Murphy continued his promising return from Tommy John surgery with an electric eight strikeout performance
It was a day for pitching prospects to shine on the Atlanta Braves farm system, and no one was more impressive than Owen Murphy. Murphy had an incredible outing, dominating the top team in the South Atlantic League with no sweat, and he seems ready to continue the breakout campaign that was interrupted in 2021. Didier Fuentes put up a strong outing for Gwinnett, his second good outing in a row, and in Augusta Rayven Antonio had a great outing to recover from a couple of poor games in a row.
(44-63) Gwinnett Stripers 1, (63-42) Durham Bulls 2
- Nacho Alvarez Jr., 2B: 0-3, .254/.405/.349
- Luke Waddell, SS: 2-4, 2B, .304/.413/.387
- Didier Fuentes, SP: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 3.63 ERA
- Hayden Harris, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 0.61 ERA
The Didier Fuentes we got accustomed to seeing at the lower levels has reappeared in the past two starts, and he dominated the Bulls in this outing despite only using two pitches for nearly the entire game. Fuentes went back to a pure fastball-sweeper combination after a few starts where the Braves seemed to be experimenting and he had the best command of his sweeper that he has in over a month. He was placing that pitch well down and on the glove side and was able to get seven whiffs on that pitch alone while limiting hard contact. He mixed in solid fastball command as well, though he did tend to groove fastballs when he got behind in counts and it led to some hard-hit balls off of the pitch. It’s not clear exactly what the Braves are looking for him to do right now, though they may be stripping him back to basics and really locking in his fastball-slider approach before trying to reintroduce the splitter back into the fold. They went heavier on that in his last outing but he only threw one this time around. It wasn’t an awful pitch and he kept it on the arm side edge, but in an 0-2 count it wasn’t ideal for him to leave the pitch in the zone at all and they didn’t go back to it.
Fuentes’s great outing set the table for the Stripers offense to take advantage and earn the team a win, but they looked awful and had very little hard contact to show for in this game, no real surprise. Luke Waddell smoked a double in the fourth inning to lead off, and that ending up being by far their best hit of the game. Nacho Alvarez popped out into foul territory, but Waddell smartly tagged up on the play and was able to advance as the first baseman had to make a tough play, setting up a sacrifice fly that gave Gwinnett a lead they held until Fuentes departed. Given their propensity for not hitting you would assume the Stripers would at least back their pitchers up with their gloves, but that ended up not being the case. After two sharp grounders cleared holes for two out singles, Waddell got a can of corn grounder that should have been the last out, but got caught by the hop and was unable to get an out at any base. The next hitter smoked a base hit through the right side of the infield, scoring two runs to make that error costly and put Durham on top.
Swing and Misses
Didier Fuentes – 15
John Brebbia – 4
(39-59) Columbus Clingstones 2, (53-48) Montgomery Biscuits 3
- Jim Jarvis, 3B: 1-4, .222/.222/.222
- David McCabe, 3B: 0-3, HBP, .287/.374/.398
- Patrick Clohisy, CF: 1-4, 2B, .125/.222/.250
- Drue Hackenberg, SP: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 8.74 ERA
Drue Hackenberg only had one inning in this game where things got away from him and did only issue one walk, but his control was an issue throughout the game. He often found himself starting behind in counts and getting deep into at bats, and while Montgomery didn’t barrel him up much he was not missing bats. He started out strongly, striking out the first two hitters then getting a ground out for a 1-2-3 first inning, and that was his saving grace in the game. He was able to get the Biscuits to attack sinkers at the bottom of the strike zone even when he was behind in the count, and got plenty of ground balls for weak outs and a double play to help prevent damage from spreading significantly. It was soft contact and a leadoff walk that led to the two runs in the third inning, and the only particularly hard hit ball of any consequence was a triple in the second inning. Hackenberg let a sinker stay up in the zone and on the inner half against a lefty, who turned and cracked one into the corner than scored when the next hitter singled. Hackenberg’s fastball command right now just is not as good as it was last season, and without that he is struggling to do anything with his arsenal, especially given the drop in velocity that we’ve seen. It was a rough outing, but an improvement over his last as he was effective with his sinker at times and didn’t really get hit around a ton.
