PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (70-41) vs Fresno Grizzlies (63-48)

Published on August 4, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (70-41) vs Fresno Grizzlies (63-48)

Saturday, August 4 - 6:35 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #112 - Home Game #56 (34-21)

RHP Kevin Herget (8-7, 4.01 ERA) vs. RHP Trent Thornton (7-7, 3.91 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Fresno Grizzlies will play of the opener of a four-game set tonight at 6:35 p.m. at AutoZone Park. This is the first and only time the two teams will meet in the regular season this year. The Redbirds are coming off a 2-1 series win over the Sacramento River Cats, while Fresno is coming off a 3-0 series sweep at the hands of the Nashville Sounds. This series is the last half of a seven-game homestand for the 'Birds, marking their final seven regular season games against West Coast teams this season. Fresno pitching coach Dyar Millar was the Redbirds' pitching coach from 2001-2007. Earlier today, Daniel Poncedeleon and Adolis Garcia were named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Month for July. Tonight's game will be broadcast on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Kevin Herget will take the mound for the Redbirds in tonight's opener against the Grizzlies. Coming into tonight's game, Herget is 8-7 with a 4.01 ERA in 17 starts and 23 total appearances this season. Herget has earned the win in two-consecutive starts. In his last start against Las Vegas, he pitched 5.0 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out four batters. With the recent activity in St. Louis, Herget is now the most experienced starting pitcher the Redbirds have, having made seven more starts than Chris Ellis. Herget has been particularly good over his last seven starts. In that span, he is 5-1 with a 3.30 ERA in 43.2 innings of work. In that stretch, he has allowed just 42 hits, 16 earned runs, and six walks, while striking out 50 batters.

The Grizzlies will send right-hander Trent Thornton to the mound to battle Herget and the Redbirds. In 19 appearances and 17 starts this season, Thornton is 7-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 99.0 innings of work. Thornton has performed much better on the road this season than he has in Fresno. He is 6-2 in 10 games, nine starts, on the road with a 1.88 ERA, compared to 1-5 with a 6.22 ERA in nine games, eight starts, in Fresno.

HISTORY WITH FRESNO: Memphis and Fresno have played every year dating back to 1998 when Memphis joined the PCL. For most of that time, the Grizzlies were affiliated with the Giants, but have been affiliated with the Astros since the 2015 season. The Redbirds narrowly lead the all-time series between the two teams with a record of 48-44. They own the record in Memphis at 30-22, while narrowly trailing on the road at 18-22. The two teams have split the season series 2-2 each of the last three years.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Rejoins Redbirds for his third stint of the season with the team; hitting .396 in 24 games with Springfield

BARON: Last Wed. night, snapped an 8-game hitting streak; was his longest since 8-game streak July12-23, 2016

GARCIA: Currently has 13-game hitting streak; was named Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month for July

KELLY: Is hitting .358 (34-for-95) over last 26 games; has hits in 18 of those games and multiple in 12 of them

MEJIA: Had two RBI last night; now has 20 RBI in last 42 games after having only eight RBI in first 42 games this year

RAVELO: Currently riding 10-game hitting streak (7/24 - ); hitting .382 (13-for-34) in that stretch; has career-high 12 HR

SCHROCK: Last night, had first multi-RBI game since July 15; hitting just .215 (20-for-93) in 27 games since July started

SOSA: Last Friday night, hit first career Triple-A home run; is hitting .273 (99-for-363) in 96 games between MEM and SPG

THOMAS: Has hit safely in all five of his games since being promoted to Memphis; six of his nine hits are extra-base hits

TOVAR: Is hitting .336 (36-for-107) over last 30 games; recently snapped a season-long nine-game hitting streak

WILLIAMS: Joins the team after being a part of the trade that sent Tommy Pham to Tampa Bay

WISDOM: Thursday, hit 14th home run of the season; has the fourth-most home runs and RBI in franchise history

BY THE NUMBERS

463 calendar days have passed since the Redbirds were not in first place (April 27, 2017); they have played 231 regular season games since that time.

ON THIS DATE

In 2011, the Redbirds scored 10 runs in the fifth inning at Reno, leading to an 11-0 victory. That was the most runs the 'Birds had ever scored in an inning until April 6 this season when they scored 12 in the seventh inning at Round Rock.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds won last night's game to win the series over Sacramento by a score of 7-3.

In his second Triple-A start, Memphis starter Austin Warner was phenomenal. Warner earned his first win, throwing seven strong innings of one-run ball. He allowed eight hits and two walks, while striking out five batters.

The 'Birds jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first inning. Memphis loaded the bases with one out, scored a run on an Alex Mejia fielder's choice before scoring two more on a Max Schrock double.

