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Gwinnett Stripers 1, Norfolk Tides 4 - Game One
- Ronald Acuna Jr., DH: 1-3, RBI, BB, SB
- Carlos Franco, 1B: 1-1, 3 BB, .263/.323/.449
- Luiz Gohara, SP: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Gwinnett Stripers 4, Norfolk Tides 7 - Game Two
- Xavier Avery, CF: 2-3, BB, run, SB, .242/.322/.341
- Tyler Smith, SS: 1-3, 2 RBI, .220/.299/.386
- Andres Santiago, SP: 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 3.96 ERA
Gwinnett was swept in their doubleheader against Norfolk by the scores of 4-1 and 7-4 on Monday. On the pitching side, Luiz Gohara left his start in the third inning after a sac fly and there has been differing reports as to why. The Stripers and others reported that he left due to a reported injury, but the AJC later reported that he wasn’t injured after all. In short, its a situation worth monitoring but it wouldn’t be crazy that the team is going to slowly stretch him back out as a starter. Andres Santiago had a rough start that saw him struggle with issuing free passes, although he did manage to throw five innings. Also, in game two of the doubleheader, catcher Rob Brantley made a relief appearance and it went better than actual reliever Rex Brothers’ relief appearance from the first game.
On offense, Ronald Acuna Jr. reached base twice and had a stolen base as well as he continues his rehab assignment. It should make his return from injury soon. Rio Ruiz had a two hit game in the first game and Carlos Franco reached base four times in the same game. Xavier Henry reached base three times in the second half of the twin bill while Tyler Smith drove half of Gwinnett’s runs in the game.
Mississippi Braves 2, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 7
- Luis Marte, SS: 4-4, run, .315/.358/.371
- Alex Jackson, C: 2-4, run, .207/.289/.356
- Enderson Franco, SP: 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 10 K, 3.78 ERA
Jacksonville got their revenge for Sunday’s rout as they took down Mississippi by the score of 7-2. It was a tough night on offense for the Braves, but there were some standout performances with Luis Marte putting up a four hit game and Alex Jackson having a pair of hits on his own. Jackson’s start to the season had been pretty horrific at the plate, but he is really coming around now. After posting a sub-.600 OPS through the first couple of months of the season, he has posted an .842 OPS in the month of June as he looks to get on track. He also had his sixth passed ball of the season in this game as well.
On the mound, Enderson Franco did strike out 10 batters, but he was also giving up some hard contact with five extra-base hits and the defense wasn’t doing him any favors. The bullpen did their best to stop the bleeding with Philip Pfeifer giving up just one earned run in his two innings of work and Kelvin Vasquez ending the game for Mississippi with two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Rome Braves 3, Greenville Drive 8
- Riley Delgado, SS: 3-4, 2 runs, .323/.374/.405
- Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 3B: 3-5, 3B, 2 RBI, .303/.331/.461
- Odalvi Javier, SP: 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 1 K, 4.11 ERA
The top of the order did their jobs for Rome, but the pitching staff and rest of the lineup struggled to convert as Rome fell to Greenville by the score of 8-3. Odalvi Javier had a rough start as he managed to throw just three innings. A costly error from Jean Carlos Encarnacion didn’t help matters (his 17th of the season), but overall not a start that Odalvi will look back on with fondness. Tyler Watson, a recent addition to Rome’s bullpen as a minor league free agent, had a rough appearance as well with three earned runs in three innings of work.
While JCE has had his struggles in the field this season, his bat is working just fine. He had three hits including a triple while driving in a pair of runs in this one. Encarnacion’s OPS has gone up by over 100 points each month he has been at Rome with his June OPS currently sitting at .928. That growth obviously isn’t sustainable, but it does show that he is adjusting to the level well and is turning into one of the better hitters on the team. Riley Delgado continues to perform well and is likely due for a promotion and Drew Waters had a triple out of the leadoff spot, his 33rd extra-base hit of the season.
Danville Braves 10, Burlington Royals 11
- Greyson Jenista, RF: 2-5, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 2 runs
- Andrew Moritz, LF: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 runs
- Matt Rowland, SP: 2 IP, 5 H, 6 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 2 K
The 2018 draft class showed out for Danville on Monday, but struggles on the mound doomed the Braves as they fell by the final score of 11-10. Greyson Jenista and Andrew Moritz, both 2018 draft picks that we are high on, connected for home runs and drove in a pair of runs each. Brendan Venter and Greg Cullen, both day three picks for the Braves in 2018, also drove in two runs a piece. Unfortunately, Matt Rowland is still quite rusty on the mound as he had a pair of wild pitches and three HBPs and Jacob Belinda gave up five runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to allow the Royals to steal a win.
GCL Braves 11, GCL Blue Jays 5
- Jeremy Fernandez, RF: 2-4, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, BB
- Braulio Vasquez, 2B: 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs
- Miguel Jerez, SP: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
The GCL Braves used a trio of home runs and production from up and down the lineup to rout the GCL Blue Jays by the score of 11-5. Jeremy Fernandez, Ray Hernandez, and Braulio Vasquez all went deep and the GCL Braves had six players drive in runs on the day. CJ Alexander continued his hot hitting with a triple as he has recorded a hit in each game he has ball in short-season ball so far. Miguel Jerez was excellent in striking out six batters in his five shutout innings. Victor Calavieri was less excellent in giving up four earned runs in less than an inning of work.