Atlanta Braves Week 8 Farm Report: A third of the season complete

It was another week of runs, runs and more runs for Gwinnett, while a certain someone in Rome just keeps raking in the Atlanta Braves farm system.

This week’s edition of the Atlanta Braves Farm Report comes a day late, as I was in St. Louis over the weekend for the Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals series.

I was fortunate enough to attend both Saturday and Sunday’s game, witnessing firsthand a series win on the road for the Bravos.

In case you’re new to this, here are the previous reports:

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5
• Week 6
• Week 7

Let’s get to it!

(29-20) Gwinnett Stripers (AAA)

WEEK 8 RECORD: 3-3

Players of the Week

(INF) Jack Lopez 

4 games, .500 BA, 3 HR, 2 doubles, 9 RBI

A 16th round pick by the Kansas City Royals, 26-year-old infielder Jack Lopez has been incredible since replacing Austin Riley. This past week, Lopez only played four games, but was red hot when he played.

Overall, Lopez has played 35 games for the Stripers and after Sunday is slashing .258/.295/.419 with 5 home runs and 5 doubles. He’s also knocked in 18 runs, good for a not-great .715 OPS.

There’s no doubt he can hit, as Lopez has hit homers in his past three-straight games. Let’s see if Week 8 is the start of something special for the Puerto Rican.

*OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS: Sean Kazmar Jr. also had a torrid Week 8, finishing with a .444 average, 2 homers, a double and 6 RBI in six games.

(SP) Bryse Wilson 

2 starts, 1-1, 12.2 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 10 K

After struggling in his first several starts for Gwinnett this season and posting an 8.31 ERA in two games for the Atlanta Braves, Wilson has settled down a bit and finished with two solid starts in Week 8.

Home runs had been an issue for Wilson in the beginning of the season, but the righty has only given up one homer in his last three starts.

The 2016 4th round pick still doesn’t have a spectacular ERA for the season (4.38 ERA), but with a solid K/BB of 45/11 in 51.1 innings-pitched — and now 7 surrendered homers — his numbers are certainly starting to level out to what’s expected.

Week At A Glance

(5/20) Monday: OFF DAY

Monday was an off day for Gwinnett, their last one of May. The next day off won’t come until June 10 (another 20-straight games).

With no game action to recap, it’s a great chance to look back at some of the home runs hit by the Stripers so far this month (before Week 8):

(5/21) Tuesday: Lost 2-1 vs. Charlotte Knights – FULL RECAP

• (P) B. Wilson: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
• (3B) P. Florimon: 1-4, RBI, K
• (RF) T. Demeritte: 3-4, 3B, 2 2B, R

For just the 12th time all season (44 total games) the Stripers failed to hit a home run, losing on Tuesday despite a quality-start from starter Bryse Wilson and three XBH from Travis Demeritte.

Demeritte’s three hits extended his on-base streak to 23 games, but his homer-less performance ended his streak of four-straight contests with a home run.

Rafael Ortega, Andres Blanco, and Adam Duvall all finished 1-for-4 with one strikeout apiece. First baseman Scott Kazmar Jr. ended his day 2-for-3 with a walk.

Wilson’s start consisted of 93 pitches (66 strikes) and five groundouts with six flyouts. Reliever A.J. Minter worked the 8th inning, striking out two and walking two, while also allowing one hit.

Also, we know home runs have played a big part in Gwinnett’s success this season. Here’s an interesting list from MLB Pipeline on Tuesday:

(5/22) Wednesday: Won 9-1 vs. Charlotte Knights – FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Allard: 6 IP, 4 H, ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• (DH) A. Duvall: 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R, K
• (C) A. Jackson: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K

It was quality-start #3 for Gwinnett starter Kolby Allard after turning in 6 innings of four-hit ball in a win over Charlotte.

Gwinnett stringed together 12 hits Wednesday, with three being of the XBH variety. Here’s the Stripers’ lone homer, a three-run dinger in the 4th from catcher Alex Jackson:

After a three-run 4th, the Stripers added two more in the 5th. Adam Duvall provided those two runs with this RBI double:

Scott Kazmar Jr. finished 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI, a run, and a strikeout. His two-run double in the 6th gave the Stripers all they’d need:

Surprisingly, Travis Demeritte was the only Stripers batter to finish hitless Wednesday (0-for-4 with 3 Ks).

Wes Parsons got in some work, pitching the 7th inning and striking out two while only allowing one hit and no walks.

