PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (6-1) vs Omaha Storm Chasers (1-5)

Published on April 12, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (6-1) VS Omaha Storm Chasers (1-5)

Thursday, April 12 - 7:05 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #8 - Home Game #3 (2-0)

LHP Austin Gomber (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. LHP Jonathan Dziedzic (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds return to action tonight for the series finale against Omaha. With their win yesterday, Memphis won their second-consecutive series to open the 2018 season. Lights-out relief and a big third inning allowed the 'Birds to snag the one-run victory over the Storm Chasers. Today's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Austin Gomber will take the mound tonight in the series finale against Omaha. Gomber is coming off a no-decision in his first-career Triple-A game last week at Round Rock. The tall lefty lasted 4.0 innings in that start, allowing four hits and two runs, while striking out four. The No. 14 prospect in St. Louis' organization has risen quickly through the minors after being drafted in 2014. He spent all of last season with Double-A Springfield, making 26 starts and owning a 10-7 record with a 3.34 ERA and 140 strikeouts. Coming into tonight's start, opponents hold a miniscule .222 batting avaerage against him.

The Storm Chasers are scheduled to send left-hander Jonathan Dziedzic to the mound tonight. Dziedzic has made one appearance this season, taking the no-decision against Colorado Springs last week. In his career against Memphis, Dziedzic has made three starts and is 1-1 in 13.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 16 hits, 10 runs, five earned runs, a home run, 10 walks, and 13 strikeouts against the Redbirds, good for a 3.41 ERA.

HISTORY WITH OMAHA: The Redbirds and Storm Chasers have played each other every year dating back to 1998. The Redbirds hold a slight advantage against Omaha with an all-time record of 152-135. At home, Memphis holds a 15-game edge over Omaha, with an all-time record of 80-65. The Redbirds won 12 of 16 games against the Storm Chasers in 2017, and have won six straight against them coming into tonight's game. Last season, Memphis hit .279 against Omaha pitching, compared to Omaha's .246 average against Memphis pitching. The Redbirds also had the edge on the mound, holding a 3.29 ERA against Omaha last year, striking out 131. Omaha had a 4.52 ERA and 126 strikeouts against the 'Birds in 2017.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Stole three bases in the third game of his Triple-A career, and has reached base safely in three of four games

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

GARCIA: Four home runs in last 13 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 four 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

14-4 record against Omaha dating back to 2016

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The defending Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds clinched their second-consecutive series victory to start the 2018 season with a 3-2 win yesterday over Omaha.

Dakota Hudson was solid for the 'Birds. The righty threw 4.0 shutout innings before allowing two runs in the fifth. He finished with a final line of 5.0 innings pitched, six hits, two earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts.

The Redbirds did not have a big day at the plate, but strung enough hits together in the third inning to grab the win. Tyler O'Neill hit a two-run double in the inning, and was followed in the next at-bat with a double by Adolis Garcia, giving Memphis the winning run.

The bullpen was dominant in 4.0 innings of work. Arturo Reyes came in to pitch 2.0 innings after Hudson and allowed one hit, while striking out two. Preston Guilmet closed out the game, earning the save and pitching 2.0 innings and striking out four.

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)

ON FIRE: The Redbirds have been on fire to start the 2018 season. Coming into today with a record of 6-1, the 'Birds have tied the franchise record for best start to a season with the 2017 and 1999 clubs. With a win tonight, they would set the franchise record with a 7-1 start. So far, the team has scored 52 runs, is hitting .312, has hit seven home runs, 14 doubles, and one triple, while collecting 29 walks. They also have a collective OBP of .398 and an OPS of .859. The pitching staff has gotten off to a hot start, as well. They have a combined ERA of 2.76, have allowed just two home runs, have struck out 56, have a WHIP of 1.24, and are holding opposing hitters to a .232 average.

TYLER'S TIME: After going hitless in the first game of the season against Round Rock, Tyler O'Neill has been unstoppable. The slugging outfielder and No. 4 Cardinals' prospect has been on a tear, hitting .435 (10-for-23) in those five games. He has seven runs scored, two doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI, and just two strikeouts since the season opener. He is currently tied for the PCL lead with four home runs, is second in RBI, and second in total bases (24).

FRIGID IN THE FIRST: In the 2017 season, the Redbirds dominated the competition in the first inning, outscoring them 118-to-51. However, this season, the Redbirds have yet to score a run in the first. While the 'Birds have only allowed a single run in the first inning, they have made up for their lack of early runs by scoring 20 runs combined between the second and third innings in just seven games. The Redbirds have also scored 13 runs in the seventh inning this season, helped mainlly by a 12-run inning last week against Round Rock. So far Memphis has scored 52 runs through seven games, compared to allowing just 21 runs.

GARCIA'S GAME: Outfielder and No. 9 prospect in the organization, Adolis Garcia has proven he's a hitter at every level, and has been dominating this season with the Redbirds. So far this season, Garcia has played in all seven games, hitting a staggering .360 with three doubles, a home run, and six RBI. Garcia is hitting .300 (3-for-10) with runners on so far, and is hitting .750 (3-for-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI) with runners on with two outs and with runner's in scoring position with two outs. In his 47 career-regular season games at the Triple-A level, Garcia is hitting .311 (50-for-161) with 27 runs scored, 14 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 16 RBI, nine walks and 38 strikeouts.

COOL UNDER PRESSURE: Yesterday, Memphis played its first one-run game of the season, winning 3-2 behind 4.0 shutout innings from the bullpen. Last season, Memphis played in 44 one-run contests, going 29-15 in those games. Memphis was the best in the PCL in such contests, owning a .659 winning percentage.

PITCHING CONTINUES TO WOW: 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 have continued that dominant stretch to start the 2018 season. So far, the 'Birds have the third-best team ERA in the PCL at 2.76 behind only Nashville (1.53) and Colorado Springs (1.58).

FLAME THROWING FLAHERTY: St. Louis' No. 2 prospect Jack Flaherty backed up the hype in Sunday'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.

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.

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).

MEMPHIS PLAYERS AND COACHES

CLOSING IN ON 100: Second-year manager Stubby Clapp is already sixth on the all-time franchise manager win list with 97 wins, and owns the best winning percentage at .656. Clapp is on pace to become the fastest Redbird manager to win 100 games. His all-time record is 97-51.

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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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 12, 2018


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