LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Las Vegas native Tommy Pham had two hits and Cardinals top prospect Alex Reyes fanned seven in five innings, but the Memphis Redbirds lost the first game of a four-game series with the Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A Mets) 4-1 Friday night in Las Vegas.
Memphis (19-26) had two crucial errors in the seventh and eighth innings that led to the decisive runs after the game was tied at one through six innings. Reyes gave up just three hits and one run while walking two in his five frames.
The seventh-ranked prospect in baseball has struck out 15 in nine innings of work this season.
Reyes and Las Vegas (25-22) starter Duane Below cruised through the first three innings, with the pair combining for seven strikeouts and no walks and giving up one hit apiece. In the second, Reyes worked around an error and a walk that put two on with no outs with a strikeout and two groundouts to escape the trouble.
The Redbirds got on the board in the fourth, when Pham walked, went to third on a failed pick-off attempt and scored on a David Washington sacrifice fly. Memphis loaded the bases with one out in the fifth but grounded into a double play and could not push anything across.
Reyes again allowed the first two runners to reach in the fifth, and this time the 51s made him pay. He followed a single and a walk with back-to-back strikeouts, but Gavin Cecchini singled home the first Las Vegas run of the night and tied the game at one.
The 51s plated two in the seventh off Miguel Socolovich, with the decisive blow being a two-run error on Pham on a ball hit deep to center field but was dropped. Las Vegas added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to bring the game to its final score of 4-1.
Memphis got a runner on in the ninth but could do nothing else. Socolovich took the loss and is 0-4 on the season.
The Redbirds and 51s play game two of their four-game series tomorrow night at 9:05 (CT) before the Redbirds return to AutoZone Park for four games May 31-June 3. The Tuesday–Friday homestand features King Cotton $1 Hot Dog Night onTuesday, May 31, all-you-can-eat wings with a special ticket purchase on Thursday, June 2 and a replica Cardinals 1946 World Series ring giveaway on Friday, June 3.
Friday is also FedEx St. Jude Classic Theme Ticket night, and for $30 fans can get a Field Box ticket to the game and a one-day ticket to the golf tournament. The first 1,000 also receive a “Hush Y’All/Loud Y’All” golf paddle, and the Redbirds will be auctioning game-worn golf-themed jerseys and hats with proceeds benefiting the Redbirds Community Fund.
For tickets or for more information on the 2016 Redbirds season, contact the Redbirds front office at (901) 721-6000 or visit www.memphisredbirds.com.
