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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (75-48) vs Round Rock Express (55-68)

August 17, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (75-48) vs Round Rock Express (55-68)

Friday, August 17 - 7:05 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #124 - Home Game #64 (36-27)

RHP Jake Woodford (3-3, 4.17 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Wagner (1-5, 4.87 ERA)

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and Round Rock Express will kick off a three-game set tonight at 7:05 p.m. in Memphis. It is the third of four series the two teams will play against one another this season, and the last they will play at AutoZone Park. The fourth and final series will take place in two weeks in Round Rock. The Redbirds are coming off a 1-3 series loss to New Orleans, while Round Rock is coming off a 2-2 series split with the Nashville Sounds. Memphis has finished playing teams from other divisions, and will play the last 17 games 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 Jake Woodford will take the mound in the opener tonight for the Redbirds. Coming into tonight's contest, the righty is 3-3 with a 4.17 ERA in eight starts with Memphis this season. Woodford has been better at AutoZone Park this season than he has been on the road. In four home starts, he is 2-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 22.1 innings of work, compared to a 1-2 mark with a 4.82 ERA in four road starts, spanning 18.2 innings. After getting off to a hot start with Memphis, Woodford has struggled in his last two outings. He has combined to throw just eight innings between the two starts, allowing 13 runs, nine earned, on 17 hits and four walks, while striking out just six batters. This will be Woodford's first appearance against a divisional opponent.

The Baby Cakes will send right-hander Tyler Wagner to the mound to battle Woodford and the Redbirds. So far this season, Wagner has made 20 appearances with Round Rock, including 14 starts. He is 1-5 with a 4.87 ERA in 81.1 innings of work this season. He has made two appearances against the Redbirds this season, one start and one relief appearance. Against the 'Birds he is 0-0 in seven total innings of work. He has allowed 11 hits and six earned runs, while walking five and striking out two batters.

HISTORY WITH ROUND ROCK: Memphis and Round Rock have played every season dating back to 2005 when Round Rock joined the PCL. In that span, Round Rock was initially affiliated with the Astros before becoming the Rangers' affiliate in 2011. This will be the first meeting between the two since the last week of April. In 10 games against one another this season, Memphis narrowly leads the series at 6-4. The 'Birds won the opening series 4-1 before dropping the second one 2-3. So far, Memphis is outperforming Round Rock both at the plate and on the mound. Memphis is hitting .286 compared to their .261, and posting a 3.28 ERA compared to their 5.14 mark.

BIRD BITES

AROZARENA: Has just seven hits in 14 games since rejoining Memphis for his third stint; 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: Hit first career Triple-A home run in Wed. night's loss; has career-high seven HR between Memphis and Springfield

GARCIA: Was recently recalled to St. Louis for Major League debut; recorded first hit on August 10 at Kansas City

KELLY: Went 2-for-2 reaching base all five times Wed. night due to BB&2HBP; hitting .318 (42-for-132) over last 36 games

MEJIA: Had one RBI Wed. night; now has 23 RBI in last 50 games after having only eight RBI in first 42 games this year

RAVELO: Currently riding 16-game hitting streak, hitting .407 (24-for-59) in that stretch; has career-high 13 home runs

SCHROCK: Has missed last nine games after being placed on the Disabled List in early August

SOSA: Wed. night, snapped three-game hitless streak, hitting a game-tying two-run double in the third inning

THOMAS: Last night, hit three-run home run in third inning to put Memphis ahead for good; they won 3-2

TOVAR: Is hitting .320 (40-for-125) over last 35 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 Sunday night

WILLIAMS: Has hits in seven of 10 starts since joining the Redbirds; scored four runs in Saturday night's 14-0 win

BY THE NUMBERS

22 wins and 12 losses in one-run games this season for Memphis. Their 22 wins lead the PCL, and their .647 winning percentage in such games is second-best.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Memphis Redbirds snapped a four-game skid and five-game home skid by topping the New Orleans Baby Cakes 3-2 last night.

With the win, Memphis avoided the 4-0 series sweep. They have not been swept since July of 2016.

Last night, lefty Tyler Lyons made the start for the 'Birds in his quest to get stretched out for a starting role. The lefty threw 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks, while striking out one batter.

Usual starter Chris Ellis piggy-backed Lyons' start, coming out of the 'pen. Ellis went 3.2 innings, allowing two hits and no walks, while striking out five batters. Tyler Webb and Andrew Morales both followed him with one scoreless inning apiece. Morales earned the save in the game.

Both teams managed just four hits in the game. Memphis took the lead on a Lane Thomas three-run home run in the third inning. New Orleans scored two in the fourth, but the 'Birds held on.

THOMAS KO'S NEW ORLEANS: In last night's 3-2 win over the New Orleans Baby Cakes, Lane Thomas provided all the offense the Memphis pitching staff needed to snag the win. With one out and two on in the third inning, Thomas launched his third home run since joining the Redbirds in late July. It was his second home run at AutoZone Park. Thomas has been a steady force at the plate since joining the 'Birds. The slugging outfielder hit safely in each of his first 10 games with the team. He has recorded at least one hit in three of his five games since snapping that streak. In 16 games with the Redbirds, all starts, Thomas is hitting .270 (20-for-74). Thomas has scored 11 runs, and driven in 14 runs with the 'Birds. 11 of his 20 hits have also gone for extra-bases. He has six doubles, two triples, and three home runs. In 116 games between Memphis and Springfield this season, Thomas is hitting. 262 (120-for-458) with 24 home runs. The 24 home runs are a career-high and he is on pace to have the highest batting average of his career.

