Redbirds blow 3-0 lead, Iowa rallies with five-run seventh
Lars Nootbaar put Memphis up with defense and power, but Iowa’s five-run seventh flipped a 3-0 Redbirds lead into a 6-4 loss.
Lars Nootbaar gave Memphis everything it wanted early and still could not keep the Redbirds out of trouble. He cut down a runner at the plate with an outfield assist in the third inning, then launched a two-run homer in the fifth to help build a 3-0 lead, but the Iowa Cubs erased the night’s momentum with a five-run seventh inning and handed Memphis a 6-4 loss at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa.
The collapse carried more weight than one defeat in the fourth game of a six-game series. Memphis had spent every day of the 2026 season at least tied for first place, and the loss knocked the Redbirds into a three-way tie with Nashville and Rochester for the International League lead. What looked like a road win that could steady a 12-game trip instead turned into the kind of inning that can reshape a standings race.
Bruce Zimmermann had done enough to put Memphis in position to finish the job. The left-hander allowed one run on seven hits, walked two and struck out six over 5.0 innings, extending his International League lead in strikeouts. Cade Winquest followed with a perfect inning in his second appearance since returning from the injured list, but Ryan Hales could not close the door. Hales took the loss and was charged with a blown save after the seventh-inning surge that sent Iowa from behind to in front.
Memphis still found some offense after Iowa seized control. Joshua Báez added an RBI double, and Leo Bernal kept the club within striking distance with his fifth home run of the season in the eighth inning. The Redbirds finished with eight hits, five of them extra-base hits, which underscored how much damage the lineup did produce even in defeat. It was not enough to offset the one inning that unraveled the night.
The loss left Memphis with a reminder that a strong stretch can turn quickly when one bullpen frame breaks open. The Redbirds were set to return to AutoZone Park on Tuesday, June 2, to open a six-game series against the Louisville Bats, carrying both the frustration of the seventh inning and the urgency of a first-place race now packed tighter than it was a day earlier.
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