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Starting pitching ruled the day for Atlanta's minor league clubs, as Todd Redmond, David Hale, and Gus Schlosser all turned in stellar outings. Stefan Gartrell had a do-it-all day for Gwinnett, while Evan Gattis managed his first triple and Robby Hefflinger's homer was the difference for Lynchburg.
Gwinnett Braves 6, Buffalo Bison 1
- Drew Sutton, 2B: 3-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, .266
- Stefan Gartrell, LF: 1-2, HR(7), 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB(3), OF Assist, .236
- Todd Redmond, SP: 6 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, W(3-3), 2.84 ERA
- Anthony Varvaro, RP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 3.86 ERA
In what was somewhat of a theme tonight, Todd Redmond turned in a dominant start as Gwinnett rolled over Buffalo 6-1. Redmond went 6 strong innings, scattering 7 hits and a walk without allowing a single run. He also struck out 4 on the evening. Anthony Varvaro was equally dominant in relief, throwing two perfect innings with three strikeouts. As for the offense, Drew Sutton had a great day at the plate, going 3-4 with a double, two runs, and an RBI, but it was Stefan Gartrell who did it all for Gwinnett. Gartrell continued his power surge, clubbing a two-run homer in the first inning - his 7th of the year. He also took two walks, stole his third base of the year, and even threw out a runner at third base.
Jair Jurrjens gets the start tomorrow, looking to improve on his last outing.
Mississippi Braves 5, Huntsville Stars 0
- Evan Gattis, C: 2-4, 3B, RBI, .320
- Ian Gac, 1B: 2-4, HR(4), 2B, 2 R, .235
- Cory Harrilchak, LF: 2-4, R, RBI, .184
- David Hale, SP: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, W(3-2), 4.03 ERA
- Mark Lamm, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2.60 ERA
David Hale completely shut down the Hunstville Stars today, throwing 6 stellar innings of 2 hit ball, walking two and striking out four. The bullpen preserved Hale's shutout, capped off by Mark Lamm's perfect 9th. Hale has been very hot and cold so far this year: Through 8 turns, Hale has had 3 scoreless starts and 2 starts where he's allowed 7 or more runs. If Hale can get his consistency down, he can be a major league starter, otherwise he may be bound for the bullpen. On the other side of the ball, Evan Gattis kept on hitting, banging out his first triple of the year and driving a run home. Ian Gac had a monster day, going yard, chipping in a double, and scoring twice.
Mississippi is off tomorrow. Zeke Spruill will open a five game series with the Tennessee Smokies on Thursday.
Wilmington Blue Rocks 0, Lynchburg Hillcats 1
- Tommy La Stella, 2B: 2-4, .301
- Robby Hefflinger, RF: 1-3, HR(3), .220
- Gus Schlosser, SP: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W(4-2), 4.32 ERA
- Juan Jaime, RP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, S(6), 4.61 ERA
Gus Schlosser was every bit as masterful as David Hale was for Lynchburg, going 7 innings of 3 hit ball while allowing only 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Schlosser's season has been pretty rough up to this point, as he had posted a 5.02 ERA across 7 starts prior to tonight. Hopefully he can use this as a turning point. Wilmington turned in a strong pitching performance as well, as Lynchburg was only able to muster 6 hits on the evening. Robby Hefflinger's solo shot would open and close the scoring, and was all Schlosser would need. Juan Jaime nailed it down by pitching 1.1 innings of hitless ball with 3 punchouts for his 6th save.
Dimasther Delgado takes on Wilmington tomorrow.
Rome Braves 5, Augusta GreenJackets 3
- Kyle Kubitza, 3B: 3-5, 2 R, .266
- Jakob Dalfonso, DH: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, .246
- Tony Mueller, CF: 2-5, R, .250
- David Filak, SP: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K, W(2-2), 1.94 ERA
- Ryne Harper, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, S(2), 3.24 ERA
Though David Filak wasn't as lights out as the rest of the Braves' starters tonight, he was certainly up to the task. Filak held the GreenJackets to 2 runs on 6 hits with five strikeouts. On the season, Filak has now struck out 50 men in 41.2 innings, and if he can continue to limit his walks (he has 19 on the year), he'll be able to pitch more effectively and go deeper into games. Kyle Kubitza paced Rome's offense with 3 hits and two runs, while Jakob Dalfonso pitched in with a 2 RBI double.
Navery Moore is the probable starter for tomorrow, though it hasn't been officially announced yet.