PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (37-25) vs Reno Aces (28-34)

Published on June 9, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (37-25) vs Reno Aces (28-34)

Saturday, June 9 - 6:35 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #63 - Home Game #34 (20-13)

RHP Ryan Helsley (2-0, 2.28 ERA) vs. LHP Anthony Vasquez (3-2, 5.40 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Reno Aces will play game two of a four-game set tonight at 6:35 p.m. This will be the only time the two teams will play this season. Last night, Reno grabbed a 3-1 win after the Memphis bullpen surrendered the lead late. The two teams met for four games last year in Reno, splitting the series 2-2. Earlier today, Memphis catcher Andrew Knizner was transferred to Double-A Springfield. Today's game will be broadcast on memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Ryan Helsley will take the mound for the Redbirds tonight. Coming into tonight's game, Helsley is 2-0 with a 2.28 ERA in four starts with Memphis this season. Helsley is looking to rebound from his previous outing, in which he allowed five runs, three of them earned, in 2.2 innings at New Orleans last week. Other than his last outing, Helsley has been dominant for the 'Birds this season. The righty has thrown 7.0 innings in three of his four starts, and has struck out 31 batters in 23.2 innings of work. Three of Helsley's four starts have been at AutoZone Park this season. At home, the righty is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 21.0 innings, allowing just nine hits, four runs, three earned runs, and three walks, while striking out 28 batters.

The Aces will send left-hander Anthony Vasquez to the mound to face off with Helsley. Vasquez has made eight appearances for the Aces this season, three of them being starts. He is 3-2 with a 5.40 ERA this season. He has fared better as a starter this season. In three starts, he is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 16.0 innings. As a reliever this season, he is 2-1 with a 6.57 ERA in 12.1 innings.

HISTORY WITH RENO: Memphis and Reno have played every year dating back to 2009. The Aces are the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Aces hold the advantage in the all-time series, winning 23 games compared to Memphis' 13. The Aces also hold the advantage at AutoZone Park with an 11-5 record. Last season, the two teams split the season series at two games apiece. Last season, the 'Birds outperformed the Aces both at the plate and on the mound. The Redbirds out-hit Reno .357 to .286, and posted a 6.88 ERA compared to their 8.00 ERA.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Is just 4-for-34 in his last 11 games after snapping a 15-game on-base streak on May 25

BARON: Recently spent two weeks with St. Louis; appeared in two games, and recorded one hit, his first in the MLB

GARCIA: Recently snapped a four-game hitting streak, was for his longest of the year; leads PCL with nine outfield assists

KELLY: Recently optioned from St. Louis; hitting .258 with five 2B, two HR and 11 RBI in 25 games with Memphis

MEJIA: Drove in game winning runs in last two games; Wednesday was his first multi-RBI game since April 10

MERCADO: Is hitting .189 (10-for-53) 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: Before going hitless Tues. night, was hitting .435 (10-for-23) with five extra-base hits and seven RBI in last seven

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: Has two multi-hit games in the last week after going 15 games without a multi-hit performance

URIAS: After going 0-4 Wed. night, is hitting just .222 (8-for-36) in eight games since being transferred from Springfield

WISDOM: Recently snapped career-long 16-game hitting streak; hitting .325 (40-for-123) since May 1

BY THE NUMBERS

6 different Memphis starters have recorded 10 strikeout games this year, giving the 'Birds a total of eight games with at least 10 K's from the starters, the best mark in the PCL by five games

ON THIS DATE

In 2016, Kolten Wong hit two home runs in his Memphis season debut, including a walk-off grand slam to beat Colorado Springs 8-5

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds dropped last night's game 3-1 in the late innings, despite a strong pitching performance from starter Kevin Herget.

Last night's starter Kevin Herget bounced back after a rough outing last week, and was dominant over 7.0 shutout innings. The righty allowed just five hits and one walk, while striking out a season-high 10 batters en route to the no-decision.

