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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (8-8) vs. Round Rock Express (10-6)

April 21, 2019 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Memphis Redbirds (8-8) vs Round Rock Express (10-6)

Sunday, April 21 - 2:05 p.m. (CT) - AutoZone Park (10,000) - Memphis, Tennessee

Game #17 - Home Game #10 (5-4)

RHP Jake Woodford (1-0, 1.10) vs RHP Forrest Whitley (0-2, 9.95)

BY THE NUMBERS

9 Number of walks drawn by Memphis hitters in the second game of last night's doubleheader. The Redbirds drew a total of 13 walks in 13 innings yesterday.

THE GAME

TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds and the Round Rock Express are set to meet for the third time in this four-game series. Last night the teams spilt a doubleheader, with the Express taking Game 1 thanks to a nine-run seventh, and the Redbirds taking Game 2, backed by Austin Gomber's complete-game (7 inn.) shutout. Entering today, the two teams are tied in their season series, 3-3, as they split their four-game set at Dell Diamond 2-2. Today's game will be broadcast live on www.memphisredbirds.com with Steve Selby on the call.

ON THE HILL: Right-hander Jake Woodford is scheduled to take the mound in today's game and make his fourth start of the season and first during the Redbirds' seven-game homestand. Woodford last took the mound on Monday at Round Rock, earning the win in his first quality start of the season, tossing 6.1 innings on two-run ball on five hits. Two of the five hits, however, were solo home runs. The two runs allowed were the first runs he has given up in a start and his 1.04 WHIP is second-lowest amongst Redbird starters. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native, despite being the youngest pitcher on the roster, is holding opposing batters to a .148 average (8-for-54) including a .133 average (4-for-30) against right-handed hitters. Overall against the Express in 2018, Woodford went 1-1, 6.00 (8 ER/12.0 IP) in two starts, one home and one on the road. Woodford has made one start at AutoZone Park this season, tossing 5.0 shut-out innings on April 5 vs. Omaha in the Redbirds' 3-2 defeat.

The Express are scheduled to start right-hander Forrest Whitley today. The 21-year-old is slated to make his third start of the season and his first career Triple-A road start. In his last time out, against the Redbirds on Monday, Whitley lasted just 1.1 innings, giving up five runs on four hits while issuing two walks. It was his shortest start since July 5, 2018, where he only went 0.2 innings before leaving due to injury. The San Antonio native made just eight starts for Double-A Corpus Christi last season due to a 50-game PED suspension and injuries. In those eight starts, Whitley went 0-2, 3.76 (11 ER/26.1 IP). Today will mark his first start against the Redbirds. He entered 2019 ranked as the No.1 prospect in the Astros organization and the No. 5 overall prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America.

HISTORY WITH ROUND ROCK: The two clubs have met every year since 2005, with the Redbirds taking a slight 121-106 edge overall. The 'Birds also hold a 62-50 advantage at AutoZone Park and have gone 11-6 at this facility the past two seasons. The Redbirds and Express finished all-square at 8-8 in 2018, which was only the second time in 14 seasons that the two teams had split the season series. Memphis has not lost a season series to Round Rock since 2015.

After eight years as the Rangers Triple-A affiliate, the Express are the Astros top affiliate for the first time since 2010. The Express spent their first six years in the Pacific Coast League as the Astros Triple-A team, where the Redbirds went 55-38 from 2005-10, including 12-4 in each of the last two seasons before the Express switched affiliations.

THE SEASON

ABOUT THE LAST ONE: Austin Gomber tossed a complete-game shutout in Game 2 of Saturday night's doubleheader, helping the Memphis Redbirds (8-8) split the double-dip with the Round Rock Express (Astros).

On the day, Adolis Garcia homered twice and drove in four runs, and Rangel Ravelo had three hits, three RBI, and scored two runs. John Nogowski was on base twice in each game.

With a fifth-inning single in Game 1, Tommy Edman extended his hitting streak to 10 games. He has a hit in 11 of his 13 games played this season.

Game 1: Round Rock 11, Memphis 6

The Redbirds led 6-2 heading into the top of the seventh, but the Express plated nine runs and finished an 11-6 win.

Garcia cranked a three-run home run in the fifth inning to break a 2-2 deadlock.

Alex Reyes started and tossed 3.0 innings, giving up one hit and striking out four. He threw 25 of his 40 pitches for strikes.

Game 2: Memphis 3, Round Rock 0

Gomber was spectacular in 7.0 innings, giving up just three hits and non after the fourth inning. He faced the minimum in his final five innings of work, including retiring nine-straight Express to end the ballgame.

He needed just 87 pitches, 55 of which went for strikes.

Garcia homered again in the nightcap, and Drew Robinson and Edmundo Sosa drove in Memphis' other runs.

WALKING IN MEMPHIS: After matching a season-high nine walks in the second game of last night's doubleheader, the Memphis Redbirds now lead the Pacific Coast League with 78 walks through the first 16 games of the season. The Redbirds' .371 on-base percentage also ranks 4th in the PCL. John Nogowski holds the team lead by drawing 11 free passes.

TWO-HIT TOMMY: Through his first 13 starts of the season, INF Tommy Edman has seven multi-hit games, including three, three-hit performances, April 12 at San Antonio, April 13 at Round Rock and Wednesday vs. San Antonio. He is also currently riding a team-high 10-game hitting streak and has reached safely in 12 of 13 contests. His 21 hits and five doubles are most among the current Redbirds roster and he also leads the team with a .368 batting average. He also ranks 4th with a .413 OBP.

EXTRA! EXTRA!: The Redbirds have recorded at least one extra-base hit in every game this season, collecting 28 doubles, three triples and 16 home runs. Adolis Garcia leads the team with eight extra-base hits, slugging three doubles and five home runs.

