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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (74-44) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (61-54)

August 12, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (74-44) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (61-54)

Sunday, August 12 - 6:05 p.m. (CT) - Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (13,066) - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Game #119 - Road Game #60 (39-20)

RHP Jake Woodford (3-2, 3.65 ERA) vs. RHP Brock Stewart (2-2, 2.91 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Oklahoma City Dodgers will play the finale of a four game set tonight at 6:05 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 10-5, and with Friday night's win, they sealed the season series win. Yesterday, infielder Patrick Wisdom was purchased by St. Louis, and 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: Right-hander Jake Woodford will take the mound for the Redbirds in tonight's finale against the Dodgers. It will be Woodford's eighth start of the season with Memphis, and his first against Oklahoma City. In his first seven starts, he is 3-2 with a 3.65 ERA in 37.0 innings of work. In his last start against Fresno, the righty allowed five earned runs in four innings on six hits and three walks. Before that outing last week, Woodford had been dominant in his previous three starts. He won all three contests, combining to allow just two earned runs in 17.2 innings of work, giving him a 1.05 ERA in those three games. In that span, he allowed 11 hits and eight walks, while striking out 15 batters.

The Dodgers will send right-hander Brock Stewart to the mound to battle Woodford and the Redbirds. In 14 starts with Oklahoma City this season, Stewart is 2-2 with a 2.91 ERA in 68.0 innings of work. This will be his first appearance against the Redbirds this season. In his 14 starts, Stewart has allowed more than three earned runs just once, coming in his last start. In nine of his 14 starts, he has allowed two earned runs or less.

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 15 games against each other, with Memphis holding a slight lead at 10-5. The two have been evenly matched all season. The 'Birds are slightly out-hitting Oklahoma City at .275 to .248, and slightly out-pitching them with an ERA 3.43 compared to their 4.47 mark. With the win Friday 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 nine 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; went 2-for-4 with two RBI in his first game last night

KELLY: Is hitting .306 (37-for-121) over last 32 games; has hits in 22 of those games and multiple in 12 of them

MEJIA: Had one RBI last night; now has 21 RBI in last 46 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; notched first Triple-A hit with pinch-hit single last night

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

SOSA: Currently on five-game hitting streak, hitting .333 (7-for-21); third five-game hitting streak since joining Memphis

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: Has recorded a hit in each of his four games since rejoining Memphis; went 4-for-5 with three RBI last night

WILLIAMS: Has hits in five of seven games since joining the Redbirds; scored four runs in last night's win

BY THE NUMBERS

470 calendar days have passed since the Redbirds were not in first place (April 27, 2017); they have played 238 regular season games since that time.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds won last night's game in dominant fashion, beating the Oklahoma City Dodgers 14-0.

The 'Birds scored four runs in the second and eighth innings, while scoring five in the ninth, and one in the sixth inning. Memphis pounded out 16 hits, only four for extra-bases, in the win.

Tyler Lyons made the start for the 'Birds, pitching two innings in his effort to get stretched out to start more consistently. Usual starter Chris Ellis piggy-backed Lyons' start. Ellis threw four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six batters to earn the win. Brett Cecil, Dominic Leone, and Conner Greene threw the final three innings.

Ramon Urias led the charge on offense, going 4-for-5 at the plate, driving in three and scoring twice. Justin Williams went 2-for-3 in the game, walking twice, and scoring four times. Also collecting multiple hits for the 'Birds were Tyler O'Neill (2-for-5, 2R), Tommy Edman (2-for-4, R), and Edmundo Sosa (2-for-5, 2R).

It was the largest margin of victory of the Redbirds this season, topping their previous high of 13, set on April 6 against Round Rock when they won 17-4.

30 OVER: With the 14-0 win last night, the Redbirds have improved to 74-44 this season. They are now a season-high 30 games over .500. The 'Birds have the best record in all of Triple-A Baseball, and are one of just two teams to have 70 wins this season. Memphis also has the second-best record through 118 games in franchise history. The 2017 team was 78-40 through 118 games.

HAVE A NIGHT, RAMON: In last night's win over the Oklahoma City Dodgers, Memphis infielder Ramon Urias went 4-for-5 at the plate, scoring twice, and driving in three runs. Urias has been on fire at the plate since rejoining the Redbirds last week. He has collected hits in each of the four games he has played since rejoining the team from Springfield, and has had multiple hits in three of those games. He is hitting .474 (9-for-19), scoring five times, and driving in five runs. Urias had struggled for consistency in his first few stints with Memphis earlier this season, but had dominated with Springfield. In Double-A, the infielder was hitting .335 (52-for-155) in 41 games. Going back to his last stint with the 'Birds, Urias has now hit in six-straight Triple-A contests. With his performance over the last four days, he has raised his batting average with Memphis to .276 (24-for-87).

