We had the dreaded reverse organizational sweep today, as our four minor league teams lost 5 times! Kris Medlen had a rocky first start with Gwinnett, Zeke Spruill pitched decently for Mississippi, Lynchburg got shut down in a doubleheader, and Rome had a quiet night as well.
Charlotte Knights 5, Gwinnett Braves 2
- Felix Pie, RF: 2-3, 2B, R, .290
- Jose Yepez, C: 1-2, 2B, RBI, BB, .271
- Tyler Pastornicky, SS: 1-4, .222
- Kris Medlen, SP: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 15.43 ERA
- Buddy Carlyle, RP: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1.57 ERA
- Anthony Varvaro, RP: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2.86 ERA
Kris Medlen made his first AAA start in his effort to get stretched out for starting in the bigs, and it wasn't the prettiest of affairs. Medlen threw 66 pitches over 2.1 innings, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. He also walked 4 but gave up a home run. Not the prettiest of starts for Medlen. The bullpen was excellent behind him, as Buddy Carlyle through 3.2 innings of scoreless long relief while Varvaro went two scoreless as well. On the other side of the ball, Felix Pie was the only G-Brave to record a multi-hit game, going 2-3 with a double and a run. Tyler Pastornicky went 1-4 in his second game with Gwinnett, while catcher Jose Yepez reached twice with an RBI double and a walk.
Julio Teheran takes the mound tomorrow against the Knights looking to rebound from his last sub-par outting.
Mississippi Braves 2, Huntsville Stars 6
- Phil Gosselin, 2B: 1-3, 2 R, BB, SB(8), .264
- Todd Cunningham, CF: 1-3, RBI, .308
- Barrett Kleinknecht, SS: 1-4, SB(2), .196
- Zeke Spruill, SP: 7 IP, 4 H, 4 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, 3.41 ERA
Zeke Spruill turned in a solid start today, but was let down by his defense in a 6-2 loss. Spruill went 7 innings allowing only 4 hits and 2 walks. 4 of his runners scored, but only two were earned after 4 errors from the Mississippi defense. Mississippi was only able to manage one more hit than they had errors, scoring two runs on 5 hits. Phil Gosselin scored them both, reaching twice on a single and walk and also stealing his 8th base of the year. Todd Cunningham and Ian Gac drove him in both times with RBI singles. Barrett Kleinknecht continues to show off his utility, starting at short today after playing catcher yesterday. He went 1-4 with a steal.
Mississippi plays a doubleheader tomorrow with Gary Moran starting game one and Chris Masters starting game two.
Lynchburg Hillcats 1, Potomac Nationals 6 - Game 1
- Edward Salcedo, 3B: 1-3, HR(7), .255
- David Rohm, RF: 1-2, .281
- Dimasther Delgado, SP: 3.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 4.71 ERA
- Caleb Brewer, RP: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 3.51 ERA
In game one of the seven inning doubleheader, Lynchburg got 2 hit by the Potomac Nationals. Edward Salcedo had one of the two Lynchburg hits, and it was a solo home run that accounted for all of the Hillcats scoring on the day. David Rohm had a single for Lynchburg's other hit. Dimasther Delgado had an atrocious start, allowing 12 baserunners and 6 runs across 3.1 innings of work. He struck out 4 but also walked three as well. Caleb Brewer was a bright spot for Lynchburg though, cleaning up Delgado's mess by goign 2.2 hitless innings with 2 strikeouts.
Lynchburg Hillcats 2, Potomac Nationals 4 - Game 2
- Chris Garcia, 1B: 2-3, 2B, R, .339
- Tommy La Stella, 2B: 1-3, 2B, RBI, .286
- Chad Comer, C: 1-2, 2B, BB, .235
- J.R. Graham, SP: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 2.71 ERA
- Chasen Shreve, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1.95 ERA
Potomac swept Lynchburg in their doubleheader today, handing J.R. Graham his first loss in the process. Graham came into the contest with a perfect 6-0 record but allowed 4 runs in 5 innings en route to his first loss. Graham was pretty hittable, allowing 7 hits as well as two walks over his 5 innings of work. He also struck out 3 men. Chris Garcia was the only Hillcat to have a multi-hit game, going 2-3 with a double and a run. The first baseman is hitting .339 on the year with an OBP of .448 and a slugging percentage of .489. He's walked 33 times in 174 at-bats, compared to 46 strikeouts. Not a bad ratio at all. Tommy La Stella kept doing his thing as well, going 1-3 with an RBI double.
Blaine Sims will make his first start of the season tomorrow in the series finale against Potomac.
Rome Braves 2, Lexington Legends 8
- Fernando De Los Santos, 2B: 1-4, 2B, RBI, .229
- Kyle Kubitza, DH: 1-4, 2B, RBI, .239
- Greg Ross, SP: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 0 K, 6.12 ERA
This was a pretty miserable game for Rome, as every pitcher who made an appearance was scored on. Greg Ross took the brunt of the damage, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings. Ross didn't strike out a single batter and gave up 3 home runs - not the kind of stats you want to see out of a pitcher. Rome managed only 6 hits on the day, with both runs coming on RBI doubles by Fernando De Los Santos and Kyle Kubitza. Not too much else can be said about this one, just a stinker from Rome.
Ernesto Silva takes the hill tomorrow for Rome.