBI with a single in Memphis' 10-run first inning in game two Saturday

MEJIA: On Sat., hit his first triple since August 18, 2016 while with Memphis; current 8-game hit streak is his best this year

MERCADO: Hit .647 (11-for-17) with three doubles, three RBI, and two walks in COS series; six-game hitting streak

RAVELO: Is hitting just .103 (3-for-29) in last nine games; was hitting .276 (8-for-29) in previous nine games

SCHROCK: Hit a three-run home run in game one Saturday, his first since Opening Day; both his homers have been 3R

TOVAR: Is hitting .167 (4-for-24) over last seven games; was hitting .438 (14-for-32) in previous nine games

URIAS: Belted first Triple-A homer Saturday, a three-run shot in 10-run first; was hitting .369 in 17 games with Springfield

VOIT: Nine of 22 total hits this season are doubles, and one is a home run, making 41 percent of his hits for extra bases

WISDOM: Is hitting .483 (14-for-29) over current eight-game hit streak; has hit homers in two of last five games

BY THE NUMBERS

1-2 in extra-innings this season after yesterday's 10-inning loss. The Redbirds were a perfect 11-0 in extra-inning games last season

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds struggled in extra innings yesterday, snapping their four-game winning streak with a 10-3 loss against Oklahoma City.

Yesterday's game was a pitcher's duel until extra innings. Memphis starter Ryan Helsley, making his second start for the 'Birds this season, was dominant. He pitched 7.0 innings, allowing just two runs on two hits and one walk, while striking out nine batters.

After allowing two runs in the first, Helsley retired the final 20 batters he faced. With Memphis this season, he is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 14.0 innings pitched.

The Redbirds scratched runs across in the second and seventh innings to take the game to extra innings.

Edward Mujica pitched 0.1 innings in the 10th, allowing five hits, seven runs, five earned runs, and a home run to take the loss. Memphis managed just one run in the bottom of the 10th.

On the offensive side, Oscar Mercado, Ramon Urias, and Ryan Helsley recorded multi-hit games for the 'Birds. Mercado, Wisdom, and Alex Mejia all extended their respective hitting streaks, as well.

HELSLEY DOMINANT: Yesterday, Memphis starter Ryan Helsley was lights-out in his second start with Memphis. After allowing two hits, two runs, and a walk in the first inning, Helsley settled in, pitching six-straight 1-2-3 innings, which resulted in 20-straight batters being retired. He took the no-decision as the 'Birds fell in 10 innings, while striking out nine batters. In his two starts with Memphis this season, Helsley is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 14.0 innings. He has allowed just three total runs on six hits, while walking two and striking out 18 batters. In seven starts with Double-A Springfield this season, Helsley is 3-2 with a 4.39 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 41.0 innings pitched. Through nine total starts this season, Helsley is 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA in 55.0 innings. He has struck out 62 total batters, and is holding opposing hitters to just a .185 (36-for-195) batting average. His 62 total strikeouts are third-most between all of Triple-A and Double-A baseball.

PITCHERS WHO RAKE (SOMETIMES): Yesterday, Memphis starter Ryan Helsley did it all for the 'Birds. The righty threw 7.0 innings of two-run ball, striking out nine, and recorded two hits at the plate. He drove in the first Memphis run of the game with an RBI single in the second to score Randy Arozarena. Helsley also led off the fifth inning with a deep double to centerfield for the second extra-base hit by a Memphis pitcher this season.

WIZ SEEING BEACH BALLS AT THE PLATE: After notching an RBI double in the 10th inning yesterday, slugging infielder Patrick Wisdom continued his eight-game hitting streak. After a 1-for-4 performance with a double and a walk yesterday, Wisdom now has a season-long eight-game hitting streak, and is hitting .483 (14-for-29) over that stretch. In the last four games alone, Wisdom is hitting .529 (9-for-17) with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs, while driving in nine runs, walking four times, and striking out just four times. In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Wisdom fell just a home run short of the cycle, but notched a home run in game two, giving him a cycle for the day. Since falling into a deep slump from April 16 to May 6, in which he hit just .220 (13-for-59) with four extra-base hits and eight RBI in 18 games, Wisdom has rebounded significantly. Over his last 14 games, he is hitting .385 (20-for-52) with eight extra-base hits, 11 RBI, and nine runs scored. He has collected hits in 12 of those 14 games, including six games with multiple hits.

