(TSX / STATS) — ST. LOUIS — The Memphis Redbirds are tied for the top record in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
Some of their top players are helping the St. Louis Cardinals feel good about where they’re headed going to the All-Star break.
Tommy Pham, Paul DeJong and Luke Voit, who all started the season in Memphis, each homered on Sunday as St. Louis finished the unofficial first half of the big-league season with a 6-0 thumping of the New York Mets at Busch Stadium.
Pham belted his 11th homer in the third, a two-run shot down the right field line that gave the Cardinals (43-45) a 3-0 lead. DeJong walloped a 434-foot blast to left-center an inning later, capping an epic weekend in which he went 9-for-12 with four doubles and three homers.
Voit finished the scoring in the sixth, leading off with his third homer of the year down the right-field line. The trio combined for six hits as St. Louis won for the 10th time in 15 games, finishing its homestand at 6-4.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Pham said of DeJong and Voit. “They asked me when I was called up who was ready and those were the two names I mentioned. I’ve seen them do it in Triple-A.”
The emergence of the Memphis trio will certainly leave manager Mike Matheny with some interesting decisions when the season resumes Friday night in Pittsburgh. With 74 games remaining, the Cardinals sit 5 1/2 games behind first place Milwaukee in the National League Central.
Pham has been arguably the team’s best player since he was called up in early May. DeJong’s play forced the team to play him every day at shortstop instead of 2016 NL All-Star Aledmys Diaz, who’s now toiling in Memphis. Voit has 12 hits since being called up two weeks ago, eight for extra bases.
They spearheaded an attack that sent New York starter Steven Matz (2-2) to the showers before the fifth inning was over. Matz, who entered with a 17-inning scoreless streak, was charged with seven hits and five runs in 4 1/3 innings, walking one and fanning one.
St. Louis made him work hard in the 94-degree heat. Matz threw 27 pitches in the first, allowing a run on Jedd Gyorko’s infield out. He was up to 80 by the fourth inning’s end and finished with 86.
“The guys had a nice approach and knew what they wanted to do,” Matheny said. “They had an aggressive approach and they capitalized on some mistakes.”
Meanwhile, Lance Lynn (7-6) gave the Mets (39-47) virtually nothing over his seven innings. Lynn allowed only three singles and a walk, fanning two in his longest outing since going eight innings May 23 at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lynn needed only 93 pitches to collect his outs against an opponent which spent most of the day appearing as though they had started the All-Star break in spirit. He notched seven outs on first or second-pitch swings.
“I’d say that over the years, I’ve been able to get them into swing mode early in the game,” he said. “If you can get anybody into swing mode, you can kind of expand off the plate and have success. Today it worked out well.”
In contrast, nothing worked well for New York, which enters the All-Star break a dozen games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East.
“We’re not hitting, we’re not pitching. When you don’t pitch, that game looks rugged. When you don’t hit, they look even worse,” Mets manager Terry Collins said.
NOTES: New York manager Terry Collins announced Sunday that RHP Jacob deGrom will draw the start when the Mets open play after the All-Star break Friday night at home against Colorado. … Mets 2B Neil Walker (left hamstring) is in Florida to ramp up the rehab of his injury, which landed him on the 10-day DL June 15. Walker was batting .270 with nine homers and 33 RBI in 60 games. … St. Louis 2B Kolten Wong (right triceps strain) went 1-for-4 with a walk in a rehab game Saturday at Double-A Springfield. Wong, who was hitting .301 with a homer and 19 RBI before hitting the 10-day DL June 15, could be back right after the All-Star break.
Photo credit – Associated Press (AP) / St. Louis, MO
