Atlanta Braves: Minor League Monday
The Braves system combined to go 5-13 across all levels for the weekend, including a trio of double headers on Sunday:
Atlanta Braves Minor League Monday – Gwinnett (6-11)
Gwinnett has continued to struggle, in spite of what appears to be a loaded AAA roster, by the standards of most AAA rosters. Thursday was Matt Wisler‘s turn in the rotation, and there were good and bad points of his start. The good: Wisler went six innings and allowed a total of 6 base runners with not one walk allowed. The bad: Wisler’s sinker stayed up in the zone, and he gave up two home runs and four runs total as Gwinnett lost to Norfolk 4-3. Elmer Reyes, Adonis Garcia, and Cedric Hunter each had 2 hits with Reyes, Garcia, and Eury Perez coming through with extra base hits. Perez also stole his 9th base of the season while Jose Peraza stole his 4th base.
Friday the G-Braves traveled to Durham to take on the Bulls, and they came back from an early 4-1 deficit after 2 innings to tie the game in the top of the 8th, only to have reliever Greg Smith blow the lead in the bottom of the 9th inning on a home run served up to Joey Butler to lose 8-6. Cedric Hunter had 3 hits, and Jose Peraza and Adonis Garcia also had multiple hits. Two of Hunter’s hits went for extra bases, including a home run. Pedro Ciriaco also clubbed a homer, while Joe Benson added a double and Eury Perez and Peraza each stole a base in the loss.
Saturday was rained out, and in true Ernie Banks fashion, the Braves played two on Sunday, splitting a double header. The first game was a 4-2 Durham victory in 7 innings. Michael Foltynewicz followed up his excellent start against Norfolk with an up-and-down start that has more typified his performance over his minor league career. He struck out 9 in 5 innings, but he also walked 3 and struggled with keeping his release point, allowing his fastball to flatten and become quite hittable. Todd Cunningham was the only Gwinnett player with multiple hits, though Adonis Garcia and Barrett Kleinknecht provided extra base hits. Gwinnett did take the second 7-inning game of the day, winning 3-1 behind a bullpen-led pitching performance started by Sugar Ray Marimon. Todd Cunningham had a double and a stolen base, and Joe Benson stole two bases for Gwinnett. Monday brings a Manny Banuelos start, and I intend to do a review on that start akin to the one I did on Folty’s last start, so look forward to that later this week.
Atlanta Braves Minor League Monday – Mississippi (9-7)
Greg Ross started off the weekend with his best start of the season for Mississippi on Thursday night against Chattanooga. He went six innings, allowing one run on five hits, no walks, and three strikeouts. The offense was behind him to secure a 5-2 victory. David Rohm and Daniel Castro had multi-hit games while Kevin Ahrens had a double.
Mississippi went with reliever Ryan Weber to start Friday as the team works Victor Mateo back into the fray after his DL stint. Weber has had an interesting progression through the Braves system, using his heavy sinker and ground ball tendencies in a “swing” role, starting and relieving both at each level along the way. Weber reminds me of former Braves reliever Kevin Gryboski with better control, as he attacks hitters more, but like Gryboski, keeps the ball down and often helps himself with double play balls. Weber went 4 solid innings, allowing three hits with no walks and five strikeouts. The M-Braves couldn’t pick him up, however, dropping the game to Chattanooga 3-2. Kevin Ahrens and Steve Rodriguez had doubles in the loss.
Saturday, the M-Braves started a series with the Mobile BayBears of the Diamondbacks organization. Jason Hursh gave a solid pitching performance, going six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks along with three strikeouts. Victor Mateo returned to the mound in a relief role, and he was tagged with the loss in a 5-3 loss. Mateo struggled mightily, giving up two hits, two walks, and a home run that scored three while only recording one out. Daniel Castro tapped out two hits, including a double. Matt Lipka also knocked a double while David Rohm stole his first base of the season in the loss.
Tyrell Jenkins took the hill for Mississippi on Sunday, and while he pitched a solid game, Mobile took the game in the 10th innings. I’d love to review Jenkins’ start, but Mobile doesn’t broadcast on milb.tv, so we’ll have to wait until a later start for a review. The M-Braves were facing a monster prospect on the other hill as the BayBears Aaron Blair took the mound. Mallex Smith, Kevin Ahrens, and Seth Loman all had 2 hits, and Loman joined Chris O’Dowd in clubbing home runs in the game.
