PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (62-36) vs Colorado Springs Sky Sox (53-43)

Published on July 20, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (62-36) vs Colorado Springs Sky Sox (53-43)

Friday, July 20 - 7:05 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #99 - Home Game #50 (30-19)

RHP Chris Ellis (2-1, 3.52 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Wilkerson (2-2, 2.08 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Colorado Springs Sky Sox will play the series opener of a three-game set tonight at 7:05 p.m. It is the final series the two teams will play against each other this season. Memphis has won nine of 13 games against the Sky Sox this season. The Redbirds are coming off a 3-1 series win over the Iowa Cubs, while Colorado Springs is coming off a 2-2 series split with the Round Rock Express. Earlier today, pitcher Derian Gonzalez was activated from the Disabled List and transferred to Springfield, while pitcher Jake Woodford was transferred to Memphis from Springfield. Today's games will be broadcast on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Chris Ellis will take the mound for the Redbirds tonight. Coming into tonight's game, the righty is 2-1 on the season, with a 3.52 ERA in seven starts. In his last start, which came against Omaha, he pitched his finest game with Memphis this season. He allowed just one run on five hits and two walks, while striking out five batters. He took the tough-luck loss in the game, as Memphis was shutout 1-0. In his lone start against the Sky Sox this season, he took the no-decision, as Memphis lost 9-8 on a walk-off balk. In that game, he allowed four earned runs on five hits in 5.1 innings.

The Sky Sox will send right-hander Aaron Wilkerson to the mound to face Ellis and the Redbirds. Coming into tonight's game, Wilkerson has made eight appearances for Colorado Springs, seven of them being starts. So far, he is 2-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 34.2 innings of work. He has made two appearances against Memphis, one in relief and one start. In his relief appearance, he pitched 0.2 innings, allowing a hit and a walk. In his start, he pitched five innings, allowing six hits and three runs, one of which was earned.

HISTORY WITH COLORADO SPRINGS: Memphis and Colorado Springs have played every year since 1998 when Memphis joined the PCL. In the all-time series, Memphis leads 102-86, while both teams lead the series at their home ballparks. The Redbirds lead in Memphis with a 58-34 record, while Colorado Springs leads 44-52 at their park. In 13 games against each other this season, the Redbirds lead the series 9-4, guaranteeing them their first season series victory over the Sky Sox since 2015 when they went 11-5. So far this season, the 'Birds are outhitting the Sky Sox .285 to .248, and out-pitching them with a 3.60 ERA compared to their 5.70 mark.

BIRD BITES

BARON: Currently has a 7-game hitting streak, his longest of year and longest since 8-game streak July12-23, 2018

GARCIA: Drove in game-winning run in game one yesterday against Iowa; hitting .292 36-for-124 since June 1

KELLY: Is hitting .355 (22-for-62) over last 16 games; has hits in 13 of those games and multiple in eight of them

MEJIA: Mon. night, hit game-winning 2-run single; 15 RBI in last 26 games after having just eight in his first 46 games

MERCADO: Now has 25 steals this season, the most in the PCL this season, and fifth-most in a season in Redbirds history

O'NEILL: Last night in game one, game Redbirds two insurance runs with his 20th homer of the season with Memphis

RAVELO: Recently won Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month honors after hitting .449 (31-for-69) in 20 June games

SCHROCK: Sunday, hit fourth home run of the season and his first since June 9 against Reno; it was a two-run shot

SOSA: Is hitting .274 (89-for-325) in 86 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis this season

TOVAR: Is hitting .333 (22-for-66) over last 19 games; recently snapped a season-long nine-game hitting streak

VOIT: Is hitting just .167 (3-for-17) in his last six games, having hits in just one of them; hitting .285 this season

WISDOM: Tues. night, drove in game-winning run with a single in the sixth inning; 170 career RBI with Memphis (4th most)

BY THE NUMBERS

14-2 record against the Iowa Cubs this season after finishing the season-series last night. It is the best record Memphis has ever posted against the I-Cubs in their 21-year history

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds split yesterday's doubleheader with the Iowa Cubs, taking the first game 4-1, and dropping the second game 3-0.

In the first game, starter Dakota Hudson pitched 6.1 innings, allowing just one run on five hits and a walk, while striking out eight. It was his 13th win of the season, most in the PCL.

The 'Birds scored two runs in the second and two in the sixth to win. In the second, a run scored on an error, while Adolis Garcia doubled in the other. In the sixth, Tyler O'Neill hit his 20th home run of the season, a two-run shot.

