Memphis Tied with Omaha for 2nd, Both 2.5 GB Iowa

OMAHA, NE - Memphis starter Brandon Dickson finally notched his tenth win of the season, pitching the Redbirds to an 8-2 victory over the Omaha Royals Tuesday afternoon in front of 3,096 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium. Dickson (10-8) won for the first time in nine starts, dating back to July 2nd, as Memphis moved back into a tie with Omaha for second place in the PCL American North division. Iowa lost to Nashville 6-4 Tuesday, so the first-place Cubs are 2.5 games ahead of both the Royals and Redbirds.

Dickson worked out of trouble in the early innings, especially in the third, when he struck out Lucas May to leave the bases loaded and preserve Memphis' 2-0 lead. Beginning with that strikeout, the right-hander retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced through the eighth inning and took an 8-0 shutout to the bottom of the ninth. Along the way, he tied a season-high with eight strikeouts, moving ahead of teammate Lance Lynn for second in the league with 121 punchouts.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Royals averted getting blanked for a fifth time this season. Ed Lucas and Scott Thorman opened the inning with back-to-back singles - extending Lucas' hitting streak to seven games and giving Thorman a nine-game hit string. Both would come around to score, with Lucas coming in on a ground out by Jordan Parraz and Thorman scoring on a two-out single by Marc Maddox that ended Dickson's hopes for a complete game.

Chuckie Fick came on to retire Irving Falu on a grounder and finish the tenth win for the Redbirds in their past 15 games. The victory gives Memphis a 9-7 win in the season series, which would send the Redbirds to the playoffs should they finish the season in a first-place tie with the Royals.

Blaine Hardy (2-5) took the loss, giving up four runs on eight hits over 5.0 innings. Gil Meche made the second relief appearance of his current rehab stint with Omaha, working 1.2 innings and giving up a run on two hits, including a solo homer to Amaury Cazana on the first pitch he delivered.

Nick Stavinoha and Mark Hamilton also homered for the visitors. Stavinoha was 4-for-5 on the day with three RBI to finish the series 8-for-19 with two home runs and six driven in.

Omaha (72-59) hosts Iowa (74-56) in the opener of a key, five-game series Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. Royals righty Anthony Lerew (7-4), who leads the PCL with a 2.90 ERA, faces Cubs right-hander Mitch Atkins (6-3, 3.96).

It is Vietnam Veterans night: the 1st 5,000 fans will receive a miniature American Flag. Fans wearing anything patriotic will get a $5 Reserved seat ticket to the game. The night will also feature a pre-game DVD honoring veterans and in-game recognition of all service men and women. Plus, it's Subway Kids Eat Free Night: the 1st 100 kids 12-and-under receive a free personal Subway pizza and a Coke and all kids after that get a free hot dog and a Coke! Subway Kids Club members get in FREE. The night is also presented by Star 104.5, CW and Omaha Newspapers.

For tickets, call (402) 738-5100, or print tickets online at www.oroyals.com.