There was plenty of game action Monday night on the Atlanta Braves farm. It started bright and early with an 11 a.m. Gwinnett Stripers game and saw the young Braves of Rome and Florida play two. Let’s take a look at how all six games went down.
Durham Bulls 4, Gwinnett Stripers 2
- Austin Riley, 3B: 0-for-4, RBI, .981 OPS
- Travis Demeritte, LF: 2-for-3, 1 HR, .962 OPS
- Kolby Allard, 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 3 K
The life and times of Allard continued Monday night. He’s reached at least the sixth inning in each of his last three starts, striking out 10 and walking six while allowing eight earned runs on 18 hits. Nothing jumps off the page, but he is giving innings and allowing three runs a game, which isn’t terrible if he can figure out how to become a back-of-the-rotation arm. He landed 56 of 94 pitches and recorded six fly outs to five ground outs. Jesse Biddle came on to close it out, and pitched two more perfect innings. He hasn’t allowed a hit, run, or walk since returning to Gwinnett.
Demeritte was the lone bright spot and continues to confound Braves fans everywhere. So what are the pluses for the 24-year-old righty? He seems to have transitioned from infield to both corner outfield positions, and it can be argued he handles them better than he did second, third, and short. He’s on a 12-game hitting streak and is striking out at a career low rate while walking nearly 12 percent of the time. The negative? He is Demeritte and we have been fooled before. This deal seemed like an absolute steal when it went down and if Demeritte is finally becoming that player, even if the power doesn’t reach that original potential, it still can be.
5/7 Probable starter: TBD
Mississippi Braves 3, Pensacola Blue Wahoos 6
- Cristian Pache, CF: 1-for-5
- Drew Waters, LF: 0-for-5
- Patrick Weigel: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Weigel has now strung together two solid starts and the 24-year-old righty is getting back to form. He needed just 29 pitches to get through three innings, and 20 of those were for strikes. Jeremy Walker came on and had his worst outing of the year allowing six hits and five runs (three earned) over four, while striking out three and walking one. Some of the hits were tough ones and some of the fielding didn’t help his cause, but Walker’s delivery looks tighter and cleaner than it did two years ago when he was a perplexing pitching prospect in Rome. Hopefully this was an anomaly to an otherwise fine season so far. Justin Kelly came on for the final two innings of work.
Offensively, Mississippi racked up six hits by six different players. One of those was by Pache, who’s bat had been quiet the previous two games. Luis Valenzuela (two-RBI single) and Tyler Neslony (RBI triple) did the damage driving in the runs.
5/7 Probable starter: Joey Wentz
Game 1: Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, Florida Fire Frogs 0 (7 innings)
Game 2: Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, Florida Fire Frogs 2 (7 innings)
Game 1 box score | Game 2 box score
- Hayden Deal: 5 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (Game 1)
- Greyson Jenista, RF: 2-for-6, 2 RBI (both games)
- Riley Delgado, 3B: 1-for-4, 2 BB (both games)
Deal had yet another strong outing, but for the second time in three starts, he picked up the tough-luck loss, both times allowing just one run. The 24-year-old southpaw was certainly more hittable than in games past, allowing one more hit on Monday night than his last two starts combined. Still, he continues to hit his low- to mid-90s fastball and changeup, limiting walks and striking out hitter.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much offense behind him as only Greyson Jenista, Riley Unroe, and Brett Langhorne managed a hit, recording one apiece. Riley Delgado continued to be a menace at the plate, walking in two of his three appearances.
The Fire Frogs struggled again in Game 2. Keith Weisenberg couldn’t make it out of the second, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks. Troy Bacon had a much needed solid appearance going 2.2 innings and striking out four while walking just one, and Sean McLaughlin tossed two shutout innings to close it out.
Florida could only manage six hits in both games. Jenista had two and was responsible for all the run production Monday night with a two-RBI double in the fourth inning of Game 2. Delgado and Unroe picked up the other two Fire Frog hits on the quiet night. Jenista seems to be coming around, hitting .303 over his last 10 games, striking out nine times but drawing seven walks as well. If he can start finding some loft and get back to the contact he was known for, it could be big for the heart of this lineup.
5/7 Probable starter: Nolan Kingham
Game 1: Rome Braves 3, Lakewood BlueClaws 1 (7 innings)
Game 2: Lakewood BlueClaws 8, Rome Braves 0 (7 innings)
Game 1 box score | Game 2 box score
- Trey Riley: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 5 BB, 4 K (Game 1)
- Logan Brown, C: 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI (Game 1)
- Justin Dean, CF: 2-for-7, 2 RBI (both games)
Finally. Riley picked up his first win of the season, albeit not the cleanest game of the 21-year-old righty’s season. He walked more than he struck out but was able to induce six ground balls and just three fly outs to keep Lakewood off the scoreboard. Brown got the scoring started in the first, but it was Justin Dean’s two-RBI single in the fourth that put the game out of reach.
Can we talk about Kurt Hoekstra for a second? Hoekstra was always a likable player amongst the Rome Braves, versatile enough to play the corner infield spots and even shortstop here and there. He got his first taste of High-A last season and struggled, so he put the bat away for good and has turned to pitching. He’s 25 now, but the former 21st-rounder out of Western Michigan is looking solid in the closer spot. He picked up his fourth save and has allowed just one earned run on the year in his 13 1⁄3 innings of work, all while posting a 22/4 K/BB ratio. This is certainly one of the more intriguing stories in the Braves’ minors this year.
Rome did not fare as well in Game 2. Odalvi Javier was pitching well until a four-run fifth did him in. Jake Higginbotham came on in relief and allowed two runs to cross. The good (starter experience, a nice arsenal) continues to outweigh the bad for Higginbotham, though two of his last three appearances have not been strong ones. He makes the most out of slightly above average stuff, but the most important thing is that he looks healthy again after his 2017 injury.
There’s not much to report on the offense in the second game as Rome only mustered three hits. Justin Dean, Andrew Moritz, and Greg Cullen all delivered singles off Lakewood pitching on the night. Dean now has a hit in four straight and has hit safely in nine of the last ten.
5/7: OFF
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