Medlen And Graham Toss Gems While Terdoslavich Hits A Granny In Thursday's Atlanta Braves Minor League Action

Kris Medlen tossed 5 scoreless innings, Joey Terdoslavich hit a grand slam, JR Graham pitched a gem, giving him the league lead in wins and innings pitched.

Gwinnett Braves 2, Lehigh Valley 5

• Ernesto Mejia 1B 0-1, 3 BB, .313 AVG
• Lance Zawadski 2B 2-3, 2B, .220 AVG
• Kris Medlen 5 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 4.91 ERA
• Dusty Hughes 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 3.55 ERA

After giving up 4 runs in just 2.1 innings in his first start with Gwinnett, Kris Medlen was excellent tonight, allowing 4 hits while striking out 4 and walking none over 5 innings. He needed only 58 pitches to get through those 5 innings, tossing 40 of them for strikes. Dusty Hughes made his third straight scoreless appearance, and during that span he's struck out 3 over 4.1 innings. Ernesto Mejia didn't get a hit tonight, but he did take 3 walks, upping his OBP to .375 for the season. Lance Zawadski was just 1-17 in his last 7 games, but he was 2-3 today, hitting his second double of the season.

Jair Jurrjens will start the series finale Friday night.

Mississippi Braves 7, Tennessee Smokies 8

• Todd Cunningham CF 1-5, .330 AVG
• Phil Gosselin 2B 2-5, .275 AVG
• Joey Terdoslavich 1B 1-4, HR (1), 4 RBI, .231 AVG
• Cory Harrilchak LF 2-4, 2 RBI, SB (7), .204 AVG
• Zeke Spruill 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 1 K, 3.74 ERA

Joey Terdoslavich only had 1 hit today, but he made it count, clubbing out a fifth inning grand slam, his first homer with Mississippi. Todd Cunningham also only had 1 hit, but it extended his hitting streak to 7 games. During that span, he's gone 12-26 with 3 doubles and 6 RBI. Phil Gosselin had his third straight 2 hit day, and in his last 9 games he's hitting .400 with a .919 OPS, 1 double, 1 RBI, 5 walks, and 2 steals. Cory Harrilchak stole a base, drove in a pair of runs and had a pair of hits, making him 3-8 with 2 steals in his last 2 games. Zeke Spruill had a rough night, allowing 5 earned runs over 5.2 innings, giving up 4 walks in the process. He had only allowed 5 runs and 5 walks over 26 innings in his last 4 starts.

Mississippi had 7 players named to the Southern League All-Star team, catcher Christian Bethancourt, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, outfielder Todd Cunningham,and pitchers Ryan Buchter, Sean Gilmartin, Gary Moran, and Zeke Spruill. Bethancourt is hitting .250 with a .550 OPS, Simmons, who won't play int he game because of his promotion to Atlanta, hit .292 with a .794 OPS and 10 steals with the M-Braves, Cunningham is hitting .330 with a .780 OPS and 7 steals, Buchter is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP in 20 relief appearances, Gilmartin is 4-5 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 12 starts, Gary Moran is 1-4 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP in 13 appearances, including 7 starts, and Spruill is now 5-5 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 13 starts.

Moran will take on the Smokies tomorrow.

Lynchburg Hillcats 2, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1

• Nick Ahmed SS 2-5, RBI, SB (19), .250 AVG
• Adam Milligan LF 1-3, BB, SB (1), .268 AVG
• Edward Salcdo 3B 2-4, .257 AVG
• Braeden Schlehuber C 3-4, .283 AVG
• JR Graham 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 K, W (1), 2.58 ERA
• Andrew Wilson 1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 2.49 ERA
• Juan Jaime 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K, SV (10), 4.03 ERA

JR Graham picked up his league leading seventh win, allowing just 1 run and striking out 5, tossing 7 innings, giving him a league leading 76.2 innings this season. The 22 year old righty has been great this year, with a 2.58 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, and 3.3 K/BB in 12 starts. Andrew Wilson made his fifth straight scoreless appearance, and he's struck out 4 in 6.1 innings during that stretch. Juan Jaime struck out 2 while picking up his tenth save of the season, and he's struck out 32 in 22.1 innings this season, good for a 12.9 K/9 rate. Braeden Schlehuber had a 3 hit day, extending his hitting streak to 4 games. He's gone 6-15 with a triple, a homer, and 2 RBI during that span. The 24 year old catcher is having the best season of his career, hitting .283 with a .838 OPS, 6 homers, and 22 RBI in 120 at bats. Nick Ahmed had a pair of singles and stole his league leading 19th base. In his last 3 games, he's gone 4-14 with a double, 3 RBI and a walk. Edward Salcedo had a 2 hit day, making him 5-8 in his last 2 games. Adam Milligan had a single and a walk for the third straight day.

Lynchburg returns home Friday for a doubleheader against the Frederick Keys, with Chris Masters scheduled to make his first start for the Hillcats against top prospect Dylan Bundy.

Rome Braves 2, Greenville Drive 5

• Tony Mueller CF 2-5, .255 AVG
• Kyle Kubitza 3B 1-3, BB, .250 AVG
• Robby Hefflinger LF 2-3, RBI, .265 AVG
• Ryan Weber 5 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 7.12 ERA
• Ian Thomas 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 4.15 ERA
• Matt Talley 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA

Ryan Weber picked up the loss, allowing 5 runs in 5 innings, and things have just gone horribly for him recently, as he's allowed a 14.21 ERA and a 2.45 WHIP in 12.2 innings over his last 3 starts. Matt Talley joined the team from Extended Spring Training, and the 22 year old lefty struck out 3 in 2 scoreless innings in his first appearance of the year. Robby Hefflinger had a pair of hits and a RBI, and in his last 2 games, he's gone 5-8 with a double and 2 RBI. Tony Mueller also had a pair of hits, his third straight multi-hit game. In those 3 games, he's gone 7-12 with 3 RBI, a walk, and 2 steals. Kyle Kubitza reached base twice, and in his last 5 games he's gone 6-16 with 2 doubles, 5 RBI, and 5 walks.

The R-Braves return to Rome to begin a 6 game home-road series with Augusta. Navery Moore is scheduled to start the opener.

DSL Braves 4, DSL Brewers 9

• Yunior Aybar 2B 2-4, BB, E (1), .500 AVG
• Victor Reyes PH 1-1, 2 RBI, .615 AVG
• Miguel Rivero RF 1-3, RBI, BB, .333 AVG
• Alexander de la Cruz C 2-4, 2B, E (1), .500 AVG
• Francisco Gonzalez 3 IP, 6 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 0 K, 6.00 ERA
• Nelson Leon 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA

Yunior Aybar, a 20 year old Dominican, made his pro debut, rapping out a pair of hits and collecting a walk from the leadoff spot. Alexander de la Cruz, a 19 year old Dominican, also had a pair of hits, including a double, in his pro debut. 17 year old Venezuelan Miguel Rivero drove in a run and collected a walk, making him 4-10 in his last 3 games. Victor Reyes drove in a pair of runs with a pinch hit single, and the 17 year old Venezuelan, who is the team's regular DH, is 8-13 with 6 RBI this season. Nelson Leon, a 16 year old Venezuelan, allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 3 in 5 innings in his pro debut.