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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (3-6) at Round Rock Express (3-6)

April 13, 2019 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (3-6) at Round Rock Express (6-3)

Saturday, April 13 - 6:05 p.m. (CT) - Dell Diamond (8,722) - Round Rock, Texas

Game #10 - Road Game #5 (1-3)

RHP Harold Arauz (0-0, -.-- ERA) vs LHP Cionel Perez (0-0, 6.23 ERA)

THE GAME

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds continue their four-game set at Round Rock tonight at Dell Diamond to take on the Express. Entering tonight, the Redbirds have homered in six consecutive games and have at least one extra-base hit in each contest this season. Tonight's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Harold Arauz is scheduled to take the mound in tonight's game and make his Memphis debut and first Triple-A start since Aug. 16, 2018. The 23-year-old is in his eighth professional season and his first with the St. Louis organization after spending time in both the Houston and Philadelphia systems. Arauz has made one start this season at Double-A Springfield, delivering a quality start against NW Arkansas, tossing 6.2 innings of six-hit ball while allowing three runs and striking out four. Arauz made his Triple-A debut last season in the International League with Lehigh Valley on August 11, but his outing only lasted 3.2 innings as he allowed five runs on nine hits. The Chiriqui, Panama, native spent the bulk of 2018 at Double-A Reading where he went 9-7, 4.59 (67 ER/131.1 IP) in 24 G/GS. On July 30, 2017, Araruz tossed a no-hitter for Advanced-A Clearwater in the second game of a doubleheader against Fort Myers, striking out 10 while issuing one walk.

The Express are scheduled to start left-hander Cionel Perez tonight. The 22-year-old is slated to make his second start of the season and his first home start. In his first start of the season on Sunday at New Orleans, Perez allowed four runs, three earned, in 4.1 innings of work on five hits. The La Habana, Cuba, native spent the bulk of last season at Double-A Corpus Christi, where he went 6-1, 1.98 (15 ER/68.1 IP) in 16 G/11 GS. Perez also went on to make his Major League debut in 2018 as well on July 11 vs. Oakland, where he tossed 1.2 innings, allowing one runs on two hits. He entered 2019 ranked as the No.12 prospect in the Astros organization by Baseball America.

HISTORY WITH ROUND ROCK: The two clubs have met every year since 2005, with the Redbirds taking a slight 118-103 edge overall. The 'Birds also hold a slim 57-54 advantage at Dell Diamond, but have gone 11-4 at this facility the past two seasons. The Redbirds and Express finished all-square at 8-8 in 2018, which was only the second time in 14 seasons that the two teams had split the season series. Memphis has not lost a season series to Round Rock since 2015.

After eight years as the Rangers Triple-A affiliate, the Express are the Astros top affilate for the first time since 2010. The Express spent their first six years in the Pacific Coast League as the Astros Triple-A team, where the Redbirds went 55-38 from 2005-10, including 12-4 in each of the last two seasons before the Express switched affiliations.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds (3-6) led 2-1 after a Joe Hudson home run in the top of the eighth inning Friday night in Round Rock, Texas, but the Round Rock Express (Astros) scored three times in the home-half to capture a 4-2 victory in the series opener.

The Redbirds had four hits in the game and were hampered by 12 strikeouts, two errors, and six walks by their pitching staff. Round Rock (6-3) banged out 10 hits but left 11 runners on base as Memphis escaped multiple innings with no damage done.

Daniel Ponce de Leon turned in a solid start on the mound, working 5.2 innings with just one unearned run. He scattered seven hits and tossed 57 of his 97 pitches for strikes. The only run he allowed came in the first inning, with Myles Straw reaching on an error and later coming around to score.

Memphis got on the board in the top of the sixth inning as Rangel Ravelo doubled in Drew Robinson, who walked.

The game remained tied at 1 until the eighth, when Hudson bombed a one-out home run to left-center field.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ryan Meisinger struck out the first batter of the inning before a single and a walk put two runners on. He induced a ground ball that led to a force out at second, but Memphis' second error of the night allowed the tying run to cross the plate on the play.

Tommy Layne then entered the game and surrendered a two-run home run to Derek Fisher to make the score 4-2.

Memphis went down in order in the top of the ninth to end the game, including two hitters set down on strikes.

On the defensive end, Adolis Garcia had an outfield assist to erase a potential Round Rock runner at the plate.

WELCOME HOME BEN: Hailing from nearby Germantown, Tenn., new Redbirds manager Ben Johnson earned the first win of his managerial career on April 4 with the 'Birds 9-2 victory over the Storm Chasers. Johnson spent last season at Triple-A Durham (Tampa Bay), as part of a staff that captured the International League title before falling to the Redbirds in the 2018 Triple-A National Championship. The 37-year-old is also the youngest manager in team history, a mark that was previously held by Danny Sheaffer, who was 41 years old when he was named manager on June 10, 2003.

