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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (35-22) at New Orleans Baby Cakes (26-30)

June 3, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (35-22) at New Orleans Baby Cakes (26-30)

Sunday, June 3 - 1:00 p.m. (CT) - Shrine on Airline (10,000) - New Orleans, Louisiana

Game #58 - Road Game #28 (17-11)

RHP Kevin Herget (3-4, 3.61 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Cloyd (0-1, 6.55 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and New Orleans Baby Cakes will play the finale of a five-game series today at 1:00 p.m. in New Orleans. This is the first of four series the two teams will play against each other this season. Memphis grabbed the first and fourth games, while New Orleans took games two and three. The Redbirds are coming off a 4-1 series win over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, while New Orleans is coming off a 4-1 series loss to the Iowa Cubs. Today's game will be broadcast on memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Kevin Herget will get the ball for Memphis, making his sixth-straight start after beginning the year in the bullpen. Herget has been spectacular in his last two outings. In his last two starts, Herget earned the win both times, twirling 12.0 innings, allowing a combined eight hits and three earned runs, while walking three, and striking out 11 batters. As a starter this season, Herget is 2-3 with a 3.94 ERA in six starts, pitching 32.0 innings, and striking out 30 batters. Herget has faced New Orleans three times in his career, all coming last year. In one relief appearance, and two starts against the Baby Cakes last season, Herget was 1-1 in 10.1 innings, allowing 12 hits, and seven earned runs, while striking out seven batters, good for a 6.93 ERA.

The Baby Cakes will counter with righty Tyler Cloyd this afternoon. Cloyd has made two starts for New Orleans this season, going 0-1 with a 6.55 ERA. In his first start of the year, he pitched 5.0 innings against the Omaha Storm Chasers, allowing 11 hits and eight earned runs. In his second start, he took the no-decision, pitching 6.0 shutout innings against Iowa. This will be the second time Cloyd has faced Memphis in his career. Last year with Tacoma, he threw 2.1 innings, allowing three hits, a run, and three K's.

HISTORY WITH NEW ORLEANS: Memphis and New Orleans have played every year dating back to 1998 when Memphis joined the PCL. New Orleans has been affiliated with four different teams in that span, while Memphis has remained affiliated with St. Louis over that span. The Baby Cakes have been affiliated with Houston, Washington, the Mets, and now Miami. The have also changed their mascot to the Baby Cakes after previously being known as the Zephyrs. Memphis went 11-6 against New Orleans last year, including going 6-3 in New Orleans.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Is just 2-for-20 in his last six games after snapping a 15-game on-base streak on May 25

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

GARCIA: Monday, recorded first multi-hit game since May 6; leads PCL with eight outfield assists

KNIZNER: Is hitting .333 (13-for-39) since joining Memphis last month; hitting .333 (48-for-144) on season

MEJIA: Is eight for his last 19; recorded a hit Sunday for the first time since snapping 8-game hitting streak (5/13-22)

MERCADO: Is hitting .176 (6-for-34) since ending eight-game hitting streak on May 25; 3rd in PCL with 13 stolen bases

O'NEILL: Has appeared in 16 games with St. Louis; hitting .237 with six runs, nine hits, one double, three homers, and 7RBI

RAVELO: Has hit three home runs in last 6 games after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning last night

SCHROCK: Hit .269 (25-for-93) in the month of May after hitting .323 (30-for-93) in April; only five multi-hit games in May

TOVAR: Drove in all three runs in Wednesday's 3-2 win; was 2-for-4 with 2B and HR; first multi-hit game since May 9

URIAS: Is hitting .280 (7-for-25) in eight games since being transferred from Springfield; hitting .311 on season

WISDOM: Recently snapped career-long 16-game hitting streak; hitting .324 (39-for-114) since May 1

BY THE NUMBERS

35-22 is the best record in the PCL this season. It is also the second-best mark through 57 games in Redbirds' history. The 2000 team was 36-21 through the first 57 games

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds won a wild one last night, storming back in the late innings to win 6-5 over the New Orleans Baby Cakes.

