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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (4-0) at Round Rock Express (0-4)

April 9, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (4-0) At Round Rock Express (0-4)

Monday, April 9 - 7:05 p.m. (CT) - Dell Diamond (11,631) - Round Rock, Texas

Game #5 - Road Game #5 (4-0)

RHP DANIEL PONCEDELEON (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP TYLER WAGNER (0-0, 22.50 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds return to action at Round Rock for the series finale after a 4-1 win last night. With the win, the Redbirds have started 4-0 for the first time since the 2001 season. The Redbirds' were led by RHP Jack Flaherty in his first Triple-A start of the year. Flaherty dazzled, tossing 7.0 innings and striking out 11. Tyler O'Neill blasted his fourth home run in three days to back Flaherty and lead Memphis to victory. Today's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Daniel Poncedeleon will get the ball for Memphis tonight. He will be making his first start since May 9 last season when he was struck in the head by a line drive at Iowa. He missed the remainder of the season because of brain surgery. He rejoined the team in September as a spectator for their pennant run. Poncedeleon has made one appearance for Memphis already this season. He tossed 1.0 innings in relief, allowing just one hit, and needing 10 pitches to shut down the Express.

The Express are scheduled to send right-hander Tyler Wagner to the mound. Wagner spent all of 2017 with Round Rock. He made 29 appearances, including 21 starts, and was 3-11 with a 6.25 ERA in 125.1 innings on the year. Wagner also briefly spent time with Milwaukee and Arizona in 2015 and 2016. The righty made a brief relief appearance earlier this season, surrendering five earned runs in just 2.0 innings.

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 114-95 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: Stole three bases in the third game of his Triple-A career, and has reached base safely in every game

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

GARCIA: Four home runs in last 12 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: Has hit four home runs in the last three games, including two in Friday's 17-4 win

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

SCHROCK: Hit home run in first game of Triple-A career, a three-run shot in the sixth inning

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

URIAS: Is making Triple-A debut after spending last five years in the Mexican League

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

BY THE NUMBERS

20-2 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 to start the 2018 season, beating Round Rock 4-1. The Redbirds have now scored 40 runs through their first four games.

Jack Flaherty, making his first Triple-A start of the season, was dominant. The lanky right-hander threw 103 pitches over 7.0 innings, allowing just five hits and one run, while whiffing 11 batters. Derian Gonzalez, closed out the game with 2.0 scoreless innings, while earning his first Triple-A save.

Tyler O'Neill continued his weekend power surge by blasting another long ball yesterday, giving him four homers in three days. O'Neill now has four home runs and 10 RBI on the year to lead the team.

The Redbirds' continued hitting the ball well, notching 10 hits, giving them four-straight games with double digit hits to start the season. Randy Arozarena was 1-for-2 with three walks and three stolen bases, while Oscar Mercado was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base.

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)

HOT START, ALREADY CHASING RECORDS: The Redbirds have been on fire to start the 2018 season. They have started 4-0 for the first time since they started 4-0 in 2001, and are one win short of tying the franchise record for best start in a season at 5-0 with the 1999 Redbirds. So far, the team has scored 40 runs, is hitting .348, has hit six home runs, nine doubles, and one triple, while collecting 21 walks. They also have a collective OBP of .440 and an OPS of .975. The pitching staff has gotten off to a hot start, as well. They have a combined ERA of 3.25, have allowed just one home run, have struck out 31, have a WHIP of 1.25, and are holding opposing hitters to a .246 average.

OH MAN, O'NEILL: St. Louis' No. 4 prospect has been nothing short of dominant in the first four games of the 2018 season. The power-hitting outfielder has hit four home runs in the last three days, and now has four home runs and 10 RBI on the season, both of which lead the PCL. O'Neill also leads the league in at-bats (21), total bases (21), HR/AB ratio (5.25), and is tied for second with five extra-base hits, second in slugging percentage (1.000), second in runs scored (6), and is third in hits (8).

FLAME THROWING FLAHERTY: St. Louis' No. 2 prospect Jack Flaherty backed up the hype in yesterday's start. The lanky right-hander threw 7.0 dominant innings, allowing just one run on five hits, with no walk, while striking out 11 on the afternoon. Flaherty began the season with St. Louis after an injury to Adam Wainwright, and was also dominant in his lone start with St. Louis on April 3. Flaherty lasted 5.0 innings, allowing six hits, one run, one walk, while striking out nine. Between Memphis and St. Louis this year, Flaherty is 1-0 in 12.0 innings, allowing 11 hits, two runs, one walk, and striking out 20, good for a 1.50 ERA.

FLASHIN' THE WHEELS: No. 11 prospect Randy Arozarena and No. 13 prospect Oscar Mercado can't be stopped on the bases so far this season. In three games thus far, Mercado is a perfect 2-for-2 on stolen bases, while Arozarena is a perfect 3-for-3. Arozarena stole all three bases in yesterday's win. Max Schrock is the only other Redbird with a steal so far, after stealing a base in the season opener.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics

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