TACOMA, Washington – The first-place Memphis Redbirds scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 10-4 win over the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) in the series opener Thursday night in Tacoma.
With the victory, Memphis improves its record to 72-38 and has won 26 of its last 33 games. The Redbirds had 17 hits Thursday night, marking their third-straight game and fourth in the last five with double-digit hits, including a 23-hit showing three games ago.
Breyvic Valera, Aledmys Diaz, and Wilfredo Tovar all had three hits for Memphis, and Valera and Diaz homered. Diaz drove in three runs and scored twice, and Valera’s three-hit game was his third-straight. Tovar doubled twice, and Rangel Ravelo and Nick Martini both added two hits.
The Redbirds scored four times in the first inning and led 7-0 after three-and-a-half, and Memphis has now outscored its opponents this season 155-67 in the game’s first two frames.
Kevin Herget allowed three runs on three hits in 4.1 innings, and Josh Zeid tossed 2.2 shutout innings of relief to pick up the win. Arturo Reyes and Miguel Socolovichcombined to finish the game for the Redbirds.
In his first game back from his Major League debut with St. Louis, Harrison Bader went 1-for-3 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, a run scored, and two RBI.
The Redbirds and Rainiers resume their four-game series tomorrow night at 9:05 (CT).
