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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (73-44) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (61-53)

August 11, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (73-44) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (61-53)

Saturday, August 11 - 7:05 p.m. (CT) - Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (13,066) - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Game #118 - Road Game #59 (38-20)

LHP Tyler Lyons (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Logan Bawcom (1-1, 5.28 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Oklahoma City Dodgers will play game three 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 9-5, and with last night's win, they sealed the season series win. Yesterday, outfielder Tyler O'Neill was transferred to Memphis for Major League Rehab, while pitcher Landon Beck was transferred to the 'Birds from Springfield. Earlier today, infielder Patrick Wisdom's contract was purchased by St. Louis. He will be making his MLB debut. In a corresponding move, infielder Tommy Edman was transferred to Memphis from Springfield. Today's game will be broadcast on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Left-hander Tyler Lyons will be making his first start of the season for the Redbirds in game three against the Dodgers tonight. Lyons has appeared in a Memphis uniform in every season dating back to 2012, with the exception of 2016. His appearances with Memphis this year and last have all been out of relief. He was designated for assignment by the Cardinals earlier this season, and outrighted to Memphis. He will be making his first start since making six rehab starts last season. In his two appearances with Memphis this season, he is 0-0 in 2.0 innings of relief. He has struck out three batters. He has made 92 Minor League starts in his career and 20 Major League starts. He was 1-0 with an 8.64 ERA in 27 relief appearance with St. Louis this season.

The Dodgers will send right-hander Logan Bawcom to the mound to battle Lyons and the Redbirds. In three starts with the Dodgers this season, he is 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA. In 15.1 innings of work, he has allowed 18 hits, 10 runs, nine earned runs, and nine walks, while striking out nine batters, as well. He has a 9.00 ERA on the road in one start.

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 9-5. The two have been evenly matched all season. The 'Birds are slightly out-hitting Oklahoma City at .266 to .251, and slightly out-pitching them with an ERA 3.67 compared to their 3.91 mark. With the win last night, the Redbirds have secured their first season series win against Oklahoma City since 2011 when they went 11-5.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Has just three hits in eight 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

EDMAN: Joins Memphis for the first time this season; hitting .298 in 104 games with Springfield this season

KELLY: Is hitting .319 (37-for-116) over last 31 games; has hits in 22 of those games and multiple in 12 of them

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

O'NEILL: Rejoins Redbirds on Major League Rehab assignment; hitting .303 with St. Louis; has 29 homers between both

RAVELO: Currently riding 15-game hitting streak, hitting .382 (21-for-55) 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: Thurs. night, hit game-tying solo home run in 5th; has 10 homers between Memphis and Springfield, his career-high

THOMAS: Hit safely in first 10 with Memphis before snapping streak last night; 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 .304 (72-for-237) 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

BY THE NUMBERS

6 Memphis players have been purchased by St. Louis this season to make their Major League debuts. Wisdom, O'Neill, Garcia, Hudson, Gomber, and Poncedeleon are the players.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds won last night's game against Oklahoma City 8-4. The start of last night's game was delayed by over an hour due to rain.

Memphis starter Connor Jones was solid in his third start with the Redbirds. The righty threw 5.2 innings, allowing eight hits, four earned runs, and two walks, while striking out two. For his efforts, he earned his first career Triple-A win.

Three Memphis relievers combined to hold Oklahoma City scoreless in the last 3.1 innings. Giovanny Gallegos stranded two inherited runners from Jones in the sixth inning, and pitched a scoreless seventh as well. Tommy Layne and Edward Mujica pitched the final two innings.

The 'Birds scored six runs in the fifth inning to put them ahead for good. They also scored two runs in the sixth inning to round off the scoring. In the game, Patrick Wisdom went 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring once and driving in one. Ramon Urias and Edmundo Sosa also collected multi-hit games for Memphis.

Rangel Ravelo went 1-for-4 in the game to extend his hitting streak to 15-games. Lane Thomas went hitless, snapping his hitting streak at 10-games.

RAVELO ON FIRE: In last night's comeback win over Oklahoma City, infielder Rangel Ravelo went 1-for-4 at the plate, driving in two runs, and extending his season-long hitting streak to 15 games. During this stretch, he is hitting .382 (21-for-55), scoring 15 runs, hitting two doubles, three home runs, driving in 15 runs, walking nine times, and striking out just eight times. Although Adolis Garcia and Lane Thomas have both ended their hitting streaks, Memphis accomplished the rare feat of having two 10-game hitting streaks at the same time. Ravelo's has overlapped with both Garcia's and Thomas'. Ravelo, in the midst of one of his finest seasons, is hitting .303 (93-for-307) in 88 games with a career-high 12 home runs. Since he joined Memphis last season, he now has hit safely in at least 15-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.

