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Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (74-45) vs New Orleans Baby Cakes (57-61)

August 13, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (74-45) vs New Orleans Baby Cakes (57-61)

Monday, August 13 - 6:35 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #120 - Home Game #60 (35-24)

RHP Kevin Herget (8-8, 4.46 ERA) vs. LHP Dillon Peters (3-7, 6.62 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and New Orleans Baby Cakes will kick off a four-game set tonight at 6:35 p.m. in Memphis. It is the third of four series the two teams will play against one another this season. The fourth and final series will take place next week in New Orleans. Memphis narrowly leads the season series at 5-4. The Redbirds are coming off a 3-1 series win over the Oklahoma City Dodgers, while New Orleans is coming off a 3-1 series win over the Iowa Cubs. With the completion of the Oklahoma City series, Memphis has finished playing teams from other divisions. The last 21 games will be played against the three opponents from their own division. Today'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, making his 19th start of the season, and his first since August 4. Coming into tonight's game, Herget is 8-8 with a 4.46 ERA for the Redbirds this season. With the call-ups of the entire Opening Day starting rotation, Herget is now the most experience pitcher in the rotation. He has tossed 115.0 innings this season, allowing 125 hits, 57 earned runs, and just 31 walks, while striking out 100 batters. Herget has the second-best walks per nine innings pitched ratio in the PCL at 1.98, just .03 points behind the league leader. He has already set career-highs in innings pitched, wins, and strike outs this season. Herget is 1-1 against New Orleans this season, allowing five earned runs in 11.1 innings of work.

The Baby Cakes will send left-hander Dillon Peters to the mound to battle Herget and the Redbirds in tonight's opener. Coming into tonight's game, Peters is 3-7 with a 6.62 ERA this season. In two starts against Memphis, he is 0-2, having allowed six earned runs in 9.0 innings of work. Peters has particularly struggled on the road this season. He is 1-3 with a 12.58 ERA in seven road starts this season.

HISTORY WITH NEW ORLEANS: Memphis and New Orleans have played every season dating back to 1998 when the Redbirds joined the PCL. In that span, Memphis has remained affiliated with St. Louis, while New Orleans has been affiliated with four different teams. They were previously affiliated with Houston, Washington, and the Mets, and have been affiliated with Miami for the last 10 years. So far this season, Memphis narrowly leads the season series at 5-4. The 'Birds are 3-1 in Memphis, and 2-3 at New Orleans thus far. Memphis is narrowly outhitting New Orleans this season, posting a .269 average, compared to their .238 mark. Both teams are locked on the mound with 3.71 ERAs in the season series.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Has just three hits in 10 games since rejoining Memphis last week; hitting .396 with Springfield

BARON: Has hit safely in 14 of his last 17 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 Saturday 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 Sat. night; now has 21 RBI in last 47 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 Sat. 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: Just snapped five-game hitting streak, hit .333 (7-for-21); third five-game hitting streak since joining Memphis

THOMAS: Hit safely in first 10 with Memphis before snapping streak Fri. 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: Had recorded a hit in his first four games since rejoining Memphis before going hitless last night

WILLIAMS: Has hits in five of eight games since joining the Redbirds; scored four runs in Saturday night's 14-0 win

BY THE NUMBERS

+251 run differential for the Redbirds this season when they win (+3.4/win); -159 run differential for the Redbirds in losses this season (-3.5/loss).

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds dropped last night's contest to the Oklahoma City Dodgers 9-0 in a game that had the start delayed for two hours because of weather.

Last night's starter Jake Woodford threw four innings, allowing 11 hits, eight runs, four earned runs, and one walk, while striking out four batters. His outing was hampered by three early errors from the Memphis outfield.

The 'Birds managed a season-low two hits in the loss. Tyler O'Neill and Steven Baron both hit singles in the loss. Memphis also earned four walks, but couldn't bring the runners in. Tommy Edman had two walks and a stolen base, while Alex Mejia and pinch-hitter Chris Ellis had the other two.

Relievers Matt Bowman, Brett Cecil, and Landon Beck combined to throw four innings of one-run baseball.