Mejia drove in another run in the third, and Carson Kelly launched his sixth home run, a three-run shot, in the seventh to round off the scoring. Kelly went 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBI in the game.

Adolis Garcia went 1-for-3 extending his hitting streak to 13 games. During that streak, he is hitting .431 (25-for-58) with eight doubles, nine home runs, and 22 RBI. Rangel Ravelo also got a hit in the game, giving him a season-long 10-game hitting streak. He is hitting .382 (13-for-34) in that stretch.

GARCIA MAKES IT 13 IN A ROW: In last night's win, Adolis Garcia went 1-for-3 at the plate, scoring twice and walking once. The performance continued Garcia's recent dominance at the plate and extended his season-high 13-game hitting streak. He is one of five Redbirds to have at least a 10-game hitting streak this season. Tyler O'Neill (10), Yairo Munoz (10), Rangel Ravelo (10), and Patrick Wisdom (16) have also accomplished the feat this season. Last Thursday, the outfielder became the seventh player in Memphis history, and the second in four games, to hit three home runs in a game. Tyler O'Neill hit three home runs against Colorado Springs on July 22, and with Thursday night's performance, the two have joined Chris Haas (8/3/99), Billy Selby (6/16/03), Rick Ankiel (6/16/07), Josh Phelps (7/29/08), and Jamie Romak (4/8/13) as the only Redbirds to accomplish the feat. Garcia was the first player to hit a grand slam in a three-home run performance in Memphis history. Last Thursday, Garcia also tied the franchise record with eight RBI in a game. He joins Tagg Bozied (8/1/07) as the only Redbirds to drive in eight runs in a game. Since the last day of May, Garcia has appeared in 49 games for the Redbirds, and is hitting a solid .339 (61-for-180) in that stretch. He has now raised his batting average to .272 on the season. Garcia has collected hits in 37 of his 49 games since June began, and has notched multiple hits in 18 of those games. In those 49 games, he has scored 36 runs, hit 14 doubles, a triple, and 17 home runs, all while driving in 49 runners. Between Springfield and Memphis last season, his first in America, he hit 15 home runs and drove in 65 runners in 124 games. Through 96 games this season, he already has 21 home runs and 66 RBI. He is just outside the top-10 in the PCL in both home runs and RBI.

AMAZING AUSTIN: In last night's win over Sacramento, one of the newest Memphis pitchers, left-hander Austin Warner, was phenomenal. In just his second Triple-A start, the lefty threw seven strong innings, allowing just one run on eight hits and two walks, while striking out five batters. This came on the heels of his solid debut last week against Las Vegas. In his debut, he tossed four innings, allowing five runs, only two of which were earned. The lefty, who was signed out of Independent League ball last June has risen rapidly through the Cardinals' system. After debuting across three levels last season, he has also appeared at three levels this season. Between Palm Beach, Springfield, and Memphis this season, he is 6-6 with a 3.85 ERA in 20 starts spanning 117.0 innings. He has racked up 111 strikeouts this season, opposed to just 37 walks.

CARSON'S BIG NIGHT: Last night, Carson Kelly snapped a two-game hitless streak by going 3-for-3 at the plate, hitting a double, a three-run home run, scoring twice, and walking once. It was his fifth three-hit performance of the season for the Redbirds, and his second three-RBI performance. Kelly has been a force at the plate over the last month. After going hitless in six-straight games in mid-June, Kelly is hitting .358 (34-for-95) in 26 games. Over those 26 games, Kelly has been an on-base machine. He has scored 20 times, hit six doubles and three home runs, while driving in 18 runs, and walking 16 times, compared to striking out just 14 times, giving him an on-base percentage of .455. His on-base percentage in that time frame is tied for the fifth-best in the PCL and is the best on the team.

RAVELO ON FIRE: In last night's win over Sacramento, infielder Rangel Ravelo went 1-for-4 at the plate, extending his season-long hitting streak to 10 games. During this stretch, he is hitting .382 (13-for-34), scoring 11 runs, hitting two double, three home runs, driving in six runs, walking six times, and striking out just five times. With Adolis Garcia also continuing his hitting streak last night, Memphis now has two players with at least 10-game hitting streaks at the same time this season. Ravelo, in the midst of one of his finest seasons, is hitting .297 (85-for-286) in 83 games with a career-high 12 home runs. Since he joined Memphis last season, he now has hit safely in at least 10-straight games twice. He hit in 15-straight last season (May 9-June 3).

LANE IS PRETTY GOOD: Last night, centerfielder Lane Thomas continued his hot-hitting with the Redbirds. Since being transferred from Springfield five games ago, Thomas has been a force at the plate. Last night, he went 1-for-4 at the plate, hitting a double. He has recorded a hit in each game he has played with Memphis, and has notched multiple hits in three of the five games. In his debut, he went 3-for-6, falling a home run short of the cycle. He hit a home run the next night. With Memphis, he is hitting .375 (9-for-24). Six of his nine hits have been for extra bases.

