EL PASO, Texas – Five first-inning runs paved the way for Dakota Hudson and the Memphis Redbirds (43-28) Monday night in El Paso, Texas, with the right-hander setting the tone for a 5-2 win in game three of the four-game series.
Hudson worked 6.0 innings, giving up one earned run, and he moved to a Pacific Coast League-best 9-2 with a league-leading 2.13 ERA. In his last three starts, Hudson has given up just one earned run in 20.0 innings for a 0.45 ERA. The right-hander has won six of his last seven starts and tossed his eighth quality start in 13 outings this year.
The Redbirds spotted Hudson five runs after the first half-inning, with Adolis Garcia hitting a two-run home run to go along with a Patrick Wisdom RBI double, a Carson Kelly sacrifice fly, and an Alex MejiaRBI single. All five Memphis runs in the top of the first were unearned after an error.
Memphis had only five hits on the night, with three of them coming in the first, another in the fourth, and its final one of the night in the fifth. El Paso left 15 runners on base in the game and was 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
After Hudson left the game in the seventh, Andrew Morales pitched 1.2 innings and allowed a run, and Edward Mujica picked up his sixth save of the year with 1.1 innings to finish the ballgame. Mujica stranded the bases loaded in the eighth and left another on in the ninth.
The Redbirds are 5-1 so far on their road trip to Albuquerque and El Paso.
The Redbirds finish their series with El Paso, and their seven-game road trip, tomorrow night at 8:05 (CT), before the Redbirds are back at AutoZone Park for four games against New Orleans (Marlins) starting Thursday at 7:05 p.m. For more information on single-game tickets and ticket mini-memberships, visit www.memphisredbirds.com.
