The Memphis Redbirds won an absolute slugfest against the Norfolk Tides (Triple-A affiliate, Baltimore Orioles) on a Sunday afternoon at AutoZone Park. In a game that featured 18 combined runs and 21 combined hits, the ‘Birds roared to a 12-6 win to complete a six-game series sweep of the Tides. The Redbirds have won eight games overall in a row, continuing a season-long winning streak.
Norfolk (24-38) took an early 2-0 lead after the first inning, plating two runs on a two-out single from Seth Mejias-Brean that brought home Mason McCoy and Zach Jarrett. From there, the merry-go-round began. By the time the fifth inning ended, Memphis (29-36) led 11-6 and the two teams had combined to smack seven home runs.
The Redbirds hit five of those seven home runs, with Nolan Gorman and Clint Coulter providing plenty of fireworks. They each crushed two homers. Gorman hit dingers in back-to-back plate appearances (in the third and fourth), while Coulter hit a two-run home run in the second and a solo shot in the fifth.
Lane Thomas added to the party, launching a two-run home run into the Redbirds bullpen beyond the left-field fence with two outs in the fifth. He finished the game 2-5 at the plate with a double, a home run, two runs scored and four runs driven in. Thomas has hits in seven consecutive games, batting .379 (11-29) during the hitting streak with ten runs driven in.
Gorman had an outstanding week at AutoZone Park. The top hitting prospect in the Cardinals system batted .375 (9-24) with four home runs, ten runs driven in and six runs scored. He finished Sunday with four RBIs, adding an RBI single in the seventh.
Coulter may be the hottest hitter that Memphis has. He finished Sunday’s game 4-5 at the dish, adding a single and a double to his two home runs on the afternoon with three runs driven in and three runs scored. In his last four games, Coulter is batting .600 (9-15) with six runs scored and six runs driven in.
After all the early offense, the Redbirds bullpen settled the game down late. Four pitchers (Austin Warner, Grant Black, Tyler Webb, and Kodi Whitley) combined to toss 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and zero walks with seven strikeouts. During their eight-game winning streak, the bullpen for Memphis has an ERA of 1.96 in 32.2 innings pitched.
