MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Ryan Helsley made his season debut on the mound and struck out nine in 7.0 stellar innings, and Alex Mejia and Rangel Ravelo homered in a 6-1 Memphis Redbirds (17-7) win over the Round Rock Express (Rangers) Sunday afternoon at AutoZone Park.
Helsley gave up just one run on four hits in his 7.0 innings, and he issued one free pass. A total of 73 of his 98 pitches went for strikes, and he ended his day retiring eight-straight and 12 of the final 13 he faced.
Mejia homered in the third to open the scoring, and Ravelo added a three-run shot in the sixth that capped a four-run inning for the Redbirds. Oscar Mercado singled and scored on a Max Schrock double before Ravelo’s blast after a Luke Voit walk.
Mercado finished 3-for-4 with a run, and Ravelo scored twice and walked along with his three-run home run.
Ryan Sherriff and Preston Guilmet tossed the final two innings for the Redbirds and allowed just one hit. Guilmet struck out two.
Memphis now does battle with Oklahoma City tomorrow–Thursday to finish its nine-game homestand. For more information on single-game tickets and ticket mini-memberships, visit www.memphisredbirds.com/tickets.