PIGGY-BACK FOR THE WIN: In last night's win, Tyler Lyons got the start in his quest to get stretched out, and Chris Ellis piggy-backed him for the win. In his second start, Lyons threw 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks, while striking out one batter. He had pitched two scoreless innings in his first start. After Lyons exited last night, Ellis came in to relieve him, throwing 3.2 shutout innings. Ellis allowed two hits, while striking out five batters. In Lyons' previous start, Ellis piggy-backed it with four shutout innings, striking out six batters. Memphis has won just two of its last six games, and Lyons and Ellis have been the one-two punch in those two contests. As a starter, Lyons has thrown 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks, while striking out one. In his two relief outings, Ellis is 2-0 in 7.2 innings, allowing no runs on three hits, while not walking a batter and striking out 11 batters.

MORALES LOCKED IN: In last night's win, relief pitcher Andrew Morales got a better break than he did in his previous outing, earning the save for the Redbirds. In his last appearance, Morales threw 1.2 innings. He was solid, allowing just two hits and one walk. However, with the new extra-innings rule, a runner starts every inning on second base. That unearned run came around to score in that game, giving Morales the loss. Since allowing four runs on June 24 against New Orleans, Morales has been dominant. He has made 18 appearances in that span, throwing 20.2 innings. In that time, he has allowed just five total runs, four of them earned, on 13 hits and nine walks. He is posting a 1.78 ERA in that span, and is holding opponents to a .178 (13-for-73) batting average.

EDMAN STILL HITTING: With Patrick Wisdom's contract being purchased by St. Louis this weekend, 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 1-for-3 with a walk, scoring a run. Wednesday night, he went 2-for-5 at the plate, hitting a game-tying two-run home run in the second inning. It was his first career home run at the Triple-A level, and his seventh overall this season. In his first game Saturday, he went 2-for-4, scoring once, hitting a sacrifice fly, and driving in two in the win. He went hitless in Memphis' two-hit shutout loss on Sunday, but has hit safely in each of his last four games. In his first six games with the 'Birds, Edman is hitting .364 (8-for-22). He has hits in five of six games, and multiple hits in three of those games. Additionally, he has five RBI in his first six, and has multiple RBI in two of those games. 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. His seven home runs between Memphis and Springfield this season are already a career-high. He hit four in his first season in 2016, and hit five across three levels last season.

RAVELO ON FIRE: In Tuesday night's loss to New Orleans, infielder Rangel Ravelo went 3-for-4 at the plate, hitting a home run and driving in two runs to extend his season-long hitting streak to 16 games. Last night, he was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance before exiting the game, keeping the streak intact. His home run Tuesday tied the game at three in the fifth inning, and the score stayed that way until the 10th inning. During this stretch, he is hitting .407 (24-for-59), scoring 16 runs, hitting two doubles, four home runs, driving in 17 runs, walking 10 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 .309 (96-for-311) in 90 games with a career-high 13 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. With a hit in his next appearance, he will have the longest hitting streak for a Memphis player this season and will have tied the franchise record for the fourth-longest hitting streak. The longest hitting streak in franchise history is 20 games, which was set in 1999 by Adam Kennedy.

STRUGGLES WITH THE DIVISION: Despite having the best record in all of Triple-A Baseball at 75-48, Memphis has struggled against its own division. The 'Birds are 2-6 against Nashville, 6-7 against New Orleans after last night's win, and 6-4 against Round Rock. Memphis has 17 games remaining this season. They will play three more against New Orleans, six more against Round Rock, and eight more against Nashville. Nashville is the closest to the 'Birds, sitting nine 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 .265 (273-for-1032) against the division. However, Memphis pitchers are posting a 3.95 ERA (119ER, 271.0IP) against the division, while posting a 3.42 ERA (308ER, 811.2IP) against everyone else.

BIG NIGHT FOR CARSON: Wednesday night, catcher Carson Kelly reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances. In the game, he recorded two singles and a walk, and was twice hit by a pitch. He also scored once and drove in a run in the game. Despite going hitless last night, Kelly has now hit safely in eight of his last 11 games, and has driven in seven runners in those 11 games. Kelly is having one of his finest seasons thus far. In 72 games with the Redbirds, he is hitting .291 (75-for-258). He has hit 14 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs, while driving in 41 runs. He has also walked 38 times this season, and struck out just 38 times. Of current players that have appeared in at least 70 games with Memphis this season, Kelly owns the second-best on-base percentage at .389, just behind Rangel Ravelo's team-leading .395 mark. He and Ravelo share the team-lead with 38 walks apiece.

100 STEALS: Wednesday night, infielder Wilfredo Tovar stole his 11th base of the season, giving Memphis their 100th stolen base this season. It is the first time the Redbirds have recorded at least 100 steals in a season since 2013 when they stole 104 as a team. In the 21-year history of the franchise, the 'Birds have only stolen 100 bases seven times in a season (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2018). The 'Birds have only stolen 100 bases as a team four times since 2002. The franchise record for steals is 110, set in 1999. With 18 games remaining, the Redbirds are still within striking distance of that record. With Oscar Mercado getting traded, and Patrick Wisdom getting called-up, Tovar's 11 steals are second-most on the team behind Randy Arozarena's 12.

STRUGGLING AT HOME: So far this season, the Redbirds own a far better record on the road than they do at AutoZone Park. The Redbirds are 39-21 in 60 road games this season, compared to 36-27 in 63 home games. Before winning last night, the 'Birds had dropped the first three games of their last series to New Orleans. The Redbirds had lost five-consecutive games at home for the first time this season. As a team this season, the Redbirds are hitting just .262 with 51 home runs at home, while hitting .281 with 78 home runs on the road. The Redbirds have a better home ERA than road ERA, but the bats have been unable to back up the strong pitching performances. Their home ERA is 3.37, compared to a 3.75 mark on the road.

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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