WISDOM CONTINUES TO MAKE HISTORY: Last night, Patrick Wisdom went 3-for-4 at the plate, hitting a double, scoring once, and driving in one. Wisdom is now hitting a career-high .289 (103-for-357) 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 (308), is now tied for the sixth-most doubles in franchise history (69), has the fourth-most home runs (50), has the third-most RBI (177), the fifth-most extra-base hits (122), the eighth-most total bases (500), and the 10th-most at-bats (1,075). He is also outside the top-10 in multiple other categories, including runs scored, hits, walks, and hit-by-pitches. He needs just three 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.

JONES GETS FIRST WIN: Last night, Memphis starter Connor Jones earned his first career Triple-A win in his third start with the Redbirds. In 5.2 innings of work last night, Jones allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out two batters. So far with Memphis, the righty is 1-0 with a 5.11 ERA in 12.1 innings of work. Between Memphis and Springfield this season, Jones is 6-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 100.1 innings of work.

OH HEY, BUDDY: Last night, outfielder Tyler O'Neill started in right field for the Redbirds in the first appearance of his Major League Rehab assignment. In the game, O'Neill went 1-for-4 at the plate, hitting a two-run double in the fifth inning that brought home the game-tying and winning runs. Despite spending a good portion of the season with St. Louis, O'Neill is second among players who have appeared for Memphis this season in RBI (63), and leads the team and the PCL in home runs (26). In 85 games between Memphis and St. Louis this season, O'Neill is hitting .310 (88-for-284) with 69 runs scored, 10 doubles, two triples, 29 home runs, and 72 RBI. He has an on-base percentage of .377, a slugging percentage of .665, and an OPS of 1.042.

CONSISTENT CARSON: Last night, catcher Carson Kelly went 1-for-5 at the plate, driving in one run with an RBI single. With the flurry of moves over the last six weeks, Kelly has remained a consistent presence in the Memphis lineup. Since July 26, he is hitting .328 (38-for-116) in 31 games. In that span, he has scored 21 times, hit six doubles, and four home runs, while driving in 21 runs, walking 18 times, and striking out just 18 times. He has collected hits in 22 of those games, and multiple hits in 12 of them.

ONE WAY TICKET TO THE SHOW: Earlier today, infielder Patrick Wisdom had his contract purchased by the Cardinals. With the move, Wisdom will making his long-awaited Major League debut after seven years in the Minor Leagues, and the better part of three seasons with Memphis. Wisdom is now one of six players to be promoted from Memphis to St. Louis for their debuts this season. The Redbirds have had 16 overall players promoted this season. Wisdom is one of 15 players to be promoted from Memphis to make their Major League debuts since the 2017 season began. This season, Wisdom, Tyler O'Neill, Dakota Hudson, Adolis Garcia, Daniel Poncedeleon, and Austin Gomber have all been promoted for their debuts. Additionally, since the 2017 season began, 92 different players have appeared in a Memphis uniform, and 31 have made their Triple-A debuts.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST END: In last night's win, centerfielder Lane Thomas snapped his 10-game hitting streak. He went 0-for-4 at the plate last night, walking once and scoring once. He had recorded a hit in each game he had 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. Despite going hitless last night, he is hitting .333 (17-for-51) with the Redbirds. Nine of his 17 hits have been for extra bases. In his 11 games with the 'Birds, Thomas has scored nine runs, hit six doubles, one triple, two home runs, and has driven in nine runs. He has an on-base percentage of .343, a slugging percentage of .608, and an OPS of .954. Between Memphis and Springfield this season, Thomas is hitting .269 (117-for-435) in 111 games with 22 doubles, five triples, 23 home runs, and 76 RBI.

'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 45-17 against the four teams in the American Northern Division. They have won the season series against all four teams with the win last night. They won the series over 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. It is the first season series victory against Oklahoma City for the Redbirds since 2011 when they went 11-5. 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.

HOME RUN HAPPY: With Edmundo Sosa's home run in the fifth inning Thursday 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 55 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

- 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)

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