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Memphis Redbirds Game Notes: May 23, 2021

May 23, 2021 - International League (IL)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Sunday, May 23rd 2:05 p.m CT Memphis Redbirds (8-9) vs. Louisville Bats (4-12) Game 6 of 6

AutoZone Park / Memphis, TN Game #18 of 120 / Home Game #12 of 60

LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-2, 4.67 ERA) vs RHP Tony Santillan (0-1, 0.64 ERA)

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

Last Time Out: For the fourth straight day, the Redbirds rallied back to beat the Louisville Bats. This time, the 'Birds scored twice in the eighth to erase a 2-0 deficit and capped off the rally on a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth to win 3-2. The seemingly inevitable Memphis rally began in the eighth when Evan Mendoza singled to left field with one out and promptly scored on Kramer Robertson's triple to the right-center field power alley. The very next batter, Lars Nootbaar, singled home Robertson to tie the game. The game stayed tied until the 10th, when Mendoza lined a sharp single into right field, scoring Rayder Ascanio and sending a crowd of over 5,000 fans home happy.

Today's Starter: Matthew Liberatore starts for the second time in this series and the fourth time on the young season. The top prospect in St. Louis' system impressed on Tuesday night, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out five Bats batters in 5.1 innings. Liberatore had gone six innings in each of his first two starts, making him the only Redbirds' pitcher to accomplish that feat on multiple occasions. The 21-year-old is ranked as 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.

Louisville Starter: Tony Santillan makes his fourth start of the season for Louisville this afternoon and also opposes Matthew Liberatore for the second time in the series. The 24-year-old was electric on Tuesday night, allowing just three hits in six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Santillan has been outstanding in his first three outings, posting a 0.64 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. 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.

Comeback Kids: The Memphis Redbirds are developing a flair for the dramatic. The 'Birds have rallied back from behind to win each of the past four days. Memphis came back to at least tie games in the ninth inning in the first three games of the series, including walk-off wins on Wednesday and Thursday. José Rondón had a walk-off single on Wednesday afternoon and Irving Lopez came through with a pinch-hit, walk-off three-run double on Thursday night.

Shutting the Door: The 'Birds bullpen has been incredibly impressive recently.Dating back to Wednesday, eight different pitchers have combined to throw 13.0 consecutive scoreless innings over the past four games. Roel Ramírez and Evan Kruczynski went a combined 3.0 scoreless innings on Saturday night, surrendering just one hit and no walks in the process.

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 8-4 in their last 12 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: Memphis heads to Georgia to start a six-game series with the Gwinnett Stripers on Tuesday. The Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, enter Sunday with a 9-8 record. After starting the season 9-3, they've promptly lost five straight games.

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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.

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