TWO-HIT TOMMY: Through his first seven starts of the season, INF Tommy Edman has four-multi hit games, including one three-hit performance, Thursday at San Antonio. His 10 hits are most among the current Redbirds roster and he is tied for the team lead with 5 RBI.

WALK IT OFF: Tuesday's walk-off defeat to the Missions 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 two walk-off defeats this season have already matched last year's total.

CAUGHT IN A STORM: Monday's 11-run defeat 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.

FIRST NO MORE: Following Memphis' defeat on April 6, the Redbirds fell out of first place for the first time since April 28, 2017. It also marked the first time since April 27, 2017 that their record fell below the .500 mark. The Redbirds played the final 120 games of the 2017 season in first place, and played all 140 games of 2018 in first place. They had been in first place for the 708 calendar days, playing 262 regular-season games and 20 playoff games in that span.

The Redbirds entered Sunday's contest in T-3rd place in the division, which marked the first time since April 12, 2016, that they had fallen out of the top two spots in the standings.

KINGS OF THE HILL: After setting the franchise record for best ERA in a season at 3.77 in 2017, last year's staff shattered that record, posting a 3.54 mark. It was the second-consecutive season they owned the best ERA in the league. Additionally, they set the franchise record for most strikeouts in a season (1,160), fewest runs allowed (564), fewest hits allowed (1,152), and lowest opponent batting average (.248). Memphis' entire 2018 Opening Night, five-man starting rotation was promoted to St. Louis last season. John Gant, Dakota Hudson, Austin Gomber, Jack Flaherty, and Daniel Ponce de Leon all played large roles in St. Louis' second-half turnaround.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: The Opening Night roster featured 20 players that were not on the roster for Opening Night last season. Of the five returning players (Adolis Garcia, Austin Gomber, Daniel Ponce de Leon, Rangel Ravelo, Max Schrock) only three (Garcia, Ravelo, Schrock) were starters in the 2018 opener against Round Rock at Dell Diamond. Garcia, Gomber and Ponce de Leon all went on to make their big-leauge debuts last season with St. Louis.

FARM RAISED: Memphis' Opening Night roster featured 11 of St. Louis' top-30 prospects (Baseball America), including three of the top-10. Current prospects on the roster are: Genesis Cabrera (No. 6), Lane Thomas (No. 7), Andrew Knizner (No. 8), Ryan Helsley (No. 11), Tommy Edman (No. 12), Daniel Ponce de Leon (No. 13), Adolis Garcia (No. 15), Jake Woodford (No. 16), Edmundo Sosa (No. 22), Max Schrock (No. 25) and Giovanny Gallegos (No. 29).

BEAK-TO-BEAK-TO-BEAK?: Professional baseball has been played in the city of Memphis since 1877. In that span, only three teams have won back-to-back league championships in that time. The Memphis Egyptians won back-to-back titles in 1903-04, the Memphis Chickasaws won consecutive titles in 1952-53, and now the Redbirds have accomplished the feat with their successive PCL titles in 2017-18. No team in Memphis, however, has been able to capture a third successive title.

WINNING WAYS: After the Redbirds went 91-50 in 2017 and 83-57 last season, they have won 174 games in the last two years. That is the most wins in a two-year span in Memphis history since 1933-34 when the Chickasaws also won 174 games. The 1921-22 Chickasaws set the record for most wins in a two-year span by a Memphis professional team with 198.

THE 2018 SEASON

THE BEST ONCE AGAIN: After a 5-0 victory on Sept. 15, 2018, the Memphis Redbirds were crowned champions of the Pacific Coast League, defeating the Fresno Grizzlies three games to one. It was Memphis' fourth PCL title in franchise history, and their second-straight. Memphis also won titles in 2000 and 2009. In 120 seasons of professional baseball in Memphis, it is the 16th championship all-time. Infielder Tommy Edman and outfielder Randy Arozarena were named co-MVPs of the PCL Playoffs. Arozarena hit two home runs in Game 4, giving Memphis all the offense they needed. Edman hit .469 in eight playoff games, notching a hit in all but the final game of the series. Manager Stubby Clapp has now been part of three of Memphis' four titles since they joined the PCL. He played a crucial role on the 2000 team as a middle infielder, and has now guided the Redbirds to consecutive championships as manager.

NEW FACES, NO PROBLEM: The Redbirds won the PCL Championship for the second-straight season, and advanced to the Triple-A National Championship, despite the fact that the Memphis roster was almost completely different from the playoff roster during the 2017 season. It was also almost completely different from the 2018 Opening Day roster. Of the 13 position players who made an appearance in the 2017 playoffs, only two were still on Memphis' active roster. Wilfredo Tovar and Tommy Edman are those two players. Every other player has either been traded, released, or is at a different level of the organization.

Memphis had a franchise-record 66 players on the roster last season, though two never appeared in a game before being taken off the roster (Jesse Jenner and Michael Wacha). It is the third-consecutive season in which Memphis has used a record number of players. Of the 66 players to be listed on Memphis' roster last year, 22 of them made their Triple-A debuts with the 'Birds, and six others were promoted for their Major League debuts.

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