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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (52-32) at Iowa Cubs (29-53)

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


Memphis Redbirds (52-32) at Iowa Cubs (29-53)

Tuesday, July 3 - 7:08 p.m. (CT) - Principal Park (11,000) - Des Moines, Iowa

Game #85 - Road Game #45 (28-16)

RHP Dakota Hudson (11-2, 2.10 ERA) vs. RHP Trevor Clifton (0-0, 4.76 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Iowa Cubs will play finale of a five-game set tonight at 7:08 p.m. for the final game of the nine-game road trip. This will be the third of four series the two teams will play against each other this season. Memphis won the first two series, 3-1 and 3-0, respectively. The 'Birds are coming off a 2-2 series split with Colorado Springs, while Iowa is coming off a 3-1 series win over New Orleans. Memphis has taken the first four games in this series, 6-2, 13-2, 6-1, and 7-3 respectively. The 'Birds are looking for their first five-game sweep since accomplishing the feat July 25-27, 2014, also at Iowa. Today's game will be broadcast on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Dakota Hudson will make his 16th start of the season tonight, and his third start of the year against the I-Cubs. Coming into tonight's game, Hudson is 11-2 with a 2.10 ERA this season. His 11 wins are the most in all of Triple-A baseball, his 2.10 ERA is the second-best in the PCL, and the third-best in all of Triple-A as well. Hudson has pitched at least 5.0 innings in each of his starts this season, has 10 quality starts on the season, and has not allowed more than four earned runs in a game this season. Hudson has four starts this season where he has given up one earned run or less over the course of 8.0 innings. In two starts against Iowa this season, both in April, Hudson is 1-0 in 11.1 innings, allowing 15 hits, and five earned runs, while striking out 10 batters for a 4.05 ERA.

The I-Cubs will send right-hander Trevor Clifton to the mound to battle Hudson. In four starts with the I-Cubs this season, the righty is 0-0 with a 4.76 ERA. He has combined to throw 17.0 innings, allowing nine earned runs, while striking out 19 batters.

HISTORY WITH IOWA: Memphis and Iowa have played every year dating back to 1998 when Memphis joined the PCL. In the all-time series, the Redbirds own the winning record at 163-134. On the road, the Redbirds trail with a 68-83 record at Principal Park. In 11 games against the I-Cubs this season, the 'Birds own the series with 10 wins to one. They took the first series of the season in Memphis 3-1, and then swept Iowa the next week in Des Moines 3-0. So far this season, Memphis is outplaying Iowa at the plate and in the field. The 'Birds are hitting .299 compared to their .249, and are posting a 2.79 ERA compared to their 6.12 mark.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Tues. night, hit pinch-hit two-run home run in the ninth to extend lead to 11-4; second homer of year

BARON: Currently has a four-game hitting streak, his longest of year and longest since 5-game streak July 18-25, 2017

DEJONG: Is hitting .222 (2-for-9) with one run, one double, and one RBI in three rehab games with Memphis

GARCIA: In Sunday's 11-5 win over New Orleans, went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run, driving in four runners

KELLY: Is hitting .292 (7-for-24) in six games over road trip; has scored 4 runs, hit two 2B, two HR, and driven in seven

MEJIA: Is five for his last nine at the plate, while scoring four times and driving in one, while stealing two bases

MERCADO: Is hitting a career-high .291 (86-for-296) this season; is tied for 2nd in PCL with 19 stolen bases this season

RAVELO: Is hitting .402 (38-for-92) over his last 27 games; has hit four 2B, two 3B and eight homers in that time

SCHROCK: Sunday, recorded three hits in a game for the first time since May 3 against Oklahoma City

SOSA: Last night, drove in three runners in the ninth with a pinch-hit double; is hitting .280 (7-for-25) with Memphis

TOVAR: Stole three bases in last Sunday's win, doubling his total; first time since July 3, 2009 he stole 3 bases in a game

VOIT: Hit for the cycle on June 30, becoming the second player in Memphis history to accomplish the feat

WISDOM: Yesterday, hit a two-run double in the first to give Memphis an early lead; is hitting .315 (63-for-200) since May 1

BY THE NUMBERS

40 extra-base hits for the Redbirds in the last seven games out of 79 total hits, coming out to 50.6% of their hits going for extra-bases over the last week.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds won last night's contest over the Iowa Cubs 7-3 for their eighth-consecutive win over the I-Cubs dating back to April.