After the 'Birds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning, the Memphis bullpen snapped its recent dominant stretch. Coming into last night's game, the bullpen had pitched 20.2 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.

That streak came to a halt in the eighth inning last night when Reno hit a go-ahead and eventual game-winning three-run home run off reliever Hector Mendoza to sink the 'Birds.

Both starting pitchers threw well last night, limiting the offense until the late innings. For the third consecutive night, Alex Mejia drove in a run for Memphis. Memphis managed just five hits and three walks in the loss.

HERGET'S BIG NIGHT: Last night, Memphis starter Kevin Herget was lights-out through seven dominant innings. Herget bounced back from his last start when he gave up four earned runs on nine hits and three home runs in 5.1 innings last week at New Orleans. Last night, Herget shut down the Aces, allowing just five singles and one walk, while striking out a season-high 10 batters on 99 pitches. His 10 strikeouts last night were the second time in his career that he had double-digit strikeouts, and it was the second-best mark of his career. Last season in the PCL Playoffs, Herget struck-out a career-high 15 batters against El Paso. Herget has made 14 appearances for the 'Birds, including eight-straight starts after starting the season in the bullpen. In his starts, he is 2-4 with a 3.65 ERA. He has pitched relatively well as a starter, and is receiving very low run support (2.1 runs/game). In 44.1 innings as a starter, Herget has allowed just 18 earned runs and 12 walks, while striking out 44 batters.

STARTING STRONG: After Kevin Herget's performance last night, the Memphis starting rotation has now allowed just five total runs, only one of which was earned, in the last four games. In that span, the starters have also thrown three quality starts, including two straight. After the 'Birds shutout Tacoma on Thursday, and Kevin Herget threw 7.0 shutout innings last night, Memphis starters have now thrown 15 straight scoreless innings. Dakota Hudson pitched 6.0 innings Thursday, and Daniel Poncedeleon allowed one run with one out in the fourth inning of Wednesday's game, shutting out Tacoma over his final two frames. Memphis starters are now 31-14 with a 2.78 ERA in 62 games this season. Memphis starters have tossed 349.2 innings this season, allowing just 127 runs, 108 earned runs, 27 home runs, and 123 walks, while striking out 363 batters. In comparison, the Memphis bullpen is 6-11 with a 4.43 ERA in 191.0 innings this season. Despite some struggles from the bullpen, Memphis owns the second-best ERA in the league at 3.36, just behind Oklahoma City (3.34). Memphis starters have also turned in 32 quality starts this season, the most in the PCL, seven more than both New Orleans and Fresno, whose starters have turned in 25 quality starts.

Dakota Hudson leads the team with six quality starts, Austin Gomber and John Gant both have five, Jack Flaherty, Kevin Herget, and Daniel Poncedeleon all have four, Ryan Helsley has three, and Alex Reyes has one quality start. Memphis starters have also recorded eight separate 10-strikeout games. No other team in the PCL has more than three. Oklahoma City has three, while El Paso and Fresno have both had two 10-strikeout games from their starters, while Colorado Springs, Iowa, Las Vegas, Nashville, and Sacramento have all had one. There have been 20 total games with 10-strikeout performances from the starter in the PCL this season, and Memphis owns eight of them. Jack Flaherty and Daniel Poncedeleon have both recorded two such performances, while Alex Reyes, Austin Gomber, and Ryan Helsley, and Kevin Herget have one apiece.

