LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – In a game dominated by pitching, the Memphis Redbirds had enough timely hitting to squeak out a 2-1 win over the Louisville Bats (Triple-A affiliate, Cincinnati Reds) and increase their winning streak to nine games.
Both starting pitchers were excellent for each team. Bo Takahashi hurled a strong start for Louisville (27-38), allowing just two runs on four hits in 5.0 innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
He couldn’t close his start successfully, however. He allowed a run in his final inning of work when Nolan Gorman bounced a two-out RBI single into center field, scoring Evan Mendoza. Gorman has been red-hot at the plate. The top hitting prospect in the Cardinals system is batting .393 over his last seven games with 11 runs driven in.
On the other side, Connor Thomas continued his scintillating recent success for Memphis (30-36), allowing just one run in 6.0 innings with five strikeouts. In his last seven outings, the lefthander has been downright unhittable. Thomas has surrendered just three earned runs in 32.0 innings for a miniscule ERA of 0.84.
Given a 2-1 lead entering the bottom of the seventh inning, the ‘Birds bullpen didn’t let Thomas down. Seth Elledge and Connor Jones combined to pitch three consecutive scoreless innings, not allowing a single baserunner in the process. During their nine-game winning streak, the bullpen for Memphis has an ERA of 1.79 in 35.2 innings pitched.
