Playoff Hunt

Myrtle Beach - Another Pelicans loss, and another Kinston win, put Myrtle Beach 5 games back with 4 games to go. The Pelicans have played 2 more games than the Indians, which is why they haven't been eliminated yet, but even if they win all of their remaining games, any Kinston victory will eliminate them.

Gwinnett 2, Norfolk 6

Erik Cordier's AAA debut didn't go well, as he walked 4 and allowed 5 earned runs without even finishing the first inning. Oddly enough Cordier said his arm felt as good as it has in years and his pitches all had fantastic break, he just had no command whatsoever. Fortunately he'll get one more start before the end of the year to try to finish on a high note. Cory Gearrin inherited a bases loaded situation in the first and allowed 2 of Cordier's runs to score on a soft single, but pitched 3.1 scoreless innings after that. Steve Marek pitched a perfect 8th, striking out the side in the process. Barbaro Canizares continues to amaze, actually raising his league best average. Clint Sammons has had a horrible season offensively, but he picked up 3 hits tonight.

Mississippi 10, West Tennessee 1

Dan Nelson nearly doubled his walk total for his time with Mississippi, taking 5 free passes in 6 trips to the plate, driving in a run with a bases loaded walk in the 5th. LV Ware rapped out 3 hits in his second game as an M-Brave and Myke Jones recovered from a poor debut with the team, clubbing out a second inning grand slam. Yasser Gomez has a .402 on base percentage in 105 at bats. JJ Hoover was much more wild tonight than he's been all year, for the season he's averaging 2.7 BB/9 and he gave up 6 in 5 innings tonight, but he was able to pitch around it, picking up his second AA win, his 13 overall of the season, giving him the organizational lead.

Myrtle Beach 2, Wilmington 3

Like Myke Jones, Phil Gosselin rebounded nicely after a poor debut with the Pelicans, rapping out a double and a triple in this one. After starting the season with a good showing, Cole Miles has tailed off and has actually done a bit worse this year than he did last year with the Pelicans. Sammy Sime started off strong as well and while his final season line isn't going to be very impressive, he's hitting .257 with a .651 OPS right now, it's still much better than he's been the last 2 years with Rome. After winning the Appalacian League Pitcher of the Year award last year the Braves were agressive with Matt Crim, skipping him over Rome and sending him to High A Myrtle Beach. The 23 year old's uneven, often inconsistent performance this year probably should have been expected, but is still a bit frustrating. After putting up a 3.18 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 4.8 K/BB last season, his numbers have jumped to a 4.87 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, and 1.6 K/BB this year. The biggest difference has been the walks, which have nearly tripled, from 1.3 BB/9 to 3.5 BB/9.

Rome 4, West Virginia 12

Striking out 7 in just 4.1 innings is a great stat for Chris Masters, but allowing 7 earned runs in the same number of innings isn't. In his last 3 starts, Masters has a 9.60 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. Kyle Rose cranked out 3 singles and stole his 26th base of the year. He stole 27 bases in 48 games last year, and still hasn't mached that total in 83 contests this year. Joey Terdoslavich has had a very nice debut season, hitting .307 with a .764 OPS in 65 games between Danville and Rome.