LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Arturo Reyes went a Redbird season-high eight innings on the mound and gave up just three hits, paving the way for a 9-3 Memphis win Monday afternoon in Las Vegas in the finale of the series with the 51s (Triple-A Mets) and the Redbirds’ eight-game road trip.
Reyes picked up his fifth win with no losses in the month of May, and he has not lost since his first two starts of the season April 11 and 22. If not for three unearned Las Vegas runs on two hits in the bottom of the ninth, Memphis would have given up just three hits and had its largest winning margin of the season.
The win snapped Memphis’ three-game losing streak. The Redbirds had given up 32 runs and 43 hits in the first three games against Las Vegas before Monday’s three runs on five hits.
Offensively, Dean Anna was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, and Charlie Tilson drove in three runs. Michael McKenry had an RBI triple and finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and David Washington hit his ninth home run since joining the Redbirds May 5, which leads the Pacific Coast League during that span. Seven Memphis starters had at least one hit in the game.
Washington has now homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season, joining May 19 and May 20 against Fresno. His 14 home runs and 36 RBI this season between Memphis and Double-A Springfield are tops in the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization.
Tommy Pham, a native of Las Vegas, homered for the first time as a Redbird this season in the first inning, which started Memphis’ solid day at the plate. Tilson had a two-out, two-RBI double in the second to make it 3-0 after two Redbird at bats.
Reyes was outstanding on the mound and did not allow a hit until a two-out triple in the fifth, which he stranded on a strikeout. The 51s managed singles in the seventh and eighth innings, but Reyes got a strikeout in the seventh and induced a double play in the eighth to snuff out any scoring chances.
Memphis plated a pair of runs in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, which made it 9-0 at the time of the seventh-inning stretch.
John Church pitched the ninth in relief of Reyes and was hurt by two Redbird errors that led to the three unearned Las Vegas runs.
Before Reyes worked eight innings on Monday, the previous season long for a Redbird starter was seven innings, which had occurred four times and most recently with Deck McGuire’s seven frames at Salt Lake on Thursday.
The Redbirds return to AutoZone Park for four games tomorrow through Friday to host the New Orleans Zephyrs (Triple-A Marlins). All games start at 7:05 p.m. (CT). The four-game homestand features King Cotton $1 Hot Dog Night on Tuesday, May 31, all-you-can-eat wings with a special ticket purchase on Thursday, June 2 and a replica Cardinals 1946 World Series ring giveaway on Friday, June 3.
Friday is also FedEx St. Jude Classic Theme Ticket night, and for $30 fans can get a Field Box ticket to the game and a one-day ticket to the upcoming golf tournament. The first 1,000 also receive a “Hush Y’All/Loud Y’All” golf paddle, and the Redbirds will be auctioning game-worn golf-themed jerseys and hats with proceeds benefiting the Redbirds Community Fund.
For tickets or for more information on the 2016 Redbirds season, contact the Redbirds front office at (901) 721-6000 or visit www.memphisredbirds.com.
