MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Memphis Redbirds lost a thriller on Friday night, falling to the Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A affiliate) by an 8-7 final. The first four games of the series have been truly fantastic – each contest has been decided by one run.
For the second straight night, Memphis (38-38) raced out ahead early. One day after they scored seven runs in the first four innings, the ‘Birds scored five runs in the first four frames on Friday night.
Home run power spurred on the home team once again. Rayder Ascanio smacked a solo shot in the second and Clint Coulter added a two-run blast in the third. Ascanio has hit four of his six home runs this season at AutoZone Park, while Coulter has home runs on back-to-back nights, four runs driven in during the series, and six home runs at AutoZone Park during the campaign.
Ali Sánchez also impressed during the early scoring binge. He lined an RBI single into center field to open the scoring in the first and followed it up with an RBI double in the third.
Backed by early run support, Zack Thompson looked strong once again on the mound for Memphis. The former first-round pick allowed just one run on three hits while striking out five in 5.0 innings of work. The starting pitching for the Redbirds has been otherworldly good recently. Over their last 11 games, starters for Memphis have allowed only one earned run in 41.0 innings for a tiny ERA of 0.22.
As the game wore on, it felt like déjà vu. One night after Gwinnett (39-37) scored six unanswered runs after falling behind 7-0, they plated seven unanswered runs in between the fifth, sixth and seventh to grab a 7-5 lead. Johan Camargo powered the comeback – his two-run homer in the sixth made it a 5-4 game, and his two-run double in the seventh gave the Stripers their first lead at 7-5.
The ‘Birds wouldn’t be behind for long. They quickly tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the seventh when Conner Capel doubled home Nolan Gorman (who walked leading off the inning) and Sánchez singled to bring home Capel. Sánchez finished the game 4-5 at the plate with three runs driven in.
The ping-pong game finally came to a close in the top of the eighth, when Yolmer Sanchez launched a solo home run to left-center field to make it 8-7 and complete the game’s scoring. Sanchez belted two dingers on the night and has three home runs in the series.
A.J. Minter closed the game with a scoreless ninth. The lefthanded reliever is a perfect 4-4 in save opportunities for Gwinnett this season. Minter, who has made 42 relief appearances with Atlanta in the Major Leagues this season, also closed out Tuesday night’s win for the Stripers.
