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Recap is going to be a little shorter today as we get the the new top 30 prospects list together and the fact that MiLB.com is having a tough morning. Apologies!
Gwinnett Stripers 9, Norfolk Tides 2
- Michael Reed, CF: 3-5, 2B, HR, BB, 2 runs, .366/.478/.607
- Austin Riley, 3B: 2-6, 2B, RBI, .283/.346/.417
- Rio Ruiz, DH: 4-6, 4 RBI, run, .268/.310/.374
- Wes Parsons, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2.98 ERA
Gwinnett wasn’t messing around on Sunday as they beat up on Norfolk by the score of 9-2. Wes Parsons has turned into a really reliable starting option for Gwinnett this season and his start on Sunday resulted in him having a sub-3 ERA in Triple-A for the season. Relievers Chad Bell, Jason Hursh, and Andres Santiago combined for three scoreless innings of relief.
The Gwinnett offense accumulated 20 hits on the evening and when that happens, generally it reflects well on the scoreboard. Austin Riley seems to be in good form despite missing over a month of action as he had a pair of hits and an RBI. Michael Reed is back to doing Michael Reed things with three hits including a homer. Reed had gone a week and a half without playing before he returned Saturday. Rio Ruiz got things done with small ball as he had four singles and drove in four runs.
Mississippi Braves 9, Pensacola Blue Wahoos 12
- Alejandro Salazar, 2B: 5-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 runs, .306/.333/.389
- Ray-Patrick Didder, SS: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, .235/.381/.294
- Bruce Zimmermann, SP: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 1.69 ERA
Bruce Zimmermann struggled and Mississippi fell in extras by the score of 12-9. Even when a player is having a great year, they can have an off night and that appears to be the case with Bruce Zimmermann as he was unable to escape the third inning. Initial reports are that he wasn’t injured, but just accumulated a bunch of pitches and couldn’t throw strikes. The Mississippi bullpen struggled as well as every reliever that came in for the Braves gave up at least one earned run with Tyler Pike (0.2 IP) giving up four earned runs and Kelvin Vasquez getting tagged for four as well, although only one of those was earned.
Its a shame the pitching staff struggled, because it spoiled what was a career game from Alejandro Salazar. He reached base six times in the game including five hits. Ray-Patrick Didder is acclimating reasonably well to Double-A with a pair of hits in this game whie Luis Valenzuela, Tyler Neslony, and Carlos Martinez joined him in the multi-hit game club for the evening.
Florida Fire Frogs 3, Clearwater Threshers 5
- Jared James, DH: 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 runs, .232/.299/.384
- Cristian Pache, CF: 1-4, .286/.313/.441
- Isranel Wilson, LF: 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, .286/.357/.408
- Kyle Muller, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 3.21 ERA
Kyle Muller pitched another strong game, but the Fire Frogs still fell to the Threshers by the score of 5-3. Muller’s re-emergence has been one of the better stories to come out of the minors this year. After struggling last year with his mechanics and trying to battle his way out of rookie ball, he found his velocity and command again and is back with a vengeance. With this last start, he is striking out nearly a batter an inning and has seemingly caught up with most of his 2016 draft classmates in terms of his development.
Isranel Wilson continues to impress and thrive after his promotion from Rome as he reached base twice in the game. Cristian Pache extended his hitting streak to 7 games and Jared James had a pair of hits as he looks to get on track after a tough first half of the season at the plate. A staff favorite, the hefty lefty Chase-Johnson Mullins, appears to be healthy now and made his second relief appearance since returning from the DL. He did give up a run, but he should round into form as one of the better relief prospects in the minors for the Braves once he knocks the rust off.
Rome Braves 1, Augusta GreenJackets 0
- Drew Waters, CF: 1-4, run, SB, .289/.340/.502
- Jefrey Ramos, LF: 2-4, .247/.279/.421
- Huascar Ynoa, SP: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 3.83 ERA
Rome was victorious in this pitcher’s duel thanks to some strong work on the mound from Huascar Ynoa as the Braves won 1-0. Ynoa was excellent in five innings of work as he struck out eight batters and Daysbel Hernandez and Cutter Dyals combined for four scoreless innings of relief to secure the win for Rome.
There wasn’t much offense for Rome, but they had just enough to get the win. Drew Waters led the game off with a hit, stole a base, and then came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Greyson Jenista. This proved to be the game-winning run and while Rome did stitch together a few hits here and there, they were unable to push any more runs across.
Danville Braves 1, Bluefield Blue Jays 7
- Carlos Baerga Jr., LF: 2-3, HR, RBI, .255/.352/.383
- CJ Alexander, 3B: 1-4, .367/.456/.449
- Dilmer Mejia, SP: 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, 2.57 ERA
Not Danville’s finest performance as they managed just five hits and a single run thanks to a solo shot from Carlos Baerga Jr. as the Braves fell to Bluefield by the score of 7-1. While Dilmer Mejia wasn’t missing many bats and struggled in the game with a defensive miscue proving to be costly in the game. CJ Alexander just keeps hitting and while the power hasn’t shown up in games much in Danville, he definitely has some and could prove to be the steal of the draft for the Braves.