(5/23) Thursday: Lost 3-1 vs. Charlotte Knights – FULL RECAP

• (P) H. Ynoa: 4 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K
• (RF) R. Ortega: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB
• (LF) T. Demeritte: 1-4, 2B, 2 K

In Huascar Ynoa‘s first start as a member of the Gwinnett Stripers (he’d made one appearance as a reliever), the offense was uncharacteristically modest.

Ynoa’s 72-pitch (47 strikes) outing was somewhat spoiled by his adversary, Charlotte’s starter Dylan Cease (White Sox #5 prospect).

Cease only allowed five hits and struck out seven Stripers, though he did walk four. The former 6th round pick (2014) was effective enough to limit Gwinnett to only two extra-base hits.

With Ynoa only pitching the first 4 innings, starter Patrick Weigel appeared and pitched the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings. Weigel altogether pitched 3.1 innings and struck out three. He gave up a hit, a run, and walked one on 51 pitches (29 strikes).

Centerfielder Ryan LaMarre finished 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Jack Lopez picked up a hit in four at-bats and scored a run.

Andres Blanco and Alex Jackson were the only other batters in the lineup to pick up hits. Blanco was 1-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout, while Jackson got one hit and struck out three times.

(5/24) Friday: Won 13-7 vs. Norfolk Tides – FULL RECAP

• (P) M. Rowen: 4 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K (RF) R. Ortega: 1-5, HR, 3 RBI (C) A. Jackson: 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI

It was another typical Stripers game on Friday, as Gwinnett tallied up 14 hits as a team, coming from 6 home runs, 2 doubles a triple and 5 singles. This team knows how to hit for power.

Here’s homer #1, a 3-run blast from Rafael Ortega in the 2nd:

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1132070835064365057?s=19

Home run #3 came in the 3rd from Scott Kazmar Jr., who finished 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and 3 runs-scored.

Even the Austin Riley replacement got in on the action, with Jack Lopez going bridge and giving Gwinnett back-to-back home runs in the 3rd inning.

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1132074325933211648?s=19

Lopez ended his night 2-for-3, with a double in the 5th, and three RBI. He’s filled in rather nicely for Riley, hitting .274 after Friday night.

Oh yeah, the 3rd inning was notable, being that Gwinnett hit for the cycle as a team (1 single, 1 double, 1 triple and 2 homers).

The Stripers are up to an insane home run total of 83 as a team. The big league baseball has been very advantageous for them. Also, Alex Jackson had his first 2-homer game since 2017.

(5/25) Saturday: Lost 10-8 (F/13) vs. Norfolk Tides – FULL RECAP

• (P) A. Santiago: 2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, K
• (3B) J. Lopez: 4-6, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
• (SS) L. Marte: 3-6, 2 RBI

In a wild game with the Tides on Saturday, where Gwinnett used 7 different pitchers, the Stripers walked off the field with a tough loss as they went 5-for-22 with RISP and left 15 runners on the basepaths.

Andres Santiago got the start for Gwinnett, but his outing was cut extremely short after a home run and five runs crossed the plate. Santiago only faced 15 batters, but threw 63 pitches.

On offense, Sean Kazmar Jr. and Jack Lopez went back-to-back in the 4th inning. Kazmar Jr. finished 1-for-6 and struck out twice.

Alex Jackson was oh-so-close to having himself a homer in the 5th, but he settled for an RBI-double and finished 2-for-7 with a run and an RBI.

Andres Blanco tied things at six apiece in the 8th when he hit a sac-fly, scoring Jack Lopez.

In the 12th, Luis Marte made the score 7-7 with an RBI-single.

In the 13th, the Tides Jace Peterson (former Brave) and DJ Stewart plated three runs combined to give Norfolk the two-run win.

(5/26) Sunday: Won 9-6 vs. Norfolk Tides – FULL RECAP

• (P) B. Wilson: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• (SS) J. Lopez: 1-3, HR (GS), 4 RBI
• (RF) T. Demeritte: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB

Former Braves utility-man, Jace Peterson, went 4-for-4 and just missed hitting for the cycle for the Tides, but Gwinnett outlasted Norfolk and came away with the win on Sunday.

Gwinnett’s Bryce Wilson came just short of another quality-start, forcing 6 groundouts and only allowing one flyout in his 105 pitches (60 strikes).