After a rough first inning, starter Chris Ellis settled in, earning his first win of the season with the Redbirds. Ellis allowed three runs in the first before shutting down the I-Cubs for his final four frames of work.

The 'Birds jumped out to an early, 2-0 lead in the first inning on a Patrick Wisdom double. Iowa led 3-2 until the 'Birds scored two in the sixth and three in the ninth to seal the win.

Paul DeJong drove in the first run of the sixth to tie it before Oscar Mercado scored on a wild pitch to put Memphis up for good. In the ninth inning, Edmundo Sosa drove in three with a pinch-hit double.

Luke Voit continued his hot-hitting in the game, going 3-for-3 at the dish, scoring twice, and walking twice.

LUKE JUST CAN'T STOP: In last night's win, infielder Luke Voit continued his torrid pace at the plate. The slugging infielder went 3-for-3 with two walks, and scored two runs on the evening. Since returning from St. Louis on June 19, Voit has appeared in 12 games, and is hitting .417 (20-for-48) in that stretch. In Friday's game, which was finished Saturday due to weather, Voit became the first Memphis player to hit for the cycle since Mark Little on June 23, 2000. He finished that game 5-for-6 at the plate. In the series against Iowa, Voit is hitting .667 (10-for-15) with two doubles, a triple, seven RBI, and two walks, while striking out just once. Voit now has 27 RBI with Memphis this season, 11 of which have come since he returned from St. Louis two weeks ago.

HAVE MERCY, MERCADO: After going deep in the eighth inning of Friday's game, Oscar Mercado snapped a homerless streak that dated back to May 23. The home run was his seventh of the year, and is now the second-best mark of his career. The speedy outfielder hit 13 last season with Springfield. Mercado also stole a base in the game last night, giving him 20 on the year, tied for second-most in the PCL season. Mercado is the first Redbirds player to steal 20 bases in a season since Tommy Pham did so in 2014. With his steal last night, Mercado is now tied for seventh most steals in a season in Redbirds history. In his five plus years in the Minors, Mercado has stolen 179 bases. He has led the league in stolen bases twice, and has ranked in the top-5 two other times.

CLUTCH HITTING FOR THE NEW GUY: In last night's win, infielder Edmundo Sosa came off the bench with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, while Memphis held a 4-3 lead. With a 1-1 count, Sosa ripped a bases-clearing double down the left field line to give Memphis some breathing room, and finalize the score at 7-3. Since being transferred to Memphis from Springfield for his Triple-A debut, Sosa is hitting .280 (7-for-25) with four doubles, four RBI, and five runs scored.

SOLID PLAY FOR SCHROCK: In last night's win, Memphis infielder Max Schrock went 2-for-3 with two doubles, and a run scored in the win. On Sunday, Schrock went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. It is a positive sign for Schrock who struggled through most of May and June. Schrock was one of the most productive hitters for the Redbirds in the first month of the season. He hit .323 (30-for-93) in 23 games in the month, owning an on-base percentage of .370, and recording multiple hits in nine games. Schrock began to struggle in May, hitting just .269 (25-for-93) in 25 games with a .313 on-base mark, and recording multiple hits in five games. In June, the strong-fielding infielder dropped even further, hitting just .238 (19-for-83) in 23 games with a .270 on-base percentage, and recording just four multi-hit games. Schrock now has multiple hits in back-to-back games for the first time since May 2 and 3 against Oklahoma City.

STRONG BULLPEN: Over the first four games of the series with the Iowa Cubs, the Redbirds' bullpen has been phenomenal. In the four games, eight different relievers have made 11 total appearances, allowing just two total runs, only one of which was earned. Landon Beck (3.2IP, 5H, R, 3K), Tommy Layne (1.1, 2K), Edward Mujica (2.0, 3H, 3K), Andrew Morales (1.0, BB, 3K), Matt Bowman (2.0, 2H R, ER, 3K), Luke Gregerson (W, 1.0, 2K), Hector Mendoza (2.0, BB), and Conner Greene (1.0, 2K) have all made appearances for the 'Birds over this dominant stretch. Over this span, they are 1-0 in 14.0 innings, allowing just 10 hits, two runs, one earned run, and two walks, while striking out 18 I-Cubs batters.