Atlanta Braves Minor League Monday – Carolina (7-9)
The Mudcats continued their series with Salem on Thursday on a sour note as Andrew Thurman took a 6-4 loss. In spite of the loss, the Mudcats did get a nice display of power in the game with Dustin Peterson and Eric Garcia both knocking out home runs and Garcia sporting multiple hits on the day.
Carolina rode the continued strong start to the season by Steve Janas, who allowed one run in five innings, to a 4-1 victory over Salem on Friday. The Mudcats only managed four hits, but made them count as Dustin Peterson hit his second home run in as many days, driving in 3 runs on the blast.
The Mudcats were rained out on Saturday (anyone else appreciate the irony of a team called the “Mudcats” being rained out? No, just me? Okay). Instead, they played a Sunday double header that they dropped to Salem by a combined score of 6-2. The Mudcats could only muster 4 hits in the opener, though Joseph Odom did club a double. In the night cap, Yean Carlos Gil gave the Mudcats 5 solid innings, allowing two runs on 5 hits while giving up no walks and striking out 6. Carolina couldn’t push runs across the plate, however, as they mustered only one hit the entire game, a double by Eric Garcia.
Atlanta Braves Minor League Monday – Rome (6-11)
Rome dropped their Thursday contest with Augusta 5-3. The pitching performance was more than a little wild, giving up 8 walks, though the defense didn’t help at all with 4 errors. Very sloppy ball all around. Keith Curcio and Tanner Krietemeier each had two hits, and Krietemeier had a double.
Friday brought Rome’s first double header of the weekend, which they split with Augusta. In the first game, Ricardo Sanchez pitched arguably his best game of the year, but it seemed like every time a GreenJacket caught up to one of his pitches, they hit it hard, giving up 3 extra base hits in only 5 hits allowed. Conversely, it seemed the Rome bats went silent when they had men on base, with 7 hits in the shortened 7-inning game, but only one run to show for it in the 5-1 loss. Tanner Murphy had multiple hits for the R-Braves, while Omar Obregon stole his 2nd base of the season and Jordan Edgerton added a double. In the nightcap, the Braves threw a relief-oriented game with reliever Zach Quintana starting the game. Rome was held quiet for the first four innings, but they followed a 5-run explosion in the fifth with another 4 runs in the sixth to win 9-6. Braxton Davidson and Omar Obregon both had multiple hits, with one of Davidson’s hits being a double. Bryan De La Rosa and Joseph Daris also added extra base hits.
Saturday’s game saw Alec Grosser‘s struggles on the mound continued as he allowed six walks in 4 1/3 innings, though the R-Braves were tied up going into the 9th inning before falling 8-7. Rome out-hit Augusta 15-10, but they only recorded one extra base hit by Keith Curcio. Curcio led the hitting attack with four hits, while Ozhaino Albies and Jordan Edgerton each added 3 hits as Rome’s 1-3 in the order combined for 10 of the team’s 15 hits.
Another doubleheader on Sunday, and another doubleheader split with Augusta. The Braves took the opener 5-2 behind a complete game (7 innings) by Sean Furney, who only allowed 4 base runners and struck out 3 over his 7 innings. Keith Curcio had two hits to pace Rome, including a double. Reed Harper also had a double, and Ozhaino Albies stole his 4th base. In the night cap, however, Harper’s error at third led to a 5-run 3rd inning that put the game away as the Braves only managed one run in an 8-1 loss. Keith Curcio had his second multi-hit game of the day, and Braxton Davidson provided the entirety of the Rome offense with a solo home run.
That’s All!
The AAA speed continues to impress with a half-dozen steals over the weekend by Gwinnett, but what gives me hope is the three home runs over the weekend by Dustin Peterson and Braxton Davidson. Those two both have very, very raw power, and from the looks of last year to this year, the Braves have done some work on Dustin’s swing that seem to be allowing him to get to the ball quicker and close up some of the holes in his previously lengthy swing. If he can keep up the progress he is making with his rebuilt swing and Davidson can add the power to his already-solid patience, the Braves could have two power corner outfield bats on the way up.