News
Memphis ties record with seven homers
Craig, Tyler Greene, Khalil Greene hit two blasts apiece
By Brittany Ghiroli / Special to MLB.com
07/29/09 12:21 AM ET
Everything comes in threes.At least it did for the Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday night as Allen Craig, Tyler Greene and rehabbing Major Leaguer Khalil Greene all homered twice in a 14-5 rout of the Round Rock Express.
"I've never been part of a game like that," Craig said after Memphis tied the franchise record with seven homers. "That's just kind of outrageous."
The outrageousness started, fittingly, in the third inning, when each member of the trio launched balls out of AutoZone Park to extend Memphis' lead to 6-2.
Tyler Greene went yard again in the fourth, while Craig and Khalil Greene went back-to-back in the fifth.
Jon Jay mashed a two-run homer in the sixth to the tie the club record on his way to another Memphis mark with five hits. The Cardinals' second-round pick in the 2006 Draft became the first Redbirds to post a five-hit game since Edgar Gonzalez in 2007.
"It's great when everybody's having a good day, and when you're winning by that much you can kind of relax a little bit," Tyler Greene said. "You still play the game hard, but there's a little less tension when you have that kind of game."
Lately, the good days have far outweighed the bad. Greene, who's split the season between the Majors and Triple-A, has four homers and six RBIs in his last four games.
"There's going to be ups and downs the whole season, but I feel good right now," he said. "[I'm] just going to try to ride the high as long as I can."
Craig and Khalil Greene are also in the midst of red-hot stretches, joining Tyler Greene with four homers in four games. They've helped solidify the middle of the Redbirds lineup.
On a rehab assignment for anxiety issues, Khalil Greene had four hits Monday and is batting .365 in 14 games with Memphis. Craig's stats, which include a .456 average and six homers over a 10-game stretch, are hardly something to sniff at. The 25-year-old left fielder has been lighting up Pacific Coast League pitching with 17 homers and 54 RBIs, 16 of which have come over his last 10 games.
"I've been swinging well for the past two, 2 1/2 weeks," Craig said. "I'm just trying to stay short and really trust my hands and my ability to make the ball go."
On Tuesday, Craig's advice worked in both dugouts.
In addition to the Redbirds' seven homers, the Express hit three solo shots to bring the to 10, the most in Memphis history and three shy of tying the Pacific Coast League record.
"We got some pitches to hit and we didn't miss them," Craig said. "It was kind of crazy all our teams together [hitting 10 homers]. Guys were just putting really good swings on it."
The three homers were the only runs surrendered by Trey Hearne in his Triple-A debut. The right-hander gave up five hits and a walk while striking out six over seven innings.
Brittany Ghiroli is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
