Atlanta Braves Farm Report Week 2: Rafael Ortega Has Himself a Week in Gwinnett
By Clint Manry
Cristian Pache #27 (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(3-5) Mississippi Braves (AA)
WEEK 2 RECORD: 2-2
Monday, April 8
Cancelled (Rain)
Mississippi Braves @ Tennessee Smokies
Tuesday, April 9
OFF DAY
Wednesday, April 10
Won: 9-4
Mobile BayBears @ Mississippi Braves
- (P) T. Davidson: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
- (CF) C. Pache: 2-4, 2B, 4 RBI, R, K
- (RF) Drew Waters: 2-5, 2 RBI, R
- (DH) CJ Alexander: 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB
It took him 75 pitches (39 strikes) to get through it, but starter Tucker Davidson pitched 4 no-hit innings on Wednesday, and the Mississippi offense continued to hit well with 10 hits.
The BayBears broke the 0-0 tie in the fifth inning with 3 runs; but in the Braves’ half of the fifth, a Drew Waters 2-run single, a Christian Pache 2-run double and an RBI-single by designated-hitter CJ Alexander put the M-Braves up for good. All of the game’s scoring took place in that fifth inning.
Relievers Ben Rowen and Josh Graham combined for 2 innings of work, and both notched a hold apiece.
The BayBears scored their fifth-inning runs off of Mississippi reliever Jonathan Aro, as he pitched around the 3 runs, 3 hits. He struck out one and walked one.
Thursday, April 11
Lost: 5-7
Mobile BayBears @ Mississippi Braves
- (P) I. Anderson: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
- (RF) C. Pache: 1-2, 3B, 2 RBI, R, K
- (CF/RF) D. Waters: 1-4, RBI, R, BB, 2 K
Christian Pache and Drew Waters were the tag-team duo in Thursday’s loss to Mobile. After Thursday’s game, Pache was tied for the league-lead in RBI (7) and also XBHs with 5. Waters continues to amaze, as the 20-year-old has continued to hit well against Double-A pitching.
Mississippi’s starter, Ian Anderson, once again went decision-less, pitching around 2 earned runs from 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out three Thursday.
Michael Mader (M-Braves reliever) came into the game in the fifth inning only to give up two singles in-a-row, a home run, a double, a strikeout, and another single. Five BayBears runs later (4 earned), Mader got out of the inning.
Mader, the third-round pick from the 2014 Draft (selected by the Marlins), has had a rough start to 2019 (4 ER in 4 innings thus far).
Friday, April 12
Cancelled (Rain)
Mobile BayBears @ Mississippi Braves
Saturday, April 13
Cancelled (Rain)
Mobile BayBears @ Mississippi Braves
Again … lots of rain came down in central Mississippi.
Sunday, April 14
GM 1 (7 inn.) Won: 1-0
GM 2 (8 inn.) Lost: 0-2
Mobile BayBears @ Mississippi Braves
GM 1
- (P) Kyle Muller: 3.1 IP, H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
- (DH) C. Alexander: 0-2, RBI
- (2B) A. Salazar: 1-3, 2B, K
With Sunday being a make-up day, the Braves and BayBears faced off in two scheduled seven-inning games. The Braves Kyle Muller got the Game 1 start and was excellent in terms of generating lots of swing-and-misses. However, Muller still threw 76 pitches in his shortened start (only 38 strikes).
Reliever Josh Graham ended up getting the win (his first), as Graham was employed to get six outs. He finished with two strikeouts, a walk, and only one surrendered hit.
The only scoring of the day in Game 1 on Sunday was a sac-fly out to left field hit by CJ Alexander, scoring Christian Pache.
GM 2
- (P) P. Weigel: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, K
- (P) J. Walker: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
- (CF) C. Pache: 2-4, 2B, 2 K
Looking at the line you would think Jeremy Walker got the start for Game 2 on Sunday, but it was Patrick Weigel who started. Weigel is still being slowly worked in from his recent Tommy John surgery.
Walker pitched great, but took the tough loss when the BayBears scored consecutive runs in the eighth inning to go up 2-0. The M-Braves bats just didn’t do much, only managing 4 hits.
Drew Waters got a hit in Game 2, keeping his average right around .300 (at .294) for the season. Alejandro Salazar notched another hit and that was it outside of Christian Pache’s two hits.
The Braves split the doubleheader on Sunday, as the M-Braves pitchers only gave up 1 earned run on the day (too many errors) and struck out 18 Mobile hitters.