Last night was another Braves-less slate as Atlanta wrapped up its two days off on Thursday. However, there was plenty of action down on the farm as three of the four full-season affiliates, plus the rookie club, played games. Fortunately, the big league team’s two-day vacation is over. Starting tonight, the Giants will come to town to take on Max Fried and the Braves at Truist Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:20 PM.
Until then, though, here’s a recap of Thursday’s minor league action…
(58-41) GWINNETT STRIPERS
W, 2-1 vs. Nashville
SP, K. Wright – (W), 7 IP, 4 H, ER, 8 K
2B, Y. Sanchez – 3 for 4, 3B, 2B, RBI
CF, E. Rosario – 1 for 3, HR, RBI
3B, S. Kazmar Jr. – 1 for 4, 2B, R
Many of us may have forgotten about Kyle Wright, but last night was another strong performance by the 25-year-old righty. Wright allowed a single in the first, one in the third and then a pair of base-hits in the sixth (one of which resulted in a run), before finishing strong with a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. Overall, he threw 63 of 89 pitches for a strike, and best of all, he kept the ball in the infield, inducing nine groundouts compared to just two flyouts. The great work by Wright started back in July as he now has a 2.89 ERA over his last eight starts, including 48 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. He’s certainly had his ups and downs as a pro pitcher, but Wright is still hanging in there. And I know we’ve said it a million times, but he could still be a contender for a rotation spot next season.
Gwinnett’s offense last night came from both Yolmer Sanchez (RBI single in the fifth) and Eddie Rosario (solo-homer in the sixth). It took him a few games to get going, but Rosario is scorching-hot right now with the bat, having hit four homers in his last seven games while posting a .290 AVG in that span. The recently-acquired outfielder should be ready to join the Braves squad any time now.
(58-39) MISSISSIPPI BRAVES
PPD vs. Pensacola
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 concerns, the rest of the M-Braves and Blue Wahoos series this week has been postponed. Evidently,either the team itself or personnel at the stadium is in the midst of an outbreak, so it appears the team is trying to be extra cautious. Hopefully, everyone in Pearl is alright, and the team can get back to playing next week.
(43-55) ROME BRAVES
L, 2-1 vs. Bowling Green
SP, W. Woods – 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR
SS, R. Delgado – 3 for 4, R
DH, L. Waddell – 1 for 4
2B, C. Milligan – 2 for 3, BB
A prospect a lot of us have been waiting all season to see, righty William Woods made his Rome debut last night and threw 34 pitches. The 22-year-old appeared sharp, though a damn good Bowling Green lineup wound up manufacturing a few runs in the second with a two-run homer to put the Hot Rods up 2-0. The R-Braves offense never could overcome the deficit, however, Riley Delgado scored the team’s lone run when he crossed home plate on a wild-pitch in the fourth.
(41-58) AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS
L, 7-2 vs. Charleston
SP, A. Hoffmann – (L), 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K
LF, L. Stephens – 2 for 3, HR, 2 RBI
1B, B. Horne – 1 for 3, BB
C, T. Tolve – 3 for 4
The Braves 12th-round pick in this year’s draft, pitcher Andrew Hoffmann made start no. 3 for Augusta last night, working up to a season-high of 57 pitches. The 21-year-old righty allowed a single in the first but then set down six-straight batters in the second and third before running into some trouble in the fourth, in which he allowed three consecutive hits. Young righty Roddery Munoz then came in and had one of his worse performances of the year, allowing five runs from five hits in just 1.2 innings of work.
Offensively, Landon Stephens provided the GreenJackets with their only runs as he belted his 15th home run of the season in the eighth inning. The Braves 17th-round pick, catcher Tyler Tolve, also contributed with three hits (his first three-hit performance as a pro). Tolve is now hitting .273 through his first 13 games with the organization, including a homer and a double.
(21-19) FCL BRAVES
W, 6-5 (F/7) vs. Orioles Black
SP, R. Salinas – 3 IP, 3 H, R, 2 BB, 6 K
LF, K. Morton – 2 for 4, 3 RBI
RF, E. Workinger – 2 for 3, 2B, R
SS, F. Floyd – 2 for 3, 2B, RBI, R
The rookie Braves scored two runs in the final inning to beat the Orioles Black yesterday. Outfielder Kadon Morton provided the walk-off hit in the seventh as he slapped an RBI single to the left side, scoring Caleb Durbin from second base (the Orioles shortstop made a throwing error). The 20-year-old Morton finished with three RBI on the day, though he’s still struggling to get going at the plate this season. Outfielder Ethan Workinger is another struggling FCL batter, but he finished with a pair of hits on Thursday, including a double.
Royber Salinas got the start in yesterday’s win and managed to strike out six batters in just three innings. Salinas didn’t allow a single earned run in the outing, but the FCL Braves bullpen quickly imploded by surrendering four runs over the next 2.2 frames. This year’s 19th-round pick, lefty Samuel Strickland, worked the final 1.1 innings in scoreless fashion, earning the win.
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