Memphis powers past Norfolk, takes sole lead in International League

Memphis left Harbor Park with more than a series win. The Redbirds beat Norfolk 10-2 on June 12, clinched the set, stretched their winning streak to five games and moved into sole possession of first place in the International League, a surge that makes them look less like a hot streak and more like the league’s most stable contender.

The tone was set early in a second inning that changed the game. Joshua Báez tied it with his league-leading, 19th home run of the season, and the ball left no doubt, traveling 442 feet in MiLB’s video clip. Victor Scott II followed with a two-run single in the same five-run frame, turning a close game into another Memphis statement. Leo Bernal later added an RBI double, Colton Ledbetter launched his fourth home run of the season in his return to the lineup, and Thomas Saggese tacked on an RBI double in the ninth to keep the margin comfortable.

Memphis did not get a clean outing from Brycen Mautz, who allowed two runs, walked six and struck out four in 3.2 innings on 80 pitches. But the bullpen steadied everything from there. Hancel Rincon picked up the win with 2.1 scoreless innings, and the relief corps finished the job without issuing a walk, the kind of shutdown work that keeps a club in front while the standings tighten around it.

That balance matters because Memphis has spent the entire 2026 season at least tied for first until an earlier loss briefly pushed it behind Rochester. The Redbirds had already become the first Triple-A club to reach 41 wins on June 11, and Friday’s result put them back alone on top ahead of Rochester and Nashville. It also reinforced why the Cardinals keep finding Memphis so relevant to the big-league picture: Báez is forcing attention with top-prospect power, Scott is driving runs, and players such as Ledbetter and Saggese are adding the kind of depth production that can shape a call-up conversation before long.

Memphis has handled Norfolk particularly well, including a 14-4 win at Harbor Park on April 26, and the matchup has become a useful measure of how complete the Redbirds are. They return home June 16 to open a six-game series against Nashville at AutoZone Park, carrying first place and real momentum into the final stretch of the first half.