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BRAVES NEWS
Atlanta evens series against Reds with victory in extra innings
After getting beat handily on Monday night, the Braves were able to hang with the Reds (who played like a team that should be at the bottom of their division) until extra innings, and that’s when they eventually pulled away and grabbed a 5-4 victory over Cincinnati. Tyrell Jenkins kept the Braves in the game with a quality start, and Ender Inciarte’s sac fly in the 11th brought in what ended up being the game-winning run for Atlanta on the evening.
Braves farm system is still #1 according to Keith Law
In good news when it comes to the future of the Braves, things haven’t changed much between now and the start of the season when it comes to the talent that is on the farm. ESPN writer Keith Law took time to do a midseason ranking of the farm systems in baseball, and in unsurprising news, the Braves are still at the top of the heap in his opinion.
Baseball America reports on prospects at midseason point
Meanwhile, Baseball America also took a look at the Braves’ farm system at the midseason point. Since we’re talking about Baseball America here, that means that they’re going in-depth on the Braves and their prospects. A subscription is required to read the entire thing, but it’s definitely recommended if you want to see what they think about how Atlanta’s prospects are currently faring during this season.
Austin Riley is making decent progress in Rome
Speaking of prospects, Austin Riley is one of the franchise’s top prospects, and after struggling a little bit at the A-level to start off 2016, he’s bounced back and is doing pretty well at that level.
"His first-step quickness on defense and his angles and his positioning on hitters has really improved," Rome manager Randy Ingle said. "He’s a prototype of a really good third baseman."
Ingle and [Rome hitting coach Bobby] Moore lauded Riley’s ability to make adjustments and the talent he displays on a nightly basis. His progression is also a welcomed sight in a Braves’ system that covets talent at third base.
Riley may know that people are eyeing him as a future third baseman in Atlanta, but he’s not putting the cart before the horse. He understands he’s still a young player with room for improvement.
Hector Olivera joins the G-Braves
The currently-suspended Hector Olivera will be making a big leap in his rehab assignment, as he’s gone from the GCL Braves to the Gwinnett Braves. He went 1-4 for the G-Braves last night. He’ll be eligible to return from suspension on August 2nd, but the Braves still don’t seem to be particularly thrilled about bringing back the outfielder who was suspended due to alleged domestic violence.
MLB NEWS
Pirates win thanks to walk-off "little league" homer
The Pittsburgh Pirates appear to be primed to make a run at a potential Postseason spot (and having a "soft" schedule helps), and they took another small step towards that goal with a 3-2 walk-off victory over the Brewers. What made this a unique walk-off was how the Pirates — namely, Josh Harrison — scored the winning run. Harrison hit a triple to center field, but Scooter Gennett botched a throw to third base, which allowed Harrison to saunter home and give Pittsburgh the victory. Hooray for "little league" home runs!