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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (53-33) vs Omaha Storm Chasers (39-45)

July 5, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (53-33) vs Omaha Storm Chasers (39-45)

Thursday, July 5

- 7:05 p.m. (CT)

- AutoZone Park (10,000)

- Memphis, Tennessee

Game #87

- Home Game #42 (24-17)

RHP Jake Woodford (0-1, 5.00 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Lovvorn (0-1, 10.13 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Omaha Storm Chasers will play game two of a five-game set tonight at 7:05 p.m. This will be the third of four series the two teams will play against each other this season. Memphis swept the first series 3-0, while the two split the second series 2-2. The 'Birds are coming off a 5-0 sweep of the Iowa Cubs. It was the first time the 'Birds had swept a team in five games since accomplishing the feat July 25-27, 2014, also at Iowa. Omaha is coming off a 3-2 series win over the Nashville Sounds. This series will lead into the All-Star Break, and the two will play their final series of the season immediately after the All-Star Break. Today's game will be broadcast on www.memphisredbirds.com and WMC-TV's Bounce Channel with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Jake Woodford will be making his third start for the Redbirds in tonight's contest. In his first start against Colorado Springs, Woodford took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out five Sky Sox batters. In his second start against the Iowa Cubs, Woodford was solid in four innings before weather forced the game to be suspended and finished the next day. In that game, he pitched 4.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk, while striking out six of the 13 batters he faced. Between Springfield and Memphis this season, Woodford, the organization's No. 18 prospect, is 3-9 in 17 starts spanning 85.0 innings, posting a 5.08 ERA.

The Storm Chasers will send right-hander Zach Lovvorn to the mound to battle Woodford. This will be Lovvorn's second Triple-A start of the season, both of them being against Memphis. In his first start against the 'Birds, Lovvorn took the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings.

HISTORY WITH OMAHA: Memphis and Omaha 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 155-138. Memphis owns the all-time records both at home and on the road with 81-66 and 74-72 records, respectively. In eight games against the Storm Chasers this season, Memphis owns a 5-3 record. They swept the first series 3-0 before splitting the second series 2-2. So far this season, the 'Birds are out-hitting and out-pitching the Storm Chasers. Memphis has a .233 average compared to their .220 mark, and a 2.04 ERA compared to their 3.00 mark.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Tues. night, hit two-run home run in the second inning, his 4th with Memphis; hit three over road trip

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

DEJONG: Tues. night, hit game-winning two-run homer in the seventh; now hitting .308 (4-for-13) on rehab assignment

GARCIA: Is hitting .464 (13-for-28) when batting in the cleanup spot this season; 4 2B, HR, 7 RBI in that spot

KELLY: Hit .286 (8-for-28) in seven games over road trip; scored 4 runs, hit two 2B, two HR, and driven in seven

MEJIA: Is seven for his last 13 at the plate, while scoring four times and driving in one, while stealing two bases

MERCADO: Tues. night, went 3-for-4, recording 6th three-hit game this season, most on team; 21 steals are second in PCL

RAVELO: Is hitting .392 (38-for-97) over his last 28 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 game-tying run in the ninth to send it to extra innings; is hitting .273 (8-for-30) with Memphis

TOVAR: Stole three bases on 6/23, doubling his total; first time since July 3, 2009 he stole 3 bases in a game

VOIT: Hit for the cycle on June 30; hit .500 (19-for-38) over nine-game road trip, driving in 13 runners

WISDOM: Monday, hit a two-run double in the first to give Memphis an early lead; is hitting .312 (64-for-205) since May 1

BY THE NUMBERS

0 walks issued both teams' pitchers last night. It is the second time this season that Memphis has played in a game with zero walks. The other was May 11 at OKC. Memphis has lost both contests

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds dropped last night's contest to the Omaha Storm Chasers 2-1 in 12 innings. The loss snapped Memphis' season-long six-game winning streak.

Memphis starter Kevin Herget was phenomenal in the game, with his only mistake being a solo home run in the third inning. The righty tossed a season-high 8.0 innings, allowing just one run on four hits, without allowing a walk, and striking out six batters.

The 'Birds recorded nine hits in the ballgame, but could not string enough together to score until the ninth inning. Trailing 1-0 entering the inning, Adolis Garcia reached on an error, and Alex Mejia singled him to third before Edmundo Sosa drove in Garcia to tie it up.

Neither team scored until the 12th when Omaha pushed the winning win across off of Conner Greene. Carson Kelly (2-for-5), Adolis Garcia (2-for-5), and Wilfredo Tovar (2-for-5) all collected multiple hits in the game.

