Gwinnett got demolished, despite Stefan Gartrell's thirds homer in 2 days, Lucas La Point had a great start in a losing effort, and Troy Snitker stayed hot in th GCL.
Gwinnett Braves 4, Syracuse Chiefs 12
- Jose Constanza CF 2-4, RBI, .345 AVG
- Stefan Gartrell RF 1-4, HR (16), 2 RBI, .280 AVG
- Wilkin Castillo C 3-4, 2B, RBI, .248 AVG
- Yohan Flande 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 11 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 4.45 ERA
- Jaye Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 1 K, 2.95 ERA
The G-Braves got blasted in this one, with starter Yohan Flande allowing 5 earned runs in 5.2 innings, Ben Swaggerty allowing 5 more earned runs in 1.1 innings, and Cory Gearrin finishing out the game by allowing a pair of runs in 1 inning. Only Jaye Chapman escaped unscathed, and he even fell victim to the walk monster. Stefan Gartrell hit his 16th homer of the season, and his third in the last 2 games. His power this year isn't that surprising, he hit 27 home runs last year at AAA, but he's hitting for a higher average, .281 this year compared to .255, and that extra contact has led to a better slugging percentage, .579 this year compared to .448 last year, even though he's striking out at basically the same rate, 27% this year and 28% last year. In his last 4 games, Jose Constanza has gone 6-15 with a double and 2 walks.
Erik Cordier will get the starting assignment in the series finale Thursday.
Mississippi Braves - Off
The M-Braves start the second half on Thursday, with All-Star JJ Hoover set to take the mound against the Mobile Bay Bears.
Lynchburg Hillcats - Off
The Hillcats will head to Wilmington to face the Blue Rocks Thursday to start the second half of their season.
Rome Braves - Off
Ronan Pacheco will take the mound Thursday as the R-Braves start their second half in Asheville against the Toursits.
Danville Braves 0, Pulaski Mariners 1
- Chase Larsson LF 1-2, BB, .167 AVG
- Lucas La Point 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 1.50 ERA
- Gus Schlosser 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 0.00 ERA
The D-Braves could only muster 3 hits in this one, wasting a great start from Luca La Point, who took the loss despite only allowing 1 run over 6 innings while striking out 5. Last season, the 20 year old had a 4-3 record, 4.47 ERA, and a 1.21 WHIP in 56.1 innings for Danville. Gus Schlosser, this year's 17th round selection, had a nice pro debut, tossing 2 scoreless frames and striking out 4. Canadian Chase Larsson, who was selected in the 9th round this year after being named the Division II College Player of the Year, collected his first professional hit.
Danville will look for its first win of the season in the series finale Thursday.
GCL Braves 8, GCL Phillies 6
- Logan Robbins SS 2-5, BB, .400 AVG
- Matt Weaver 2B 0-2, .000 AVG
- Troy Snitker C 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB, .625 AVG
- Kirk Walker 3B 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, E (1), .222 AVG
- Nick Lobanov 1B 0-2, 2 BB, .000 AVG
- Francois Lafreniere 4.2 IP, 6 R, 5 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 9.64 ERA
- Alexis Pinto 2.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA
- Ryne Harper 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K, W (1), 0.00 ERA
Troy Snitker continues his hot start, with a pair of hits, including a double, a walk, and a RBI. He's now 5-8 with 2 doubles and a homer to start his career. This year's 25th round pick, Kirk Walker, had a nice day, rapping out 3 hits, inclduing a double, walking, and driving in a run. Logan Robbins, this year's 10th round pick, made his pro debut today, and the 21 year old shortstop had 2 singles and a walk. Matt Weaver made a rehab appearance after missing the last few weeks with Lynchburg with a leg injury. russian Nick Labonov pitched 2 seasons in the GCL for the Twins, but today he made his Braves debut as a first baseman, collecting a pair of walks. After being drafted in the 47th round last year by Atlanta, Francois Lafreniere pitched well in 9.1 innings in the GCL, compiling a 1.93 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP, but his 2011 season got off to a rough start, as he coughed up 6 runs, 5 earned, in 4.2 innings today. Alexis Pinto and Ryne Harper pitched well in relief, tossing 4.1 shutout innings while striking out 6 and allowing the team to come from behind for the victory.
DSL Braves 3, DSL Tigers 1
- Daniel Castro 2B 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI, .220 AVG
- Abraham Espinosa 5 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 2.89 ERA
- Ernesto Verrier 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K, W (2), 1.59 ERA
- Enrique Medina 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, SV (1), 2.08 ERA
The Braves didn't get much offense, with only 4 hits in the game, but Daniel Castro's 2 run 8th inning triple was enough to give them the win. Abraham Espinosa was solid again, allowing just 1 unearned run over 5 innings while walking none and striking out 4. In 28 innings this season, the 18 year old Panamanian has a 2.89 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP with a 4.3 K/BB rate. Cuban Ernesto Verrier is by far the oldest player on the team at 26 years old, but at least he's been pitching well in the appearances he's made, racking up a 1.5 ERA and a 1.24 ERA in 11.1 innings. It's likely that his career path will match that of Donell Linares, who had to spend a year in the DSL before he could get approved for a visa and start his US career in High A.