Paul Clemens continues to dominate for Mississippi, tossing another gem tonight, while Edward Salcedo just keeps getting on base for Rome, and veteran Rodrigo Lopez tossed a gem of his own for Gwinnett.
Gwinnett Braves 2, Pawtucket Red Sox 0
- Jordan Schafer CF 1-4, 2B, RBI, .276 AVG
- Matt Young LF 1-2, RBI, 2 BB, .SB (5), 316 AVG
- Rodrigo Lopez 7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K, W (5), 1.79 ERA
- Jairo Asencio 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K, SV (4), 2.61 ERA
Rodrigo Lopez improved his record to a perfect 5-0, blanking the Paw Sox over 7 innings, fanning 7 in the process. The 35 year old has had no problem dominating AAA, with a 1.79 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in 45.1 innings. If the Braves can't use him down the stretch, you'd have to believe they could trade him for a player they could use, perhaps a righty slugger for the bench. Jordan Schafer is on a bit of a roll. His RBI double today extended his hitting streak to 6 games, and over his last 10 he's hitting .326 with a .341 OBP, and a .829 OPS. Matt Young drove in Schafer on a single, and he managed to reach base in 3 of his 4 plate appearances. After struggling in his first taste of the Majors, in very limited playing time, he's been the same old Matt in AAA, with a .316 average, a .435 OBP, and a .803 OPS in 57 at bats.
Julio Teheran returns to AAA, starting the final game of the series Thursday.
Mississippi Braves 4, Jackson Generals 1
- Myke Jones CF 0-1, 3 BB, .150 AVG
- Tyler Pastornicky SS 2-4, 2 RBI, .317 AVG
- Jeff Fiorentino DH 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, .267 AVG
- Paul Clemens 8 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, W (3), 1.90 ERA
Paul Clemens picked up his third consecutive win and he's really putting together the breakout year that people have been expecting from him for a while now. Through 42.2 innings, the righty has a 1.90 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, 6.3 H/9, 3.6 BB/9, and 8.2 K/9. Myke Jones didn't help his average by striking out in his only official at bat, but he did do his job as a leadoff hitter, reaching 3 times on walks. Tyler Pastornicky continued his fine work, picking up a pair of singles, driving in 2 runs with one of them. Jeff Fiorentino reached base 3 times tonight, and he's had a good first week with his new organization, hitting .267 with a .917 OPS in 5 games.
Righty JJ Hoover takes on the Generals tomorrow.
Lynchburg Hillcats 3, Frederick Keys 6
- Andrelton Simmons SS 1-2, RBI, 2 BB, E (10), .347 AVG
- Barrett Kleinknecht 3B 2-4, .250 AVG
- Keenan Wiley RF 2-4, RBI, .359 AVG
- Zeke Spruill 7 IP, 5 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 3.51 ERA
The biggest story of this game might be that Todd Cunningham went 0-4, ending his torrid 8 game hitting streak. Andrelton Simmons did get a hit, extending his hitting streak to 14 games, though he also commited a throwing error, his 10th error of the season. Barrett Kleinknecht, filling in at third base for Joe Leonard, who's home sick with the flu, rapped out a pair of hits, as did Keenan Wiley, who has fared well in a fill-in role for both Rome and Lynchburg, combining to hit .325 with a .794 OPS in 80 at bats between the two stops. Zeke Spruill didn't pitch that poorly, but his own shoddy defense led to 1 of his 2 unearned runs.
Cory Rasmus takes the hill for the Hillcats tomorrow.
Rome Braves 5, Augusta Greenjackets 2
- Edward Salcedo SS 2-3, 2B, BB, SB (7), .302 AVG
- Robby Hefflinger DH 1-5, HR (1), RBI, .276 AVG
- Christian Bethancourt C 2-5, .231 AVG
- Chris Garcia 1B 2-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, .217 AVG
- Hilton Richardson CF 2-4 .213 AVG
- Caleb Brewer 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 4 K, W (1), 2.95 ERA
- Ryan Weber 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 2.30 ERA
Edward Salcedo reached base 3 times and stole a base, extending his on base streak to 25 games and his hitting streak to 8 games in the process. Robby Hefflinger clubed out his first homer of the season and Chris Garcia hit his second in 3 games, a 3 run shot in the 3rd inning that gave the R-Braves all the runs they would need to get Caleb Brewer his first win of the season. Brewer has been solid all year, with a 2.95 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in 42.2 innings. He's kept the hit totals relatively low all season, allowing 5.5 H/9 this season, and in his last few starts he's reeled in the walk totals, with a 2.8 BB/9 rate, compared to a 5.2 BB/9 rate in his first 5 starts.
Steve Kent pitches Thursday as the R-Braves look for a series split against the Greenjackets.