The Lehigh Valley Ironpigs 6th inning rally wasn't enough as they fell to the Memphis Redbirds 8-6 Thursday night.
Christopher Sanchez suffered the loss for the Ironpigs after giving up 7ER, 6R, 3K, 5BB. Sanchez started off strong, but Cardinals #2 prospect Masyn Winn had an RBI single, and #8 prospect Ivan Herrera drove in his second run of the game with a bases loaded walk. While #14 prospect Moises Gomez followed with a grand slam, his fifth of the season, to put Memphis up 7-2.
The Redbirds are an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and feature 10 of the Cardinals top 30 prospects. Masyn Winn was the player of the game for the Redbirds and as the #2 prospect for the Cardinals, he is a name we can expect to see for a long time in the big leagues.
2019 1st round draft pick for the Cardinals Zack Thompson got the no decision after 3IP, 5K, 4BB, 1H, 2ER. He had a lot of control issues but was able to escape a lot of different jams.
The only real mistake Thompson made was a 2-run homerun to Weston Wilson to give the Ironpigs lead for a short time.
Down 7-2, the IronPigs started their 6th inning rally. Jim Haley hit a rocket to center field, and after an IronPig bounce and some great speed by Haley, he hit his 2nd HR of the season and his first inside the park homerun of the season. Haley's inside the park homerun is the 3rd in Lehigh Valley IronPigs history and the first since 2017 with JP Crawford. With the lead down to just 2, Dustin Peterson cut the deficit to just 1 with a solo home run in the same inning.
Phillies #10 prospect Simon Muzziotti continues to play at such a high level. He drew 2 walks and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Keep an eye out as a possible call-up.
The Redbirds picked up an insurance run in the top of the ninth, but ultimately it would not matter as the IronPigs would fail to score after the 6th inning. In each of the final 3 innings, the IronPigs left runners on base and left multiple runners in scoring position on base.
The loss is tough, but there were some positives. The offense was electric but leaving too many runners on base cost them in the end. The pitching was mediocre, but not bad enough to put the game away. The IronPigs had multiple chances to score in the final 3 innings, but some costly at bats, helped the Redbirds take the 3rd game of this 6-game series.
Another note on the IronPigs is they are a really solid defensive team. There is not a glaring weakness defender on the team. Everyone has great defensive skills as well as a high baseball IQ when in the field. If the Phillies are looking for defensive depth, the IronPigs have a pool of great talent.
The IronPigs and Redbirds continue their series tomorrow night. Phillies pitcher Nick Nelson will make another rehab appearance and the first with AAA.
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