IL Memphis Redbirds

Memphis Redbirds Game Notes: September 23, 2021

Published on September 23, 2021 under International League (IL)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


Thursday, September 23rd 6:05 p.m. CT Memphis Redbirds (57-65, 0-2) at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (71-51, 2-0) Game 3 of 5

121 Financial Ballpark / Jacksonville, FL Game #123 of 130 Away Game #63 of 65

LHP Connor Thomas (5-4, 3.43 ERA) vs. RHP Pablo Lopez (MLB Rehab)

First Pitch App: Evan Stockton & Justin Gallanty

Last Time Out: The Memphis Redbirds dropped the second of their five games in Jacksonville this week by a score of 7-1. The contest was called in the bottom of the sixth inning due to rain. The 'Birds got off to a strong start when Brendan Donovan hit a leadoff home run to open the game. It was the second consecutive night that the Redbirds have hit a home run in the opening inning. Things went downhill from there as the Jumbo Shrimp scored two runs in the first, two in the second and three in the sixth before the game was stopped. Memphis only managed two hits on the evening. One bright spot was Freddy Pacheco, who struck out three over two-scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut.

Memphis Starter: Connor Thomas will make his 21st appearance and 14th start of the season for the Redbirds this evening. Thomas was excellent in his last start, tossing 5.2-scoreless innings against Louisville last Thursday. Thomas had been going through an odd stretch over his previous four starts, allowing 14 unearned runs during that stretch. The 23-year-old had an outstanding start against Jacksonville on July 4, tossing seven-scoreless frames, allowing just two baserunners. Thomas was the Cardinals' fifth round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech.

Jacksonville Starter: Pablo Lopez will make an MLB rehab start for the Jumbo Shrimp tonight. Lopez has been on the Injured List since July 17 due to a right rotator cuff strain. The 25-year-old did make a rehab start with Jacksonville on August 21 but has not pitched since. Lopez was in the midst of an outstanding season with Miami, posting a 3.03 ERA in 18 starts. The Venezuelan native was a big part of the Marlins' postseason appearance last year, winning six games and pitching to a 3.61 ERA in 11 starts. He also struck out seven and allowed just two runs in five innings in the NLDS against Atlanta. Lopez was acquired in a trade with Seattle in July of 2017 after signing with the Mariners as an international free agent in 2012.

Burly Bombs: Alec Burleson has been excellent over his last seven games, hitting .391 (9-23) with three home runs, eight RBI, seven runs, three doubles and three walks. Burleson homered in the first inning of Wednesday night's game in Jacksonville.

Hot Stretch for Donovan: Brendan Donovan is hitting .373 with four home runs and 17 RBI over his last 16 games. He has also scored 14 runs and walked eight times during that stretch. The 24-year-old was the Triple-A East Player of the Week for the period spanning September 7-12.

New Faces: The Redbirds roster underwent a major makeover before this week's series. Six different players were called up from Double-A Springfield to finish up the season in Triple-A. Catcher Iván Herrera, First Baseman Luken Baker and pitchers Freddy Pacheco, Andre Pallante, Johan Quezada and Jake Walsh all joined the Redbirds on Monday.

Hitting the Final Stretch: This week's five-game series at Jacksonville begins the "Final Stretch" for Triple-A baseball this season. The Redbirds wrap up the final 10 games of the season with a visit from the Charlotte Knights (Triple-A affiliate, Chicago White Sox) next week from Wednesday through Sunday. Durham won the 2021 Regular Season Championship with a 77-43 record through the originally scheduled championship season. Among the 30 clubs, a single 2021 Triple-A Final Stretch Winner will also be crowned based on the highest overall winning percentage during this 10-game stretch. The winning club will be awarded a prize from Major League Baseball.

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