MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Breyvic Valera provided a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning, his third RBI of the game, to lock up a 4-3 Memphis Redbirds win over the Iowa Cubs (Cubs) Monday night at AutoZone Park.
The division-champion Redbirds have won three-straight games and are now 87-48 on the season, one win shy of matching their season high-water mark of 40 games over .500. Memphis has won 41 of its last 58 games overall.
The game was tied at 1, 2, and then 3, until Valera’s game-winner after a Jesse Jenner double and Rangel Ravelo pinch-hit single in the bottom of the ninth. Valera also drove in the tying run in the fifth inning with a triple and the go-ahead run in the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly. Jenner finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored in his first game with Memphis after arriving from Double-A Springfield.
The Redbirds trailed 1-0 until Valera’s RBI triple in the fifth, and the Memphis took a 2-1 lead on Tyler O’Neill’s home run in the bottom of the sixth. Iowa immediately tied the game at 2 in the top of the seventh, before Valera broke the tie with a sacrifice fly in the home-half that scored Jenner who walked, went to second on a sacrifice bunt, and moved to third on a balk.
The Redbirds held a 3-2 lead until the Cubs scored a run in the top of the ninth, and after a groundout to start the bottom of the ninth, Jenner doubled and Ravelo singled ahead of Valera’s walk-off winner.
Kevin Herget struck out eight in 5.1 innings of work, scattering seven hits and giving up one run.
The Redbirds and Cubs play three more games, continuing tomorrow night at 6:35. Memphis concludes the regular season at Colorado Springs Friday–Monday.
