Sports stats



IL Memphis Redbirds

Memphis Redbirds Game Notes: July 31, 2021

July 31, 2021 - International League (IL)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Saturday, July 31st 6:35 p.m. CT Memphis Redbirds (38-38) vs. Gwinnett Stripers (39-37) Game 5 of 6

AutoZone Park / Memphis, TN Game #77 of 130 Home Game #41 of 65

RHP Johan Oviedo (1-0, 6.43 ERA) vs. RHP Connor Johnstone (3-6, 5.55 ERA)

MiLB.tv & First Pitch App: Evan Stockton & Justin Gallanty

Last Time Out: The Memphis Redbirds lost a thriller on Friday night, falling to the Gwinnett Stripers by an 8-7 final. For the second straight night, Memphis raced out ahead early. One day after they scored seven runs in the first four innings, the 'Birds scored five runs in the first four frames on Friday night. As the game wore on, it felt like déjà vu. One night after Gwinnett scored six unanswered runs after falling behind 7-0, they plated seven unanswered runs in between the fifth, sixth and seventh to grab a 7-5 lead. Memphis answered right back and tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but Yolmer Sanchez's solo home run for the Stripers in the top of the 8th game them an 8-7 lead they would never give up. Zack Thompson looked strong once again on the mound for Memphis. The former first-round pick allowed just one run on three hits while striking out five in a five-inning start.

Memphis Starter: Johan Oviedo will make the start for the Redbirds this evening. It will be his second appearance in a Redbirds uniform since May 21 when he allowed three runs in 5.1 innings against the Louisville Bats. His last start with Memphis came on July 14th, when he allowed two runs in 6.0 innings with a season-high eight strikeouts. Oviedo's has spent the majority of the season up in the Major Leagues with St. Louis Overall, the 23-year-old has made 14 appearances and 13 starts with the Cardinals this season. He is 0-5 with a 4.91 ERA in 53.0 innings of work in the big leagues. Oviedo is in his sixth season in the Cardinals' organization after signing as an international free agent in 2016 out of Havana, Cuba. Oviedo entered the season as the No. 9 prospect in the St. Louis system by MLB Pipeline but has since graduated from prospect status.

Gwinnett Starter: Connor Johnstone makes his 21st appearance and 11th start for Gwinnett this season on Saturday evening. The righthander pitched in relief on Thursday night, pitching a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Overall, tonight is his fifth appearance (fourth start) against the Redbirds this season. In his first four outings, he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits in 9.0 innings. The 26-year-old made seven appearances with Gwinnett in 2019 and had a 4.97 ERA in 12.2 innings. Johnstone was the Braves' 21st round pick in 2017 out of Wake Forest.

Juan Gone: Juan Yepez has been on fire over his last nine games. During that stretch, Yepez is 12-37 (.324) with six home runs, 12 RBI and eight runs. Yepez has three home runs and five RBI over his last three games.

Making History: The Memphis Redbirds franchise-record 15-game winning streak came to an end on Tuesday night. The streak is tied for the longest at any level of affiliated baseball this season. It lasted from July 9-26 and encompassed the final two games of a series in Louisville, a six-game home sweep of the Norfolk Tides and a seven-game sweep of another series in Louisville. With wins in two of the first four games this week against Gwinnett, the 'Birds have now won 17 of their last 19 games.

Starting Strong: Redbirds starters have been absolutely outstanding over the last ten games. During that stretch, starters for Memphis have allowed only one earned run in 41.0 innings for a tiny ERA of 0.22.

Nail-biting Nights: Each of the first four games in this week's series against Gwinnett have been decided by just one run. Seven of the last 11 games for Memphis have been decided by a lone run (5-2 record during that time).

Representing the Stars and Stripes: Brandon Dickson is currently in Tokyo pitching for Team USA at the Olympic Games. Dickson pitched a scoreless inning in Team USA's tournament-opening win over Israel on Friday.

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics



International League Stories from July 31, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central