'BIRDS LIKE THE AMERICAN NORTH: After splitting their most recent series with Colorado Springs 2-2 this week, Memphis is now 31-12 against the American Northern Division this season. The Redbirds are 10-1 against the Iowa Cubs after the last four games, 9-4 against Colorado Springs, 7-5 against Oklahoma City, and 5-2 against Omaha. Memphis is just 13-14 against its own division, 3-4 against the Pacific Northern Division, and 5-2 against the Pacific Southern Division.

EXTRA, EXTRA: In the last seven games, Memphis has hit 14 home runs, seven of them coming off the bats of Patrick Wisdom (2), Tyler O'Neill (4), and Luke Voit (3), Randy Arozarena (2), Carson Kelly (2), and the other off the bat of Oscar Mercado. The Redbirds hit 34 home runs in June, their most in any month this season. Memphis had hit just two home runs in June up until June 9. They finished the month hitting 32 homers in their final 20 games. The 'Birds hit 34 home runs in 27 games in June. They hit just 24 in 30 games in May, and 23 in 25 games in April. In the last seven games, the 'Birds have also hit 24 doubles, and two triples, giving them 40 extra-base hits out of 79 total hits in those games.

CHASING HISTORY: After winning yesterday, the Redbirds now have the most wins in the PCL this season. Their 52-32 record through 84 games this season is tied with the 2017 team for the best record through 84 games in franchise history, narrowly ahead of the 2000 Redbirds that went 51-33. The Redbirds also won their 1,400th game in franchise history last season on July 14 last season. Since that time, they have won 85 games, putting them just 17 wins from the 1,500th in franchise history. With 91 wins last season, and 52 so far this season, Memphis manager Stubby Clapp now has 143 wins in his career as Redbirds' manager, moving him in front of former Memphis manager Mike Shildt for fifth on the all-time managerial win list. Clapp also owns the best winning percentage among Memphis managers at .636 (143-82).

LUKE GETS THE CYCLE: In Friday's game, which was completed on Saturday afternoon, Memphis infielder Luke Voit hit for the cycle in the route over the Iowa Cubs. Voit drove in the game's first run with a triple in the first inning. In the fifth inning, he doubled in another run, before singling in another run in the sixth inning. Voit completed the cycle with a ninth inning home run, his fourth of the season with Memphis. Voit finished the game going 5-for-6 at the plate with five RBI. Voit became the second player in Memphis history to hit for the cycle, joining Mark Little. Little accomplished the feat on June 23, 2000 at Colorado Springs. In the game, Voit also became the first Redbirds player to record five hits in a game since Cody Stanley on July 4, 2015 at Colorado Springs, and the first Redbirds player to record four hits, four RBI, and four RBI in a game since Xavier Scruggs on Aug. 14, 2014 (4 H, 6 RBI, 4 R).

RACKING UP THE HONORS: Yesterday, pitcher Dakota Hudson and infielder/outfielder Rangel Ravelo were named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher and Player of the month for June. In June, Hudson went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts. He is now 11-2 on the year, with a 2.10 ERA. His 11 wins lead all of Minor League Baseball, while his ERA is second in the PCL. Ravelo was virtually unstoppable at the plate in June. In 20 games, he hit .449 (31-for-69) with three doubles, a triple, six home runs, 23 RBI, and 11 walks, while striking out just four times. He hit safely in 14 of his 20 games in the month, and recorded multiple hits in 11 of those contests. Earlier this season, pitcher Austin Gomber, now with St. Louis, won Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April after striking out 16 batters on April 23. Despite the Redbirds not taking home a Cardinals Minor League award in May, they have had at least one player be named a Player or Pitcher of the Month in seven of the last eight months. Earlier this season, Gomber also won PCL Pitcher of the Week honors twice. Those honors came for the weeks of April 23-29 and May 21-27. Last week, three Memphis players were also named to the PCL All-Star roster. Hudson, fellow starter Daniel Poncedeleon, and slugger Patrick Wisdom were all named to the team. Hudson was named the starter for the Pacific Coast League.

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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