Last night's starter Ryan Helsley pitched just 2.2 innings after a five-run third inning, which saw four walks and two errors by the 'Birds. Three of the five runs in the inning were earned.

Adolis Garcia got the scoring started for Memphis in the fourth inning, smacking a leadoff home run, his fifth of the season. Both teams remained scoreless until Memphis mounted its comeback in the seventh.

The 'Birds grabbed three runs in the seventh, courtesy of four hits and an error. Tyler O'Neill drove in two of the runs. The 'Birds grabbed another run in the eighth when Patrick Wisdom doubled home Oscar Mercado. Max Schrock drove in the winning run with a sac fly in the 10th inning.

Five pitchers from the bullpen combined to pitch 7.1 shutout innings to seal the comeback win.

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK: Last night, Memphis stormed back in the late innings to grab a 6-5 win in extra innings. The 'Birds gave up five runs in the third inning to knock starter Ryan Helsley out of the contest. The bullpen came in to pitch 7.1 shutout innings to give Memphis a chance to mount a comeback. Adolis Garcia led off the fourth inning with a solo home run, his fifth of the year, to start the scoring. The next two frames were scoreless for both when the 'Birds' bats came out in the seventh. Wilfredo Tovar and Oscar Mercado led off the inning with two-straight singles before Max Schrock and Patrick Wisdom both recorded outs. Tyler O'Neill then drove in both men with a two-run single to cut the lead to two. After Alex Mejia reached on an error in the next at-bat, Andrew Knizner notched an RBI single to score O'Neill and tie it up. The two teams went to extra-innings knotted at five apiece. With the new extra-innings rules, Tovar began the inning at second base, moved up on Mercado's sacrifice bunt, and scored the winning run on Schrock's sac fly. It was the first time Memphis had come back to win this season when trailing by more than two runs, and it was the time since September 5, 2017 against Round Rock that Memphis had mounted a comeback after the sixth inning.

WIZ STILL AT IT: Despite his career-long 16-game hitting streak ending two nights ago, Patrick Wisdom proved he can still rake last night. Wisdom went 2-for-5, recording a double, an RBI, and a walk. Over his career-high streak, Wisdom was hitting .418 (25-for-59) over that stretch. Wisdom's dominant stretch came after he fell 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. Over the next 22 games, he is hit .378 (31-for-82) with nine extra-base hits, 14 RBI, and 16 runs scored. He collected hits in 20 of those 22 games, including nine games with multiple hits. The 16-game streak was the longest for any member of the Redbirds this season, and the longest since teammate Rangel Ravelo hit safely in 15-straight from May 9 to June 3 last season. The 16-game streak tied Wisdom with five former Redbirds for the fifth-longest streak in Redbird history. Adam Kennedy hit in 20-straight from June 28 to August 12, 1999, giving him the longest streak in franchise history. Wisdom is now tied with Skip Schumaker, Brendan Ryan, Jon Jay, Tyler Greene, and the late Oscar Taveras in the Redbirds history books. Taveras was the last Redbird to notch 16-straight before Wisdom, accomplishing the feat in 2014. Wisdom has now recorded hits in 25 of his last 30 games, dating back to May 1. He is hitting .342 (39-for-114) over that stretch, 19 runs scored, 13 extra-base hits, 19 RBI, and four stolen bases. His .342 batting average since May 1 is the best on the Redbirds, and is ninth-best in the PCL in that time frame. Since his 16-game streak began on May 14, Wisdom's .397 (27-for-68) average is the second-best in the PCL.

DOMINANCE FROM THE 'PEN: After last night's starter Ryan Helsley was knocked out of the game after pitching just 2.2 innings, the Memphis bullpen came on to pitch the final 7.1 innings. The 'pen shut down the New Orleans Baby Cakes over that stretch, allowing just three hits and five walks, while striking out five batters. The dominance from the Memphis relievers allowed the 'Birds to mount an epic-late inning comeback. Hector Mendoza was the first reliever called upon. After allowing six earned runs in his last appearance on May 31, Mendoza was lights out. The righty threw 2.1 innings, allowing one hit and two walks, while striking out two batters. Andrew Morales and Arturo Reyes were the next two relievers sent to the mound, and they combined to throw 2.0 innings, allowing two hits and two walks, while striking out one. After the 'Birds tied the game in the eighth, manager Stubby Clapp called on Preston Guilmet, his most reliable reliever, to shutdown the Baby Cakes. He did his job before handing the ball over to Edward Mujica, who pitched 2.0 shutout innings in the ninth and tenth to earn his third win of the season.

