May 14, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a Atlanta Braves cap and glove on the field prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a Atlanta Braves cap and glove on the field prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
Atlanta Braves Minor League Weekend Wrap Up
Transactions
6/8 – RHP Andres Santiago assigned to Mississippi Braves from Florida Fire Frogs 6/8 – SS Yunior Severino assigned to DSL Braves 6/8 – SS Yenci Pena assigned to DSL Braves 6/9 – OF Mel Rojas, Jr. released by Gwinnett Braves 6/9 – RHP Caleb Dirks placed on temporarily inactive list by Gwinnett Braves 6/9 – C Braeden Schlehuber activated from 7-day DL by Gwinnett Braves 6/9 – RHP Wes Parsons assigned to Gwinnett Braves from Danville Braves 6/9 – RHP Kris Medlen assigned to Gwinnett Braves from Mississippi Braves 6/10 – RHP Jason Hursh optioned from Atlanta Braves to Gwinnett Braves 6/10 – LHP Sean Newcomb contract purchased by Atlanta Braves from Gwinnett Braves 6/10 – RHP Matt Wisler recalled to Atlanta Braves from Gwinnett Braves 6/10 – OF Stephen Gaylor assigned to Gwinnett Braves from Mississippi Braves 6/11 – RHP Matt Wisler optioned to Gwinnett Braves from Atlanta Braves 6/11 – RHP Jason Hursh recalled to Atlanta Braves from Gwinnett Braves 6/11 – LHP Tyler Pike assigned to Mississippi Braves from Florida Fire Frogs 6/11 – RHP Andres Santiago assigned to Florida Fire Frogs from Mississippi Braves
Hitter of the week: Of the veterans on the Gwinnett squad, the guy who has been seemingly overlooked the most is Matt Tuiasosopo. Once a legit prospect, Tuiasosopo played well enough just last season with Gwinnett to earn a call to the big league club, yet when he was re-signed, many wrote him off as someone who would not provide any value.
Over the first few weeks, that assumption looked right on. Other than an odd propensity to walks this season, Tuiasosopo looked awful early, but he’s been turning it on as of late.
This past week, he hit .348/.483/.739 with 9 runs scored, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI while posting a 5/6 BB/K ratio.
Honorable mention: Another guy who struggled in the early going was defensive wizard Ray-Patrick Didder. Mature in his approach with Rome last season, many thought he might skip right over high-A this year, but instead, he’s struggled plenty at the level early until recent corrections have sparked Didder, and in turn the Florida lineup.
Didder hit .308/.550/.308 with 3 runs and 2 RBI over the last week, but the reason he’s getting the mention is two-fold. First, he had a 6/5 BB/K ratio, an issue that he’s struggled with for the majority of the season, and on top of that, he stole 5 bases on the week without getting caught. With his speed, if he can get pitchers worrying about him whenever he’s on base, that’s a huge bonus.
Pitcher of the week: This really isn’t even a challenge. Mike Soroka put up a line this week that would be tough to beat in any week. Soroka made two starts on the week, totaling 15 innings without giving up a single run, granting only 7 hits and not a single walk in either start. He also struck out 13 over the two starts.
Honorable mention: While Bryse Wilson had an excellent two-start week and Andrew Albers had an excellent single start, I wanted to use the elite performance from one of the Braves relievers to highlight the work he’s done this season.
Many questioned the move of the Braves when they picked up Jesse Biddle last season. The lefty had struggled with injury issues before hit Tommy John, and whether he’d be able to get to quality again was anyone’s guess.
Biddle’s gotten there and then some. This past week, he threw 5 innings in relief, allowing 6 hits and a run, walking none and striking out 10 batters – that’s right, 2 per inning. On the season, Biddle has been excellent, making 19 appearances, throwing 34 innings, with a 2.65 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 12/38 BB/K ratio.