WALK IT OFF: The Redbirds walk-off defeat to the Missions on April 9 was the first time since Aug. 5, 2017 that the Redbirds had lost in such fashion. The following night, it marked the first time since June 23-24, 2014 that the Redbirds had lost consecutive games in the last at-bat of the game. The two walk-off defeats this season have already matched last year's total.

CAUGHT IN A STORM: The Redbirds' 11-run defeat on April 8 marked the first time that Redbirds lost by 11 runs or more since June 16, 2018, when the Redbirds fell 13-1 at El Paso. Additionally, Omaha's 12-run second was the first time since May 12, 2016 against the Storm Chasers, that the Redbirds had given up more than 10 runs in an inning.

Elier Hernandez and Nick Dini became the first two opponents to hit back-to-back home runs against the Redbirds since May 8, 2017 and Hernandez became the first player to post a 6 RBI against Memphis since June 9, 2018.

FIRST NO MORE: Following Memphis' defeat on April 6, the Redbirds fell out of first place for the first time since April 28, 2017. It also marked the first time since April 27, 2017 that their record fell below the .500 mark. The Redbirds played the final 120 games of the 2017 season in first place, and played all 140 games of 2018 in first place. They had been in first place for the 708 calendar days, playing 262 regular-season games and 20 playoff games in that span.

The Redbirds entered April 7 in T-3rd place in the division, which marked the first time since April 12, 2016, that they had fallen out of the top two spots in the standings.

WELCOME HOME BEN: Hailing from nearby Germantown, Tenn., new Redbirds manager Ben Johnson earned the first win of his managerial career on April 4 with the 'Birds 9-2 victory over the Storm Chasers. Johnson spent last season at Triple-A Durham (Tampa Bay), as part of a staff that captured the International League title before falling to the Redbirds in the 2018 Triple-A National Championship. The 37-year-old is also the youngest manager in team history, a mark that was previously held by Danny Sheaffer, who was 41 years old when he was named manager on June 10, 2003.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: The Opening Night roster featured 20 players that were not on the roster for Opening Night last season. Of the five returning players (Adolis Garcia, Austin Gomber, Daniel Ponce de Leon, Rangel Ravelo, Max Schrock) only three (Garcia, Ravelo, Schrock) were starters in the 2018 opener against Round Rock at Dell Diamond. Garcia, Gomber and Ponce de Leon all went on to make their big-leauge debuts last season with St. Louis.

FARM RAISED: Memphis' Opening Night roster featured 11 of St. Louis' top-30 prospects (Baseball America), including three of the top-10. Current prospects on the roster are: Genesis Cabrera (No. 6), Lane Thomas (No. 7), Andrew Knizner (No. 8), Ryan Helsley (No. 11), Tommy Edman (No. 12), Daniel Ponce de Leon (No. 13), Adolis Garcia (No. 15), Jake Woodford (No. 16), Edmundo Sosa (No. 22), Max Schrock (No. 25) and Giovanny Gallegos (No. 29).

BEAK-TO-BEAK-TO-BEAK?: Professional baseball has been played in the city of Memphis since 1877. In that span, only three teams have won back-to-back league championships in that time. The Memphis Egyptians won back-to-back titles in 1903-04, the Memphis Chickasaws won consecutive titles in 1952-53, and now the Redbirds have accomplished the feat with their successive PCL titles in 2017-18. No team in Memphis, however, has been able to capture a third successive title.

WINNING WAYS: After the Redbirds went 91-50 in 2017 and 83-57 last season, they have won 174 games in the last two years. That is the most wins in a two-year span in Memphis history since 1933-34 when the Chickasaws also won 174 games. The 1921-22 Chickasaws set the record for most wins in a two-year span by a Memphis professional team with 198.

KINGS OF THE HILL: After setting the franchise record for best ERA in a season at 3.77 in 2017, last year's staff shattered that record, posting a 3.54 mark. It was the second-consecutive season they owned the best ERA in the league. Additionally, they set the franchise record for most strikeouts in a season (1,160), fewest runs allowed (564), fewest hits allowed (1,152), and lowest opponent batting average (.248). Memphis' entire 2018 Opening Night, five-man starting rotation was promoted to St. Louis last season. John Gant, Dakota Hudson, Austin Gomber, Jack Flaherty, and Daniel Ponce de Leon all played large roles in St. Louis' second-half turnaround.

THE 2018 SEASON

THE BEST ONCE AGAIN: After a 5-0 victory on Sept. 15, 2018, the Memphis Redbirds were crowned champions of the Pacific Coast League, defeating the Fresno Grizzlies three games to one. It was Memphis' fourth PCL title in franchise history, and their second-straight. Memphis also won titles in 2000 and 2009. In 120 seasons of professional baseball in Memphis, it is the 16th championship all-time. Infielder Tommy Edman and outfielder Randy Arozarena were named co-MVPs of the PCL Playoffs. Arozarena hit two home runs in Game 4, giving Memphis all the offense they needed. Edman hit .469 in eight playoff games, notching a hit in all but the final game of the series. Manager Stubby Clapp has now been part of three of Memphis' four titles since they joined the PCL. He played a crucial role on the 2000 team as a middle infielder, and has now guided the Redbirds to consecutive championships as manager.

NEW FACES, NO PROBLEM: The Redbirds won the PCL Championship for the second-straight season, and advanced to the Triple-A National Championship, despite the fact that the Memphis roster was almost completely different from the playoff roster during the 2017 season. It was also almost completely different from the 2018 Opening Day roster. Of the 13 position players who made an appearance in the 2017 playoffs, only two were still on Memphis' active roster. Wilfredo Tovar and Tommy Edman are those two players. Every other player has either been traded, released, or is at a different level of the organization.

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