Sunday saw one of the top prospects in the system, Seth Keller, combine to throw a no hitter during a doubleheader.
Sunday saw another combined no hitter in the lower levels of the system, as 2022 draftee Seth Keller combined with Landon Harper to complete a no hitter during a doubleheader. That was the big story, but the Braves system won four of five on the day and we saw David McCabe homer plus big days at the plate for Drake Baldwin, Luke Waddell, and Cal Conley.
Gwinnett Stripers 4, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 3
- Vaughn Grissom, 2B: 0-3, BB, R, .318/.395/.469
- Braden Shewmake, SS: 1-4, R, .221/.301/.409
- Alan Winans, SP: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 2.89 ERA
It was Alan Winans start for the Stripers, and he struggled a bit through three and a third innings on Sunday. Winans allowed two runs on five hits and two walks, striking out two in the process – but needed 67 pitches to get those 10 outs. Beau Burrows followed with a scoreless inning and two thirds, then scoreless frames from Dereck Rodriguez, Jackson Stephens, and Seth Elledge to take things into the ninth. The Stripers brought on Grant Holmes for the save, and he completed it despite giving up a run in his inning.
The offense didn’t do much at the dish, hidden by the fact the Stripers put up four runs in the win. The team managed just four hits and one walk, with a Yolmer Sanchez double being the lone extra base hit in the contest. Sanchez was joined by Dalton Guthrie, Jesus Aguilar, and Braden Shewmake with hits, and Vaughn Grissom drew the one walk.
Mississippi Braves 10, Pensacola Blue Wahoos 5
- Cal Conley, SS: 2-3, BB, 2 R, RBI, .217/.304/.276
- Luke Waddell, 3B: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI, .305/.411/.455
- Domingo Robles, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 3.94 ERA
Domingo Robles turned in a very strong outing on Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks over six innings. Robles needed just 74 pitches to get through those six innings to pick up the quality start and victory, and also picked a runner off first base. Jake McSteen followed with a scoreless inning, but the next two relievers helped to make this final score appear closer than it actually was as Domingo Gonzalez allowed a run and Hayden Harris gave up two runs in an inning apiece.
The top of the order really fueled the Braves offense in this win. Hitting in the two hole, Cal Conley was 2-3 with a walk, scoring a pair of runs, and batting one in, while out of the three spot Luke Waddell was 2-3 with a double, pair of walks, and two RBI. Leadoff hitter Cody Milligan also added a double, but the rest of the lineup had some moments too – like a homer from Cade Bunnell and a double from Javier Valdes. Drew Campbell was also 2-4 with a pair of runs scored and a pair batted in.
Asheville Tourists 6, Rome Braves 5
- Drake Baldwin, DH: 3-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI, .230/.361/.401
- David McCabe, 3B: 1-3, HR, 2 BB, R, 2 RBI, .302/.398/.488
- Adam Zebrowski, C: 1-4, HR, BB, R, RBI, .208/.308/.404
Jorge Bautista got the start and had to battle with his command to make it through four innings, giving up four runs on four hits and three walks – which included a pair of homers against him. JJ Niekro followed with a scoreless inning before giving way to Jose Montilla, who allowed two runs while recording two outs. Rob Griswold came on to pitch the final two and a third innings and didn’t allow any further damage.
The Braves got some real production out of a pair of high picks from the 2022 MLB Draft, as David McCabe hit his seventh homer since being promoted from Augusta along with drawing a pair of walks, and Drake Baldwin was 3-5 with a double. Adam Zebrowski also homered for Rome, his 12th of the season. Among the other players who had notable games, Kevin Kilpatrick was 2-4 with a walk and Geraldo Quintero was 2-5.
Augusta GreenJackets 3, Charleston RiverDogs 2
- Ambioris Tavarez, SS: 1-3, 2B, BB
- Bryson Worrell, CF: 1-3, 2B, BB, R
- Adam Shoemaker, SP: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 7.43 ERA
Adam Shoemaker got the start in the first half of the double header and pitched a strong game statistically, though really battled his command in this one. Shoemaker allowed two runs (one earned) over four innings, giving up three hits – but he allowed four walks and threw less than half of his pitches for strikes (30 of 64). Ronaldo Alesandro followed with two perfect innings of relief before Elison Joseph pitched a scoreless frame for the save.
Ambioris Tavarez was the offensive star in the first game of the day, going one for three with a double and a walk, though Bryson Worrell was also one for three with a double and a walk and Jose Dilone was two for two with a walk. Eight of the nine spots in the order came up with a hit in this shortened game, with Dilone being the only one to have a multi-hit game.
Augusta GreenJackets 2, Charleston RiverDogs 0
- Cory Acton, 2B: 3-3, 2B, R, RBI, SB, .237/.338/.319
- Jair Casanova, LF: 2-3, RBI, .202/.316/.328
- Seth Keller, SP: 5.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 2 K, 4.42 ERA
The big story of the day in the minors was the fact one of the Top 10 prospects in the Braves system combined to pitch a no hitter. Seth Keller threw five and a third no hit innings with a pair of strikeouts, though did walk five as he battled his command at times. Keller was followed by Landon Harper, who pitched an inning and two third of hitless baseball to complete the combined no hitter for Augusta.
Cory Acton had the big game with the bat in the second game, going a perfect three for three with a double, steal, run scored, and RBI. Jair Casanova also had a multi-hit game, going two for three with the game’s other RBI. Following a 1-3 game with a walk and a double in the first game, Bryson Worrell went 1-3 and scored a run.