Several early leads were squandered tonight and only the short season teams could pull out victories. The Danville squad provided one of the more impressive showings of the year with the pitching staff combining for 19 strikeouts and a four K inning from Adam Holland.
Indianapolis Indians 10, Gwinnett Braves 5
- Matt Young, CF-2B 2-5, .263 Avg
- Tyler Pastornicky, SS 2-5, K, .435 Avg
- Stefan Gartrell, RF 2-4, HR(23), 4 RBI, .272 Avg
- Arodys Vizcaino 1IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 3.00 ERA
- Jairo Asencio 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1.34 ERA
Eric Cordier didn't have his best stuff tonight and gave up four runs in each of the first two innings before settling down too little and too late. Tyler Pastornicky continued his assault on AAA pitchers. And by assault I mean pestering. Still, hitting .435 over any stretch of time is impressive and I do think his continued success in AAA is an indication that his hitting abilities have taken a step forward this season.
Mobile BayBears 4, Mississippi Braves 3
- Cory Harrilchak, RF 2-4, 2B, RBI, K, .244 Avg
- JJ Hoover 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 2.57 ERA
The Braves got out to an early lead in this one with a run in each of the first two but starter Jose Lugo gave up three in the fourth and Mississippi couldn't get it back. Hoover continues to do well in the 'pen though aside from his ERA his peripherals are pretty similar. I still don't get this move. I understand the argument that if he is going to end up in the bullpen why not put him there now and let him get acclimated. Unless they are considering him in Atlanta this season. Then it makes sense.
Salem Red Sox 6, Lynchburg Hillcats 3
- Barrett Kleinknecht, 2B 1-3, HR(4), 2 RBI, .231 Avg
- Joey Terdoslavich, 1B 3-4, 2B, .276 Avg
- David Hale 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K, 3.30 ERA
David Hale just plain dominated for seven innings tonight before his bullpen (mostly Matt Crim) imploded on him. We have been cautiously excited about the progress Hale has made since returning to the rotation and tonight's start was his best. In his six starts he allowed more than one run just once but tonight was the first night that everything clicked and his stuff turned into the strikeout totals you would expect from him. Of course after I stated that Terdoslavich might be tiring out he has three straight multi hit games with three extra base hits.
Rome Braves 7, Lexington Legends 8 - 12 Innings
- Edward Salcedo, 3B 2-6, HR(11), 2 RBI, .266 Avg
- Chris Garcia, 1B 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, .319 Avg
- Robert Hefflinger, DH 2-5, HR(5), 2 RBI, 2 K, .269 Avg
- David Rohm, RF 2-5, RBI, K, .261 Avg
A two run homer from Edward Salcedo in the top of the twelfth inning put the Braves ahead long enough for the Legends to make it really exciting for the home crowd when they score three in the bottom of the twelfth to take the win. Salcedo has been mired in a slump and hopefully this big hit will propel him into another hot streak. Rohm collected his fourth straight multi-hit game though he has just one extra base hit during that span.
Danville Braves 3, Elizabethton Twins 2
- Brandon Drury, 3B 0-4, 3 K, .346 Avg
- Edison Sanchez, 1B 1-4, 2B, K, .255 Avg
- Chase Larsson, LF 2-3, 2B, HR(6), 2 RBI, BB, SB(4), .269 Avg
- J. R. Graham 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 2.67 ERA
- Adam Holland 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K, 5.79 ERA
- Daniel Lopez 1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA
Just stop and look at those pitching numbers for a second. That's right, Adam Holland and Daniel Lopez recorded twelve strikeouts in four innings - the maximum - but Holland allowed a flyout. How you say? He had a four strikeout inning in the sixth after a wild pitch on his first strikeout. The three pitchers combined for 19 Ks. Chase Larsson has homered in three straight now and at 22 years old he needs a shot at the next level.
GCL Braves 8. GCL Pirates 6
- Todd Cunningham, CF 1-4, 2 RBI, .182 Avg
- Logan Robbins, DH 1-3, HR(5), 2 K, SB(10), .250 Avg
- Felix Marte, RF 2-3, 2B, HR(3), 2 RBI, BB, .269 Avg
The more I look at this year's draft class the more I like it. Last year I got the feeling we went after guys that could play positions - specifically infield positions - and we loaded up on them with the hopes that someone would be able to hit enough to get to the show at one of those positions. This year I think we just went for guys that could hit and hope they can find a spot to play in the field. Logan Robbins is one player that fits that mold. He is a bit old for the GCL but his bat has played well. Another guy that I have secretly been a fan of is Felix Marte. He had a nice season in the DSL last year and has improved his plate discipline this season. He is 20 years old so I would like to see him up at least a level this season, but I think he has some secret potential.
DSL Braves @ DSL Tigers
Not reported.