Gwinnett Braves 6 - Syracuse Chiefs 10
- Ozzie Albies - 1-for-4, BB, 2 K; .286/.329/.446, 113 wRC+
- Ronald Acuna - 2-for-4, 3B, BB, R; .263/.354/.491, 135 wRC+ in AAA
- Luiz Gohara - 4 and 2⁄3 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 5 K, 5 R (4 ER), 1 HR allowed, error
- Dansby Swanson - 1-for-4, BB, K
Luiz Gohara’s debut at AAA didn’t go all that well. The first inning saw him allow an unearned run, thanks to his own throwing error on a pickoff that pushed a runner to second with none out, and then another fielding error that put runners on the corners. Gohara was able to get a double play to minimize the damage, but the run scored on the play and the G-Braves were down 1-0 going into the second.
Gwinnett took a brief lead in the fourth, thanks to a two-out rally that included a Jace Peterson single, a Dustin Peterson RBI double, and then a go-ahead RBI single from Carlos Franco. Unfortunately, Gohara gave those runs right back by allowing a leadoff walk and then three straight singles on liners to the outfield. A double play helped stem the bleeding, but in the fifth, another leadoff walk came home to roost on a two-out, two-run homer, ending Gohara’s day.
Syracuse would later torch Enrique Burgos for five runs to pull way ahead. Gwinnett got a pinch-hit, three-run homer from Matt Tuiasosopo to make the score a bit closer, but despite Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna reaching base after that to put the game kind of in reach, Syracuse summoned erstwhile big leaguer Neal Cotts from the ‘pen, who struck out Dansby Swanson and Rio Ruiz to shut the door.
Saturday’s probables: Matt Wisler (Gwinnett) vs. Erick Fedde (Syracuse)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 4 - Mississippi Braves 3
- Dylan Moore - 1-for-4, 2 RBI; .192/.270/.260, 55 wRC+
- Austin Riley - 0-for-4, 2 K; .271/.340/.296; 117 wRC+ in AA
The M-Braves got a decent start from Andres Santiago (5 IP, 1 R allowed despite 6 H and 3 BB) but were done in by David “Gore” Vidal, who hit a homer in the third, and then a go-ahead, game-winning homer in the ninth off of Corbin Clouse to sink them.
Mississippi did not get much going on offense — they managed just five hits and zero walks all game. Dylan Moore knocked in their first two runs with a blooper two-RBI single in the third, but was thrown out trying to take second in the process, and even that bit of scoring was set up by a poorly-fielded bunt by the Jacksonville first baseman.
Reliever Devan Watts pitched two scoreless, but allowed two hits in the eighth before he was pulled for Clouse. Clouse allowed both of those runners to score (walk, RBI single, sacrifice fly), but a Joe Odom RBI single in the bottom of the inning tied up the game. Unfortunately, that just set up Vidal’s second homer, and the M-Braves could not push their leadoff runner in the ninth across the plate.
Saturday’s probables: Chris Mazza (Jacksonville) vs. Kolby Allard (Mississippi)
Florida Fire Frogs vs. Jupiter Hammerheads — Postponed (Rain)
Saturday’s probables: Enderson Franco (Florida) vs. TBD (Dunedin)
Rome Braves 7 - Asheville Tourists 4
- Marcus Mooney - 3-for-4, R, RBI, BB, SB, CS; .224/.293/.261, 65 wRC+
- Lucas Herbert - 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI; .258/.309/.405, 106 wRC+
- Kurt Hoekstra - 1-for-1, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, Sac Fly; .243/.300/.322, 81 wRC+
- Alan Rangel - 5 IP, 3 H, 9 K, 1 BB, 3 R (3 ER)
The Rome offense had a bit of a party in this one, scoring runs in five consecutive innings to defeat Asheville. The runs scored in all sorts of varieties: a solo homer from Kurt Hoekstra in the third, a singles-and-walks rally scoring two in the fourth, a leadoff hit-by-pitch, followed by a steal, a throwing error on a pickoff, and an RBI single in the fifth, a sacrifice fly that turned into a double play but still allowed a run to score in the sixth, and finally a two-RBI single in the seventh.
Alan Rangel allowed three runs in the third, with two of those runs coming on a two-out homer. He did, however, get six straight outs via strikeout, and retired the last six batters he faced, but was lifted after 81 pitches through five innings.
Saturday’s probables: Tucker Davidson (Rome) vs. Antonio Santos (Asheville)
Johnson City Cardinals vs. Danville Braves — Postponed (Rain)
Saturday’s probables: Alvaro Seijas (Johnson City) vs. Huascar Ynoa (Danville) - Game 1; Zach Prendergast (Johnson City) vs. Dilmer Mejia (Danville) - Game 2.
GCL Braves 4 - GCL Yankees East 5
- Yunior Severino - 0-for-5, 5 K; .296/.380/.432, 136 wRC+
- Yefri del Rosario - 3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 R (3 ER), 2 K
- Troy Bacon - 2 IP, 0 H, 3 BB, 0 R, 2 K
The GCL Braves lost in walkoff fashion, thanks to a wild pitch and an error that set up a groundball single. Before then, they had played to a 4-4 tie after five innings, thanks in large part to a 3-RBI effort from catcher Ricardo Rodriguez, who hit an RBI single in the first and a two-RBI double in the fourth.
The two teams combined for 13 walks, 24 strikeouts, and four errors, but such is life in the GCL. Matt Withrow pitched two perfect innings for the GCL Braves to start the game in a rehab game before he prepares to return to Mississippi.