Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 8/24

Playoff Hunt

There are only 2 Braves affiliates still in playoff contention and we're going to keep you updated on their progress every day until they clinch their post-season tickets.

Myrtle Beach - After beating Salem tonight, the Pelicans trail the Red Sox by just half a game. The Winston-Salem Dash are actually in first place, but since they clinched the division's first half title the runner up will win the second half.

Danville - A Pulaski loss and a Danville win allowed the Braves to pull within 3.5 games of the Mariners. The top 2 teams in the division make the playoffs, so even though the Braves are currently in second, they're 2 games ahead of Burlington for a playoff spot.

Gwinnett 9, Charlotte 5

Troy Glaus had 2 hits, including a 3 run homer, but he also made 2 fielding errors at third base. Freddie Freeman extended his hitting streak to 6 games, going 10-24 in that span. Barbaro Canizares has a healthy 10 point lead in the IL batting race. Joe Thurston remains hot, extending his hitting streak to 6 games, going 11-25 in that span. Brandon Beachy hasn't missed a beat since moving up to AAA, and while I was bearish on giving him prospect consideration at the All-Star break I can absolutely admit I was wrong. This guy is doing something special this season and he's definitely a prospect.

Mississippi 0, Jacksonville 2

The M-Braves had almost no offense behind Julio Teheran tonight. Teheran was good, fanning 6 in 6 innings. He hasn't been as dominant in AA as he was in Low or High A, and that's a wonderful indication of his talent that he had to move up 2 levels to find a place where the hitters had a fair chance against him. Benino Pruneda was dominant, striking out 6 in 3 scoreless innings. Since the All-Star break he has a 1.83 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in 19.2 innings. He's walking a few too many, but the diminutive 22 year old righty is progressing well.

Myrtle Beach 3, Salem 2

Luis Sumoza made an impact as a hitter, driving in the winning run with a walkoff single, and as a fielder, throwing out Alex Hassan at home to end Salem's threat in the 4th. Sumoza is playing well at the right time, hitting .300 with a .900 OPS in his last 10 games. Matt Kennelly, who homered tonight, has been hot in his last 10 as well, hitting .351 with a .963 OPS. Paul Clemens continues to flourish as a starter, striking out 6 in 6 innings. In 29.2 innings as a starter for the Pelicans he has a 1.82 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Jason Lowery picked up his first win in affiliated baseball, tossing 2 scoreless and striking out 4 to end the game.

Rome 2, West Virginia 5, 12 innings

Ryan Weber continues to pitch great, somehow working around 5 walks to allow just 1 unearned run. In his last 4 games, he has a 2.48 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Christian Bethancourt stays hot with the bat, he's gone 7-12 in his last 3 games, but he had some troubles on defense, with 2 errors and a passed ball.

Danville 8, Kingsport 1

Ian Marshall picked up the win in his first start for Danville, allowing just 1 unearned run in 5 innings. The 23 year old wasn't particularly effective for the GCL Braves, with a 5.03 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in 39.1 innings, but hopefully he can bolster the D-Braves rotation as they push for a playoff spot. In his last 3 appearances, Edigson Mora had allowed 10 earned runs in 8 innings, but he threw 4 scoreless tonight to seal the victory. Andrelton Simmons extending his hitting streak to 4 games, going 8-14 in that span.

GCL Braves 5, GCL Pirates 1, 7 innings

Kurt Fleming and Brandon Drury provided all the offense with homers, Fleming's a solo shot and Drury's 7th inning shot was a walkoff grand slam since the game was only scheduled for 7 innings. The teams were scheduled to play 2 games, but rain forced the second game to be canceled since the teams don't meet again this season. Cole Rohrbough made his third rehab appearance and overall he's allowed 1 run in 6 innings while striking out 9 in the GCL.