JR Ritchie making his second start for Gwinnett leads a slate of six games on Saturday.
Gwinnett Stripers @ Memphis Redbirds – 7:35 PM ET
Pitching Probables
GWI: JR Ritchie (1-0, 4.50 ERA)
MEM: Quinn Mathews (2-4, 4.47 ERA)
A day after losing a 1-0 lead in the sixth and taking the loss, Gwinnett turns to JR Ritchie for his second start in Triple-A. Ritchie allowed three runs over six innings last time out, though allowed just six base runners in that time. This lineup will give him a bigger test, as we start to get a closer look at him to potentially be a part of next year’s Opening Day rotation. With Nacho Alvarez back in town and Luke Waddell the most successful Stripers hitter all year, those will be the two bats to watch.
Chattanooga Lookouts @ Columbus Clingstones – 5:05 PM ET – Game 1
Pitching Probables
CHT: TBD
COL: Ian Mejia (9-1, 2.10 ERA)
Chattanooga Lookouts @ Columbus Clingstones – TBD – Game 2
Pitching Probables
CHT: TBD
COL: TBD
Columbus is set to play two again, after trying yesterday in what’s been a rough few days of weather. The Thursday game that had to be completed yesterday ended up in a 6-2 loss, and the second game was rained out. Ian Mejia will start one of the two games, as he looks to continue his dominant run in Double-A. He brings a 2.10 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over 85.2 innings on the season into this one. David McCabe, Drew Compton, and Ethan Workinger remain the bats to watch, and after not getting much offense the past few days, the Stones can only hope they can deliver today.
Rome Emperors @ Hudson Valley Renegades – 5:05 PM ET
Pitching Probables
ROM: Cedric De Grandpre (2-1, 2.22 ERA)
HUD: Ben Hess (4-2, 3.95 ERA)
Rome starts Cedric De Grandpre in an attempt to rebound from yesterday’s 3-0 loss. It’s been a strong seven starts for Cedric after returning from the injured list, though his command hasn’t been especially good this year – and may be a big part of the reason he hasn’t been moved up to Columbus yet, thanks to his 23 walks in 28.1 innings. Ambioris Tavarez, Patrick Clohisy, and Mason Guerra are all hitters to watch as the Emperors attempt to put together some offense a day after being one-hit.
Augusta GreenJackets @ Hickory Crawdads – 5:00 PM ET
Pitching Probables
AUG: Rayven Antonio (6-3, 3.47 ERA)
HCK: David Hagaman (0-1, 4.63 ERA)
It’s been an excellent season so far for Rayven Antonio, but he will need to bounce back from his worse game of the year. He allowed nine runs and 10 hits over three and a third in his last outing, raising his ERA by more than a full run in a couple hours time. The Jackets lost yesterday, but we saw Luis Guanipa remain hot. Over his last nine full games he is 11 for his last 35, though with just one extra base hit. Nick Montgomery is also seeming to put something together, as he now has a three-game hitting streak that has him five for his last 10 with a pair of walks.
DSL Braves @ DSL Pirates Black – 10:00 AM ET
Pitching Probables
BRA: TBD
PIR: TBD
The DSL club is coming off a 12-3 win in a game without Diego Tornes in the lineup. Juan Espinal smoked his third homer of the season yesterday while Yassel Garcia had a couple of hits and a couple of walks in his five trips to the plate. Those two plus Tornes and the recently returned Angel Carmona are players to follow.