(39-38) Gwinnett Braves 4 vs. (37-41) Buffalo Bisons 1 F/13
- Christian Bethancourt, C: 2-6, .354/.380/.479
- Daniel Castro, SS: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 run .320/.361/.356
- Cody Martin, SP: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 5 Ks, 2.10 ERA
Gwinnett's offense, backed by a strong outing from Cody Martin and the bullpen, finally put 3 runs together in the top of the 13th inning to win 4-1 in extras after Cedric Hunter sent it to extras with a solo shot in the 9th. This game was a classic pitching duel with Randy Wolf and Cody Martin essentially going pitch for pitch until they were both driven from the game by pitch counts. With three Braves players having multi-hit games, there were certainly some chances for the Braves to score and end the game in regulation but the team failed to deliver. Since its 100% that people will ask, Mallex Smith had the night off (probably just to get some rest as he had been scuffling a bit the last couple of games). Jose Peraza played center field in his absence and went 1-4 with 2 Ks and was picked off and caught stealing.
The story of the game for the Braves was the pitching as Cody Martin, Matt Marksberry, Aaron Kurcz, David Carpenter, and Ryan Weber combined to throw 13 innings with just 1 ER, 8 H, and just 1 walk. The strong performance meant that Buffalo's bullpen blinked first and Gwinnett was able to come out with a win.
Mississippi Braves
Mississippi had an off day today. Tomorrow they play Biloxi with Greg Ross being the expected starter.
(37-38) Carolina Mudcats 5 vs. (36-39) Potomac Nationals 6
- Keith Curcio, 2B: 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 RBI, .286/.362/.388
- Joseph Odom, C: 2-2, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 runs, .237/.305/.484
- Brandon Barker, SP: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 4 Ks, 3.08 ERA
- Richie Tate, RP: 2.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 4.50 ERA
Carolina lost a heartbreaker against Potomac 6-5 as they had come back from an early 5-1 deficit to tie the ballgame in the 8th, only to have Potomac get a walk-off RBI double to get the win. Keith Curcio and Joseph Odom supplied the bulk of the offense for the Mudcats with 3 hits and 4 RBIs. Odom had a particular good game as he reached base all four times he came to the plate and scored 2 runs as well. Odom has added 40 points to his average in his last 10 games, so hopefully he continues his good recent work as it would be nice to have some catching depth in the system.
Brandon Barker had his roughest start since the beginning of May, but even then he did work hard to minimize the damage. While he left a few too many balls hanging in the zone, he battled to keep the team in it. Andy Otero gave up the winning run in the bottom of the 9th on just a walk and a hit.
(35-40) Lexington Legends 14 vs. (33-43) Rome Braves 10
- Ozhaino Albies, SS: 2-5, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .329/.380/.419
- Braxton Davidson, DH: 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 runs, .266/.403/.398
- Matt Tellor, 1B: 3-5, 1 2B, Grand Slam, 7 RBI, 1 run, .177/.220/.266
- Yean Carlos Gil, SP: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
There was offense a-plenty in this one as Lexington outslugged Rome 14-10. Ozhaino Albies went 2-5 with a walk...which honestly should come as news to exactly no one. He currently has a 13 game hitting streak which has included 9 multi-hit games. Braxton Davidson also had a good game with 2 doubles and 2 RBI, but the player of the game on offense was without question Matt Tellor. While he has had a tough season, Tellor had a grand slam and 7 RBIs in the game overall as he almost single-handedly carried the offense.
While the offense did their job in the game, Yean Carlos Gil continued his maddening season as he followed his best start of the season with one of his worst (yes....he has pitched worse this year). Recently demoted to Rome, YCG has been mostly abysmal this year and that he got torched by low A hitters is not a good sign at all. Don't be surprised if he is given his release sooner rather than later.
(3-3) GCL Yankees1 3 vs. (2-5) GCL Braves 4
- Justin Ellison, LF: 3-4, 1 SB, .391/.400/.478
- Robert Nesovic, 1B: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, .214
- Lucas Sims, SP: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 5 K
- Wes Parsons, RP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 K
Very interesting game on a couple of levels as the GCL Braves got back on the winning track with a 4-3 win over Yankees1. First, it was a good performance again for Justin Ellison as he raised his average in the GCL to .391. However, what was more interesting from an organizational perspective were the pitcher's on rehab starts. This could very well be the last rehab start that Lucas Sims makes before he rejoins Carolina. However, Wes Parsons reappeared out of nowhere and started a rehab assignment in the GCL as well. While its unclear what ailment had kept Parsons out so long, its certainly heartening that he is on his way back as well and once its known which level he will be joining after his rehab, we will let you know.
(5-3) Kingsport Mets 1 vs. (3-5) Danville Braves 0
- Leudys Baez, LF: 4-4, 2 SB, .313
- Carlos Martinez, C: 2-4, .286
- Ryan Lawlor, SP: 3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 K
Not much in the way of the offense in this one as Kingsport beat Danville 1-0. It wasn't all bad news on offense as Leudys Baez had a great day in the leadoff spot with 4 hits and 2 stolen bases. However, Kingsport successfully stifled the rest of the Danville offense and a solo home run in the 6th inning proved to be the decider. Ryan Lawlor, picked in the 8th round this year by Atlanta, had his second straight scoreless outing for Danville while the soon-to-be-deployed Stephen Moore had his second straight strong outing.