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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (70-42) vs Fresno Grizzlies (64-48)

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


Memphis Redbirds (70-42) vs Fresno Grizzlies (64-48)

Sunday, August 5 - 2:05 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #113 - Home Game #57 (34-22)

RHP Connor Jones (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Josh James (5-4, 3.28 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Fresno Grizzlies will play game two of a four-game set today at 2:05 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. Yesterday, Daniel Poncedeleon and Adolis Garcia were named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Month for July. Earlier today, pitcher Ryan Helsley was transferred to the Gulf Coast League Cardinals for a rehab assignment. Today's game will be broadcast on www.memphisredbirds.com and on WLMT CW30 with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Connor Jones will take the mound for the Redbirds in game two today. This will be his second Triple-A start after making his debut last week. In that game, he threw four innings, allowing five hits, three unearned runs, and three walks, while striking out six batters. Memphis lost the contest after committing five errors in the field. Before being transferred to Memphis, Jones had spent the entire season with Springfield. In 18 games at Double-A, the righty was 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA in 88.0 innings of work. In 19 appearances this season, Jones is 5-4 with a 3.62 ERA in 92.0 innings. The righty is holding opponents to a .268 (95-for-355) average this season.

The Grizzlies will send Josh James to the mound to battle Jones and the Redbirds. In 13 starts for Fresno this season, James is 5-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 71.1 innings of work. In his 13 starts this season, he has struck out at least 10 batters in six of those games. He sits at third in the PCL with 109 strikeouts this season. Redbird hitters have struck out a league-low 743 times this season.

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 48-45. They own the record in Memphis at 30-23, 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: Has just one hit in four games since rejoining Memphis last week; hitting .396 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 14-game hitting streak; was named Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month for July

KELLY: Is hitting .343 (34-for-99) over last 27 games; has hits in 18 of those games and multiple in 12 of them

MEJIA: Had two RBI Fri. 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: Fri. night, had first multi-RBI game since July 15; hitting just .221 (21-for-95) in 28 games since July started

SOSA: Last Friday night, hit first career Triple-A home run; is hitting .270 (99-for-366) in 97 games between MEM and SPG

THOMAS: Has hit safely in all six of his games since being promoted to Memphis; seven of his 10 hits are extra-base hits

TOVAR: Is hitting .3363(37-for-111) over last 31 games; recently snapped a season-long nine-game hitting streak

WILLIAMS: Went 2-for-4 in his first start with the Redbirds this season; hit a home run in the loss as well

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

BY THE NUMBERS

464 calendar days have passed since the Redbirds were not in first place (April 27, 2017); they have played 232 regular season games since that time.

BY THE NUMBERS

163 transactions through 112 games for Memphis, 1.5 per game. That is the most transactions the 'Birds have ever had in a season and there are still over 20 games to play

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds dropped last night's opener to the Fresno Grizzlies 9-3.

Starter Kevin Herget struggled for the Redbirds, allowing a season-high eight earned runs in the loss. Herget pitched five innings, allowing eight hits and three walks, while striking out three.

The Redbirds managed eight hits on the night, with four coming from newest Redbirds Justin Williams and Lane Thomas. Both went 2-for-4 at the plate. Thomas drove in Memphis' second run of the game with a double in the fifth, while Williams crushed a solo home run in the eighth inning.

Adolis Garcia went 1-for-4 extending his hitting streak to 14 games. During that streak, he is hitting .419 (26-for-62) with eight doubles, nine home runs, and 22 RBI. He also stole his 10th base of the season last night, becoming the fifth Redbird with at least 10 steals this season.

Relievers Dominic Leone, Conner Greene, and Giovanny Gallegos pitched the last four innings for Memphis. The three allowed one run on three hits and three walks.

GARCIA MAKES IT 14 IN A ROW: In last night's loss, Adolis Garcia went 1-for-4 at the plate, driving in a run. The performance continued Garcia's recent dominance at the plate and extended his season-high 14-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. 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 50 games for the Redbirds, and is hitting a solid .337 (62-for-184) in that stretch. He has now raised his batting average to .272 on the season. Garcia has collected hits in 38 of his 50 games since June began, and has notched multiple hits in 18 of those games. In those 50 games, he has scored 36 runs, hit 14 doubles, a triple, and 17 home runs, all while driving in 50 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 97 games this season, he already has 21 home runs and 67 RBI. He is just outside the top-10 in the PCL in both home runs and RBI.

TALE OF THE TOP TWO TEAMS: This series against Fresno brings the two teams with the best records in all of Triple-A head-to-head for the first and only time this regular season. Memphis sits at 70-42, while Fresno sits at 64-48. The Redbirds hold a 13.5 game lead in their division, while the Grizzlies hold a six game lead in their division. Both teams rank atop of the leaderboards in multiple categories in the league. The 'Birds have the best ERA at 3.37, while Fresno has the fourth-best at 4.11. Fresno's pitching staff has struck out the most batters this season with 1,067 K's, while Memphis is second in that category at 947. Redbird hitters have also struck out the fewest times in the league this season, whiffing only 743 times. Fresno has the fifth-most homers, while Memphis has the sixth-most.

WELCOME TO MEMPHIS: In last night's loss, newest Redbird player Justin Williams got his first start for the 'Birds. After flying out in his Redbird debut the night before, in a pinch-hit appearance, Williams provided some punch from the two-spot in the lineup. The left-handed hitting outfielder went 2-for-4 at the plate, hitting a single and absolutely demolishing a solo home run in the eighth inning. Acquired in the trade that sent Tommy Pham to Tampa Bay last week, Williams was hitting .258 (92-for-356) with 18 doubles, eight home runs, and 46 RBI in 94 games with the Durham Bulls this season. He also made his Major League debut on July 21 against Miami, grounding out in his lone at-bat.

RAVELO ON FIRE: In Friday 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 six games ago, Thomas has been a force at the plate. Last night, he went 2-for-4 at the plate, hitting a double and driving in a run. He has recorded a hit in each game he has played with Memphis, and has notched multiple hits in four of the six 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 .393 (11-for-28). Seven of his 10 hits have been for extra bases.

TOVAR'S TIME: Last night, infielder Wilfredo Tovar hit in the leadoff spot for the sixth time this season. In the loss, he went 1-for-4 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 19 of his 24 games, and has recorded multiple hits in nine of those games. He has a .380 on-base percentage in that span.

HOME RUN HAPPY: In last night's loss, outfielder Justin Williams went deep in the eighth inning for the first and only home run of the game for Memphis. With the homer, Memphis has now hit a home run in six-consecutive games for the first time this season, topping their previous best of five. The 'Birds have been mashing at the plate over the last month and a half. Through June 8 this season, the 62nd game of the year, the 'Birds had hit just 49 home runs as a team. In the 50 games since then, Memphis has hit 73 home runs. The Redbirds have the sixth-most home runs in the PCL this season, and the most out of teams not located on the West Coast.

MEJIA BRINGING THEM IN: In Friday 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.

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. Yesterday, 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 early in July, 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).

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.

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