Travis Demeritte kicked off the scoring in the 3rd with a home run, giving the Stripers the lead:

Then in the 5th, Jack Lopez went deep with a grand slam, putting Gwinnett up by five runs:

For good measure, Ryan LaMarre hit another Stripers homer in the 7th:

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1132728765279293440?s=19

LaMarre finished 3-for-3 with a triple and 2 RBI, also drawing a walk and scoring three runs on Sunday.

Hitting leadoff, Rafael Ortega went 2-for-4 with a walk. Hitting in the second spot, Andres Blanco went 0-for-4 with a run, a walk, and a strikeout.

(20-30) Florida Fire Frogs (A+)

WEEK 8 RECORD: 1-6

Players of the Week

(C) William Contreras 

6 games, .320 BA, double, 4 RBI

As you see by their 1-6 record for Week 8, the Fire Frogs didn’t play very well this past week; and as a result, the offensive stats are rather bare.

There were a few players that were close (Jefrey Ramos for example), but overall, Contreras turned in the most productive week, despite not much in the power department.

Speaking of the power department, Contreras hasn’t been hitting many extra-base hits in 2019 and is only slugging .373 at the moment.

Through 42 games, the Braves #7 prospect has only one home run, though he has 11 doubles. His batting average (.285) and on-base percentage (.347) look sharp, so it’s just a matter of him turning up the power.

His K/BB rates are decent at 20.8% and 8.2%, respectively, but he very well could improve upon his walk-rate if he doesn’t intend on hitting for more power as the season progresses.

All in all, Contreras remains one of the leaders on this Fire Frogs team; a team that frankly doesn’t have anyone putting up too crazy of a season yet with the bat.

(SP/RP) Hayden Deal

1 start, 6.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Deal has had sort of a sneaky-awesome season in 2019, which is hard to fathom considering his fantastic 2018 campaign in Rome (9-1, 2.17 ERA).

The undrafted 24-year-old from North Carolina has been amazing this season, pitching to a 1.50 ERA overall. He has yet to give up more than two runs in a single start and has only given up two runs in a start twice; not to mention he has two scoreless outings.

He’s becoming more well-known, earning a nomination to the 2019 Florida State League All-Star Game on June 15 in Jupiter, Fla.

This season Deal is 2-3 in 9 starts, and has 47 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched. The lefty has only allowed one home run all season, to go along with only 12 walks.

Week At A Glance

(5/20) Monday: Lost 9-2 vs. Tampa Tarpons – FULL RECAP

• (P) N. Kingham: 7 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 11 K
• (C] W. Contreras: 2-3, RBI, BB, K
• (1B) D. Lugbauer: 1-4, 2B, K

Starter Nolan Kingham struck out 11 on Monday, but surrendered three home runs, one of which came off the bat of a rehabbing Giancarlo Stanton. If not for the long balls, Kingham’s performance perhaps would’ve ended rather well.

Drew Lugbauer‘s double was the only XBH of the game for Florida. Greyson Jenista finished 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, as well as Jefrey Ramos.

Shortstop Riley Delgado came away with a hit and a run in his four at-bats, going down on strikes once as well.

(5/21) Tuesday: Lost 3-0 vs. Tampa Tarpons – FULL RECAP

• (P) M. Withrow: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• (C] W. Contreras: 2-4
• (CF) G. Schwartz: 1-3, 2B, K

The Fire Frogs were shut down by Tampa’s starter, Miguel Yajure, for seven innings on Tuesday as the 21-year-old righty struck out eight Florida batters and only surrendered six hits with one walk.

Matt Withrow made only his second start of 2019 and worked through a relatively modest outing, only giving up two hits; but his wild pitch in the 2nd allowed a run along with a sac-fly in that same frame.

Five different Florida batters contributed towards the Fire Frogs hit total, with Contreras and Schwartz (above) leading the lineup. Outfielder Greyson Jenista finished 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Three Florida relievers pieced together the remaining 5.1 innings after Withrow was removed, allowing only two more hits and striking out seven.

(5/22) Wednesday: Lost 7-1 vs. Tampa Tarpons – FULL RECAP

• (P) P. Pfeifer: 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
• (DH) H. Owenby: 2-4, 2B, 2 K
• (LF) I. Wilson: 1-3, 2B, R, K

Before Wednesday’s game, Hagen Owenby was activated from Danville (Rookie) and arrived in Tampa for his Advanced-A debut.

