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Gwinnett Braves 1, Toledo Mud Hens 5
- Matt Tuiasosopo, DH: 2-4
- Ozzie Albies, 2B: 0-4
- Matt Wisler, SP: 5.1 IP, 10 H, 4 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 3 K, 4.30 ERA
A tough night for Gwinnett where Matt Wisler had to pitch in trouble most of the night and the offense failed to show up in a 5-1 loss for the Braves. The good news here is that Wisler only gave up two earned runs in just over five innings of work. The downside is that he gave up ten hits in the game and did not appear to be fooling many batters in this game. He pitched his way out of trouble for the most part, but still not a banner start. David Peterson came on in relief and he promptly hit the next two batters with the 2nd HBP forcing in a run.
On offense, Ozzie Albies’ on-base streak came to an end (24 games) with an 0-4 night. Matt Tuiasosopo and Sean Kazmar were the only Braves to get multi-hit games on the evening. Xavier Avery and Anthony Recker recorded extra-base hits with Recker driving in the Braves’ only run as well.
Florida Fire Frogs 2, Jupiter Hammerheads 3
- Alay Lago, 2B: 1-4, HR, RBI
- Braxton Davidson, LF: 2-3
- Drew Harrington, SP: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, 4.50 ERA
Florida tried to rally, but fell short as the Fire Frogs fell 3-2. Drew Harrington recovered from a rough start his last time out where he failed to escape the second inning with a good effort in this one. One of the more troubling trends for Harrington over his last eight starts or so is that he is starting to issue a lot more free passes, with 18 of his 20 walks on the season coming during that time. Sean McLaughlin and Jacob Webb combined to throw 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Alex Jackson has struggled mightily since his return from the disabled list. In the seven games he has played since returning, he has recorded just three hits and was held hitless in five of those games. Alay Lago stayed hot with his third home run of the season. He is among the hotter hitters in the Braves system right now as he is hitting .389 including two homers over his last ten games.
Rome Braves 3, Charleston RiverDogs 11
- Lucas Herbert, C: 1-4, RBI
- Jordan Rodgers, 2B: 2-3
- Tucker Davidson, SP: 1.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, 2.28 ERA
Again, not a great game for Braves fans as defensive miscues and pitching struggles doomed Rome as they were defeated by the score of 11-3. Tucker Davidson, who has been one of the better relievers for Rome this season, made his first start of the season and things did not go according to plan. An error to start the second inning from Kurt Hoekstra proved very costly as Charleston proceeded to put up 7 unearned runs in the inning. Things did not get better as Alan Rangel, now in the bullpen, would give up four more runs and the rout was on.
On offense, Rome largely scattered singles throughout the game and did not record any extra-base hits. Lucas Herbert is on fire right now at least as he extended his hitting streak to eight games and drove in a run as well. He is hitting .452 over his last ten games and has improved his OPS on the season to .753. 2017 draftee Jordan Rodgers was the only Brave to record multiple hits in the game. While Cristian Pache was held hitless in the game, he did record his 12th outfield assist of the season.
Danville Braves 4, Princeton Rays 6
- Hagen Owenby, DH: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
- Derian Cruz, SS: 1-4, RBI
- Dilmer Mejia, SP: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 4 K
Danville started the game off strong, but Princeton pulled ahead and beat the Braves 6-4. Isranel Wilson walked twice in the game to continue his strong start to the season while Hagen Owenby hit his first home run as a professional (a two-run shot) in the first inning. Nick Shumpert has now hit safely in five of his first six games in 2017 and currently sports an entirely sustainable (where is a sarcasm font button when you need one) 1.136 OPS to start the season.
GCL Braves 3, GCL Yankees East 9
- Jeffrey Ramos, LF: 2-4, RBI
- Drew Waters, CF: 0-3
The GCL Braves struggled for the second straight game as they were beaten by the Yankees’ rookie affiliate 9-3. The Braves’ 2nd round pick Drew Waters made his debut in this one and he went 0-3 in his first taste of professional baseball. Jeffrey Ramos was the best offensive performer with a pair of hits and an RBI. Kevin Maitan, much to the chagrin of Braves fans everywhere, has yet to make his debut although there is no indication there there is anything more than a minor injury keeping him off the field.