PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (72-44) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (61-52) --

Published on August 10, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (72-44) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (61-52)

Friday, August 10 - 7:05 p.m. (CT) - Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (13,066) - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Game #117 - Road Game #58 (37-20)

RHP Connor Jones (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. LHP Kyle Lobstein (0-2, 10.38 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Oklahoma City Dodgers will play game two of a four game set tonight at 7:05 p.m. in Oklahoma City. This is the final series the two teams will play against each other this season, and it is the first time they have faced each other since May. The Redbirds are coming off a 3-1 series loss to the Fresno Grizzlies, while Oklahoma City is coming off a 3-1 series loss to the Reno Aces. The Redbirds lead the season series 8-5, and will have to win one of the next three games to seal the season series win. Today's game will be broadcast on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Connor Jones will take the mound for the Redbirds tonight in game two of the four game set against Oklahoma City. It will be Jones' third start with the Redbirds since being transferred from Springfield late last month. In his first start against Las Vegas, Jones was solid, throwing four innings, allowing five hits and three unearned runs, while walking three and striking out six batters. In his second start last week, he pitched just 2.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out five batters. Between Memphis and Springfield this season, Jones has made 20 starts. He is 5-4 with a 3.80 ERA in 94.2 innings of work.

The Dodgers will send left-hander Kyle Lobstein to the mound to battle Jones and the Redbirds. In his two starts with the team this season, his only appearances, he is 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA. In his first start against Round Rock, the lefty allowed five runs in 3.1 innings of work. In his second start, he allowed five runs in 5.1 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .350 (14-for-40) off him at Triple-A.

HISTORY WITH OKLAHOMA CITY: Memphis and Oklahoma City have played every year dating back to 1998 when Memphis joined the PCL. Oklahoma City has been affiliated with the Rangers, Astros, and Dodgers in that span. So far this season, the two teams have played 13 games against each other, with Memphis holding a slight lead at 8-5. The two have been evenly matched all season. The 'Birds are slightly out-hitting Oklahoma City at .2684to .249, and slightly out-pitching them with an ERA 3.65 compared to their 3.74 mark. The Redbirds would have to win one of the last three games in this series to secure their first season series win against Oklahoma City since 2011 when they went 11-5.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Has just three hits in seven games since rejoining Memphis last week; hitting .396 with Springfield

BARON: Has hit safely in 13 of his last 16 games since June; had a season-long eight-game hitting streak in that stretch

KELLY: Is hitting .324 (36-for-111) over last 30 games; has hits in 21 of those games and multiple in 12 of them

MEJIA: Had two RBI Fri. night; now has 20 RBI in last 44 games after having only eight RBI in first 42 games this year

RAVELO: Currently riding 14-game hitting streak, hitting .392 (20-for-51) in that stretch; hit walk-off single Sunday

ROACHE: Will be making Triple-A debut with Memphis; former first round pick is in first season with St. Louis organization

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 night, hit game-tying solo home run in fifth; has 10 homers between Memphis and Springfield, his career-high

THOMAS: Has hit safely in all 10 of his games since being promoted to Memphis; nine of his 17 hits are extra-base hits

TOVAR: Is hitting .322 (37-for-115) over last 32 games; recently snapped a season-long nine-game hitting streak

URIAS: Rejoins Memphis for third stint of the season; hitting .302 (70-for-232) between Memphis and Springfield

WILLIAMS: Has hits in four of six games since joining the Redbirds, and has hits in all but one of his starts

WISDOM: Drove in winning run last night; has the fourth-most home runs and third-most RBI in franchise history

BY THE NUMBERS

5 of the 13 games Memphis and Oklahoma City have played against one another this season have been decided by one run. Memphis is 4-1 in those games.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds won last night's opener against the Oklahoma City Dodgers 2-1 in a pitcher's duel.

Memphis starter Austin Warner was phenomenal again in his third Triple-A start. The lefty threw 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits and no walks, while striking out four batters. The lone run he allowed came in the first inning.