On the other side Biscuits starter Ty Johnson had an excellent game, getting ten strikeouts of Columbus hitters that helped him limit runs despite decent traffic on the basepaths. The Clingstones were able to take the lead in the second inning, and it started with a David McCabe hit by pitch. McCabe didn’t have a hit in his other three at bats, but did have a hard hit fly ball in the fourth inning that he didn’t quite get under enough to muscle for a home run. Back to the second inning, Drew Compton followed up McCabe by splitting the gap with a fly ball, getting a double that put two runners in scoring position with no outs. This would be a massive chance for the Clingstones to post a crooked inning, but they fell short and only got a single run on the board. Johnson got one of those well-timed strikeouts, but Cal Conley was able to slice one past the shortstop for a single to score McCabe. However on the play Compton broke back to second base, and while trying to advance was thrown out for the second out, effectively ending the chance at a big inning. Adam Zebrowski hammered a hanging slider in the seventh inning for a home run to cut the lead at the time to 3-2, but the Clingstones couldn’t tie it against the bullpen. McCabe came to bat with two runners on in the eighth inning, and he hit a sharp grounder back up the middle, but the shortstop was well-positioned, made a diving play, and was able to get to the base and throw out McCabe at first for an inning-ending double play. Drew Compton led off in the ninth inning with a single, but the Clingstones didn’t advance him from there and took another tough loss.
Swing and Misses
Drue Hackenberg – 3
Brian Moran – 1
(40-57) Rome Emperors 2, (70-29) Greensboro Grasshoppers 10
- Colby Jones, SS: 1-4, RBI, .200/.273/.300
- Mason Guerra, 1B: 2-3, 1B, .217/.270/.311
- Owen Murphy, SP: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA
(41-57) Rome Emperors 2, (70-30) Greensboro Grasshoppers 0
- Isaiah Drake, CF: 1-3, RBI, .200/.273/.200
- Justin Janas, RF: 2-3, 2B, .252/.317/.349
- Jacob Kroeger, SP: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2.38 ERA
Welcome back Owen Murphy. He was outstanding for the Emperors in his first start back with the team since getting Tommy John surgery, and it came against a good lineup as well. Murphy struck out eight batters and was missing bats all over the place, and there was good news as well with his velocity as he was sitting in the low-90’s and topped out at 94. He also held that velocity through the end of his start. If he continues to add velocity and holds it deep into games as he gets further away from surgery it’s going to be great, but as is he still has plenty to work with. His fastball and slider were both lively, and he seemed to be focused on hitting the zone with those two pitches though his command did waver at times throughout the game. Especially early in the outing he was struggling to get keep his slider down, but he seemed to regain his feel bit-by-bit and in his last couple of innings was landing that slider down and glove side to get whiffs. His fastball had the explosive carry that we have come to expect from him, and even in the low-90’s he was able to blow the pitch past hitters throughout his outing. There is quite a bit of room to improve his command right now, which is no surprise given where he is ramping back up from surgery, but the early results and velocity from him are promising and we already have high expectations for his 2026 season.
For the sake of sanity, it’s best to pretend the rest of the first game of the double header didn’t happen and to skip ahead to more Rome pitching dominance. Jacob Kroeger and Riley Frey each dominated in similar ways, with their low-velo, low lefty release, high fastball approaches combining for seven one-hit innings. The offense did just enough to support them and ensure a win, taking advantage of an error in the fifth inning to help score their two runs. Isaiah Drake had a pretty rough showing in the first game, but bounced back to put up good swings in game two. His first two at bats he hit the ball hard though he wasn’t able to find grass, and his worst contact of the game came on a chopper in the fifth inning which happened to be the one batted ball that found a hole for an RBI single. That was Rome’s only hit in the game with a runner in scoring position, but it was key and so far in the first few games Drake has looked comfortable at the plate. He was a bit unfortunate with the wide zone in game one (which also helped Owen Murphy out) and got rung up in his second plate appearance, but has otherwise been swinging at and taking the right pitches for the most part.
