Sunday was a struggle offensively throughout most of the Atlanta Braves system, but it didn’t stop Jesse Franklin from going off with a multi-homer game. Vaughn Grissom, Justin Dean, and Stephen Paolini were among the other hitters who brought their bats on Sunday.
On the pitching side, we saw very strong pitching performances from Darius Vines and Nolan Kingham plus more of Indigo Diaz dominating High-A out of the bullpen.
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 6, Gwinnett Stripers 3
- Drew Waters, CF: 1-4, 2B
- Travis Demeritte, RF: 1-4, R
- Jasseel De La Cruz, SP: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K
- Yoan Lopez, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
You know you’re having a good season when you can say giving up four runs on five hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings is arguably your worst start of the season, because it’s not all that bad of an outing. That’s exactly what Jasseel De La Cruz did on Sunday, as he fell victim to a few big hits for extra bases that inflated his run count on the day. He was followed by 2/3 of a scoreless inning from Jesse Biddle before Jesse Chavez surrendered two runs over his two innings of work. Recent trade acquisition Yoan Lopez and Jacob Webb each threw a scoreless inning to finish the game off.
The Gwinnett bats were held pretty quiet on the day as a Drew Waters double was the only extra base hit and no one in the lineup managed a multi-hit game as the team totaled just five hits. Singles from Travis Demeritte, Jonathan Lucroy, Sean Kazmar, and surprisingly Jasseel De La Cruz made up the rest of the hits for the Stripers.
Next Game: 6/8 @ Memphis at 8:10 PM. Probable Starters: Gwinnett -TBD, Memphis-Zack Thompson
Mississippi Braves 4, Pensacola Blue Wahoos 3
- Justin Dean, CF: 1-3, R, RBI, 3B, SB
- Jalen Miller, 2B: 1-2, BB, 2 R, SB
- Nolan Kingham, SP: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
- Daysbel Hernandez, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Nolan Kingham pitched an excellent game on Sunday tossing six innings of one run ball and allowing just three hits and a walk. The run came on a solo homer to Marlins top prospect Peyton Burdick. Matt Withrow came in relief and allowed two runs over an inning, picking up both the blown save and the victory before scoreless frames from Daysbel Hernandez and Brandon White finished off Pensacola.
The offense wasn’t pretty at all on Sunday but it did do just enough to pick up the win. In fact the Braves managed to score their four runs on just three hits with only two walks. Justin Dean had one of the hits, a triple, and also stole his tenth base of the season. Jalen Miller had a hit as well as a stolen base and Wendell Rijo recorded a double. Among the hottest prospects in the system, Shea Langeliers ended up 0-for-3, while CJ Alexander was 0-for-4 as Marlins pitching prospect Jake Eder continues to dominate Double A.
Next Game: 6/8 @ Biloxi at 7:35 PM. Probable Starters: Both TBD
Bowling Green Hot Rods 7, Rome Braves 2
- Jesse Franklin, RF: 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR
- Riley Delgado, DH: 2-4, 2B
- Trey Riley, RP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
- Indigo Diaz, RP: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Alan Rangel got the start and had a decent afternoon, but one bad inning ruined his stat line. Rangel gave up four runs over four innings, all coming in the fourth which included a three-run homer. Over his four innings Rangel allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out five. Trey Riley was up next and battled some command as well as his own defense, giving up a pair of unearned runs on a hit and a walk over 1 1/3 innings. He was followed by Gabriel Noguera, who allowed a run on a hit and two walks while recording a pair of outs. The highlight of the day on the pitching side has to be another strong outing from Indigo Diaz, who struck out five over two scoreless frames. Diaz has been nothing short of dominant this year and deserves to get called up to Double-A shortly.
Another offense in the system that struggled to get going Sunday was Rome, as there wasn’t much to talk about outside of Jesse Franklin going off with a pair of solo homers. The 2020 draft pick out of Michigan, who missed the brief college season that spring with aninjury, has struggled with the adjustment to pro ball, but has shown some flashes like this that give you hope that he is shaking off the rust while adjusting to a higher level of competition. Beyond Franklin we saw Riley Delgado have a 2-for-4 afternoon with a double and two other guys hit singles(Brett Langhorne, Kevin Josephina) as the Braves finished with only six hits.
Next Game: 6/8 vs. Asheville at 7:00 PM. Probable Starters: Both TBD
Augusta GreenJackets 9, Charleston RiverDogs 7
- Vaughn Grissom, 3B: 2-4, RBI, 2B
- Stephen Paolini, CF: 2-5, R
- Willie Carter, DH: 3-4, R, RBI, BB, SB
- Braulio Vasquez, 2B: 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, HR, SB
- Darius Vines, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Darius Vines had another excellent start on Sunday, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk over five innings with five strikeouts to pick up his first win of the year in six starts. That first win is a bit misleading as he hasn’t gone deep enough to get the win often, going just 24 innings over his six outings with a 2.25 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Miguel Pena followed and gave up three runs in an inning. Ben Thompson and Ben Dum were each tagged for a run over the final three innings.
Augusta was the one affiliate that didn’t have difficulties with offense on Sunday, as there were too many notables to list them all. Among the top prospects here Vaughn Grissom went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Stephen Paolini was 2-for-5. Willie Carter had three hits, drew a walk and stole a base. Braulio Vasquez homered and stole his 21st base of the season, while Brandon Parker also homered in the win. Cade Bunnell contributed two hits including a double, while recent addition from extended spring training Conor Blair stole a pair of bases in the win.
Next Game: 6/8 vs. Myrtle Beach at 7:05 PM. Probable Starters: Both TBD