Four Memphis relievers combined to hold Oklahoma City scoreless in the last 3.1 innings. Giovanny Gallegos stranded two inherited runners from Warner in the sixth inning. Brett Cecil, Dominic Leone, and Andrew Morales combined for the final three innings. Leone got the win, while Morales earned the save.

After the Dodgers scored their early run, Edmundo Sosa tied the game in the fifth with his third home run of the season with the Redbirds. The game remained tied at one until the ninth inning when Patrick Wisdom hit an RBI double to score Rangel Ravelo.

Ravelo went 1-for-4 in the game to extend his hitting streak to 14-games. Lane Thomas also went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 10-games.

AMAZING AUSTIN: In last night's win over Oklahoma City, one of the newest Memphis pitchers, left-hander Austin Warner, was phenomenal. In just his third Triple-A start, the lefty threw 5.2 strong innings, allowing just one run on seven hits and no walks, while striking out four batters. This came on the heels of his seven inning, one-run performance last week against Sacramento. He earned the win in that game. In his Triple-A debut against Las Vegas two weeks ago, he was also solid. 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 3.74 ERA in 21 starts spanning 122.2 innings. He has racked up 115 strikeouts this season, opposed to just 37 walks. Opponents are hitting just .267 (128-for-475) off him, as well.

RAVELO ON FIRE: In last night's comeback win over Oklahoma City, infielder Rangel Ravelo went 1-for-4 at the plate, scoring the winning run in the ninth inning, and extending his season-long hitting streak to 14 games. During this stretch, he is hitting .392 (20-for-51), scoring 15 runs, hitting two doubles, three home runs, driving in 13 runs, walking eight times, and striking out just seven times. Although Adolis Garcia's 14-game hitting streak ended Sunday, Memphis accomplished the rare feat of having two players with at least 10-game hitting streaks at the same. With his hit last night, Lane Thomas also extended his hitting streak to 10 games, making it the second time this season, and the second time in a week, that Memphis has had overlapping 10-game hitting streaks. Ravelo, in the midst of one of his finest seasons, is hitting .304 (92-for-303) in 87 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). He is now one of six Redbirds to have a hitting streak of at least 10 games this season. Tyler O'Neill (10), Yairo Munoz (10), Lane Thomas (10), Adolis Garcia (14), and Patrick Wisdom (16) have also accomplished the feat.

LANE MAKES IT 10, TOO: In last night's win, centerfielder Lane Thomas continued his hot-hitting with the Redbirds. Since being transferred from Springfield 10 games ago, Thomas has been a force at the plate. He went 1-for-4 at the plate last night, joining Rangel Ravelo in having a hitting streak of at least 10-games. He has recorded a hit in each game he has played with Memphis, and has notched multiple hits in six of the 10 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 .362 (17-for-47). Nine of his 17 hits have been for extra bases. In his 10 games with the 'Birds, Thomas has scored eight runs, hit six doubles, one triple, two home runs, and has driven in nine runs. He has an on-base percentage of .362, a slugging percentage of .660, and an OPS of 1.021. Between Memphis and Springfield this season, Thomas is hitting .271 (117-for-431) in 110 games with 22 doubles, five triples, 23 home runs, and 76 home runs.

WISDOM CONTINUES TO MAKE HISTORY: Last night, Patrick Wisdom went 1-for-4 at the plate, driving in the game-winning run with an RBI double in the ninth inning. Wisdom is now hitting a career-high .283 (100-for-353) this season. Wisdom's career-high in hits came last season with Memphis when he recorded 111. With under 30 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 has played the 10th-most games in franchise history (307), is now has the seventh-most doubles in franchise history (68), has the fourth-most home runs (50), is tied for the third-most RBI (176), the fifth-most extra-base hits (121), the ninth-most total bases (496), and the 10th-most at-bats (1,071). He is also outside the top-10 in multiple other categories, including runs scored, hits, walks, and hit-by-pitches. He needs just four more runs scored, and 13 more walks. Unfortunately, Wisdom is also just three strikeouts from passing John Nelson for the most in franchise history. Wisdom has also hit 28 home runs at AutoZone Park in his career, tied for the second-most in Redbirds history.

