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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (56-66) vs Iowa Cubs (66-56)

August 16, 2019 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (56-66) vs Iowa Cubs (66-56)

Friday, August 16 - 7:05 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #123 - Home Game #61 (24-36)

RHP Jake Woodford (7-7, 4.15) vs RHP Tyson Miller (2-2, 8.46)

BY THE NUMBERS

61 After Dylan Carlson was transferred to Memphis yesterday, the Redbirds have had 61 different players appear on the roster this season. The 2018 Redbirds had a franchise record 66 players appear on the roster last season.

21.0 Consecutive scoreless innings tossed by Daniel Ponce de Leon in a Redbirds uniform after twirling 7.0 scoreless frames last night. He has allowed just five hits and fanned 30 batters in that span.

THE GAME

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds continue their 11-game homestand in the second of four games against the Iowa Cubs. The Redbirds won last night's series opener 5-0 for their seventh shut-out victory of the season. The 'Birds pitching staff held the Cubs to just three hits on the night and it was the fourth time in the team's last 10 games that the pitching staff has held an opponent to four hits or fewer. Daniel Ponce de Leon was stellar again, allowing just two hits and fanning nine batters. In his last four starts with the Redbirds, Ponce de Leon has allowed no runs and just five hits in his last 21.0 innings. Dylan Carlson, the Cardinals No. 2 prospect, made his Triple-A debut last night, going 1-for-4 with a double. Tonight's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Jake Woodford is scheduled to take the mound in tonight's game and make his 23rd start of the season in tonight's game. He has made at least 20 starts in each of his four full seasons as a professional. In his last time out on Saturday at Fresno, he earned the win (6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR) in the Redbirds' 12-3 victory over the Grizzlies. It was his team-high tenth quality start of the season and his first such start since July 21 at Omaha. Woodford has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 13 of his 22 starts and this was his first such outing since July 21 as well. Overall he has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his last 10. He has also allowed at least five hits in five-straight, seeing his opponent's average rise from .214 to .229 (107x467). His opponent's average of .229 is the lowest in the PCL among qualifiers. He has also fanned at least six batters in three of his last four starts. He ranks 4th in the Pacific Coast League with 11 strikeouts in the season. Woodford continues to be even stingier against right-handed batters, holding them to just a .206 (55x267) average. That figure is the lowest among active Redbirds starters. He also ranks 3rd in the PCL with a 4.15 ERA and has allowed one earned run or fewer in eight of his 22 outings. With the win, Woodford has won 17 of his last 30 decisions overall at the Triple-A level. Woodford has made one start against Iowa this season on May 9. He took no-decision (5.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR, 1 HBP) in the Redbirds' 9-8 defeat to the Cubs at AutoZone Park. The St. Petersburg, Fla., was named to the 2019 Pacific Coast League All-Star Team, and was named starter after receiving the most votes among pitchers. He tossed 2.0 scoreless frames in the game on July 10 and fanned two to earn the win. He entered 2019 ranked as the No. 16 prospect in the Cardinals organization by Baseball America and he is currently ranked as the No. 15 prospect in the organization by MLB.com.

The Cubs are scheduled to start right-hander Tyson Miller in tonight's contest. The 23-year-old is slated to make his eighth start for Iowa and his 23rd start across all levels this season. In his last time out on Saturday vs. Salt Lake, he earned the win (5.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R/ER, 5 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR) in the Cubs' 7-3 victory over the Bees. The one earned run allowed set a season-low at the Triple-A level and it was his third start with the Cubs that he has allowed two earned runs or fewer. His five walks allowed set a season-high across all levels and he has allowed at least one home run in six of his seven starts with the Cubs. In 27.2 innings at the Triple-A level, he has allowed 10 home runs compared to allowing six long balls in 88.0 innings at the Double-A level. Miller made his Triple-A debut against Memphis on July 5 at Principal Park. He took no-decision (1.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR) in the Cubs' 9-8 victory over the Redbirds. He would later earn his first-career Triple-A win in his next start at Round Rock on July 13. Miller began the season at Double-A Tennessee and went 4-3, 2.56 (25 ER/88.0 IP) in 15 starts at the and was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week for May 6-12. He went 1-0, 0.69 (1 ER/13.0 IP) during that span and held opponents to a .178 (8x45) average. He was also named to and participated in the 2019 SL All-Star Game in Biloxi, Miss., on June 18. He spent all of 2018 at Advanced-A Myrtle Beach, going 9-9, 3.54 (50 ER/127.0 IP) in 23 starts for the Pelicans. The Fairfield, Calif., native is in his fourth professional season, spending all of them with the Chicago-NL organization. He is currently ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Cubs system according to MLB.com.

