Chipper Rehabs With Rome, Jurrjens Makes Quality Start, And Cunningham Extends Hitting Streak In Friday's Atlanta Braves Minor League Action

Chipper Jones was perfect at the plate in a rehab appearance for Rome, Jair Jurrjens had a solid start, Todd Cunningham extended his hitting streak to 8 games, and Nick Ahmed, Tony Mueller, and Kyle Kubitza continued their recent hot streaks.

Gwinnett Braves 5, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 6

• Felix Pie LF 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI, .280 AVG
• Ernesto Mejia 1B 2-5, .315 AVG
• Stefan Gartrell RF 3-4, 2B, .258 AVG
• Josh Wilson 2B 2-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, .232 AVG
• Jair Jurrjens 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 5.26 ERA
• Jaye Chapman 1.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 2.77 ERA

Jair Jurrens made a quality start, allowing just 2 earned runs while giving up no walks over 6 innings. It was a nice comeback after allowing 6 earned runs in 4.2 innings in his last start, but his overall numbers with Gwinnett aren't that good, as he's posted a 5.26 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 49.2 innings, and his biggest problem has been that he's been too hittable, allowing 11 hits per 9 innings. After going 4-26 in his last 8 games, Stefan Gartrell was 3-4 today. Josh Wilson had a 2 hit day that included his second homer of the year, but the veteran utilityman isn't having a great year, hitting .232 with a .616 OPS in 185 at bats. Ernesto Mejia also had a pair of hits, and in his last 10 games he's hitting .351 with a .886 OPS. Felix Pie has also been on a tear in his last 10 games, hitting .361 with a .998 OPS, 6 doubles, a triple, and 5 RBI in that span.

The G-Braves head to Pawtucket tomorrow to begin a series against the Paw Sox, with Julio Teheran scheduled to start the opener.

Mississippi Braves 3, Tennessee Smokies 4

• Keenan Wiley RF 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, .256 AVG
• Todd Cunningham CF 1-5, .326 AVG
• Matt Kennelly C 1-3, 2B, BB, .230 AVG
• Greg Paiml SS 1-3, RBI, BB, .227 AVG
• Gary Moran 8 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 3.05 ERA

Gary Moran pitched a complete game for the second straight start, and he picked up the loss for the fourth straight time out. He's pitched well enough to win, posting a 3.08 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 26.1 innings in those 5 starts, but his defense has let him down, as he's been credited with 6 unearned runs in that span. Todd Cunningham extended his hitting streak to 8 games, and during that span he's hitting .419 with a .935 OPS, 3 doubles, and 6 RBI. Keenan Wiley reached base twice and drove in 2 runs, and he's reached base in 9 straight games, though he's hit just .176 with a .300 OBP during that span.

Luis Avilan will face the Smokies tomorrow night.

Lynchburg Hillcats 3, Frederick Keys, Game 1

• Myke Jones CF 2-4, RBI, 2 SB (7, 8), .232 AVG
• Nick Ahmed SS 2-4, HR (3), RBI, .255 AVG
• Edward Salcedo 3B 2-3, 2 2B, .263 AVG
• Braeden Schlehuber C 2-3, 2 2B, RBI, .293 AVG
• Chris Masters 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 7.71 ERA
• Ian Marshall 1 IP, 0 R, 0 , 1 BB, 0 K, 0.00 ERA

Lynchburg Hillcats 0, Frederick Keys 1, Game 2

• Nick Ahmed SS 1-3, 2B, .256 AVG
• Emerson Landoni 3B 1-1, .179 AVG
• Blaine Sims 5 IP, 1 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 5.05 ERA
• Andrew Wilson 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 2.28 ERA

The Hillcats might have lost both games of the doubleheader, but they did manage to earn 3 walks off top prospect Dylan Bundy, who had only walked 3 hitters in the first 40 innings of his career. In the first game, Chris Masters made his first start with the Hillcats after posting a 4.76 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP in 28.1 innings for Mississippi, and he picked up the loss, allowing 4 runs in just 4.1 innings of work. Blaine Sims picked up the spot start in the second game, his second straight start after making 13 relief appearances to begin the year. He gave up just 1 earned run in 5 innings, after giving up 7 runs, 4 earned, in 5 innings his last time out. Andrew Wilson made his sixth straight scoreless appearance, and he's struck out 6 and walked 3 in 8.1 innings during that stretch. Nick Ahmed had a great day, combining to go 3-7 with a double, a homer, and a RBI in the doubleheader. He now has a 5 game hitting streak, going 7-21 with 2 doubles, a homer, and 4 RBI in that span. Braeden Schlehuber also extended his hitting streak to 5 games with a 2 double performance in the first game tonight. During the streak, he's gone 8-18 with 2 doubles, a triple, a homer, and 3 RBI. Edward Salcedo also had a pair of doubles in the first game, and before going 0-1 in the second game he was on a streak that saw him rap out 7 hits in his last 11 at bats.

Frederick and Lynchburg will play another doubleheader on Saturday, with Cody Martin and Aaron Northcraft scheduled to start for the HIllcats.

Rome Braves 4, Augusta Green Jackets 16

• Tony Mueller CF-LF 2-4, BB, .261 AVG
• Kyle Kubitza DH 2-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, .254 AVG
• Chipper Jones 3B 1-1, RBI, 2 BB, E (1), 1.000 AVG
• Will Skinner RF 2-4, 2B, BB, .270 AVG
• Navery Moore 3.2 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 4.15 ERA
• Bryam Garcia 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 K, 1.17 ERA
• Wilson Rivera 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 4.58 ERA

Chipper Jones played in his first rehab game this year, driving in a run in the bottom of the first with a single, then collecting two walks before exiting after his scheduled 5 innings. He did make a throwing error at third base, but it's understandable if the old man is a little rusty after his layoff. Tony Mueller stayed hot, with his fourth straight multi-hit game, making him 9-16 with 3 RBI, 2 walks, and 2 RBI during that span. Kyle Kubitza had a double, a triple, and 2 RBI, and in his last 4 games he's gone 7-14 with 2 doubles, a triple, 6 RBI, and 4 walks. Will Skinner reached base 3 times tonight, and in his last 10 games he's hitting .324 with a .906 OPS, 5 doubles, a homer, and 8 RBI. Navery Moore had only allowed 6 earned runs in 30.1innings over his last 5 starts, but he allowed 7 earned runs in just 3.2 innings tonight. Bryam Garcia made his sixth straight scoreless appearance, though during that span given up 6 walks while striking out 6 in 11.1 innings.

Chipper Jones will make his second and final scheduled rehab appearance for Rome tomorrow night, as Greg Ross gets the start against Augusta.

DSL Braves 4, DSL Angels 10

• Victor Reyes DH 1-3, BB, .563 AVG
• Iosif Bernal LF 1-3, 2 RBI, .278 AVG
• Jesus Saldeno 5 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 5 K, 5.40 ERA

Victor Reyes has reached base 10 of the 17 times he's come to the plate this season, recording a hit in all 5 games he's played in. The 17 year old Venezuelan is listed as an outfielder, though he's only appeared as a designated and pinch hitter this season. He bats lefty and throws righty, and comes in at 6'3" and 170 pounds. Iosif Bernal drove in a pair of runs today, and the 17 year old Panamanian has recorded a hit in all 4 games he's played in this season.