WALKIN' WILLIAMS: Last night, outfielder Justin Williams went 2-for-3 at the plate, walking twice, and scoring four times. He joined former Redbird, now Yankee, Luke Voit as the only Redbirds to score four times in a game this season. Williams also had a double in the game. Since being traded from the Tampa Bay organization a few weeks ago, Williams has been a strong asset for the Redbirds. In seven games with Memphis, the outfielder is hitting .292 (7-for-24), scoring five times, hitting two doubles, one home run, driving in five runs, walking three times, and striking out just four times.

WELCOME BACK, TOMMY: With Patrick Wisdom's contract being purchased by St. Louis yesterday, infielder Tommy Edman was transferred to Memphis from Springfield. Edman played in the playoffs with Memphis last season, and has joined the team for the first time this season. Last night, he went 2-for-4, scoring once, hitting a sacrifice fly, and driving in two in the win. In the playoffs last season, the utility infielder appeared in nine games, hitting .222 (2-for-9), and did not make an error. With Springfield this season, he was hitting .298 (128-for-429) in 104 games.

SOSA'S HOT BAT: After a 2-for-5 performance last night, Edmundo Sosa continued to swing a hot bat at the plate. Last night, Sosa hit a double, drove in two runs, and scored twice. In the last five games, Sosa is hitting .333 (7-for-21) with nine runs scored, two doubles, one home run, and five RBI. He has now hit in five-straight games for third time since joining Memphis at the end of June. His season-high with the 'Birds is a six-game hitting streak. In 103 games between Memphis and Springfield this season, Sosa is hitting .272 (106-for-390).

OH HEY, BUDDY: Last night, outfielder Tyler O'Neill started in right field for the Redbirds, making the second appearance of his Major League Rehab assignment. In the game, O'Neill went 2-for-5 at the plate, scoring twice. The night before, he went 2-for-4, hitting a two-run double. 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 86 games between Memphis and St. Louis this season, O'Neill is hitting .311 (90-for-289) with 71 runs scored, 10 doubles, two triples, 29 home runs, and 72 RBI. He has an on-base percentage of .377, a slugging percentage of .661, and an OPS of 1.038.

THOMAS STILL HITTING: In last night's win, centerfielder Lane Thomas went 1-for-6 at the plate, driving in two with a triple, his second since joining Memphis. Before going hitless on Friday, he had recorded a hit in the first 10 games he had played with the Redbirds. So far, Thomas is hitting .316 with the 'Birds, recording multiple hits in six of his 12 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. After his triple last night, he is hitting .316 (18-for-57) with the Redbirds. 10 of his 18 hits have been for extra bases. In his 12 games with the 'Birds, Thomas has scored nine runs, hit six doubles, two triples, two home runs, and has driven in 11 runs. He has an on-base percentage of .328, a slugging percentage of .596, and an OPS of .924. Between Memphis and Springfield this season, Thomas is hitting .269 (118-for-441) in 112 games with 22 doubles, six triples, 23 home runs, and 78 RBI.

PIGGY-BACK FOR THE WIN: Last night, usual starter Chris Ellis piggy-backed starter Tyler Lyons, pitching four innings of relief. Lyons, who has moved to the starting rotation in an attempt to get stretched out, pitched the first two innings. He threw two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk. Ellis threw the next four innings, allowing just one hit and no walks, while striking out six batters. Ellis is now 4-4 with Memphis this season, posting a 4.62 ERA in 12 games, 11 starts, spanning 64.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .261 off him at the Triple-A level this season.

CLUTCH PINCH-HIT PITCHERS: Last night, Stubby Clapp called on starter, Kevin Herget to pinch-hit in the ninth inning. Herget smacked an RBI single to extend the Memphis lead. It is the second time a Memphis pitcher has recorded a pinch-hit this season. Former pitcher Sean Gilmartin also accomplished the feat in the ninth inning on June 2. Gilmartin's hit was the first time a Memphis pitcher had recorded a pinch-hit since Mike Mayers did so on June 10, 2016 against Colorado Springs at AutoZone Park.

SHUTOUTS GALORE: With last night's 14-0 win over the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Redbirds have now won 10 games in shutout fashion this season, tied for the second-most in the league. Omaha leads the league with 12 such wins, while New Orleans and Memphis both have 10. The Redbirds have also been shutout nine times this season, tied for the most in the PCL with Albuquerque. Shutouts and one-run games have run rampant against the Dodgers this season. Nine of the 15 games the two have played against one another have been decided by either one run or have been a shutout. Memphis is 4-1 in one-run games against Oklahoma City this season, and are just 1-3 in shutouts against the Dodgers.

ONE WAY TICKET TO THE SHOW: Yesterday, 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, 93 different players have appeared in a Memphis uniform, and 32 have made their Triple-A debuts.

RAVELO ON FIRE: In Friday 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.

'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 46-17 against the four teams in the American Northern Division. They have won the season series against all four teams with the win Friday 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.

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