In the second game, pitcher Kevin Herget threw the complete seven innings, allowing three runs on four hits, while striking out 11. He took the loss after Memphis was shutout.

Patrick Wisdom provided most of the offense in the second game, going 2-for-3 with a double. In game one, Oscar Mercado stole his league-leading 25th base.

HUDSON DOMINANT AGAIN: Last night's game one starter Dakota Hudson was lights-out in 6.1 innings of work, allowing just one run on five hits and a walk, while striking out eight batters. Hudson has now pitched at least 6.0 innings in 12 of his 18 starts this season, and has thrown at least five innings in all but one start. He also has thrown three games where he has allowed no earned runs over 8.0 innings. Hudson now leads all PCL pitchers with 13 wins on the season, and also owns the most wins in all of Triple-A baseball. Hudson now owns a 2.36 ERA, the third-best in the PCL, narrowly behind teammate Daniel Poncedeleon who sits at 2.15. Hudson has also pitched 110.2 innings this season, the second-most in the PCL. Since May 1, Hudson has been particularly dominant. In April Hudson was 3-0 with a 3.90 ERA. Since May 1, he is 10-2 with a 1.82 ERA, the second-best mark in the PCL in that time. So far this season, Hudson has been named Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month in June, was named a PCL All-Star, starting the game, and pitched one, perfect inning in the MLB Futures Game. With a month and a half to play yet, Hudson is just one win short of tying the franchise record for wins in a season. He has already bested his previous career-high in wins (10 in 2017), and is just nine strikeouts short of matching his career-high of 96, which he set between Springfield and Memphis last year.

HERGET GETS SOME TOUGH-LUCK: Last night's game two starter Kevin Herget turned in another solid start. Herget was steady, throwing all seven innings in the loss. He allowed just four hits, two of them solo home runs, did not walk a batter, and struck out a season-high 11 batters, but the 'Birds were shutout. Herget has been solid in his last five 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 3-1, posting a 2.45 ERA in five starts. He has posted five-consecutive quality starts, throwing 33.0 innings, allowing just 25 hits and two walks, while striking out 34 batters. In his last five starts, opponents are hitting just .207 (25-for-121) off him, and his 3.81 season ERA is eighth-best in the league.

QUALITY STARTS GALORE: After Dakota Hudson and Kevin Herget's performances last night, 'Birds starters have thrown 50 quality starts in 98 games this season. They threw 55 total in 2017. Earlier this season, the Redbirds staff had a streak of 11-straight quality starts, and are currently riding a streak of two-straight, and nine in the last 13 games. Of the 13 pitchers that have made a start for Memphis this season, 10 of them have thrown at least one quality start. Sam Tuivailala, Sean Gilmartin, and Luke Weaver combined for eight starts, and did not throw a quality start. Dakota Hudson has 11 in 18 starts, Kevin Herget has nine, John Gant has seven, Daniel Poncedeleon has six, Austin Gomber has five, Jack Flaherty has four, Ryan Helsley and Chris Ellis have three apiece, and Alex Reyes and Jake Woodford have one apiece. The 50 quality starts are the most in the PCL.

GREAT PITCHING ALL AROUND: After yesterday's doubleheader, the Redbirds' pitching staff continued its season-long dominance on the mound. The entire pitching staff owns the best ERA in the league at 3.31, 0.56 points lower than the next closest team, Oklahoma City. The 'Birds staff has pitched the second-most innings this season at 859.2, while allowing the second-fewest hits at 786, and have racked up the second-most strikeouts at 845 through 98 games, 8.6 per game. The pitching staff has also allowed just 367 total runs this season, the fewest in the league. Memphis is the only team in the league that has allowed fewer than 400 runs this season. The Redbirds have allowed just 316 earned runs, also the fewest in the league. They have allowed 39 fewer earned runs than Oklahoma City, the next closest team. They have also walked the third-fewest batters in the league at 293. Additionally, two Memphis pitchers hold the top two spots in the league wins list, Dakota Hudson (13) and Poncedeleon (9). The 'Birds also have three players in the top-10 in ERA this season. Poncedeleon is second at 2.15, Hudson is third at 2.36, and Kevin Herget is eighth at 3.81. This season, Memphis starters are 49-21 with a 2.91 ERA and 50 quality starts.

