Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap 6/18: William Contreras has a big game and we had a game end in a tie

Gwinnett Stripers 4, Durham Bulls 2

Box Score

• Danny Santana, 2B: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, .272/.292/.534
• Phil Gosselin, DH: 1-3, BB, RBI, 2 runs, .243/.316/.340
• Wes Parsons, SP: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 3.45 ERA

Wes Parsons continues to quietly put up one solid performance after another as Gwinnett took down Durham by the score of 4-2. Parsons has been one of the unsung heroes on the pitching side in the minors for the Braves this season. The guy always seems to go at least 5 innings and often more than that and while the numbers are not always flashy, he keeps his team in every ballgame he pitches. Injuries derailed the early part of his career, but he is healthy now and since his promotion to Triple-A, he has limited opponents to three runs or less in all five of those starts. He has also given up four hits or less along the same stretch. It is worth mentioning that Jacob Webb made his third relief appearance with Gwinnett and struck out a pair of batters. In 26.1 innings this year across two levels of the minors, Webb has 39 strikeouts against 12 walks.

The big offensive performance on the day belonged to Danny Santana who drove in two of Gwinnett’s four runs out of the leadoff spot. Over his last 10 games, Santana is batting .378 although his walk rate still remains comically low. Rio Ruiz and Dustin Peterson each recorded hits in the game and old friend Phil Gosselin reached base twice in the game and scored on both occasions.

Mississippi Braves 2, Biloxi Shuckers 1

Box Score

• Luis Marte, SS: 2-3, 2 RBI, .246/.297/.261
• Travis Demeritte, LF: 1-4, run, 2 K, .221/.326/.370
• Andres Santiago, SP: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 3.55 ERA

Andres Santiago had himself a game as Mississippi held on to defeat Biloxi by the final score of 2-1. Santiago has typically had his ups and downs in the minors and this year has been no exception. After a rough patch that saw him give up nine earned runs over two starts, in his last two starts have seen him throw 13 innings while giving up a total of one earned run while striking out 15 batters. Kelvin Vasquez gave up an unearned run in his inning of relief which turned the game into a one-run affair, but Corbin Clouse closed the door (although it did get interesting with a pair of hits allowed) to secure the win. Clouse has allowed just one earned run over his last 13 appearances.

It was a light night for offense with Luis Marte doing all of the damage for Mississippi with a two-run single in the top of the second inning. Mississippi did not have an extra-base hit in the game nor did they draw a single walk in this pitcher’s duel. Alex Jackson went 0-4 to drop his average to .181 on the season.

Rome Braves 5, Lexington Legends 5 - F/10

Box Score

• Riley Delgado, SS: 3-6, 2B, RBI, .318/.368/.403
• William Contreras, DH: 3-5, 2 RBI, .301/.372/.430
• Jasseel de la Cruz, SP: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 2.83 ERA

Jasseel looked a bit rusty, but managed to put up six decent innings as Rome ended up with a 5-5 tie with Lexington due to unplayable field conditions. The Legends had actually taken a 6-5 lead in the top of the 11th, but with the weather going south in a hurry, the run was disallowed and the game was called a tie (the first in State Mutual Stadium’s storied history).

Jasseel de la Cruz had an okay start as he continues to look for the form that he had to start the season where he was dominating the South Atlantic League before missing a bunch of time with an unknown injury. Daysbel Hernandez and Cutter Dyals combined to throw four innings while giving up just one unearned run.

On offense, Riley Delgado and William Contreras each had three hit nights for Rome and the duo combined for 3 RBIs. Drew Waters was held hitless for the second straight game after a lengthy hitting streak. Jean Carlos Encarnacion had the night off except for a pinch-running cameo later in the game. Contreras has been one of the hotter Braves’ hitters in the farm system in the month of June as he has posted a .908 OPS in 16 games.