Next: Gwinnett Braves
AAA Gwinnett Braves (32-30)
Thursday
Gwinnett took down Charlotte on Thursday 4-1. Patrick Weigel got the start for Gwinnett, going 6 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6. Caleb Dirks threw 3 innings or scoreless relief, allowing one hit and no walks, striking out 3.
Gwinnett got a solid first start out of Kris Medlen, but it wasn’t enough, as they lost to Charlotte 3-1. Medlen went 5 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6.
Jace Peterson had a triple, single, and a walk. Dustin Peterson had a pair of singles and a walk. Carlos Franco had a home run and a single. Kyle Kubitza had two singles.
Saturday
Gwinnett broke open a pitcher’s duel in the 7th inning, turning a 0-0 game into a 9-0 victory over Charlotte. Lucas Sims made the start, going 8 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7.
Kyle Kubitza had three singles. Jace Peterson had two singles and a walk. Xavier Avery had a double and two walks. Sean Kazmar had a pair of singles and a stolen base. Braeden Schlehuber had two singles. David Freitas had a double and a walk. Matt Tuiasosopo had a home run and a walk.
Sunday
Gwinnett got the team shutout on Sunday, defeating Charlotte 5-0. Aaron Blair got the start, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5.
Carlos Franco had three singles. Matt Tuiasosopo had a double, single, and a walk. Sean Kazmar had a pair of singles and a walk. Jace Peterson had two walks. Emerson Landoni had a single and a walk. Stephen Gaylor had a stolen base.
Leaders
BA: Jace Peterson .351 OBP: Jace Peterson .444 HR: Three with 5 SB: Ozzie Albies, Lane Adams 15 W: Lucas Sims, Andrew Albers 5 SV: David Peterson 5 SO: Sean Newcomb 74 ERA: David Peterson 2.73
Mississippi won a pitcher’s duel on Thursday 1-0. Luiz Gohara made an excellent start, going 5 innings, allowing 3 hits and no walks, striking out 7 in his longest outing since his return from the disabled list.
Pensacola had a big offensive game against Mississippi 6-2. Andres Santiago got the start and went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks, striking out 3.
A scoreless game going into the bottom of the 8th inning, the M-Braves were facing a 2-0 deficit in the 9th inning. Instead, they came out with a 4-2 victory over Pensacola. Mike Soroka got the best of Tyler Mahle in what is becoming one of the most exciting pitching matchups in the Southern League. Soroka went 7 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits and no walks, striking out 4.
Levi Hyams had two singles and a walk. Luis Valenzuela and Connor Lien each had two singles. Travis Demeritte had a single and a walk. Dylan Moore had a single and a hit by pitch. Kade Scivicque had a double.
Sunday
Mississippi ended up on the short end of a pitcher duel on Sunday, losing to Pensacola 3-1. Kolby Allard went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 1.
Ronald Acuna had a double, walk, and a stolen base. Travis Demeritte stole a base.
Leaders
BA: Ronald Acuna .336 OBP: Ronald Acuna .396 HR: Carlos Franco 11 SB: Ronald Acuna 15 W: Mike Soroka 7 SV: Jason Hursh 5 SO: Mike Soroka 64 ERA: Mike Soroka 2.45
Video Highlights
Next: Florida Fire Frogs
Florida Fire Frogs (24-38)
Thursday
The Fire Frogs scored 7 runs over the first 3 innings en route to a 102 victory over Charlotte. Enderson Franco went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, striking out 1. Jacob Webb had two elite innings of relief, allowing nary a hit nor walk, striking out 4.
Florida’s offense was in gear on Friday as they defeated Charlotte 10-3. Tyler Pike went 6 1/3 innings in what ended up being his last Florida start as he got promoted to AA on Sunday. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6.
Anfernee Seymour had three singles and a walk. Ray-Patrick Didder had two singles and two walks. Jonathan Morales had three singles. Austin Riley had a home run, single, and a walk. Alay Lago had two doubles. Braxton Davidson had a walk and was hit by pitch.