HISTORY WITH IOWA: Memphis has faced off against Iowa every year since 1998 and lead 170-141 in the all-time series. In those 21 seasons, the Redbirds have a winning record against the Cubs in 11 seasons and have a losing record in just one season (2015) since 2013. The Redbirds posted their best record against the Cubs last season, going 14-2 overall, 6-2 at AutoZone Park and a whopping 8-0 on the road at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa.

Memphis has winning records in downtown Memphis in 17 seasons and has lost two home games each year to the Cubs since 2016. They have not had a losing record at home to the Cubs since 2012. Overall, they lead the series in the Bluff City with a 100-55 advantage.

At Principal Park, the Redbirds have winning records in each of the last two seasons and in three of the last five overall. They also only have winning records in five of 21 seasons in Des Moines, with this two-year stretch being the most successful in team history. They trail in the series there 70-86.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: Daniel Ponce de Leon allowed just two singles in 7.0 shutout innings of work, and Rangel Ravelo and Harrison Bader each had two-run home runs as the Memphis Redbirds blanked the first-place Iowa Cubs (Cubs) in the series opener Thursday night at AutoZone Park, 5-0.

Ponce de Leon allowed a single to lead off the game and one leading off the third, but that was all Iowa (66-56) could muster against the right-hander. He retired nine of the last 10 hitters he faced and 13-of-15 overall, and he struck out nine and walked just two. He fired 68 of his 108 pitches for strikes.

The reigning Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week has worked 18.0 shutout innings in his last three starts for Memphis (56-66), and he has given up just four hits and struck out 28 while walking only five.

Ravelo and Bader went deep with two-run shots in the first and third innings, respectively, and the Redbirds' other run in the game came in the sixth inning when Dylan Carlson doubled, went to third on a fielder's choice, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Carlson, the St. Louis Cardinals' second-ranked prospect and No. 51 in all of Major League Baseball, made his Triple-A debut after arriving from Double-A Springfield earlier in the day.

Bader also drew two walks in the game, and Ravelo had a single to go along with his home run. Justin Williams also had a two-hit game for the Redbirds. Edmundo Sosa was 1-for-3, and he now has a hit in 18 of his last 19 games.

After Ponce de Leon finished his outing, Kodi Whitley worked a scoreless eighth inning and Mike Mayers fired a perfect ninth to seal the win.

The Redbirds have won five of their last six games.

PONCE DE LEON DOMINANT AGAIN: After setting the pace with 4.0 no-hit innings on August 4 in Memphis' 2-0 win over El Paso and a dominant 7.0 two-hit innings on August 9 at Sacramento, Daniel Ponce de Leon dazzled again last night by twirling 7.0 scoreless frames against the Cubs, allowing just two hits and whiffing nine batters. In his last four starts with the Redbirds dating back to June 6 at Tacoma, Ponce de Leon has allowed just five hits in his last 21.0 innings with the Redbirds and has whiffed 30 batters during that span. Through 14 starts with Memphis this season, he has held opponents to a .200 average (53x265), a figure that would lead the Pacific Coast League if he qualified.

ROSTER MOVES: The following roster moves were made prior to last night's game: Kramer Robertson was transferred to Springfield and Dylan Carlson was transferred from Springfield.