Swing and Misses
Owen Murphy – 12
Riley Frey – 9
Jacob Kroeger – 9
Logan Samuels – 5
Cory Wall – 5
(52-47) Augusta GreenJackets 5, (56-41) Carolina Mudcats 3
- Eric Hartman, CF: 1-4, HR, .238/.346/.392
- Cody Miller, SS: 1-4, .333/.333/.667
- Rayven Antonio, SP: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 3.25 ERA
That sound you hear is a Rayven Antonio bounce back, and the fourth straight win for the Augusta GreenJackets. Antonio came into this outing off of his worst two starts of the season, but asserted himself early in this start. He retired the first six batters he faced in this outing, and was a bit heavier on his sinker usage and sitting at the bottom of the strike zone with that pitch. Working ahead early he was able to settle into this game nicely and get to his slider more often against hitters, while utilizing his sliders to get weak ground balls and easy outs. An infield single on a rolled over fastball that the runner barely beat Antonio to first base on did break up his streak, but he got right back in the saddle and breezed through the next three hitters. The Mudcats scored their lone run in the fifth inning when Antonio didn’t quite get a sweeper outside enough and the leadoff man was able to lean out and hook it into left for a single. After a stolen base and a throwing error on a pickoff the runner was in position to score on a ground out, and Antonio made another mistake on a slider over the plate that got smoked for a double, but Antonio was otherwise sparkling throughout this outing. It was great to see him back on a roll and locating his fastball well, and he held his velocity and command down to his final pitch.
There were a few impressive games in this one from the offense, but the trio at the top of the lineup stood out in particular. Juan Mateo played terrific defense at third base, and in addition had solid at bats even if they didn’t result in any hits. One weakness in Mateo’s game is his tendency to try to pull anything, and the Braves are wanting him to be willing to use up the middle and the right center field gap a bit more. he showed a great swing in the third inning by going into the opposite gap with a hard hit liner, but a diving play by the center fielder robbed him of extra bases. It’s only been two games now for Cody Miller, but there is a lot to like about his swing at the plate. He has above average bat speed to get to pitches on the inner half, and he had a hard line drive single in this game and a fly out to left field where he just got under it and missed a home run by a few feet. All three of his batted balls were hard hit, and if he keeps putting solid contact out there like he has these first two games he is not going to spend long in Single-A. Then we get to Eric Hartman. He only had good contact in one at bat but he made the absolute most of it. He got a hanging slider and obliterated a 107 mph home run, his fifth of the season and third since returning to the lineup at the start of July. Hartman has had an impressive season overall, and this home run raised his isolated power at Augusta to .154. Over the past 15 seasons there have only been three Braves prospects age 19 or younger to have 200+ plate appearances in a season with an on base percentage of .300 or higher and an isolated power of .150 or higher — Hartman, Austin Riley, and Drew Waters. Since returning from the injured list his power has been even more impressive as he has a .181 isolated power in that timeframe.
Swing and Misses
Rayven Antonio – 9
Seth Keller – 6
Albert Rivas – 5
(18-24) DSL Braves 10, (28-25) DSL Royals Ventura 12
- Angel Carmona, SS: 1-3, 2 BB, .171/.275/.371
- Manuel Campos, 2B: 1-5, 2 RBI, .245/.356/.305
The DSL Braves trailed this game 8-3 entering the seventh inning, but feasted on Royals relievers. After two walks, one to Angel Carmona, Manuel Campos had a well-timed lone hit of the game to score both runners. He would score on a double, bringing up the bottom of the order with a chance to tie the game or take the lead. Two more hits increased the threat level exponentially, then Elias Reyno came in with a clutch, three-run home run to cap off a seven run inning and give the Braves the lead. The Braves pitching staff then immediately gave four runs right back and lost the game. At least it was exciting for, like, 30 minutes.