DES MOINES, Iowa – The Memphis Redbirds continued a six-game series and 12-game road trip with a 6-4 loss to the Iowa Cubs (Triple-A, Chicago Cubs) on Saturday night at Principal Park.
MLB Rehabbing left fielder Lars Nootbaar put together a highlight reel in his third appearance with Memphis this season. The veteran tallied an outfield assist when he cut down a runner at the plate to end the bottom of the third inning. In the top of the fifth, the left-handed hitter blasted a two-run homer to pad the Redbirds lead to 3-0.
First baseman Leo Bernal smacked his fifth home run of the season in the top of the eighth inning to pull Memphis within two runs late. Center fielder Joshua Báez added an RBI double in the game. The Redbirds bats tallied five extra-base hits of the even total hits in the loss.
Starting pitcher Bruce Zimmermann allowed one run on seven hits, walked two and struck out six over 5.0 innings pitched to extend his International League lead in punchouts. Cade Winquest pitched a perfect inning out of the bullpen in his second appearance since he returned from the Injured List.
With the loss, Memphis dropped into a three-way tie with the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A, Milwaukee Brewers) and Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A, Washington Nationals) for first place in the International League standings. The Redbirds have spent every day of the 2026 season in at least a tie for first place.
The Memphis Redbirds return to AutoZone Park on Tuesday, June 2 to begin a six-game series against the Louisville Bats (Triple-A, Cincinnati Reds) with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT.
