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IL Memphis Redbirds

Memphis Redbirds Game Notes: May 18, 2021

May 18, 2021 - International League (IL)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Tuesday, May 18th 6:45 p.m CT Memphis Redbirds (4-8) vs. Louisville Bats (3-8)Game 1 of 6

AutoZone Park / Memphis, TN Game #13 of 120 / Home Game #7 of 60

LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-2, 5.25 ERA) vs RHP Tony Santillan (0-1, 1.13 ERA)

MiLB TV & First Pitch App: Evan Stockton & Justin Gallanty

Last Time Out: The Redbirds earned a series split with a 4-3 win in Nashville on Sunday. Miles Mikolas put together an outstanding afternoon, tossing six scoreless innings and hitting a home run. John Nogowski and Matt Szczur each had three-hit games for the 'Birds. Jesús Cruz secured the victory in the ninth inning, earning his first save of the season.

Today's Starter: Matthew Liberatore will make his third start of the season for the Redbirds. Liberatore has gone six innings in each of his first two starts, making him the only Redbirds' pitcher to accomplish that feat on multiple occasions. The left-hander last pitched on Wednesday in Nashville and allowed five runs, four of which came in the third inning. Liberatore yielded just three runs in his season-debut against Durham. The 21-year-old is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Cardinals' organization and No. 30 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. Liberatore was the 16th overall selection in the 2018 MLB Draft by Tampa Bay and was traded to St. Louis in January 2020.

Nashville Starter: Tony Santillan makes his third start of the season for Louisville this afternoon. The 24-year-old has been outstanding in his first two outings, posting a 1.13 ERA. Santillan pitched four innings and struck out seven in his season debut against Columbus and allowed just one run in four frames at Gwinnett last week. Santillan was the 49th overall selection in the 2015 MLB Draft by Cincinnati and is ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the Reds' organization by MLB Pipeline.

Rounding Into Form: After a bit of a slow start to the season, the Redbirds' pitching staff was excellent in the final two games of the series in Nashville. In 19 innings, the 'Birds arms allowed just 11 hits during those two games. Memphis carried a combined no-hitter into the eighth inning during the game on Saturday.

Mendoza Heating Up: Evan Mendoza is coming off an outstanding series in Nashville. Mendoza was 8-25 (.320) with seven runs and three doubles in the six games against the Sounds. Mendoza has also been extremely versatile on the defensive side of the ball, starting games at first base, second base, third base and shortstop.

Family Affair: Kramer Robertson missed the final two games of last weekend's series in Nashville for a pretty big reason: his Mom, Kim Mulkey, was being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Mulkey, who recently accepted a position as the new women's basketball Head Coach at LSU, has won 632 games in her illustrious coaching career. She spent the past 21 seasons as the Head Coach at Baylor, winning three National Titles.

A New Opponent: Today will mark the first meeting all-time between the Redbirds and Louisville Bats. Louisville had been a member of the International League since 1998 before joining the newly formed Triple-A East Midwest Division in 2021.

Looking Ahead: The 'Birds will play Louisville tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 12:15 p.m. CT. Angel Rondón will get the ball for his third start of the season.

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International League Stories from May 18, 2021


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