Jul 26, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of Atlanta Braves second baseman Tommy La Stella (not pictured) hat and glove in the dugout against the San Diego Padres in the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 26, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of Atlanta Braves second baseman Tommy La Stella (not pictured) hat and glove in the dugout against the San Diego Padres in the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
Atlanta Braves Minor League Playoff Championship Week Review
The Atlanta Braves had three teams competing for league championships this week, and they had their low-A affiliate in Rome take home the South Atlantic championship!
We’ll wrap up each level in just a bit, but first some individual performances…
Hitter of the week: After struggling to adjust to AA after tearing up Carolina, Joey Meneses became one of the most consistent hitters in Mississippi after Dansby Swanson was called up to the major leagues and much of the rest of the offense for the M-Braves went cold. This week, Meneses was one of the only bright spots for the M-Braves as they were swept by Jackson in the Southern League championship. He hit .417/.417/.583 on the week with a pair of doubles and 2 RBI.
Honorable mention:Sean Kazmar simply carried the Gwinnett offense throughout the playoff run. He was really the only consistent hitter in the Gwinnett lineup in the championship series as he hit .333/.375/.600, and he was the driving force behind the game 1 victory. Kazmar added a home run and a double on the week, driving in 4 runs.
Pitcher of the week: Last week’s strong elimination game from Chris Ellis bumped Max Fried to the honorable mention status. Not so this week. Fried was simply dominant in the series clincher for the Rome Braves, striking out 13 hapless Lakeland hitters before turning over the game to the bullpen. Fried certainly looks to be 100% back from his long Tommy John recovery, and he could move quickly through the system in 2017.
Honorable mention: The starting rotation is really the reason that Rome won the championship, and you could choose any of the other three Rome starters as the honorable mention. I’m going to go with the starter to go deepest of any starter in the system this week, Touki Toussaint. He went 8 innings in his start for the team, allowing only a solo home run and no walks, which is a big thing for Touki in his progression.
AAA Gwinnett Braves vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Tuesday, September 13th
Gwinnett’s offense came out swinging to take a 1-0 lead in their series 7-4. Aaron Blair went 7 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out 5. Sean Kazmar had the big bat for the Braves, collecting a home run and two singles, driving in three runs. Mel Rojas had three singles. Tyler Moore had a double, a single, and a walk. Reid Brignac had a double and two walks. Emilio Bonifacio had a single and a walk. Matt Lipka stole a base.
Wednesday, September 14th
The RailRiders evened their series with the G-Braves on Wednesday by scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning after Gwinnett had led the game all game long by a slim 1-0 lead. Chris Ellis threw six no-hit innings, allowing no runs on 4 walks, striking out 5. Sean Kazmar and Rio Ruiz each had doubles.
Thursday, September 15th
The walk-off loss in the bottom of the 9th on Wednesday seemed to suck all the life out of Gwinnett. Tyrell Jenkins gave up 3 runs over 5 innings on 4 hits and 4 walks, striking out 6, but he went scoreless after the 2nd inning, as did the rest of the bullpen. However, the offense simply couldn’t get anything going as former Brave J.R. Graham shut the door on the game in the 9th inning. Mel Rojas had two singles. Reid Brignac had a double and a walk.
Friday, September 16th
Once again, the Braves just couldn’t seem to muster up offense, and they appeared flat, something that showed up after the walk off loss on Wednesday. SWB took advantage in order to take the series 3-1 with a victory over the G-Braves on Friday 3-0. Rob Wooten made the start for the Braves, and the Gwinnett pitcher of the year did not disappoint with a solid outing, going 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 8. However, the offense was listless. Only Emilio Bonifacio reached base twice, on a single and a walk, and he stole a base. Mel Rojas stole a base.
Mississippi went down 1-0 as the bullpen gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to break a 3-3 tie. Michael Mader started the game, but he only went 4 2/3 innings before he was pulled after allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 8 hits and 3 walks, striking out 5. Carlos Franco had a double and a single. Joey Meneses and Dylan Moore each had two singles. Connor Lien had a triple. Mallex Smith had a double.
Tuesday, September 13th
Jackson shut out Mississippi 2-0 in game 2 of the series. Sean Newcomb made the start and went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks, striking out 5. Dylan Moore had two singles. Joey Meneses had a double.
Thursday, September 15th
Jackson completed the sweep by jumping out early on the previously unflappable Patrick Weigel and pouring it on offensively, winning the final game 11-3. Weigel could not even complete an inning, allowing 4 runs on a hit and 5 walks, striking out 1 over 2/3 of an inning. Dustin Peterson finished out the season on a high note individually, with 3 singles and a home run. Joey Meneses had a double and a single. Stephen Gaylor and Johan Camargo each had two singles. Carlos Franco had a double.
Video Highlights
Next: Rome Braves
Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win!!!! The Rome Braves are your 2016 South Atlantic League Champions! pic.twitter.com/f3WWaXlZ8h
The Braves were shut out in game one at home 5-0. Rome starter Mike Soroka threw a solid game, going 7 innings, allowing 4 unearned runs on 7 hits and no walks, striking out 6. The Braves only mustered one hit, a double by Justin Ellison, and Ellison also walked.
Tuesday, September 13th
Rome got a dominant start from Touki Toussaint to even their series with Lakewood. Touki went 8 innings, allowing only a solo home run on 4 hits and no walks, striking out 6. Jonathan Morales and Jared James each had a double and a single. James added a stolen base. Austin Riley had a home run. Ronald Acuna stole two bases.
Thursday, September 15th
Rome followed their dominant pitching to a 2-1 series lead with a 2-0 shutout win. Kolby Allard made the start, going 6 innings, allowing 6 hits and a walk, striking out 9. Austin Riley had a home run and a walk. Ray-Patrick Didder had a double and a walk. Ronald Acuna had a double.
Friday, September 16th
Once again, the R-Braves turned to Max Fried to close out a playoff series, and he delivered. Fried was absolutely dominant, throwing 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 13 hitters. Alejandro Salazar had three singles. Jonathan Morales had a double and a single. Ray-Patrick Didder had a double and a walk. Anfernee Seymour had a double.
