Teams across baseball returned to action on Friday after a brief hiatus thanks to the all-star game
It was a brutal day down on the farm, as only one team came away with a win on the day in what was the official start of the second half of the season.
(37-50) Gwinnett Stripers 5, (44-44) Memphis Redbirds 10
- Jesus Aguilar, 1B: HR, 3 RBI
- Chadwick Tromp, C: HR, RBI
- Vaughn Grissom, SS: 3-5, R
- Jared Shuster, SP: 0.2 IP, 6 H, 8 ER, 2 BB
The first game of the second half was not kind to Jared Shuster and the Gwinnett Stripers.
The lefthander allowed eight runs across just two-thirds of an inning, as the Stripers dropped the first game back from the all-star break by a 10-5 final.
While it was an abysmal game, Gwinnett actually jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in this one. Vaughn Grissom singled with one out in the top of the first inning before Jesus Aguilar launched his fourth home run of the season to make it 2-0 Stripers.
In the home half of the inning, Shuster was chased with two gone, before Matt Swarmer came on and put out the fire, ending the inning with Memphis up 8-2.
In the top of the fourth inning, Chadwick Tromp sent a solo homer over the left center field wall to make it 8-3. Gwinnett scored two more runs in the top of the fifth, as RBI-groundouts off the bats of Joe Dunad and Aguilar made it 8-5.
Beau Burrows came on in relief of Swarmer and allowed one run in the bottom of the fifth, as Memphis extended their lead to 9-5. The Redbirds scored an additional run as Seth Elledge allowed a solo homer to make it 10-5, which would hold as the final as the Stripers offense failed to score the rest of the game.
(39-41) Mississippi Braves 5, (45-36) Chattanooga Lookouts 12
- Cody Millligan, CF: 2-4, 3 RBI, R
- Cade Bunnell, 3B: 2-5, 2 2B, RBI
- Landon Stephens, 1B: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
- Alan Rangel, SP: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, BB, K
Much like their Triple-A counterparts, the first game back from the all-star break for Mississippi was one to forget.
Starter Alan Rangel was chased from the game before the first inning ever ended, as he allowed seven runs (five earned), departing after completing just two-thirds of an inning.
Chattanooga plated 10 runs across the first two innings as the Braves’ offense never truly had a chance to compete in this one.
Trailing 10-0 headed into the top of the third, Mississippi finally got on the board, scoring one run in the inning. Cody Milligan doubled into left field as Cal Conley grounded out to move Milligan to third. Cal Conley walked before Cade Bunnell doubled to bring Milligan across the plate to make it 10-1.
Mississippi would tack on an additional run in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 10-2. Justin Dean hit a ground rule double that hopped over the right field wall, and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Cody Milligan would bring Dean home on a sac fly in the next at-bat. The Braves got three runs in the top of the sixth, to make it to 10-5 Lookouts. Jesse Franklin V drew a two-out walk before Landon Stephens laced a double to bring Franklin home. Beau Philip walked and Justin Dean singled to load the bases before Milligan doubled to bring in two more runs.
Chattanooga plated two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, making it 12-5 Lookouts which would hold as the final.
(38-44) Rome Braves 4, (41-40) Jersey Shore 2
- Geraldo Quintero, LF: 3-4, 2 RBI
- Ethan Workinger, RF: 1-4, 2 RBI
- Nacho Alvarez, SS: 1-3, 2B
- Darius Vines, SP: 4.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 K
Notching the first win of the second half of the season for Atlanta’s minor league affiliates, Rome took game one against Jersey Shore by a 4-2 final on Friday night.
The first three innings went by without anyone scoring, as Rome starter Darius Vines – while working his way back from injury – kept the opposition in check while the offense found its footing.
In the home half of the fourth, the Braves finally got on the board, scoring four runs – their total amount for the game – in the inning. After Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. struck out to begin the inning, Nacho Alvarez doubled. Drake Baldwin went down on strikes for the second out of the inning before David McCabe walked and Keshawn Ogans was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Geraldo Quintero singled to bring Alvarez and McCabe home, staking Rome to a 2-0 lead. Ethan Workinger then singled home Ogans and Quintero to extend the Braves’ lead to 4-0.
In the top of the fifth, Vines allowed a leadoff homer, cutting the Rome lead to 4-1. After notching two strikeouts following the homer, Vines would give way to Miguel Pena and the Braves’ bullpen.
Making his first rehab assignment appearance, Jackson Stephens tossed a pair of scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and two walks.
In the top of the ninth, while leading 4-1, Jonathan Hughes – who came on in relief of Stephens – gave up one run to make it 4-2. Hughes would bounce back to retire the next two batters to cap off the win for Rome.
(38-43) Augusta GreenJackets 2, (36-45) Fayetteville Woodpeckers 5
- Justin Janas, 2-4, 2B, RBI
- Jair Casanova, LF: 1-3, RBI
- Tyree Thompson, SP: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
It was a lackluster performance by the Augusta offense in this one, as the GreenJackets mustered only three hits and two runs in the loss.
Starter Tyree Thompson got off to a bit of a rough start, allowing three runs in the bottom of the first inning as Fayetteville jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Thompson settled down, holding the Woodpeckers scoreless over the next four innings.
Offensively, as mentioned above, it wasn’t a great game for Augusta. The first run of the game for the GreenJackets came in the top of the sixth inning as Cory Acton scored on a double off the bat of Justin Janas to make it 3–1 Woodpeckers.
Ronaldo Alesandro would be called on in relief to take over for Thompson and would allow two runs in the home half of the sixth inning, as Fayetteville extended their lead to 5-1.
Augusta would get one of those runs back in the top of the seventh, as E.J Exposito walked to leadoff the inning and Jair Casanova singled him home to make it 5-2.
That score would hold to be the final, as Augusta would drop the first game of the second half.
(12-15) FCL Braves 1, (12-15) FCL Rays 2
- Elian Cotorreal, DH: 1-3, HR, RBI
- Douglas Glod, RF: 2-3, 2B, BB
- Juan Sanchez, SP: 1.2 IP, H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K
The FCL Braves lost a barnburner on Friday, losing by a run to the FCL Rays.
While starter Juan Sanchez went just 1.2 innings, the bullpen for the Braves tossed 7.1 scoreless innings in the loss. The FCL Rays scored two runs off of Sanchez in the top of the second inning, albeit both runs were unearned by the young starter.
Despite outhitting the Rays by a 6-4 margin, it was a tough go of it for the Braves as they only plated one run across nine innings.
That lone run came courtesy of a solo home run off the bat of Elian Cotorreal in the bottom of the eighth inning
That would be all the offense the Braves could muster in this one, losing by a narrow margin of 2-1 on the night.
One additional bright spot was Douglas Glod, who went 2-3 with a double and a walk as he raised his OPS on the season to .985.
(8-19) DSL Braves 1, (18-9) DSL LAD Mega 10
- Luis Guanipa, CF: 1-4, 2B, R, BB
- Carlos Monteverde, 1B: 1-2, RBI
- Edward Cedano, SP: 3 IP, H, ER, 5 BB, K
All-in-all, Friday was a rough one for the DSL Braves. They were outhit 10 to four while being outscored by nine runs on the day in the loss.
Despite issuing five walks across three innings, Braves starter Edward Cedan allowed just one hit and one run – with the run coming in the top of the first inning. The Braves tied things up with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Luis Guanipa doubled to leadoff the inning as Carlos Monteverde laced a two-out single to bring Guanipa home and tie the game.
From there, it was all downhill for the Braves as the bullpen allowed nine runs over the final eight innings while the offense went silence, leading to a 10-1 loss on the day.