WOODFORD STRUGGLES FOR SECOND STRAIGHT: In last night's loss to the Oklahoma City Dodgers, starting pitcher Jake Woodford struggled for the second-consecutive game. Last night, Woodford lasted just four innings, allowing eight runs, only four of which were earned, on 11 hits and one walk, while striking out four batters. Memphis committed three early errors, making Woodford's task more daunting. For the second-consecutive start, Woodford has now pitched just 4.0 innings, allowing at least four earned runs. In his last start, he threw four innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits and three walks in what ended up being a 15-14 loss for Memphis. Woodford had been lights-out three starts before this rough patch. In those three starts, he was 3-0 in 17.2 innings of work. He had allowed just two earned runs on 11 total hits and eight walks, while striking out 15 batters, good for a 1.05 ERA. In his eight starts with Memphis this season, he is now 3-3 with a 4.17 ERA in 41.0 innings.

OH HEY, BUDDY: Last night, outfielder Tyler O'Neill started in center field for the Redbirds, making the third appearance of his Major League Rehab assignment. In the game, O'Neill went 1-for-4 at the plate, recording one of the two Memphis hits on the night. Friday night, 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 87 games between Memphis and St. Louis this season, O'Neill is hitting .311 (91-for-293) with 71 runs scored, 10 doubles, two triples, 29 home runs, and 72 RBI. He has an on-base percentage of .375, a slugging percentage of .655, and an OPS of 1.031.

BARON FINDING CONSISTENCY: In last night's loss, catcher Steven Baron went 1-for-2 at the plate, recording one of the two Memphis hits on the night. In his last 14 games, dating back to June 22, Baron has found a steady rhythm at the plate. In that stretch, he had an eight-game hitting streak for the first time in 2016. He snapped that hitting streak after he went hitless in a pinch-hit appearance. With his hit last night, Baron has now recorded a hit in every game he has started, with the exception of one, dating back to June 22. He went hitless as the designated hitter on August 6. He has recorded a hit in every game he has started at catcher dating back to June. Baron is hitting .220 (27-for-123) this season with six RBI. As of right now, he has the 10th-most at-bats in a season without a home run in Memphis history. If he does not hit a home run for the remainder of the season, Baron could possibly move up to as high as sixth on that list.

HAVE A NIGHT, RAMON: In Saturday 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. Though he went hitless last night, he collected hits in the first four games he played since rejoining the team from Springfield, and 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. Before going hitless last night, Urias had hit in six-straight dating back to his previous stint with the 'Birds.

STRUGGLES WITH THE DIVISION: Despite having the best record in all of Triple-A Baseball at 74-45, Memphis has struggled against its own division. The 'Birds are 2-6 against Nashville, 5-4 against New Orleans, and 6-4 against Round Rock. Memphis has 21 games remaining this season. They will play seven more against New Orleans, six more against Round Rock, and eight more against Nashville. Nashville is the closest to the 'Birds, sitting 10 games behind Memphis. While the 'Birds batters hold similar lines against divisional and non-divisional opponents, the biggest difference is pitching. Memphis is hitting .274 (859-for-3136) against opponents in other divisions, and are hitting a slightly lower .267 (241-for-901) against the division. However, Memphis pitchers are posting a 3.85 ERA (100ER, 234.0IP) against the division, while posting a 3.42 ERA (308ER, 811.2IP) against everyone else.

THOMAS STILL HITTING: In Saturday 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.

SHUTOUTS GALORE: With Saturday 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. With last night's loss, the Redbirds have also been shut out 10 times this season, the second-most in the PCL, behind only Iowa's 11 such losses. Shutouts and one-run games ran rampant in the season series against the Dodgers this year. 10 of the 16 games the two played against one another were decided by either one run or were a shutout. Memphis went 4-1 in one-run games against Oklahoma City this season, and went just 1-4 in shutouts against the Dodgers. Last season, the first under Stubby Clapp, Memphis was a sparkling 5-2 in shutouts. They are now 15-12 in shutouts since the beginning of 2017.

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: Despite losing last night's game to the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Redbirds dominated over the American Northern Division this season. Last night was the last game the 'Birds will play against the division this season. Memphis went 46-18 against the four teams in the American Northern Division. They 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, the Omaha Storm Chasers 11-5, and Oklahoma City 10-6. It was 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. Memphis will only face divisional opponents to finish off the season.

ONE WAY TICKET TO THE SHOW: This weekend, 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.

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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