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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (3-0) at Round Rock Express (0-3)

April 8, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (3-0) At Round Rock Express (0-3)

Sunday, April 8 - 1:05 p.m. (CT) - Dell Diamond (11,631) - Round Rock, Texas

Game #4 - Road Game #4 (3-0)

RHP JACK FLAHERTY (NR) vs. RHP AUSTIN BIBENS-DIRKX (NR)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds return to action at Round Rock after an 11-6 win last night. With the win, the Redbirds have started 3-0 for the first time since the 2014 season. The Redbirds' bats were on fire again last night, as they pounded out 11 runs and 16 hits en route to the win. Outfielders Tyler O'Neill and Adolis Garcia continued their dominating starts to the season by combining to go 5-for-10 with four runs scored, two doubles, a home run, four RBI, and two walks. Today's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Jack Flaherty will take the mound for Memphis this afternoon in his first Triple-A start this season. The righty is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the St. Louis organization. He debuted across three levels last season, including making his Major League debut with St. Louis. He appeared in six games with the Cardinals, starting five, and posted an 0-2 record and 6.33 ERA. Flaherty made the 2018 Opening Day roster after an injury to Adam Wainwright, and pitched in one game. He took the no-decision at Milwaukee, lasting 5.0 innings, giving up one run, and striking out nine.

The Express are scheduled to send right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx to the mound. Bibens-Dirkx split time between Round Rock and Texas last season. In his lone start against Memphis in 2017 before being called up, he tossed 5.0 innings of two-run ball, allowing six hits and five strikeouts while taking the loss.

HISTORY WITH ROUND ROCK: The Redbirds and Express have played each other every year since 2005, with Memphis holding a slight edge over Round Rock with a 113-95 all-time record. The Redbirds dominated the Express in the 2017 season, going 14-2 against them and outscoring them 99-to-50. Redbirds' pitching held Express bats to just a miniscule .248 batting average, while boasting a 3.17 ERA. Express pitching, meanwhile, struggled against the red-hot Memphis bats, allowing a .322 batting average and a whalloping 6.34 ERA.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Making Triple-A debut after playing 121 games between Palm Beach and Springfield in 2017

BARON: Joins St. Louis organization after spending entire career in Seattle organization

GARCIA: Four home runs in last nine games, including the 2017 postseason

KELLY: Third stint with Memphis. Spent second half of 2017 on St. Louis roster backing up Yadier Molina

MEJIA: Fourth stint with Memphis, appearing with team in each of the last four years. Made MLB debut last season

MERCADO: Making Triple-A debut after hitting .287 in 120 games and stealing 38 bases with Springfield in 2017

O'NEILL: Second stint with Memphis after being traded to the organization last July from Seattle

RAVELO: Second season in organization and with team. Helped lead Memphis to PCL Pennant in 2017

SCHROCK: Will be making Triple-A and organization debut after being traded from Oakland in the offseason

TOVAR: Second season with Memphis. Has played in nine MLB games with St. Louis and the New York Mets

VOIT: Second stint with Memphis. Spent second half of 2017 with St. Louis, hitting .246 with four home runs in 62 games

WISDOM: Reigning PCL Playoffs MVP. Hit career-high 31 home runs for Memphis last season

BY THE NUMBERS

19-2 record against Round Rock dating back to 2016

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The defending Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds continued their dominance at the plate to start the 2018 season, beating Round Rock 11-6. The Redbirds have now scored 36 runs through their first three games, the most since they scored 30 runs in the first three games of the 2014 season.

Tyler O'Neill followed up his two home run performance on Friday by blasting another long ball last night. O'Neill now has three home runs and seven RBI on the year to lead the team.

Austin Gomber, making his Triple-A debut pitched 4.0 innings, allowing two runs and striking out four, taking the no-decision. Arturo Reyes followed Gomber, pitching 2.0 innings in relief, allowing two runs, and striking out three, while earning the win. Edward Mujica and Preston Guilmet closed out the game for the 'Birds, with Guilmet earning his first save of the season.

The Redbirds' bats were red-hot once again as all nine starters recorded hits for the second-consecutive game. Six of the starters recorded multi-hit games, with Adolis Garcia leading the charge, going 3-for-4 in the cleanup spot, scoring two runs, notching two doubles, two RBI, and a walk.

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)

WHAT'S NEW?: The 2018 Redbirds will have three starters back from last year's Opening Day lineup. Luke Voit, Patrick Wisdom, and Carson Kelly will all be on the roster for tonight's game. Of those three, only Wisdom did not appear on St. Louis' roster at any point in the season. Players in bold appeared with St. Louis last season.

Opening Day (April 6, 2017)

Bader, CF

DeJong, SS

Pham, RF

Voit, 1B

Wisdom, 3B

Kelly, C

Garcia, Anthony, LF

Valera, 2B

Weaver, P

ALL THEY DID WAS WIN, WIN, WIN: The 2017 Redbirds became the winningest club in the franchise's 20 seasons with their 84th win on Aug. 21 against New Orleans. The previous record was 83 wins, set by the 2000 team. At the time the record was set, 17 Redbirds had also played for St. Louis this season, including six making their Major League debuts.

The Redbirds then became the first PCL team since Tucson in 2006 to win 90 games in the regular season with a win at Colorado Springs on Sept. 3. They finished the season with a record of 91-50, and went on to win an additional six games in the PCL playoffs, giving them a total of 97 for the year.

