Gwinnett Braves 0 , Lehigh Valley IronPigs 3 - F/7
- Ozzie Albies, SS: 0-2, BB, .226/.267/.336
- Rio Ruiz, 3B: 1-2, BB, .253/.352/.365
- Lucas Harrell, SP: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 4 K
Lucas Harrell had a fine start for Gwinnett, but got exactly zero run support as Gwinnett fell in this rain-shortened game 3-0. Harrell was recently added by the club to help shore up its depth and he came through in this game limiting damage and giving Gwinnett some quality innings despite some free passes and having to work around baserunners at times. Matt Marksberry and Bradley Roney combined to give up just one earned run the rest of the game...or at the very least before the weather shortened the game to 7 innings.
Very little to talk about on offense as Gwinnett managed just two hits in the game. One of those hits, though, was by a returning Rio Ruiz who reached base twice in the game. Ruiz had not played a game since 5/30 before playing on 6/5 so it was nice to see him being productive at the plate. The other hit was a triple by Ronnier Mustelier who is not known for being fleet of foot but did what he could to get a run close to scoring. Ozzie Albies' struggles at AAA continued as he seems to be alternating decent games with not so decent ones. The BABIP gods continue to be unkind, but we still remain confident that he will be fine so long as he continues to make adjustments to his level.
Next Game: 6/7 hosting Lehigh Valley @ 7:05 PM
Probable Starters: Gwinnett - Manny Banuelos, Lehigh Valley - James Russell
Mississippi Braves 3, Tennessee Smokies 1
- Dustin Peterson, LF: 2-4, 2 RBI, .256/.322/.398
- Carlos Franco, 3B: 1-4, .244/.335/.308
- Victor Mateo, SP: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 4.66 ERA
Victor Mateo and the bullpen put together a strong performance which was backed by just enough offense as Mississippi beat Tennessee 3-1. Mateo only went 4 innings in this game (they typically limit him to 80 pitches or so), but was effective in those innings as he gave up just one earned run while walking two and striking out three. Mateo is a guy who will come in and do spots starts on occasion but has pitched out of the bullpen this season. Kyle Kinman, Mauricio Cabrera, and Brandon Cunniff combined for 5 innings of scoreless relief where they gave up just 4 hits and 2 walks as they secured the win for Mississippi.
On offense, the news that we need to cover first is that Dansby Swanson had the night off. Cue the panic throughout the fanbase that Dansby is hurt or being traded or insert random other rumor. However, far more likely is that the Braves want to spell Dansby on occasion since not only is he being run out there night after night, but he has a media schedule that is frankly exhausting to think about, let alone keep up with. A well deserved night's rest. Dustin Peterson had a couple hits in this game and drove in two of Mississippi's three runs on the night. Mississippi's offensive efforts on the night were helped by the fact that the top of the order (Matt Lipka and Dian Toscano) walked 4 times in the game leading to two scores.
Next Game: 6/7 hosting Tennessee @ 7:00 PM CST
Probable Starters: Mississippi - Chris Ellis, Tennessee - Paul Blackburn
Carolina Mudcats 11, Frederick Keys 3
- Joseph Odom, DH: 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .275/.333/.470
- Tanner Murphy, C: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, .126/.195/.184
- Matt Withrow, SP: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, 3.47 ERA
Primarily on the back of an 8 run fourth that saw Joseph Odom hit two home runs, Carolina beat up on Frederick 11-3. Matt Withrow had another excellent start for Carolina and now has given up a total of 3 earned runs in his last three starts (16 IP). Aside from a solo shot in the second inning, Withrow did well limiting hard contact and continued to miss bats when he needed to. Zach Bird came on in relief and gave up an earned run for his second straight appearance. David Peterson and Evan Phillips combined for three innings of scoreless, relatively pressure-free relief.
Carolina brought out the big bats for this game as they had 5 extra-base hits in the game including three home runs. The highlight of the game certainly had to be Joseph Odom going yard TWICE in the 4th inning as Carolina batted around and put the game out of reach in a hurry. Tanner Murphy added a three-run shot in that same fourth inning and by the end of that inning, opposing pitcher Trevor Belicek was probably wishing he hadn't been traded away. Tanner Murphy has had an exceedingly difficult season thus far and will need to turn things around soon if he is going to keep his roster spot. In short, Carolina had more runs than hits and seemed to capitalize on every baserunner and every mistake, especially in that aforementioned fourth inning outburst.
Next Game: 6/7 at Frederick @ 11:00 AM
Probable Starters: Carolina - Max Povse, Frederick - Lucas Long
Rome Braves 4, Charleston RiverDogs 13
- Ray-Patrick Didder, CF: 2-4, HR, .289/.393/.417
- Alejandro Salazar, SS: 2-3, 2B, 2 runs, .295/.320/.331
- Kolby Allard, SP: 4 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
The big news of the night was that Kolby Allard made his full season debut for Rome, but it did not going particularly well as Rome fell to Charleston 13-4. Its pretty clear that Allard is rusty in terms of pitching in games and we can't forget that he is still recovering from back surgery. That said, this game will likely be one he would like to take back as he had trouble locating his fastball which led to two pitches being left on the fat part of the plate and the hitters did well to hit them out....accounting for 5 of the 6 runs Allard gave up. On the plus side, Allard's curve looked tremendous and he seemed to have little trouble (for the most part) in throwing it for strikes. Of course it would have been better if Kolby had come out and thrown 8 scoreless innings, but that he looks healthy and certainly didn't look as bad as his line should be good enough for now.
He will throw the curve to anyone at any time. pic.twitter.com/N9Pd6uFPlk
— Braves Reddit (@BravesReddit) June 7, 2016
On offense, Rome scattered 8 hits around and while they did manage to score 4 runs while going 5 for 11 with RISP, the game felt out of reach even before the 5 run outburst in the top of the 9th inning. Ray-Patrick Didder continues to be the surprise of the year for Rome as he cranked a solo homer in the first inning. Didder is certainly going to be primarily known for his speed, but he has some pop as the ball seems to jump off his bat when he gets going. One of the hottest hitters in the entire system stayed hot as Alejandro Salazar had yet another multi-hit game to his resume. He is now hitting .455 over his last ten games despite being a player that swings often and rarely walks.
Next Game: 6/7 hosting Charleston @ 7:00 PM
Probable Starters: Rome - Touki Toussaint, Charleston - Yefrey Ramirez