ADOLIS SURGING FORWARD: After seeing his batting average drop to a season-low .203 on May 31, Adolis Garcia has steadily been improving that mark. In game one last night, Garcia went 2-for-3 at the plate, driving in the eventual game-winning run in Memphis' two-run second inning. Since the last day of May, Garcia has appeared in 36 games for the Redbirds, and is hitting a solid .293 (36-for-123) in that stretch. He has now raised his batting average to .239 on the season. Garcia has collected hits in 24 of his 36 games since June began, and has notched multiple hits in 10 of those games. In those 36 games, he has scored 18 runs, hit six doubles, a triple, and eight home runs, all while driving in 27 runners. After hitting home runs in consecutive days last week, he is now tied with Patrick Wisdom for second-most long balls on the season (12), behind only Tyler O'Neill (20). Between Springfield and Memphis last season, his first in America, he hit 15 home runs and drove in 65 runners in 124 games. Through 82 games this season, he already has 12 home runs and 43 RBI.

CARSON IS CLICKING AT THE PLATE: In game one last night, catcher Carson Kelly went 1-for-3 at the plate, scoring once. Since going hitless in six-straight games from June 17-25, Kelly has been on fire. In 16 games since then, he is hitting .355 (22-for-62), recording three doubles, two home runs, and nine RBI, while scoring 11 times. In that span, he has recorded hits in 13 of his 16 games, and multiple hits in eight of them. Since June 26, Kelly is posting a .403 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage, and a .903 OPS. He is now hitting .287 with the Redbirds this season.

LOOK AT IT FLY: In game one last night, outfielder Tyler O'Neill gave Memphis two insurance runs in the sixth inning, hitting his 20th home run of the season with Memphis, and his 23rd overall between the 'Birds and St. Louis. It was his first home run since hitting one out at Iowa on June 30. Since being traded to the St. Louis organization last July, O'Neill has appeared in 90 regular season games with the Redbirds. In that span, he has launched 32 home runs, and driven in 91 runs. His 32 home runs puts him just outside the top-10 all-time in Memphis history.

WISDOM CONTINUES TO MAKE HISTORY: Between both games yesterday, Patrick Wisdom went 3-for-6 at the plate, notching a double. Wisdom is now hitting a career-high .302 (93-for-308) this season. Wisdom's career-high in hits came last season with Memphis when he recorded 111. With over 40 games left to play this season, Wisdom is very near his career mark. With his career-year, Wisdom is now in the top-10 or just outside it for many offensive categories in Redbird history. Wisdom is now tied for the seventh-most doubles in franchise history (66), the fourth-most home runs (48), has the fourth-most RBI (170), the fifth-most extra-base hits (117), and the eighth-most total bases (481). He is also outside the top-10 in multiple other categories, including games played, at-bats, runs scored, hits, walks, and hit-by-pitches. He needs to play just seven more games to move into the top-10, needs just 39 more at-bats, 10 more runs scored, and 15 more walks. Unfortunately, Wisdom is also just 11 strikeouts from passing John Nelson for the most in franchise history. So far this season, Wisdom has also stole 11 bases, tied for the best mark of his career. He stole 11 in 2015.

SPEED DEMONS: In the first game yesterday, the Redbirds stole three games against the I-Cubs. Through 98 games this season, the 'Birds now have 86 steals, surpassing last year's mark of 84 steals. The franchise record for steals in a season is 110. Oscar Mercado was one of the players to steal a base, along with Patrick Wisdom, and Edmundo Sosa. Mercado leads the PCL with 25 steals this season. Mercado is now in sole possession of the fifth-most steals in a season in franchise history. He needs just eight more steals to move into the top-10 all-time in Memphis history. This is just his first season in Memphis. At this point in the season, the Redbirds have the second-most steals behind only the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, who have 126. The Redbirds have been caught just 27 times this year, giving them a 76.1 percent success rate on the base paths. Additionally, Memphis one of just 10 teams in the league to have multiple players steal at least 10 bases this season. At this point in the season, Mercado has 24, Randy Arozarena and Patrick Wisdom have 11, and Wilfredo Tovar has 10. Colorado Springs is the only other team in the league to have four separate players notch at least 10 steals.

1,500 WITHIN REACH: After going 1-1 yesterday, Memphis now has 62 wins this season, the second-most through 98 games in franchise history. On July 14 last season, Memphis won the 1,400th game in franchise history. Since that time, they have won 95 regular season games, giving them 1,495 wins.

BARON CONTINUES STREAK: After going 1-3 in the second game last night, backup catcher Steven Baron has continued his season-long hitting streak to seven games. It is the first time he has hit in seven-straight since July 12-23, 2016 when he had eight-straight.

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 20, 2018


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