ONE IS JUST ENOUGH: Last night, the Redbirds won a wild one late to beat the New Orleans Baby Cakes 6-5. They are now 12-3 in one-run games this season, including 9-2 at AutoZone Park. Their 12-3 (.800) record in one-run contests gives them the highest winning percentage in such contests this season. Since manager Stubby Clapp took the helm last season, Memphis owns the best record and winning percentage in one-run games in the entire league. Last season, the 'Birds were 29-15 (.659) in one-run games. Between the two seasons, they are 41-18 in such games, a .695 winning percentage. The 'Birds have now won their last six one-run contests. The last time they lost a one-run game was May 3 against Oklahoma City when they lost 1-0.

CLUTCH PINCH-HIT PITCHERS: Last night, Stubby Clapp called on reliever, and sometimes starter, Sean Gilmartin to pinch-hit in the ninth inning. Gilmartin did not disappoint, smacking a single for Preston Guilmet. It was the first time a Memphis pitcher had recorded a pinch-hit since Mike Mayers did so on June 10, 2016 against Colorado Springs at AutoZone Park. Gilmartin is now 2-for-9 (.222) at the plate this season, and Memphis pitchers are 12-for-65 (.185) this season.

BOUNCING BACK: After snapping his third eight-game hitting streak of the season on May 24, outfielder Oscar Mercado struggled at the plate, but seems to be finding his rhythm again. Mercado went 2-for-4 at the dish the day after snapping his streak, but then fell into a slump, going hitless in his next five games, his longest hitless streak of the year. However, in the last two nights, Mercado has recorded back-to-back two-hit games, scoring four total runs and striking out just once. Mercado had struck out five times in his five-game skid. Mercado leads qualified Memphis hitters with a .315 average. His batting average also puts him just outside the top-10 in the PCL, while his 63 hits on the season puts him just outside the top-five in the league. His 13 stolen bases this season are tied for third-most.

O'NEILL STILL HAS THE CLUTCH FACTOR: Last night, in his second game back from St. Louis, outfielder Tyler O'Neill had some clutch moments at the plate, including a two-run single in Memphis' three-run seventh inning. After going hitless in his first game back on Friday, O'Neill went 1-for-4 at the plate, scoring a run, and recording two RBI and two walks. Coming into last night's game, O'Neill had walked just four times all season in 47 games between Memphis and St. Louis. Despite spending a good chunk of the season with the Cardinals, O'Neill is second on the team behind Patrick Wisdom with 33 RBI, is tied with Max Schrock with 13 two-out RBI on the season, behind Wisdom (15), and he leads the Redbirds with 11 multi-RBI games.

CHASING HISTORY: With the calendar turning over to June a few days ago, the 2018 season is officially two months in. The 'Birds have played 57 games, and are 35-22. In last season's record-setting campaign, the Redbirds entered June with a 32-21 record. The 'Birds own the best record in the PCL this season, the second-best ERA (3.52), the second-most strikeouts by pitchers (520), the seventh-best batting average (.269), and have the third-most stolen bases (46). The 35-22 record through 37 games is the second-best mark in Redbirds' history. The 2000 Redbirds were 36-21 through the first 57 games.

MORE HONORS FOR GOMBER: Memphis starting pitcher Austin Gomber was named the PCL Pitcher of the Week on Monday for the second time this season. Last week, Gomber went 2-0 in 14.0 innings pitched, allowing just one run on 11 hits and four walks, while striking out 15 batters. Gomber also earned the award for the week of April 23-29 after his 16-strikeout performance April 23, and he was also named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April. Gomber is 4-3 with a 3.60 ERA and 63 strikeouts on the season.

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)

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