(11-9) Gwinnett Braves 3 @ (7-9) Toledo Mud Hens 1
- Emilio Bonifacio, CF: 2-4, 2B, 2R (.314/.368/.353)
- Reid Brignac, 2B: 2-3, BB (.281/.385/.297)
- Tyrell Jenkins, P: 6 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Offensively, this game was pretty boring with Gwinnett registering just 1 XBH (E. Bonifacio). They mainly got it done with some timely hits. I wish there was more to report maybe..uh..Bonifacio has been good for Gwinnett this year (.721 OPS). Rio Ruiz has gone 0-7 in his last two games but still has a .922 OPS on the season.
The star of the show was Tyrell Jenkins who looked much improved. He has tamed his huge leg kick a bit, and has made some adjustments with his hips and subsequently struggled with his command however tonight he shined inducing a ton of weak contact (7 groundouts). To say the least it was a very encouraging outing from Tyrell. Casey Kelly seemingly lost all control of all of his pitches as he walked 2, and gave up 2 hits and an earned run while registering just one out. Luckily Ian Krol came in with the bases loaded and prevented anymore damage. David Peterson came in and earned the save pitching 1.1 innings allowing just 1 hit and registering one strikeout.
Next Game: 4/27 @ Toledo Mud Hens @ 6:35 PM.
Probable Starters: John Gant - Gwinnett, Josh Turley - Toledo
(14-5) Biloxi Shuckers 3 @ (7-13) Mississippi Braves
- Ozzie Albies, SS: 3-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI (.351/.412/.494)
- Dustin Peterson, LF: 2-4, HR, 2B, BB (.273/.329/.455)
- Willians Astudillo, C: 1-2, BB (.281/.311/.333)
- Brandon Barker, P: 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K
At first glance you wonder why Willians Astudillo made this list with a 1-2 performance considering how the rest of his teammates did well here's why: this was the first walk for Willians in 241 days spanning 92 plate appearances. An even more impressive feat, and I will surely talk about it if I'm recapping the game, is that the catcher has not struck out in what is now an incredible 161 PA. Incredible.
Okay, back to the really good stuff. We got to see really good stuff out of the top prospects down in Mississippi. Ozhaino Albies, sometimes falsely labeled as a slap hitter (I've actually read someone say he goes to the opposite field too much), hit an absolute rocket to LF to earn his first HR in 618 days. The 19 year-old wunderkind also collected a nice hustle double in the gap that was nicely cut off by the CF however he ran hard out of the box and it was never going to be an issue. He's really special, and has been very good at every level he's played at. How the Braves manage him for the rest of the year will be something to watch closely.
Another thing to keep an eye on is that this is a big year for Dustin Peterson. The Braves #21 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, was off to a strong start in 2015 before the Carolina bus crash derailed his season. Appearing to be fully recovered from the effects of the crash the 21 year old looks to make a splash with his new organization and has done so, so far. Dustin is flashing that 50 grade game power potential by connecting for his 3rd HR of the season, which trails only Matt Tuiasosopo.
On the other side of the ball, Brandon Barker continued his stellar start to 2016. While he may profile more as a reliever that features a good FB/CB combo the command of his pitches is giving at least me enough doubt to see if he can stick it as a starter. And while he may never light up that radar gun or have that big 10 strikeout game he continues to induce very weak contact that has help lower his ERA down to a minuscule 0.78 and WHIP to a great 1.000.
Next Game: 4/28 @ Jacksonville Suns @ 7:05 PM
Probable Starters: Andrew Thurman - Mississippi, Jake Esch - Jacksonville
(6-13) Wilmington Blue Rocks 2 @ (8-11) Carolina Mudcats 5
- Dansby Swanson, SS: 1-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (.324/.412/.500)
- Jordan Edgerton, 3B: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI (.205/.214/.359)
- Max Povse, P: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
- Chase Johnson-Mullins, P: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 2 K
Edgerton had a huge game which was much needed (3 for his last 25) for him but Dansby Swanson stole the show. I watched a couple of his at-bats and as expected came away very pleased. I'm honestly surprised he has 13 strikeouts because the mans plate recognition is unreal. I didn't see him swing at a single ball in his at-bats, and he barreled up the double. If you need more praise for him at the top of the 8th after he walked he stole 2 bases and scored on a soft single to left. He had such a great read on that second stolen base that he could have gotten it standing up.
Max Povse took the mound and was just spectacular. He continued to command all of his pitches (64 strikes on 85 pitches), and the previous knock on him that he has trouble repeating mechanics appears to be a thing of the past. He has little left to prove (0.713 WHIP) in Carolina and I fully expect him to be promoted very soon. Wes Parsons came in and got a groundout to preserve the lead, and Chase Johnson-Mullins absolutely steamrolled the Blue Rocks in the 9th picking up his 4 save. Was nice to see him avoid any contact as he had been plagued by hits, though he hasn't give up an earned run so far this year, his past few outings.
Next game: 4/27 hosting Wilmington Blue Rocks @ 7:00 PM
Probable Starters: Ryan Clark - Carolina, Josh Staumont - Wilmington
(5-13) Rome Braves 3 @ (14-4) West Virginia Power 0
This game was suspended due to rain and will be resumed as part of a double-header tomorrow.
Next game: 4/27 @ West Virginia Game 1 @ 10:35 AM & Game 2 7:05 PM
Probable Starters: Game 1 - TBD, Game 2 Touki Toussaint - Rome, Jonathan Brubaker - West Virginia