EDMUNDO GOES DEEP: In last night's comeback win, infielder Edmundo Sosa drove in the first Memphis run of the game with a solo home run. Oklahoma City had scored a run in the first inning, and Sosa's solo-shot came in the fifth inning. The game remained tied until the ninth inning when Patrick Wisdom doubled home the winning run. It was Sosa's third home run with the Redbirds this season, and his 10th of the season between Memphis and Springfield. The 10 home runs between both levels are already a career-high.

MORALES LOCKING IT DOWN: Last night, right-handed reliever Andrew Morales earned the save for the Redbirds, stranding the tying run at second in the ninth inning. Morales has been one of the Redbirds' most consistent relievers this season. In 38 games, he has a record of 1-2 with a 3.81 ERA and five saves in six chances. In 51.1 innings of work this season, he has struck out 62 batters. Morales has been particularly good over the past six weeks. Since allowing four runs on June 24, Morales has appeared in 16 games, and has been lights-out. He has pitched 17.2 innings in that span, allowing just four earned runs on 11 hits and eight walks, while striking out 19 batters. He is posting a 2.04 ERA in that span, and is holding opponents to a .172 (11-for-64) batting average in that span. He has converted all five of his save chances since June 24. He has one blown save this season, which came back in April.

'BIRDS LIKE THE AMERICAN NORTH: With last night's win over the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Redbirds continued their dominance over the American Northern Division this season. So far this season, Memphis is 44-17 against the four teams in the American Northern Division. They have won the season series against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 11-5, the Iowa Cubs 14-2, and the Omaha Storm Chasers 11-5. This series against Oklahoma City is the last series they play against the division this season. The 'Birds lead the season series 8-5. They would have to win one of the next three games to secure the season series win. The Redbirds are just 13-14 against their own division, 6-8 against the Pacific Northern Division, and 9-5 against the Pacific Southern Division. After this series, Memphis will only face divisional opponents to finish off the season.

ONE-RUN FUN: Last night, the Redbirds topped the Dodgers 2-1, pushing the winning run across the plate in the ninth inning. With the win, the 'Birds are now 21-11 in one-run games this season. The 21 wins are the best in the PCL, and third-best in all of Triple-A baseball. Their .656 winning percentage in one-run games is second-best in the PCL, behind only Las Vegas, who sits at .783 (18-5). Since the 2017 season began, Memphis is a combined 50-26 (.658) in one-run ballgames. Additionally, five of the 13 games Memphis and Oklahoma City have played against one another this season have been decided by one run. Memphis is 4-1 in those games, with the only loss being a 1-0 defeat in May.

SCORING LAST: After the comeback win last night, the Redbirds are now 37-12 this season when being the last team to score in the game. The 37 wins are second in the PCL, only to Nashville's 38 such wins. However, Memphis has the best winning percentage in those games at .755. The 37 wins when scoring last are third-most in all of Triple-A baseball, behind both Nashville and Columbus of the International League.

HOME RUN HAPPY: With Edmundo Sosa's home run in the fifth inning last night, the 'Birds notched their 126th home run of the season. Through June 8 this season, the 62nd game of the season, the Redbirds had hit just 49 home runs as a team. In the 54 games since then, the 'Birds have been mashing. They have hit 77 home runs as a team since June 8, including a streak of seven-consecutive games with at least one home run. With 126 home runs this season, Memphis now has the sixth-most home runs in the PCL this season, and the most among teams not located on the West Coast. Memphis has 78 home runs on the road this season, the seventh-best mark in franchise history. The record is 90 road home runs, set in 2004.

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.

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

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 10, 2018


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