Friday was far from ideal in terms of results, especially from a starting pitching point of view. That’s because only one Braves starter pitched a strong game(Kyle Muller), while Luiz Gohara struggled with his command in a rehab start. It was a good day to see some strong multi-hit nights from some of the bats, as guys like Dustin Peterson, William Contreras, Derian Cruz, Cristian Pache, and Travis Demeritte all had multiple hits.
Durham Bulls 10, Gwinnett Stripers 4
- Dustin Peterson, LF: 2-4, RBI, BB, 2B, .290/.347/.464
- Jose Bautista, 3B: 1-3, 2 BB, RBI, .186/.333/.176
- Luiz Gohara, SP: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 5.63 ERA
Making his second appeaeance with Gwinnett on his rehab assignment, Luiz Gohara really struggled on Friday. Gohara never quite settled in, and gave up runs in each of the four innings he tossed as his command never showed up. Of course things didn’t get much better after he left, as Miguel Socolovich gave up three more runs over the following two innings, and Rex Brothers let the other run score in the ninth.
At the plate Dustin Peterson’s recent hot streak continues, as he had a multi-hit game with a double and a walk. This became his third straight multi-hit game. Jaff Decker added a pair of doubles himself, while Jose Bautista singled, struck out, and walked twice in the loss.
Next Game: Saturday 4/28 hosting Durham @ 6:05 PM. Probable Starters: Gwinnett-Kolby Allard, Durham-Chih-Wei Hu
Mississippi Braves 6, Jackson Generals 3
- Tyler Neslony, RF: 3-5, 3B, 3 RBI, .338/.386/.400
- Travis Demeritte, LF: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, .193/.303/.351
- Michael Reed, CF: 2-5, 2B, .367/.472/.467
Michael Mader got the start, and while he only made it three and a third innings giving up a run, the bullpen really shut the door on Jackson. Starting with two and two thirds of an inning from Kelvin Vazquez, and an inning apiece from Devan Watts, Corbin Clouse, and Jacob Webb, the pen was nearly in complete control here. Outside of Watts giving up a pair of runs, the rest of the relievers didn’t allow a run over their nearly five innings of work.
On a rare quiet day from Austin Riley the Mississippi outfield really had a huge game, combining to go 7-14 with 5 RBI and each player having an extra base hit on the night. Travis Demeritte led the way with three hits in his four at bats, and batted in two. Tyler Neslony also had three hits, but he had three RBI to go with his hits. Meanwhile Michael Reed had two hits as well. The outfield wasn’t the only spot to produce, as second baseman Alay Lago went three for four with a double himself, and Jonathan Morales also added a double. Riley, as well as Alex Jackson, went hitless in a game where the Braves didn’t need either to produce.
Next Game: Saturday 4/28 hosting Jackson @ 7:00 PM. Probable Starters: Mississippi-Touki Toussaint, Jackson-TBD
Lakeland Flying Tigers 9, Florida Fire Frogs 1
- Cristian Pache, CF: 2-3, .303/.311/.427
- Braxton Davidson, 1B: 1-4, HR, .114/.222/.243
- Lucas Herbert, DH: 1-4, .172/.258/.276
This game was ugly. It started out that way early, and never became anything more. Fire Frogs starter Jeremy Walker was roughed up for eight runs in only two and a third innings, and while the bullpen was mostly effective at keeping the Flying Tigers lineup from doing even more damage, this one was already out of reach. Things got so bad that Florida even brought in infielder Marcus Mooney to pitch the ninth, and his scoreless inning of work on the mound was one of the bright spots here.
At the plate the good news is that Cristian Pache had a two hit night to raise his average above .300 on the year, and Braxton Davidson was able to connect on his second homer of the season. Beyond that there just wasn’t much worth talking about from this ugly loss, as nobody else had multiple hits or any extra base hits.
Next Game: Saturday 4/28 visiting Lakeland @ 6:00 PM. Probable Starters: Florida-Tucker Davidson, Lakeland-Gregory Soto
Rome Braves 3, Hagerstown Suns 1
- Kyle Muller, SP: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 1.90 ERA
- William Contreras, DH: 2-4, 2B, .263/.300/.474
- Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 3B: 1-4, 2B, RBI, .261/.301/.362
Finally a big pitching performance, as Kyle Muller pitched six big innings while allowing just one run. Muller gave up just three hits and a pair of walks, and even survived a pair of Rome errors to shut down the Suns lineup. This strong effort dropped his ERA on the year below 2.00, as it really appears that Muller has put himself back on the prospect map after taking a bit of a drop last season. Muller was followed by three perfect innings- two from Jacob Belinda, and the final inning out of Brandon White, who picked up the save for his efforts.
After just joining Rome this week from extended spring training, William Contreras seems to be hitting his stride. Contreras has started to heat up, and a two hit night with a double here shows that. Derian Cruz had a strong performance as well, going two of four with a double and a triple, while Jean Carlos Encarnacion also added a double in the win, his fourth of the year. The talented young Rome bats are definitely fun to watch.
Next Game: Saturday 4/28 visiting Hagerstown @ 6:05 PM. Probable Starters: Rome-TBD, Hagerstown-Nick Raquet