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Gwinnett Braves 1, Durham Bulls 0 - F/11
- Rio Ruiz, 3B: 2-4, .277/.361/.410
- Emilio Bonifacio, CF: 2-4, .300/.359/.374
- Williams Perez, SP: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2.59 ERA
Gwinnett was spared the embarassment of being shutout due to some outstanding pitching and the work of offensive juggernaut Daniel Castro as Gwinnett walked off in 11 innings, 1-0. Williams Perez was excellent in his start, throwing five hitless innings and giving up just one walk against 7 strikeouts. The bullpen was arguably as impressive if not moreso as Brad Roney, Maikel Cleto, Brandon Cunniff, and Steve Janas backed him with 6 scoreless innings of relief while giving up just 2 hits and 4 walks (the walks all belonging to Roney).
On offense, there were a lot of missed chances for Gwinnett as they went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left a total of 13 men on base as they thoroughly outhit Durham but failed to score until the bottom of the 11th inning. Rio Ruiz had a 2 hit game and has now hit safely in his last 8 games while Emilio Bonifacio, Mel Rojas Jr., and Daniel Castro joined him with multi-hit games of their own. Castro was the hero in this one as he hit a walk-off RBI single to mercifully end the game and keep Gwinnett in the playoff hunt.
Mississippi Braves 5, Biloxi Shuckers 1
- Ozzie Albies, 2B: 2-4, HR, RBI, .326/.394/.468
- Dustin Peterson, LF: 2-4, HR, 2B, RBI, .282/.339/.432
- Patrick Weigel, SP: 8.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 2.61 ERA
Ozzie Albies and Dustin Peterson showed some power while Mallex Smith was excellent in his first rehab start, which backed a stellar outing from Patrick Weigel as Mississippi won 5-1. To be blunt, Patrick Weigel was outstanding in his third start at AA. After having a no hitter spoiled relatively late in the game, Weigel was unphased and pitched into the 9th inning and gave up just 1 earned run and 2 walks on the evening. More importantly, he pitched that deep and only threw 89 pitches, showing an efficiency that has eluded him at times in his career and portends well for the future.
On the offensive, if you say you had Ozzie Albies hitting 6 home runs between AA and AAA this year, you are a liar....but that’s exactly what he has done so far as he added a solo shot in this one. He also has an even split on his homers from both sides of the plate, showing a surprising amount of power that is certainly encouraging. Dustin Peterson hitting a homer is far less surprising but he did so nonetheless as he finishes out a fine, well-rounded season that has saw considerable more attention brought to his potential as a major leaguer. Mallex Smith had a pair of hits in his first rehab start coming back from a thumb injury and plated two of Mississippi’s five runs on the night. Also, Willians Astudillo did not strike out.....his total on the season is 10 against a total of 5 walks. He is a baseball stats geek’s dream.
Carolina Mudcats, Wilmington Blue Rocks - Rained Out
Rain sucks
Rome Braves 3, Greenville Drive 2
- Austin Riley, 3B: 1-4, .269/.323/.471
- Ronald Acuna, CF: 1-3, RBI, .295/.382/.394
- Touki Toussaint, SP: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 4 K, 3.91 ERA
Carlos Castro hit the go-ahead homer in the top of the 9th inning to secure a much needed win for Rome as it seeks a playoff appearance by a final score of 3-2. Touki Toussaint got the start in this one and was pretty good for the most part, inducing a ton of awkward swings at his curve and fastball. The efficiency wasn’t there this evening with 4 walks over 5 innings but he limited the damage to just 2 runs (1 earned) as he continues his second half turnaround and appears to be a lock for high-A next season. Chase Johnson-Mullins and Devan Watts locked things down from there as they pitched 4 scoreless innings to preserve Rome’s win.
The offense went about things the old fashioned way through the first 8 innings, manufacturing runs off a Ronald Acuna sac fly and a Ray-Patrick Didder RBI. At the top of the 9th inning, Carlos Castro came to the plate and hit the go-ahead solo shot to pull Rome ahead and it proved to be enough. 10 of his 16 homers have come in the second half and he has slashed .296/.329/.507 after the All-Star break which is obviously good. He is a player worth watching despite his defensive limitations and his struggles in a small sample size against lefties. Austin Riley extended his hit streak to 16 games if my math is right....he is good at baseballing.
Danville Braves 2, Burlington Royals 1
- Derian Cruz, SS: 1-4, .183/.204/.279
- Cristian Pache, CF: 1-4, .333/.372/.404
- Ian Anderson, SP: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 3.74 ERA
Ian Anderson was being his usual awesome self while the offense scraped together just enough runs to get a win for Danville 2-1. After a slight adjustment period after being promoted to Danville, Ian has continued to dominate the more advanced rookie ball hitters and utilizing his 3-pitch arsenal which is advanced for his age to miss bats, keep guys off balance, and induce weak contact when need be. The offense was mediocre but got the job done as RBIs from Alex Lee and Ryan O’Malley proved to be sufficient to secure another win for Danville. Also, Cristian Pache just keeps hitting and hitting...so thats a thing. He now has a 10 game hitting streak.