KEEP IT GOING, KEVIN: Last night, Memphis starter Kevin Herget turned in his best start of the season in the Redbirds' extra-innings loss. Herget was dominant in eight innings, allowing just one run on four hits, while not allowing a walk and striking out six batters. It was the second time in his career he had thrown eight innings in a game, along with Game 2 of the PCL Championship Series last season when he struck out 15 batters in eight innings against El Paso. His only mistake in the game came on a solo home run off the bat of Humberto Arteaga in the third inning. Herget has been lights-out in his last three starts after struggling through three of his previous four starts dating back to the beginning of June. In four starts from June 3-19, Herget was 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA in 24.0 innings. Excluding his second start in that span, in which he pitched seven scoreless innings while striking out 10, he allowed 16 runs over 17.0 innings of work. On June 3, he allowed four earned runs in 5.1 innings of work on nine hits, on June 14, he allowed five earned runs in 6.0 innings, and on June 19, he allowed seven earned runs in 5.2 innings. Since that rough, four-game stretch, Herget is posting a 1.35 ERA in three starts. He has posted three-consecutive quality starts, throwing 20.0 innings, allowing just 15 hits and one walk, while striking out 18 batters.

ADOLIS CLEANINNG IT UP: After going 2-for-5 and scoring Memphis' only run last night, outfielder Adolis Garcia is now hitting .464 (13-for-28) in the cleanup spot this season. In the fourth spot, the strong-armed outfielder has scored seven runs, recorded four doubles, and hit one home run, while driving in seven runners. In 65 games hitting elsewhere in the lineup, Garcia is hitting just .197 (4-for-218) with nine doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 29 RBI. Last night's performance was a positive sign for Garcia after he went a season-high six games without a hit. To start June, Garcia recorded hits in 17 of 19 games, hitting .310 (22-for-71) in that span before going hitless in his final three games of the month, and his first three games of this month.

SOSA HAS THE CLUTCH FACTOR: In last night's extra-innings loss last night, Edmundo Sosa drove in the only Memphis run with an RBI single in the ninth inning to tie the game at 1-1. Adolis Garcia reached on an error to start the inning before Alex Mejia singled him to third one out later. Sosa then singled up the middle to tie the game. Since being transferred to Memphis from Springfield on June 23, Sosa has appeared in 10 games for the Redbirds, starting eight of them at various spots around the infield. Last night was not his first clutch hit as a Redbird either. In Monday's 7-3 win over the Iowa Cubs, Sosa drove in three runners in the ninth inning with a pinch-hit double. In 10 games with Memphis so far, the infielder is hitting .273 (9-for-33) with six runs scored, four doubles, five RBI, and two walks.

STRUGGLING IN EXTRAS: After going a perfect 11-0 in extra-inning games last season, the Redbirds are just 4-4 in extras this season, including just 0-3 at AutoZone Park, while going 4-1 on the road. Two of the Redbirds' extra-innings losses have come at the hands of the Storm Chasers. Memphis is being outscored 39-to-35 in extra-inning games this season.

FIVE-GAME SWEEP: Tuesday night, the Redbirds won the finale over the Iowa Cubs 7-5, giving them the five-game series sweep. Before the series, Iowa had not swept a five-game set since July 25-27, 2014, also at Iowa. The Redbirds have dominated the Iowa Cubs this season, going 11-1, and winning the last nine contests. The two teams will play each other just once more this season for four games from July 16-19 in Memphis. With the five-game sweep, the 'Birds went a perfect 8-0 at Principal Park, posting a perfect record on the road against Iowa for the first time in the 21-year history of the series. Memphis has now swept four series this season. They have swept Iowa twice, Omaha once, and Albuquerque once.

'BIRDS LIKE THE AMERICAN NORTH: After sweeping their last series with Iowa 5-0, and splitting the series with Colorado Springs before that 2-2, Memphis is now 32-13 against the American Northern Division this season. The Redbirds are 11-1 against the Iowa Cubs after the last five games, 9-4 against Colorado Springs, 7-5 against Oklahoma City, and 5-3 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. Memphis has played its last nine games against the American North Division and will play its next 15 against the division, making it 25-straight games against the American North before the 'Birds head west at the end of the month to play Salt Lake and Las Vegas.

BULLPEN SOLID, AGAIN: Despite taking the loss last night, the Memphis bullpen continued its recent dominance over the Storm Chasers. With the new extra-innings rules, a runner starts each half an inning at second base, and if the runner scores, it is an unearned run. The bullpen allowed that run to score in the 12th inning last night, but not before throwing 3.2 scoreless innings. Over the last six games, the Memphis bullpen has combined to throw 17.1 innings without allowing an earned run. The last earned run they allowed was on June 30 in the fifth inning of their game at Iowa. Since allowing that last earned run, they have surrendered just 11 hits, and three walks, while striking out 21 batters. Dating back to June 28 against Colorado Springs, nine Redbirds relievers have made at least one appearance out of the bullpen, combining to pitch 21.0 innings, allowing just 15 hits, three walks, four runs, one earned, all while striking out 25 batters. They hold a record of 1-1 with two saves in that span.

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: Earlier this week, 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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