IL Memphis Redbirds

Memphis Redbirds Game Notes: May 20, 2021

Published on May 20, 2021 under International League (IL)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Thursday, May 20th 6:45 p.m CT Memphis Redbirds (5-9) vs. Louisville Bats (4-9) Game 3 of 6

AutoZone Park / Memphis, TN Game #15 of 120 / Home Game #9 of 60

LHP Zack Thompson (0-1, 7.36 ERA) vs RHP Riley O'Brien (0-1, 2.45 ERA)

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

Last Time Out: The Redbirds evened their series with Louisville with a comeback 6-5 win on Wednesday afternoon. The 'Birds got out to an early lead when Matt Szczur homered in the third inning. The Bats tied the game in the sixth, but Lars Nootbaar gave Memphis the lead right back with his first home run of the season. Louisville took the advantage with a run in the sixth, two in the seventh and two more in the eighth. Trailing 5-2, the Redbirds began to chip away in the eighth thanks to an RBI double from José Rondón. With one out in the ninth, Evan Mendoza came through with a game-tying two-run single, evening things at 5-5. Two batters late, Rondón came up clutch again with a walk-off single.

Today's Starter: Zack Thompson makes his second start and third appearance of the season for the Redbirds tonight. Thompson yielded just one run in 3.2 innings in a relief role in Nashville last week, earning the first save of his professional career. Thompson's lone start this year came on May 8th against Durham. The 23-year-old was selected by St. Louis with the 19th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Kentucky. Thompson is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Cardinals' organization by MLB Pipeline.

Louisville Starter: Riley O'Brien gets the ball for Louisville tonight to make his third start of 2021. O'Brien allowed three earned runs in four innings against Columbus in his season debut on May 7th. He then pitched seven innings allowing just an unearned run last week against Gwinnett. The 26-year-old was the Rays' eighth-round pick in 2017 out of the College of Idaho and was traded to the Reds in August of 2020 for Cody Reed. MLB Pipeline ranks O'Brien as the 14th-best prospect in the Reds' organization

The Long Haul: With his 6.1-inning performance on Wednesday, Angel Rondón became the first Redbirds' starting pitcher to last into the seventh inning this season. Rondón allowed just three runs on the afternoon, none of which came before the sixth inning.

More Nootbaar: Lars Nootbaar has been on a tremendous run the last 10 days. In seven games over that span, Nootbaar is 10-27 (.370) with one home run, eight RBI and 10 runs scored. He has also played sparkling defense at the corner outfield positions, pickup up an outfield assist and making two highlight-reel catches in the last week.

Walking it Off: José Rondón won the game for the Redbirds on Wednesday with a walk-off single. It was the second walk-off hit of the season for the 'Birds. The other came from Matt Szczur on Mother's Day in a win over the Durham Bulls.

Righting the Ship: The Memphis Redbirds have turned things around in a big way after the slow start to the season. After beginning the year 0-5, the 'Birds are 5-4 in their last nine games.

A New Opponent: This series is 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 Friday night with Tommy Parsons on the hill. The Redbirds have not announced starting pitchers for the final two games of the series against the Bats.

Check out the Memphis Redbirds Statistics

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