Gwinnett Braves 6, Columbus Clippers 2
Box Score
- Xavier Avery, CF: 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs, .276/.336/.490
- Rio Ruiz, 3B: 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, 2 runs, .264/.309/.450
- Lucas Sims, SP: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, 2.16 ERA
Lucas Sims pitched his best game of the year as he continued his resurgent campaign and the offense backed him up as Gwinnett beat Columbus 6-2. Lucas pitched into the seventh while striking out 10 batters in this dominant performance and has now started the season with 6 of his first 7 starts being ones where he has given up two runs or less. While we are known to still be skeptical in the long-term on Lucas, it is impossible to deny the improvements he has made thus far to his walk rate which is a full 3-4 walks per 9 innings better than he has been in recent years. Sims experiencing the lowest BABIP against in his full season ball career (.222 in 2017 up until now) helps, but limiting the free passes is the biggest improvement and could get him to the majors this year.
On offense, Gwinnett had a balanced attack that permeated the lineup as six of their lineup regulars had multi-hit games including Xavier Avery who homered for his second time in 4 games while recording three hits on his card. Rio Ruiz also had a trio of hits in the game including a pair of doubles. While the walks haven’t been as much for Rio this season, he is showing real signs of coming around as he is hitting .342 over his last ten games. Mel Rojas Jr. added a couple of hits and has now hit safely in 11 of his past 12 games while Emilio Bonifacio still has a roster position with the Atlanta Braves.
Next Game: 5/14 at 6:35 PM @ Norfolk. Probable Starter - TBD
Mississippi Braves 6, Biloxi Shuckers 5
Box Score
- Ronald Acuna, CF: 4-5, 2B, 3 RBI, .336/.382/.557
- Keith Curcio, LF: 4-4, 2B, BB, run, .266/.345/.344
- Kolby Allard, SP: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1.23 ERA
Biloxi got dominated by a pair of teenagers as Kolby Allard had yet another dominant start while Ronald Acuna did work yet again as Mississippi won 6-5. Kolby Allard did his thing yet again utilizing really strong command of his fastball and changeup in particular to put up another outstanding start. He has the uncanny ability to spot his pitches so well up in the zone and even slightly out of it that batter’s roll over a lot of pitches that they have no chance of doing anything with. He is now 2nd in the league in ERA, 7th in WHIP, and 4th in innings pitched....he is 19 years old in case you have forgotten. Jesse Biddle had a rough relief outing as he gave 4 runs, although just two were earned after Travis Demeritte had an interference call go against in the 6th inning.
On offense, I guess Ronald Acuna did not get the memo that he was the youngest player in AA and that most players are supposed to struggle a bit as they move up. He had four more hits in this one and has now recorded multi-hit games in 5 of his first 6 games in AA while only striking out 4 times there after a tough start to the season where he was pressing a bit and striking out a bunch. The work he has done this entire season has yielded a .936 OPS while stealing 18 bases and scoring 27 runs. Keith Curcio had a four hit game himself which brought his batting average up more than 20 points while Travis Demeritte’s reign of terror came to at least a temporary end as he went 0-5 with a couple strikeouts.
Next Game: 5/14 at 7:35 PM @ Biloxi. Probable Starter - Luiz Gohara
Rome Braves 1, Kannapolis Intimidators 2
Box Score
- Cristian Pache, CF: 2-3, BB, .274/.339/.354
- Juan Yepez, 3B: 2-4, 2B, RBI, .294/.326/.413
- Joey Wentz, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 3.44 ERA
Joey Wentz was excellent yet again for Rome, but the offense struggled to bring batters across the plate and Kannapolis rallied off of the bullpen to beat Rome 2-1. To start his full season ball career, Wentz now has 4 starts in his first 7 where he has given up 1 run or less. Opposing batters are hitting .288 against him and I was worried a bit that his stuff did not seem particularly overpowering when I saw him live so that is worth monitoring. That said, the batting average is skewed a bit by sample size due to a couple of starts where he gave up 9 hits each. Oriel Caicedo, who has been largely excellent this season as both a starter and reliever, had a tough game as he gave up two earned runs which proved to be all Kannapolis needed to steal a victory.
On offense, Cristian Pache reached base three times and now has himself a 7 game hitting streak. While there are still some raw aspects to his game, he is showing signs of improving at the plate and he already has 5 outfield assists and several highlight reel plays to his credit out in centerfield. Juan Yepez just keeps hitting as he had a pair in this game. It is a little surprising that his raw power hasn’t shown up more in games this season given how well he has seen the ball this year, but he is definitely a guy to keep an eye on as organizational prospect lists come out at midseason as well as next offseason. Randy Ventura continues to impress as he had another hit and he has now hit safely in 10 of his past 11, although it is strange that he has not attempted to steal a base in the month of May.
Next Game: 5/14 at 7 PM @ vs. Kannapolis. Probable Starter - Ryan Lawlor
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