LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – The Memphis Redbirds made history on Thursday night. A 3-0 win over the Louisville Bats (Triple-A affiliate, Cincinnati Reds) increased their winning streak to 12 consecutive games, a new franchise record. The previous record of 11 games was set during the 2017 season.
Early on, Memphis (33-36) raced out to an early lead. Juan Yepez hit a solo shot to centerfield in the top of the first, and then Kramer Robertson followed it up with a two-run single into right field in the top of the second inning. Yepez now has four home runs in eight games at Louisville this season. He finished the game 3-5 at the plate, adding a double and a single later on in the evening.
Buoyed by the early run support, the Redbirds pitching staff took over. Daniel Ponce de Leon pitched a scoreless first inning in a rehab appearance, followed by pure excellence from Angel Rondón. The righthander tossed six scoreless innings, surrendering just one hit and one walk while striking out five batters. He faced one batter over the minimum during his scintillating performance.
Late in the game, the ‘Birds bullpen clinched the historic night. Tyler Webb hurled a scoreless eighth and Seth Elledge worked a clean ninth, continuing an excellent string of success for the Memphis relievers. The bullpen for the Redbirds owns an ERA of 2.29 over the last 15 games.