TOVAR'S TIME: Last night, infielder Wilfredo Tovar hit in the leadoff spot for the fifth time this season. In the win, he went 1-for-3 at the plate, while scoring a run, and hitting a double, continuing his dominance at the plate from July. In July, he appeared in 20 games for the 'Birds, hitting .329 (24-for-73) and posting a .380 on-base percentage. Since July began, he has hit safely in 17 of his 22 games, and has recorded multiple hits in nine of those games. He has a .386 on-base percentage in that span.

MEJIA BRINGING THEM IN: In last night's win, starting second baseman Alex Mejia drove in two runs, going 1-for-4 at the plate, while also scoring once. In the first inning, he drove in the first run of the ballgame, hitting into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded to score a run. In the third inning, he hit an RBI single, giving the 'Birds four runs in the game, which proved to be the winning run, as Sacramento scored three in the ballgame. Since June began, Mejia has driven in 20 runs in 42 games. In his first 42 games of the season, he had only eight RBI.

QUALITY STARTS GALORE: After Austin Warner's performance last night, 'Birds starters have thrown 54 quality starts in 111 games this season. They threw 55 total in 2017. Earlier this season, the Redbirds staff had a streak of 11-straight quality starts. Thursday night was the first quality start for Memphis since Jake Woodford earned one on July 21. That was the longest stretch of the season without a quality start for Memphis. Of the 16 pitchers that have made a start for Memphis this season, 11 of them have thrown at least one quality start. Sam Tuivailala, Sean Gilmartin, Luke Weaver, Tyler Webb, and Connor Jones combined for 10 starts, and have not thrown a quality start. Dakota Hudson has 11 in 19 starts, Kevin Herget has nine, John Gant has seven, Daniel Poncedeleon has six, Austin Gomber has five, Jack Flaherty and Chris Ellis have four apiece, Ryan Helsley and Jake Woodford have three apiece, and Alex Reyes and Austin Warner have one apiece.

MORE HONORS FOR THE 'BIRDS: Earlier this week, outfielder Adolis Garcia was named PCL Player of the Week for the week of July 23-29. Earlier today, Garcia and pitcher Daniel Poncedeleon were named the Cardinals Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for July. It is the fourth time a Redbird has won a Weekly PCL Honor this season. Garcia joins pitchers Daniel Poncedeleon and Austin Gomber to earn the honor. Poncedeleon earned the honor earlier this month, and Gomber earned the award once in April and once in May. It is one of just many honors that have come this season for the Redbirds. Earlier this season, Poncedeleon, Dakota Hudson, and Patrick Wisdom were all named PCL All-Stars, while Hudson and outfielder Randy Arozarena participated in the MLB Futures Game. Hudson was also named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month for June, the second Memphis pitcher to earn that accolade this season after Gomber earned it in April. Infielder/outfielder Rangel Ravelo was also named the Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month for June. The Redbirds have had a player or pitcher earn the Cardinals Minor League monthly honors every month, except one dating back to the beginning of the 2017 season.

In July, Garcia hit .354 (34-for-96) in 25 games for the 'Birds, hitting 10 home runs, eight doubles, and a triple, while driving in 25 runs. During July, he posted an OPS of 1.145. On July 26 at Salt Lake, he tied the franchise record with three home runs and eight RBI in the game. He became just the seventh player in franchise history to have three home runs in a game, and just the second to have eight RBI. In three July starts with Memphis, Poncedeleon was nearly unhittable. He combined to throw 20.0 innings in those three games, allowing just five hits and two unearned runs, while striking out 20 batters. In his final start of the month with the 'Birds on July 15, he threw a complete game, one-hit shutout over Omaha. It was just the 11th one-hit performance in Memphis history and the 17th complete game shutout in the 21-year history of the Redbirds. In his MLB debut a few days later, he threw seven no-hit innings.

REDBIRDS' HOT JULY: Despite losing their final game of July on Monday night in Las Vegas, the Redbirds still finished the month with a record of 18-8, their best this season. In July, the 'Birds hit .295 as a team with 36 home runs. They also owned a 2.66 ERA and converted 10 of 11 save opportunities. Their .295 average in July was their highest of any month this season by .26 points (.269). It was also tied with Salt Lake for the second-best team average in the PCL in July, trailing only Reno (.300). Their 18-8 record was the second-best in franchise history, behind only last year's team's 22-6 record. They 36 July home runs were also tied for the second-most in franchise history (38, 2008, 2009).

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 4, 2018


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