Gwinnett's Dominant Pitching And Rome's Offensive Explosion Highlight Thursday's Atlanta Braves Minor League Action

Todd Redmond, JJ Hoover, and Jaye Chapman combined for a Gwinnett shutout, while nearly every hitter for Rome had a multi-hit game.

Gwinnett Braves 1, Syracuse Chiefs 0

• Wilkin Castillo 1B 1-4, RBI, SB (5), .270 AVG
• Todd Redmond 6 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 2.72 ERA
• JJ Hoover 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 5 K, W (1), 5.91 ERA
• Jaye Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 2.66 ERA

JJ Hoover picked up his first win at AAA, and not only has he not allowed a run in 4 appearances since rejoining Gwinnett, he also hasn't allowed a hit, walking 2 and striking out 11 over 5.2 innings. Todd Redmond had another great start in what has been the best season of his career. For the season he has a 2.72 ERA and a 1.14 ERA, and he's been even better since the All-Star break, with a 1.43 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Jaye Chapman picked up his second save of the season, and his scoreless inning broke a slump that had seen him allow 4 earned runs in 4.2 innings over his last 4 appearances. Wilkin Ramirez plated the only run of the game, and he also played first base for the first time this year, and has now seen games at catcher, first, second, third, and in left field.

Yohan Flande will pitch the series finale tomorrow.

Mississippi Braves 4, Huntsville Stars 5

• Myke Jones CF 1-5, HR (7), RBI, .242 AVG
• Ernesto Mejia 1B 2-4, 2B, BB, .301 AVG
• Ed Lucas SS 2-4, .290 AVG
• Cory Harrilchak RF 2-5, RBI, OF Assist, .249 AVG
• Luis Avilan 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 4.84 ERA

Ernesto Mejia had his third straight 2 hit game, and extended his hitting streak to 5 games, going 8-16 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 7 RBI in that span. Cory Harrilchak had a pair of singles, and in his last 9 games he's gone 10-29 with 2 triples and 3 RBI. In his last 3 games, Ed Lucas is 7-12 with a double and 3 RBI. Luis Avilan has hit a rough patch, with a 6.61 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP in his last 3 starts.

The M-Braves will send Aaron Shafer to the mound on Friday.

Lynchburg Hillcats 5, Frederick Keys 2

• Andrelton Simmons SS 1-2, BB, SAC, .307 AVG
• Phil Gosselin 2B 2-3, 2B, .264 AVG
• Marcus Lemon LF 2-4, 2B, .260 AVG
• Chris Masters 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 7 K, W (8), 3.25 ERA
• Mark Lamm 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, SV (1), 4.02 ERA

Chris Masters tied his career high with his 8th win of the season, allowing only 2 runs while striking out 7 over 6.2 innings. The 23 year old lefty has been consistent all season, and it shows in his numbers, a 3.25 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He's seventh in the league in ERA, tied for seventh in wins, third in strikeouts, and, despite pitching 5 games out of the bullpen, first in the league in innings pitched. In his last 3 games, Andrelton Simmons has gone 7-12. Phil Gosselin has also been hot in his last 3 games, going 6-12.

Lefty Matt Crim will take on the Keys tomorrow.

Rome Braves 12, Asheville Toursists 11

• Matt Lipka SS 2-5, RBI, E (11), .235 AVG
• Tommy La Stella 2B 3-5, 2 RBI, .305 AVG
• Evan Gattis C 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, .316 AVG
• Chris Garcia 1B 3-4, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, .320 AVG
  
• Edward Salcedo 3B 1-6, SB (20), 2 E (39, 40), .257 AVG
• Robby Hefflinger DH 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB, .261 AVG
• Tony Mueller CF 2-5, .231 AVG
• Willie Kempf 5.1 IP, 8 R, 6 ER, 10 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 3.89 ERA
• Cody Martin 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K, W (1), 1.17 ERA

Consecutive 9th inning doubles by Evan Gattis and Chris Garcia plated the tying and winning runs, which was a great finish to a fantastic day for Garcia that saw him rap out 3 doubles, drive in 3 runs, and earn 2 walks. The 23 year old first baseman has provided a hefty veteran presence to the Rome lineup, hitting .320 with a .965 OPS in 281 at bats. Gattis hit a triple in addition to his double, extending his hitting streak to 7 games, going 13-27 with 3 doubles, a triple, 3 homers, and 12 RBI in that span. Tommy La Stella followed up yesterday's 5 hit game with a 3 hit one, and in his last 8 games he's gone 16-29 with 2 doubles, a triple, 2 homers, and 8 RBI. Edward Salcedo stole his team leading 20th base tonight, but he also committed his 39th and 40th errors of the season. Of those errors, 7 game in 19 games at shortstop, and the other 33 have come at third, the position he's been forced to learn on the fly this season. The total is ugly, but at the midway point of the season he was on pace for 52 errors, so clearly there's been some improvement. Unfortunately, his hitting had tanked in August, with a .197 average and a .525 OPS through 16 games. Matt Lipka has picked things up a little bit, going 5-13 in his last 3 games. Cody Martin picked up the first win of his career, as well as 3 more strikeouts, giving him 37 in 24. innings between Danville and Rome.

Aaron Northcraft takes the hill for the R-Braves tomorrow.

Danville Braves 2, Princeton Rays 11

• Elmer Reyes SS 1-2, 2B, BB, E (8), .259 AVG
• Brandon Drury DH 2-4, .353 AVG
• Edison Sanchez 1B 1-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB, .283 AVG
• Greg Ross 4 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 1 K, 3.16 ERA

Brandon Drury added a pair of singles to his league leading hit total, extending his hitting streak to 7 games. In that span he's gone 16-31 with 2 doubles, a homer, and 6 RBI. Edison Sanchez hit his first homer of the season, adding to a nice August which has seen him hit .298 with a .796 OPS.

The Braves head to Johnson City tomorrow where David Filak will take on the Cardinals.

GCL Braves 5, GCL Yankees 7, 10 innings, Game 1

• Felix Marte RF 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, .271 AVG
• Seth Moranda 2B 2-3, RBI, SB (2), .200 AVG
• Matt Talley 5 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 3.05 ERA

GCL Braves 3, GCL Yankees 4, 7 innings, Game 2

• Felix Marte RF 1-3, BB, .272 AVG
• Alejandro Sanchez 3B 1-3, RBI, .250 AVG
• Eduardo Castillo 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 5.33 ERA

Felix Marte combined to go 5-8 with a double, a RBI, and a walk in the doubleheader, and in his last 10 games he's hitting .282 with a .862 OPS, 3 doubles, 2 homers, and 6 RBI. He has particularly excelled in home games, hitting .345 with a 1.047 OPS in 18 contests. Spanish born 19 year old Alejandro Sanchez has been touted as the best prospect the Braves have signed out of their Tenerife academy, though injuries have limited him to just 39 at bats in 2 seasons, and he's hit .205 with a .535 OPS in those sporadic opportunities. Matt Talley, the Braves' 28th round selection this year, hasn't allowed an earned run in either of his last 2 starts, striking out 9 over 10 innings.

DSL Braves 0, DSL Angels 7

• Jose Peraza SS 1-3, 2B, .281 AVG
• Gustavo Gomez 3B 2-4, .198 AVG
• Reymi Ruiz 3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 3.91 ERA
• Oriel L Caicedo 3 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 2.10 ERA

Jose Peraza snapped an 0-6 skid with a double, just his ninth extra base hit of the season. After pitching 2 scoreless innings yesterday, Oriel L Caicedo pitched 3 innings today, allowing only an unearned run.