During his first career stint at the Triple-A level, Robertson posted a slash of .235/.344/.374/.719 over 66 games. He launched five home runs and drove in 24. He drew 27 walks, which ranked seventh on the Redbirds this season.

Carlson is slated to make his Triple-A debut with his first appearance for the Redbirds. The Cardinals No.2 prospect slashed .281/.364/.518/.882 in 108 games with Double-A Springfield. At time of his promotion to Memphis, he led the Texas League with 21 home runs. Carlson also ranked 1st in TL in SLG (.518), runs (81) and XBH (51), 2nd in OPS (.882), 4th in OBP (.364), 6th in hits (117), T-6th in 2B (24), T-6th in 3B (6), 7th in RBI (59) and T-8th in SB (18).

PONCE DE LEON NAMED PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Memphis Redbirds starting pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon has been named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for August 5-11, the league announced Monday.

Ponce de Leon earned the honor after throwing seven scoreless frames and allowing just two hits on Friday's 15-0 Memphis win over the Sacramento River Cats (Giants) in Sacramento. He struck out a season-high 11 batters, which was also the most strikeouts by a Redbirds pitcher this season, and issued no walks.

In his last three starts with Memphis, Ponce de Leon has allowed just three hits and no runs over 14.0 innings of work, whiffing 21 batters compared to issuing six walks.

In 13 starts for the Redbirds this season, Ponce de Leon is 5-4 with a 3.26 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 66.1 innings. He has held opponents to just a .211 average against. If he qualified, Ponce de Leon would have the lowest ERA and lowest average against among PCL league leaders.

REDBIRDS RAKE ON THE ROAD: Not only did the Memphis Redbirds match a season-high by launching five home runs in Saturday night's game, but they also broke the franchise record for most home runs hit on the road in a single season. Adolis Garcia's solo blast in the sixth inning was the team's 91st home run hit on the road this season, breaking the record of 90 set by the 2004 Redbirds.

CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARDS: As Adolis Garcia continues his power surge at the plate, he has entered and climbed into the Top-10 in several batting categories on the Redbirds all-time lists. His home run Saturday was his 50th in his Redbirds career and he is now just one shy of matching Patrick Wisdom or T-4th in franchise history. He ranks 9th with 162 RBI, two shy of matching Pete Kozma for T-8th. He also ranks T-3rd in triples (12), 7th in strikeouts (273), T-7th in hit by pitches (17) and 7th in extra-base hits (118).

'BIRDS SILENCE BATS: Memphis Redbird pitchers held the El Paso Chihuahuas, one of the most potent offenses in the Pacific Coast League, to just one hit on August 4 in a 2-0 shut-out win. Daniel Ponce de Leon began the game with four hitless frames and fanned eight. Seth Elledge followed and allowed a single to the second batter he faced to end the no-hit bid, but he, Chasen Shreve and Junior Fernandez retired 13 of the next 14 batters to end the game. It was the 12th one-hitter in franchise history and first since Ponce de Leon's solo effort on July 15, 2018 at Omaha.

RANDY REPEATS: After slashing .374/.456/.607/1.063 in 28 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis in June en route to being named Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month, Randy Arozarena won the award for the second-straight month after posting a slash of .378/.455/.592/1.047 in 26 games in July. Arozarena became the third Redbird in franchise history to hit for the cycle on July 26 at Oklahoma City and accomplished that feat in his first four at-bats and had 12 total multi-hit games in July. He has also reached base safely in his last 37 starts and has 15 multi-hit games during that span.

PULLING AN ALL-NIGHTER: On August 1, the Redbirds' game against the Albuquerque Isotopes lasted four hours and seven minutes, making it the longest game of the season for the Redbirds. It also became the second-longest nine-inning game in franchise history, falling just two minutes short of matching the record of 4:09, set on June 15, 2013 against the Isotopes at Isotopes Park. It was also the first four-hour game the Redbirds have played in since June 11, 2017 vs. Nashville in a 12-inning affair.

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