Saturday
Charlotte came out early and kept on the Fire Frogs all night, defeating Florida 7-2. Drew Harrington got the start, going 6 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits and a walk, striking out 4.
Ray-Patrick Didder had two singles, a walk, and a stolen base. Matt Gonzalez had a double and a walk.
Sunday
Charlotte was able to stifle the Florida lineup to get a victory 4-2 on Sunday. Ricardo Sanchez left the game after just 1 1/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk, striking out 2.
Ray-Patrick Didder had a walk, hit by pitch, and stole two bases. Anfernee Seymour had a stolen base.
Leaders
BA: Tyler Neslony .321 OBP: Tyler Neslony .391 HR: Alex Jackson 10 SB: Ray-Patrick Didder 15 W: Tyler Pike 5 SV: Devan Watts 4 SO: Tyler Pike 68 ERA: Jacob Webb 1.69
Video Highlights
No Video Available
Next: Rome Braves
Rome Braves (35-28)
Thursday
Augusta scored a 6-spot in the bottom of the 4th, then walked off in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Rome 7-6. Joey Wentz went 3 1/3 innings, allowing 5 runs (3 earned) on 2 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6.
The Braves got an incredible start from Ian Anderson to defeat Asheville 2-0. Ian Anderson went 6 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. Thomas Burrows and Brandon White combined for 3 innings of relief, allowing one hit and one walks, striking out 5.
Randy Ventura and Kurt Hoekstra each had two singles. Anthony Concepcion had a single and a hit by pitch. Cristian Pache stole a base.
Saturday
Rome secured the defeat over Asheville on Saturday 4-2. Alan Rangel made his first start of the season, going 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on 7 hits and a walk, striking out 4.
Lucas Herbert had two doubles and a single. Justin Ellison had two doubles. Cristian Pache and Ramon Osuna each had a double and a single. Kurt Hoekstra had a single, walk, and a stolen base. Marcus Mooney had a single and was hit by pitch.
Sunday
Rome used a big day from Justin Ellison to defeat Asheville 3-1. Bryse Wilson was tremendous on the mound as well, going 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 1 hit and no walks, striking out 8.
Justin Ellison had a home run, a double, and a single. Kevin Josephina and Carlos Martinez each had two singles and stole a base.
Leaders
BA: Randy Ventura .323 OBP: Brett Cumberland .432 HR: Brett Cumberland 9 SB: Randy Ventura 19 W: Oriel Caicedo, Jon Kennedy 5 SV: Brandon White 6 SO: Ian Anderson 73 ERA: Brandon White 1.47
Highlight Videos
None Posted
Next: DSL Braves
DSL Braves (3-4)
Thursday
The Dodgers scored 4 in the top of the 6th to help them defeat the Braves 5-2. Luis De Jesus opened the game, throwing 2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
Eudis Lora had two singles. Yunior Severino had a double and a walk. Juan Carlos Negret had a home run. Reilys Blanco had a stolen base. Yoeli Lopez had two stolen bases, including a steal of home.
Friday
The Dodgers had a huge day, defeating the Braves 12-4. Willians Vasquez got the start, going 1 2/3 innings, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits and a walk, striking out 1.
Yenci Pena had two doubles, a single, and a stolen base. Reilys Blanco had a double and a walk. Juan Carlos Negret had two singles.
Saturday
Going to extra innings, the Braves lost in 10 innings to the Royals 3-2. Albinson Volquez started the game and went 3 innings, allowing one run on one hit and 3 walks, striking out one.
Enmanuel Guitan had three walks and was hit by pitch. Juan Carlos Negret had a double, single, walk, and a stolen base. Yoeli Lopez had a double and a walk. Reilys Blanco had a stolen base.
BA: Charles Reyes .438 OBP: Charles Reyes .526 HR: Antonio Sucre 2 SB: Three with 2 W: Three with 1 SV: Lisandro Santos 1 SO: Miguel Jerez 7 ERA: Three with 0.00