Owenby was taken in the 12th round by the Braves in 2017 out of East Tennessee State, in Johnson City, Tenn. He hit .278 with 1 homer in 45 games last season for Rome, as a 22-year-old.

As shown above, Owenby’s debut was a successful one, as he led the Fire Frogs in their loss on Wednesday night.

Florida’s starter, Philip Pfeifer, threw a career-high 102 pitches; but he was dinked and dunked to death from Tampa’s seven base-hits, chasing him from the game after five innings.

Other Florida offensive contributors consisted of Kevin Josephina and William Contreras, with each picking up a base-hit. Greyson Jenista was hitless, but he did walk twice, as well as strike out twice.

(5/23) Thursday: Lost 8-5 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays – FULL RECAP

• (P) F. Tarnok: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• (SS) R. Delgado: 3-5, 2 RBI
• (LF) J, Ramos: 4-5, 2 R

Florida got some great individual performances from a few of their hitters on Thursday, but in the end, the pitching couldn’t pick up the win.

Making his second start, Hagen Owenby batted 8th as the DH, going 2-for-3 with a double (his second in as many games). Owenby also knocked in two runs, walked once, and struck out once. In Owenby’s first 7 at-bats (2 games) with Florida, he has four hits, 2 doubles, and 2 RBI.

Izzy Wilson replaced Garrison Schwartz at left field and finished 2-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base. Schwartz is listed as active so I’m not sure why he was replaced after just one at-bat.

With the game tied 2-2 in the 7th, Florida’s reliever Troy Bacon gave up two runs and was tagged with a blown save (his second of 2019). Bacon gave way to Kurt Hoekstra, who surrendered three more runs in the 8th from a three-run home run by the Blue Jays, Chavez Young (#21 prospect in Toronto Blue Jays organization).

(5/24) Friday: Lost 4-0 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays – FULL RECAP

• (P) H. Deal: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
• (LF) J. Ramos: 2-4, 2 K
• (SS) R. Delgado: 1-4, 2B

There cannot possibly be any complaints regarding Florida’s starting pitcher Friday night, Hunter Deal. The lefty worked yet another terrific start, scattering just eight hits, with two of those being doubles.

Deal has yet to allow over two runs in a single start this season, and he leads the Florida State League in ERA, with his 1.50 mark holding strong after Friday’s start.

But the Blue Jays starter, Justin Dillon, was just as good as he only allowed 2 hits and struck out six, flying through the Fire Frogs hitters with 92 pitches (61 strikes).

Florida’s bats were obviously quiet for the first seven innings, thanks to Dillon, with Riley Delgado’s double in the 5th being the only XBH for the Fire Frogs against Dunedin’s starter.

Right fielder Greyson Jenista was hitless in three at-bats, striking out twice. Drew Lugbauer, Hagen Owenby, Kevin Josephina, Izzy Wilson, and Brett Langhorne all finished hitless as well.

Also on Friday, four Fire Frogs were nominated to be All-Stars in 2019.

The nominees: catcher William Contreras, LHP Hayden Deal, RHP Brandon S. White, and shortstop Riley Unroe will get the opportunity to play in the FSL 2019 All-Star game on June 15 in Jupiter, Fla.

(4/25) Saturday: Lost 7-5 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays – FULL RECAP

• (P) N. Kingham: 2.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, K
• (RF) G. Jenista: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• (SS) R. Delgado: 1-3, RBI

With a 7-run deficit until the 5th inning, the final score ended up looking much better for the Fire Frogs on Saturday.

After chipping away with one run in the 5th, Florida decided to wait until the final inning to put up 4 runs and almost climb all the way back.

Nolan Kingham struggled mightily, giving up 5 runs before getting pulled halfway through the 3rd inning. Kingham’s struggles have been pretty consistent all season, as he’s now up to a 5.63 ERA.

Florida ended up outhitting the Blue Jays, 9-8, thanks to two hits apiece from William Contreras and Hagen Owenby. One of Contreras’ hits was a line drive RBI-single in the 9th, scoring Izzy Wilson.

Florida’s bullpen was lights out, working 5.2 innings and not allowing a single hit. Lucas Young, Bradley Roney, and Daysbel Hernandez struck out five and walked four in Saturday’s loss.