CAN'T STOP, WON'T STOP: Oscar Mercado has joined Patrick Wisdom over the last few games in having a field day at the dish. In the Memphis doubleheader on Saturday, Mercado finished the day at the plate going 7-for-9 with two doubles, two RBI, and four runs scored. Mercado has continued the torrid pace over the last three days, going a combined 5-for-12 with a two RBI, and two doubles. Like Wisdom, Mercado got off to a hot start this season, hitting .341 (28-for-82) through his first 22 games before falling into a deep slump. Over his next 13 games, he hit just .167 (8-for-48), going hitless in five of those contests, and not recording a single multi-hit game. However, Mercado is now hitting .538 (14-for-26) in his last six games, notching five doubles, and scoring seven runs. Five of the six games have been multi-hit performances.

MEJIA ON FIRE: Utility infielder Alex Mejia has been on fire as of late. He has recorded a hit in each of his last eight games, including two three-hit performances. Over that stretch, he is hitting .524 (12-for-26) with a double, a triple, and a walk. It is quite the turnaround for Mejia, who has seen his average jump 57 points since May 3. Mejia had a solid start to the season before falling into a long funk at the plate. After recording hits in four-straight games from April 15-19, Mejia struggled for the next 15 games, hitting just .143 (5-for-35). He recorded hits in just four of those games, and notched only one multi-hit game. Now hitting .300 (30-for-100) on the season, Mejia has extended his hitting streak to a season-best eight games. His .462 batting average since May 13 is also third-best in the PCL. The .462 mark is also narrowly ahead of teammates Patrick Wisdom and Oscar Mercado, who both own a .424 average over that time frame, putting them in a tie for seventh in the league.

MUJICA'S RECENT STRUGGLES: Veteran reliever Edward Mujica had a strong start to the season, but has struggled as of late. In his first 11 appearances this season, Mujica was 2-0 with a save in 13.1 innings pitched. The righty owned a 1.35 ERA and a .250 (13-for-52) opponent's batting average, while striking out 14 and walking just two batters in that time frame. However, in his last five appearances, Mujica has struggled mightily. In those five games, he has pitched just 5.1 innings, and has allowed 16 hits, 15 runs, and 11 earned runs, while striking out just four batters, giving him an 18.56 ERA in that span. Opposing hitters are also batting .485 (16-for-33) over that span. In yesterday's game, Mujica managed to get just one out in the 10th inning, while allowing seven runs. He finished with the loss and a final loss of 0.1 innings pitched, allowing five hits, seven runs, five earned runs, and a home run.

STRONG STARTERS, STRUGGLING 'PEN: The Memphis starting pitching staff has been a force to be reckoned with this season. Memphis starters are 22-10 with a 3.07 ERA through the first 46 games this season. Through the first 46 games, the starters have pitched 255.0 innings, allowing just 98 total runs, only 87 of which have been earned. In addition, they have walked only 81 batters, and have struck out 264 hitters. To go with that, the 'Birds starters have thrown 21 quality starts this season. They threw 55 total in 2017. The 21 quality starts are tied with the New Orleans Baby Cakes for most quality starts in the PCL this season. The Memphis bullpen has been a different story so far this season. Through the first 46 games, they have appeared in 45 games, and are 5-9 with a 4.71 ERA. They have pitched 143.2 innings, have allowed 75 earned runs, 18 home runs, and 48 walks. While they have struggled at times this season, the bullpen leads the league with 16 saves.

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 422 batters through the first 46 games (9.2/game), which is only behind Fresno (438) 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 just 315 times through the first 46 games, the lowest mark in the league, narrowly ahead of Fresno (322) and Omaha (324). Memphis, Omaha, and Fresno are the only three teams in the league to strikeout under 330 times so far this season, and Memphis, Fresno , and Reno are the only three teams whose pitching staffs have recorded 400 strikeouts this season.

GOMBER'S BIG NIGHT: Monday night, Memphis starter Austin Gomber came out on the right side of a pitcher's duel with Oklahoma City starter Manny Banuelos. Gomber twirled 8.0 shutout innings before allowing the first two runners to reach in the ninth inning and being pulled in favor of Preston Guilmet. Guilmet got out of the inning, allowing just one of the inherited runners to score. Gomber's final line was 8.0 innings pitched, allowing six hits, one run, and two walks, while whiffing nine batters on the evening. The performance was the bright spot in what has been a challenging month for the lefty. Coming into Monday night's game, Gomber had struggled over his previous three starts, allowing 14 earned runs over 15.1 innings, an 8.22 ERA. That mark was the third-worst in the PCL from May 5-20. With the nine strikeouts last night, Gomber now leads the league with 57 strikeouts, narrowly ahead of teammate Daniel Poncedeleon (54). He also sits in fourth in strikeouts per nine innings pitched ratio (10.45). Gomber has now struck out at least eight batters in four of his eight starts, including four of his last five starts.

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 May 23, 2018


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