Geraldo Quintero went a perfect five for five to raise his OPS by 46 points, and Isaiah Drake leaves in first inning.
Sunday saw the Atlanta Braves affiliates take three out of four on the day with a perfect five for five game out of Geraldo Quintero. That along with Augusta’s Isaiah Drake leaving the game after the first inning had to be the two biggest stories of the day, however we also saw the Nacho Alvarez and Drake Baldwin duo do more damage in Triple-A and a strong outing from Cade Kuehler.
Charlotte Knights 7, Gwinnett Stripers 5
- Nacho Alvarez, SS: 2-4, R, .375/.434/.646
- Drake Baldwin, C: 1-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, .318/.412/.545
- Eli White, RF: 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, .275/.387/.406
A bullpen day for Gwinnett started with Taylor Widener going two innings and allowing one run, a solo homer, and saw three other pitchers each go exactly two innings and allow at least one run as well. Brian Moran followed by giving up two runs in his two innings, then one run and four strikeouts from Parker Dunshee, and finally three runs over two innings from Jackson Stephens – who was charged with a blown save as the Stripers held a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
The Stripers offensive attack was again led by the two recent promotions from Mississippi. Nacho Alvarez went two for four and scored a run, while Drake Baldwin had a double in four at bats and picked up a run scored and two batted in. Through 11 games apiece the duo hasn’t really slowed down yet, with Alvarez posting a 1.080 OPS and Baldwin a .957 mark. Eli White also collected two hits, including a two-run homer, with the final run coming off of a Luke Williams double.
Mississippi Braves 9, Tennessee Smokies 7
- Geraldo Quintero, LF: 5-5, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB, .243/.338/.365
- Sebastian Rivero, C: 3-4, 2 2B, BB, R, 3 RBI, .231/.286/.385
- Tyler Tolve, DH: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, .194/.251/.328
- Cody Milligan, CF: 3-4, 2 2B, BB, 2 R, RBI, .229/.291/.336
Another game that was basically a bullpen game. Landon Harper got the start and pitched three scoreless frames, allowing just two hits and no walks as he struck out three, before giving way to the bullpen. Patrick Halligan followed Harper, and picked up the win as he allowed a run over an inning of work. Jake McSteen was next up and was only able to make it two thirds of an inning before allowing four runs, needing Jorge Juan to finish the inning off. Juan went a scoreless inning and a third, followed by a scoreless frame from Hayden Harris. Anthony Vizcaya pitched the eighth and allowed a pair of runs, and then Domingo Gonzalez struck out the side in order to pick up the save.
Geraldo Quintero pulled off the rare perfect five for five game, filling up the boxscore with a triple, two runs scored, two batted in, and a pair of stolen bases. This massive performance was enough to raise his OPS by 46 points on the year – a particularly eye-opening number considering it’s late-June. However Quintero wasn’t the only Brave to fill up the boxscore as a trio of other players also picked up three hits on the day. Sebastian Rivero and Cody Milligan were each three for four with a walk and two doubles, with Rivero scoring a run and batting in three, and Milligan scoring two and batting in one. Finally Tyler Tolve was three for five with a run scored and two batted in. A fifth Brave actually had a multi-hit performance as well, as Cal Conley was two for six with a double, stolen base, and two runs scored. Those five players alone combined for an impressive 16 base hits in the win, all but one of the team’s total on the day.
Rome Emperors 6, Greenville Drive 5
- Sabin Ceballos, 3B: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, SB, .271/.359/.371
- Drew Compton, 1B: 2-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, .245/.333/.396
- Blake Burkhalter, SP: 3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 3.60 ERA
- Jared Johnson, RP: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 2.60 ERA
Blake Burkhalter’s return from injury saw a slight bump in the road on Sunday, as he allowed three runs on six hits and two walks over three innings. Burkhalter seemed to be struggling with his command a bit, even if he didn’t walk a ton of hitters – which isn’t a strange occurrence for a pitcher so early in his ramp-up from Tommy John. Two scoreless innings from Cory Wall followed, then Ryan Bourassa allowed two runs (one earned) in an inning of work. Jared Johnson was next, and he went two scoreless to pick up the win, before a scoreless ninth got Rob Griswold the save.
The offense was led by a trio of hitters who picked up two hits apiece, which actually accounted for all of the hits by the Emperors offense in this one. Drew Compton was two for four with a pair of doubles, and batted in four of the six Rome runs on the day. Sabin Ceballos was two for five with a pair of runs scored, one batted in, and added a stolen base. Finally Stephen Paolini was two for four with a double. Kevin Kilpatrick and Ethan Workinger each walked twice, stole a base, and scored two runs, while Tim Borden also collected a pair of walks.
Augusta GreenJackets 2, Salem Red Sox 1
- Kade Kern, CF: 2-4, HR, 2B, R, RBI, .170/.249/.261
- Will Verdung, 1B: 1-3, 2B, BB, R, .236/.368/.298
- Cade Kuehler, SP: 5 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 2.52 ERA
Cade Kuehler turned in another strong five inning start, allowing just one run on seven hits and a walk while striking out five. This dropped his ERA on the year to 2.52. He was followed by a pair of relievers who each went two scoreless frames out of the pen, William Silva and then Reibyn Corona, with Corona picking up the save.
The biggest star for Augusta’s offense wasn’t even in the starting lineup, as Kade Kern came off the bench to homer and double in four at bats out of the leadoff spot. Unfortunately Kern hitting in the leadoff spot and playing center defensively meant he took over for Isaiah Drake. Drake singled in his first inning at bat and made a play on a single defensively in the bottom of the first, only to have Kern replace him in the next inning defensively. It’s hard to say why Drake left the game as the play he made was just lightly jogging a short distance to field the ball, and there was nothing obvious in the broadcast – though it did cut out on him fielding and throwing it back in. Will Verdung went one for three with a double and walked, as he continues his excellent June. Verdung posted monthly OPS marks of .509 and .567 in April and May, but is hitting .328/.462/.426 so far in June.