BULLPEN STREAK ENDS: Before last night, the Memphis bullpen had been dominant in the previous five games, accumulating a large workload. Last night, reliever Hector Mendoza blew the save and took the loss, allowing three runs in the eighth inning to sink Memphis. In Saturday's win over New Orleans, five relievers combined to toss 7.1 shutout innings as the 'Birds stormed back in the late innings to win 6-5 in 10 innings. That performance came after starter Ryan Helsley allowed five runs, three of them earned, to score in 2.2 innings. In Sunday's loss to New Orleans, Memphis starter Kevin Herget allowed four earned runs on three home runs to score in his 5.1 innings of work. The bullpen then came on to shutdown the Baby Cakes with 2.2 innings of shutout ball. Tuesday night, the bullpen pitched the final three innings, and allowed one unearned run to score in the eighth. Wednesday night, the bullpen pitched the final 3.2 innings to close out the game for the 'Birds. Thursday night, the 'pen pitched the final three innings of the game to seal the win and the fifth shutout of the season for the 'Birds.

With their performance Thursday, the bullpen had allowed just one unearned run to score in the last five games, and they have pitched 20.2 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. Over that span, 10 different Memphis relievers have made an appearance. Hector Mendoza (2.1IP), Andrew Morales (3.2IP), Preston Guilmet (2.0IP), Edward Mujica (3.1IP), Conner Greene (1.0IP), Arturo Reyes (4.0IP, 1UR), Sean Gilmartin (1.1IP), Mike Mayers (1.0IP), Matt Bowman (1.0IP), and Greg Holland (1.0IP) have all been lights-out over that stretch. Through the first six games in June, the Memphis bullpen was 1-0 with a save, and had thrown 23.0 innings, allowing just three runs, two earned runs, 11 walks, and a home run, while striking out 12 batters, good for a 0.78 ERA.

THREE IN A ROW FOR MEJIA: Last night, Alex Mejia drove in the lone Memphis run with an RBI single in the seventh inning. Wednesday night, he drove in both Memphis runs, giving starter Daniel Poncedeleon all the support he needed to win 2-1. Thursday night, Mejia drove in the first run of the game, which proved to be the winning run, as Memphis won in shutout fashion. He scored Patrick Wisdom with an RBI single in the fourth inning. While he was not credited for an RBI later in the game due to an error on the play, Wisdom came around to score on an infield single from Mejia when the Tacoma shortstop threw the ball away. Wednesday night, Mejia also notched his second multi-RBI game this season, and his first since April 10 against the Omaha Storm Chasers. Mejia is now recorded three straight games with an RBI. It is the first time he has recorded three straight games with an RBI since notching an RBI in four-straight last season from July 28-31.

HEY, BUDDY: Since being optioned by St. Louis last week, Tyler O'Neill has continued his dominance at the plate. The slugging outfielder has now recorded hits in five of his seven games back, and has reached safely in six of them. O'Neill was 4-for-9 (.444) with three walks and an OPS of 1.139 in the Tacoma series. O'Neill has now walked six times in his last six games after having 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 34 RBI, is tied with Max Schrock with 14 two-out RBI on the season, behind Wisdom (15), and he leads the Redbirds with 11 multi-RBI games.

ONE RUN OR A SHUTOUT: With Thursday night's 6-0 win over Tacoma, Memphis improved to 5-5 in shutout games this season. Memphis is now tied with Fresno for the second-most shutout wins in the PCL this season, behind only Nashville and New Orleans (6). However, the 'Birds have also been shutout a league-leading five times this season. In addition, Memphis is also a PCL-best 13-4 in one-run games this season. Memphis is now 8-5 in its last 13 games. Of those eight wins, five have come in one-run fashion, while the other three have come in shutout fashion.

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 552 batters through the first 62 games (8.9/game), which is only behind Fresno (586) for the best mark in the PCL this season. Memphis and Fresno are two of six teams with 500 strikeouts from their staff in the PCL. 'Birds batters are also towards the bottom of the league in total strikeouts. Memphis batters have struck out just 416 times through the first 62 games (6.7/game), narrowly ahead of Omaha (420) for the lowest mark in the league. Memphis is the only team in the PCL that has struck out under 420 times this season. The Memphis pitching staff has also issued the fourth-fewest walks in the PCL this season (192).

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 June 9, 2018


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