IT'S NOT JUST ERA: 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. The Redbirds allowed 4.0 runs per game, issued the fewest walks (366, 2.6 BB/9), and gave up the second-fewest hits (1216, 8.6 per game) in the league. Additionally, Memphis pitchers were second in the league in strikeouts (1121, 8.1 K/9).

MEMPHIS MASHERS: Memphis hit 164 home runs last season, which was the third-most in the PCL and its most since also hitting 164 in 2005. Memphis hit 107 all of last season and 97 in 2015. The Redbirds hit 83 homers at AutoZone Park this season after blasting 51 in The Bluff City all of last year and 49 in 2015. The club record for home runs in a season is 174 (2004). Ten players starting the year with Memphis hit at least one home run with the Redbirds last season. Wisdom (31), Bader (20), Voit (13), and O'Neill (12) led the pack. The ten returning players combined for 115 of the 'Birds 164 dingers in 2017.

STACKED WITH PROSPECTS: The Redbirds open the season with 11 of St. Louis' top-30 prospects. Prospects on the roster are: Jack Flaherty (No. 2), Carson Kelly (No. 3), Tyler O'Neill (No. 4), Dakota Hudson (No. 7), Adolis Garcia (No. 9), Randy Arozarena (No. 11), Oscar Mercado (No. 13), Austin Gomber (No. 14), Luke Voit (No. 16), Max Schrock (No. 19), and Derian Gonzalez (No. 27).

On the MLB.com rankings, Memphis is the only team in the Pacific Coast League with three players in the top-100 (Flaherty, 37; Kelly, 46; O'Neill, 94).

CHAMPS BRINGING BACK THE EXPERIENCE: On the Opening Day roster, the Redbirds will have 20 players who have played at the Triple-A level and 10 who have made their Major League debuts. Carson Kelly, Luke Voit, Alex Mejia, and John Brebbia all spent significant time with St. Louis last season. Also on the team with Major League experience are Jack Flaherty, John Gant, Sean Gilmartin, Preston Guilmet, Edward Mujica, and Wilfredo Tovar.

SPEED DEMONS: No. 11 prospect and No. 13 prospects Randy Arozarena and Oscar Mercado will be making their Triple-A debuts in 2018. The two outfielders are known for their speed, making them a threat with the Redbirds this season. In his first season in the organization last year, Arozarena stole 18 bases, while only being caught six times, between Palm Beach and Springfield. Mercado, now in his sixth season in the organization, has stolen 320 bases across five levels of the organization, inluding a career-high 50 with Peoria in 2015.

CAN'T KEEP HIM DOWN: Right-handed pitcher Daniel Poncedeleon will start the season with Memphis for the second-consecutive year. Poncedeleon will return to the team after being hit in the head by a line drive on May 9 last season at Iowa. The righty was dominant through his first six starts last season, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.17 ERA and 25 strikeouts before his life and career were threatened. Poncedeleon began a throwing program in August, and rejoined the Redbirds as a spectator for the pennant race last season.

BRUH, BREBBIA IS BACK: To start the 2018 season, lock-down reliever John Brebbia will be back with Memphis. In 2017, the righty appeared in 65 games between Memphis and St. Louis, and was dominant. In 14 relief appearances with the Redbirds last season, Brebbia allowed just three earned runs in 23.2 innings, good for a dazzling 1.14 ERA. In his lone spot start for the Redbirds, he went three innings, allowing just two runs, making his season ERA with the 'Birds 1.69. Brebbia was called up to St. Louis for his Major League debut on May 28, and spent the rest of the season with the Cardinals. In 50 relief appearances, the righty allowed just 14 earned runs in 51.2 innings of work, while striking out 51 batters.

STREAKS GALORE: Part of Memphis' success last season was due to long winning streaks. The Redbirds won a franchise-record 11-straight games April 28-May 8, bettering nine-straight wins during the 2000 and 2014 seasons, and then had streaks of seven-straight and nine-straight in July. The 'Birds also won 12-straight home games from July 3-27 and seven-straight road games from May 2-8.

The Redbirds also won or split 27-straight series from April 18-21 at Colorado Springs through Aug. 15-18 versus Nashville (17-0-10).

MEMPHIS PLAYERS AND COACHES

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, given in honor of developmental excellence.

THE COACHING STAFF: Mark Budaska returns to the coaching staff as the hitting coach. Budaska has held the position since the 2008 season. Pitching Coach Dernier Orozco is set to begin his 13th season in the St. Louis organization, and his first as a Memphis coach. Bench coach Brian Burgamy will round out the staff in his first year in the organization, and his first year in player development.

WISDOM WOWS IN 2017: Returning infielder Patrick Wisdom was an All-PCL Team performer, Memphis' first since Brock Peterson in 2013, thanks in part to a career-high 31 home runs and 89 RBI. The 31 homers ranked fourth in the PCL and were tied for the fifth-most in a season in Redbirds history, and the 89 RBI were tied for the seventh-most in a campaign in franchise history.

Wisdom was also named Most Valuable Player of the PCL Playoffs, highlighted by his decisive two-run home run in Game 5 at El Paso and a diving catch at first base to strand two Chihuahuas on base.

2017 HONOREES: Manager Stubby Clapp was named the 2017 PCL Manager of the Year and the 2017 Baseball America Minor League Manager of the Year. Clapp became the first manager in the history of the St. Louis organization to earn the Baseball America Award. Carson Kelly and Ryan Sherriff represented the Redbirds at the Triple-A All-Star Game in Tacoma, with Luke Weaver selected but unable to play due to a promotion to St. Louis. Jack Flaherty participated in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star festivities in Miami.

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