PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (31-20) vs Colorado Springs Sky Sox

Published on May 28, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (31-20) vs Colorado Springs Sky Sox (27-21)

Monday, May 28

- 1:05 p.m. (CT)

- AutoZone Park (10,000)

- Memphis, Tennessee

Game #52

- Home Game #28 (16-11)

RHP Ryan Helsley (1-0, 1.93 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-0, 1.89 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Colorado Springs Sky Sox will play game four of a five-game set today at 1:05 p.m. After Colorado Springs snagged the win in the opener, Memphis has won the last two games in shutout fashion. It is the second time the two teams have met in the last 10 days. Memphis took the 3-1 series win last week at Colorado Springs. Memphis is coming off a 3-1 series win over the Oklahoma City Dodgers, while Colorado Springs is coming off a 3-1 series loss to the Nashville Sounds. Today's game will be broadcast on memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Ryan Helsley will get the ball for the 'Birds this afternoon. Helsley has made two starts for the Redbirds this season, and is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 14.0 innings. Helsley started the season with Double-A Springfield and was 3-2 in seven starts, posting a 4.39 ERA in 41.0 innings, with 44 strikeouts. Helsley faced the Sky Sox in his lone regular-season appearance with Memphis last season. The righty took the no-decision, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, and three walks, while striking out five batters. He also faced the Sky Sox in the PCL playoffs last season, taking the loss in what ended up being a 16-15 win for Colorado Springs.

The Sky Sox will counter with right-hander Brandon Woodruff. Woodruff comes into today's game with a 2-0 record and a 1.89 ERA in four starts with the Sky Sox this season. He has walked 10, and struck out 17 in 19.0 innings this season. Woodruff has faced the 'Birds twice in his career, both starts coming last season. He is 2-0 in 10.0 innings, allowing five runs, while striking out eight across those starts.

HISTORY WITH COLORADO SPRINGS: Memphis and Colorado Springs have faced off once this season. That series was last week, and after dropping the first game, the 'Birds won the final three to take the 3-1 series win. Memphis had been rooted in a deep offensive slump prior to the series last week, but they saw that end with an offensive outburst in the final three games. So far this season, Memphis holds the edge both on the mound and at the plate. At the plate, Memphis is hitting. 282 while the Sky Sox are hitting .266. Memphis is also posting a 2.79 compared to a 6.16 ERA for Colorado Springs.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Saturday night, snapped 15-game on-base streak; hit for a .396 (21-for-53) average in that stretch

BARON: Rejoins team after spending last two weeks with St. Louis; appeared in two games, and recorded one hit

GARCIA: Recorded his league-leading eighth outfield assist Wednesday night, cutting down a runner trying to take second

KNIZNER: Recorded first three-hit Triple-A game last night; went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored, and an RBI

MEJIA: Recorded two hits last night, his first hits since recording an eight-game hitting streak from May 13-22

MERCADO: Is hitting .479 (23-for-48) in last 11 games, with eight multi-hit games; recently snapped 8-game hit streak

RAVELO: Has hit go-ahead home runs in each of the last two games, breaking scoreless ties both times

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 .146 (6-for-41) over last 12 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: Was ejected for the first time this season after arguing a called strike three to end the eighth inning Friday

WISDOM: Is hitting .442 (19-for-43) over current 12-game hit streak; streak is his and team's longest of season

BY THE NUMBERS

2 Memphis has shutout the opposition in back-to-back games for the first time since June 11-12, 2016 against Colorado Springs. The 'Birds have won 4-0 and 5-0 the last two nights

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds won last night's game in shutout fashion for the second-consecutive night, 5-0 over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

Last night's starter Austin Gomber was solid for the 'Birds. The lefty pitched 6.0 shutout innings, allowing just five hits and two walks, while striking out six batters.

The game was knotted at zeroes before Rangel Ravelo launched a solo home run with two outs in the third inning to provide the only run Memphis would need. It was the second-consecutive night that Ravelo had hit a home run to break a scoreless tie.

The 'Birds added three more runs in the third, and one in the seventh to close out the game. Ravelo finished the night 2-for-4 with a home run and a triple. Andrew Knizner notched his first Triple-A three-hit game, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, and Alex Mejia notched his first two hits since ending a season-long eight-game hitting streak last week. Patrick Wisdom (1-for-3) also extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

AUSTIN CONTINUES TO AMAZE: Last night, Memphis starter Austin Gomber turned in his second-consecutive dominant start. The lefty twirled 6.0 shutout innings, allowing just five hits and two walks, while striking out six batters. Gomber struggled through most of May, but in his last two starts, he is 2-0, pitching 14.0 one-run innings, while striking out 15, good for a 1.56 ERA. With the performance, the lefty also notched his fifth quality start in nine tries this season, tying Dakota Hudson for the team-lead. Gomber is having a solid first season at the Triple-A level. He is 4-3 with a 3.60 ERA in nine starts with 63 strikeouts. His 63 strikeouts leads the PCL, narrowly ahead of teammate Daniel Poncedeleon, who sits in second with 60. He is also tied for the fourth-most innings in the league at 55.0, and owns the fourth-best strikeouts per nine innings pitched ratio at 10.31.

WIZ GETS ANOTHER ONE: After notching a single with two outs in the third last night, Patrick Wisdom extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He now has a season-long 12-game hitting streak, and is hitting .442 (19-for-43) over that stretch. In the last seven games alone, Wisdom is hitting .452 (14-for-31) with three doubles, a triple, and three home runs, while driving in 10 runs, walking six times, and striking out just six times. In the first game of last 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 18 games, he is hitting .379 (25-for-66) with nine extra-base hits, 12 RBI, and 13 runs scored. He has collected hits in 16 of those 18 games, including seven games with multiple hits. The 12-game hitting streak is now the second-longest streak of his career. He hit safely in 11-straight in 2015 with Springfield from April 30 to May 25, and hit safely in 14-straight with the Batavia Muckdogs in 2012 from July 19 to August 2.

BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS: Last night, the Redbirds shutout the Sky Sox for the second-consecutive night, winning 5-0. After defeating the Sky Sox 4-0 on Saturday night the Redbirds have shutout the opponent in back-to-back games for the first time since June 11-12, 2016 against Colorado Springs. Memphis joins Nashville as the only two teams in the PCL to shutout the opponent in back-to-back games this season. Nashville accomplished the feat April 12-13 against Iowa.

RAVELO PLAYS THE HERO AGAIN: Last night, for the second-straight night, Rangel Ravelo hit a home run to break a scoreless tie, and give Memphis the only run it would need. His home run on Saturday came with one on and no outs in the sixth inning. Last night, he smacked a solo home run with two outs in the third to open the flood gates for the 'Birds. Four-straight batters reached after his homer, and the 'Birds went on to score three more runs in the inning. It is the first time Ravelo has homered in back-to-back games since July 31 and August 4, 2014 while with the Birmingham Barons in the White Sox organization.

HAVE A DAY, ANDREW: Andrew Knizner, the Cardinals' No. 10 prospect, and No. 2 catching prospect had been solid in his first few Triple-A games, but he broke out the bat with three hits last night. Before joining Memphis a little over a week ago, Knizner was tearing it up with Double-A Springfield. In 27 games there, he was hitting .333 (35-for-105) with two homers and 18 RBI, and a .412 on-base percentage. Since joining the Redbirds, Knizner is hitting .360 (9-for-25), and has hit safely in six of his eight games. Last night, Knizner went 3-for-4 at the dish, notching two doubles, a run scored, and his second RBI with the 'Birds. Four of his nine hits with Memphis have been doubles.

STRONG STARTERS: The Memphis starting pitching staff has been a force to be reckoned with this season. Memphis starters are 26-10 with a 2.78 ERA through the first 51 games this season. Through the first 51 games, the starters have pitched 288.0 innings, allowing just 100 total runs, only 89 of which have been earned. In addition, they have walked only 890batters, and have struck out 304 hitters. Five different Memphis starters have also tied or set their career-high strikeout marks. Daniel Poncedeleon struck out 12 (career-high) on April 14, Austin Gomber struck out 16 (career-high and tied franchise record) on April 23, Jack Flaherty struck out 13 (career-high) on May 9, Alex Reyes struck out 13 (tied career-high) on May 24, and Dakota Hudson set his career-high with nine strikeouts Saturday night. Despite recent struggles from the Memphis bullpen, the 'Birds still own the second-best ERA in the PCL this season at 3.47, behind only Oklahoma City (3.02).

QUALITY STARTS GALORE: Not only have the Memphis starters posted a phenomenal ERA through this point in the season, they also lead the league in quality starts. 'Birds starters have thrown 26 quality starts in 51 games this season. They threw 55 total in 2017. The Redbirds staff has also thrown eight-straight quality starts after going seven-straight games without a quality start. Over that seven game stretch, the 'Birds were 3-4. In their last eight games, they are 6-2. Of the 10 pitchers that have made a start for Memphis this season, eight of them have thrown at least one quality start. Sam Tuivailala made a one-inning start on Major League rehab, and in his five spot-starts, Sean Gilmartin has not thrown a quality start. Dakota Hudson and Austin Gomber lead the team with five quality starts apiece. Jack Flaherty and John Gant have both thrown four quality starts. Daniel Poncedeleon has thrown three quality starts, and Ryan Helsley and Kevin Herget have both thrown two. Alex Reyes also recorded a quality start in his rehab appearance on Thursday.

BOUNCING BACK: The Redbirds got off to a rough start this month. They struggled through the first 16 games, going 6-10. The 'Birds scored just 59 runs in those first 16 games (3.7/game), while opponents scored 77 (4.8/game) total runs in those games. However, in the last nine games, the 'Birds have turned it around. Memphis is 8-2 in the last 10, and have scored 57 (5.7/game), while holding opponents to just 28 (2.8/game) runs in those games. In the first 16 games this month, the pitching staff also struggled, posting a 4.63 ERA. They allowed 71 earned runs in 138 innings. The competition also made the 'Bird bats go cold. Opposing pitchers posted a 3.38 ERA in those first 16 games, allowing 53 runs in 141 innings. In the last 10 games, Memphis pitchers are posting a 2.79 ERA, while opposing pitchers are posting a 5.27 ERA.

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 469 batters through the first 51 games (9.2/game), which is only behind Fresno (482) 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 340 times through the first 51 games (6.7/game), the lowest mark in the league. Memphis is the only team in the PCL that has struck out under 350 times this season. The Memphis pitching staff has also issued the fourth-fewest walks in the PCL this season (142).

'BIRDS LIKE THE AMERICAN NORTH: With last night's win, Memphis is now 23-10 against the American North Division this season. The 'Birds have only played against the American North and South divisions at this point in the season, but are performing much better against the North. The 'Birds own a winning record against each of the teams in the North, posting a 6-1 record against Iowa, a 5-2 record against Omaha and Colorado Springs, and a 7-5 record against Oklahoma City. The 'Birds are just 8-10 against their own division right now. They have yet to play New Orleans, but are 2-6 against Nashville this season, and 6-4 against Round Rock.

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 28, 2018


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