Murphy went 2-5 with one RBI and a run scored in the Stripers’ loss.
Friday was a less-than-spectacular day down on the farm for Atlanta’s affiliates. One of the bright spots, however, was that Sean Murphy continues to impress on his rehab stint as he inches his way closer to a return to the big league squad.
(23-26) Gwinnett Stripers 3, (21-28) Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 8
- Sean Murphy, C: 2-5, RBI, R
- Yuli Gurriel, 1B: 3-5, 2B, RBI
- Eli White, LF: 2-4, RBI, BB
- Patrick Halligan, SP: 2 IP, H, ER, 3 BB, 3 K
It was a rough go of it for Gwinnett on Friday as they were outscored 8-3 in the loss.
Starter Patrick Halligan lasted all of two innings for the Stripers, but managed to limit the damage to just one run as Jacksonville jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning.
After being shut down in the home half of the second, Gwinnett tied things up in the third frame. Andrew Velazquez walked and subsequently stole second base to lead off the inning. After J.P. Martinez drew a walk of his own, Sean Murphy singled into center field to score Velazquez and tie the game at 1-1.
While Brooks Wilson came on in relief and tossed a scoreless third and fourth innings, the wheels fell off in the top of the fifth as he would allow six runs in the frame as Jacksonville took a 7-1 lead. Parker Dunshee came on in relief of Wilson, and despite allowing one run in the sixth inning, he would toss three innings total, holding the Jumbo Shrimp to a 8-1 lead.
The Gwinnett offense showed a little bit of life in the home half of the seventh inning, scoring two runs. After Martinez was hit by a pitch, Murphy singled him to third before an Eli White single brought Martinez home to cut the deficit to 8-2. In the next at-bat, Yuli Gurriel singled home Murphy to make it 8-3 Jacksonville.
Despite the late offensive outburst, the Stripers were unable to cut into the Jacksonville lead any further in the loss.
(20-23) Mississippi Braves 5, (12-31) Chattanooga Lookouts 2
- KeShawn Ogans, 2-4, 2B
- Tyler Tolve, DH: 1-3, 2B, RBI
- Luis De Avila, SP: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Mississippi utilized a solid start by Luis De Avila en route to a victory over Chattanooga.
The Lookouts got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning, scoring one run off of De Avila to take a 1-0 lead. Mississippi tied things up in the top of the third frame.
Bryson Horne walked to lead off the inning before Cade Bunnell singled him to third. Then, as Cody Milligan grounded into a double play, Horne scored to knot things up at 1-1.
De Avila allowed another run in the bottom of the fourth inning as the Lookouts took a 2-1 lead.
After going scoreless in the next four innings, the Braves finally broke through in the top of the eighth frame. Bunnell walked to kick things off before a Cody Milligan single moved him up to second base. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position before Nacho Alvarez Jr. grounded into a fielder’s choice to plate Justin Dean — who came on to pinch-run for Bunnell — to retake the lead.
A wild pitch scored Milligan to give the Braves the 3-2 lead before another wild pitch two batters later scored Alvarez Jr. to extend the lead to 4-2. To cap off the inning, Tyler Tolve doubled to bring home Drake Baldwin — who walked earlier in the frame — to give Mississippi the 5-2 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, Domingo Gonzalez tossed a scoreless frame to seal off the Mississippi win.
(21-20) Rome Emperors 1, (21-20) Wilmington Blue Rocks 5
- Sabin Ceballos, 3B: 3-4, 2B, R
- E.J. Exposito, 2B: 2-4, RBI
- Mitch Farris, SP: 6 IP, 4 H, ER, 5 K
Despite outhitting Wilmington, Rome fell by a 5-1 tally.
Mitch Farris got the start on the mound for the Emperors and put up a stellar performance. Across six innings, Farris allowed four hits, one earned run and struck out five without issuing a walk.
The only blemish on Farris’ record on the day was one run allowed in the top of the sixth inning as Wilmington took a 1-0 lead. Rome got that one run back in the home half. Sabin Ceballos led off with a double and moved up to third on an Ethan Workinger single. With one out in the inning, E.J. Exposito singled into center field to tie the game at 1-1.
For the rest of the game, offense was hard to come by for Rome as they were shutout over the final three innings. However, Emperor relievers Elison Joseph and Rob Griswold allowed a combined four runs — only two earned — as Wilmington took a 5-1 lead which would hold as Rome fell on Friday.
(18-23) Augusta GreenJackets, (23-18) Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (POSTPONED)
(4-11) FCL Braves 4, (8-6) FCL Rays 9
- Junior Garcia, DH: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, R, Sacrifice Fly
- John Gil, SS: 2-3, 2B, BB
- Cristobal Abreu, SP: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, 4 BB
The FCL Braves fell by a 9-4 final on Friday to the FCL Rays despite matching the Rays hit-for-hit with eight apiece.
The Braves jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. Mario Baez led off the game with a single and stole second base before moving up to third on a passed ball. After John Gil walked, Junior Garcia plated Baez to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
However, the Rays took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, plating four runs off of Braves’ starter Cristobal Abreu to make it a 4-1 lead. The Braves got one of those runs back in the top of the second inning as Elian Garcia brought home Alexander Martinez on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
Things got worse for the Braves in the bottom of the third inning as the Rays plated three more runs in the inning to make it 7-2.
The Braves didn’t score again until the top of the seventh inning as Junior Garcia launched a two-run homer to cut the deficit to 7-4.
Braves reliever Jose Ojeda allowed two runs in the home half of the eighth inning as the Rays reextended their lead to 9-4 which would hold as the Rays won.