(5/26) Sunday: Won 6-2 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays – FULL RECAP

• (P) M. Withrow: 3.1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 4 K
• (C) W. Contreras: 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• (DH) G. Jenista: 2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R

Sunday’s win snapped a 6-game losing streak for Florida, as the bats finally came alive on the last day of Week 8. Down 1-0 in the 4th inning, Riley Delgado kicked off a string of three-straight doubles that ended with the Fire Frogs up 3-1 when the frame concluded.

Delgado finished 2-for-5 with two runs and his 6th double of 2019. He’s up to a .301 batting average and a .706 OPS.

William Contreras and Greyson Jenista were the other two to double immediately after Delgado. Contreras now has 11 doubles this season and is sporting a .285 average, while Jenista is up to 12 two-baggers and is hitting just .228.

Right fielder Izzy Wilson also picked up two hits, also scoring two runs and striking out twice. Wilson is running a measly .211 average and .686 OPS.

(25-25) Rome Braves (A)

WEEK 8 RECORD: 4-3

Players of the Week

(OF) Trey Harris 

7 games, .285 BA, 2 HR, triple, 2 2B, 7 RBI

It’s another week and another torrid stretch of 7 days for Harris. It’s hard to believe that Harris lasted all the way to the 32nd round for the Braves in last year’s draft.

As usual, Harris practically did it all this past week, save for his usual one or two stolen bases. However, he kept up the contact and the power, with five of his eight hits in Week 8 going for extra bases.

For the season, Harris is still running a ridiculous slash line of .366/.438/.607 (1.044 OPS) in 51 games. The 23-year-old is up to 8 home runs, 12 doubles, and 4 triples so far in 2019.

Batting third in the Rome lineup, Harris has knocked in 41 runs and stolen four bases as well. Everything’s looking just fine, as he’s striking out at a plenty respectable 16.9% clip and his walk-rate is at 9.8%. I keep saying this almost every week, but he’s bound to get promoted to Florida soon.

(SP/RP) Alan Rangel

1 start, 1-0, 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 7 K

There were a few different Rome pitchers that made solid starts in Week 8, but Rangel gave up the least amount of runs in his outing.

The 21-year-old from Mexico has made seven starts and four appearances as a reliever this season, pitching to a 4.87 ERA. He’s had mixed results but is generating strikeouts rather well, with 46 punchouts in 44.1 innings-pitched so far.

The righty has been in the organization since 2015 but has never been much of a strikeout-type pitcher (career 7.7 K/9), though this season looks promising as he’s currently running rates of 9.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.

He’s already almost halfway to his strikeout total from last season (105 SO) when he pitched 125.1 innings for Rome.

Week At A Glance

(5/20) Monday: Lost 4-2 vs. Columbia Fireflies – FULL RECAP

• (P) J. Olague: 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
• (LF) T. Harris: 2-3, HR, 3B, 2 RBI
• (C] L. Brown: 1-3, K

Before Monday’s game, it was announced that both Jose Olague and Greg Cullen had won Players of the Week honors for the South Atlantic League.

Also, Olague took the hill for Rome, pitching around nine hits and ultimately providing the Braves with a chance to win; but other than Trey Harris and Logan Brown, the Rome bats were unable to generate any offense (literally).

Harris and Brown were the only players in the lineup to even record hits, with the rest of the batting order combining to go 0-for-22 with 7 strikeouts.

(5/21) Tuesday: Won 7-5 vs. Augusta GreenJackets – FULL RECAP

• (P) M. Hartman: 5 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 5 K
• (RF) T. Harris: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• (1B) G. Benson: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K

Matt Hartman, a 23-year-old undrafted pitcher from California (played at U of Arizona), made his first start for Rome on Tuesday. After making one appearance in Florida this season, the righty was sent down to Low-A to pitch for the R-Braves.

Hartman was efficient in his inaugural outing, only needing 71 pitches (40 strikes) to get through his five frames.

Rome’s leadoff hitter, Justin Dean, DHed Tuesday and finished 1-for-5 with a double and a strikeout. Catcher Logan Brown took the day off, while backup Ricardo Rodriguez picked up a hit and a run in five at-bats.

Outfielders Henry Quintero and Jose Bermudez both finished with one hit and one run apiece, with Bermudez drawing a walk.

(5/22) Wednesday: Lost 6-5 vs. Augusta GreenJackets – FULL RECAP

• (P) O. Javier: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, BB, 8 K
• (RF) T. Harris: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, K
• (CF) J. Dean: 2-2, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB

Rome’s Wednesday night starter, Odalvi Javier, struck out a season-high eight batters and pitched a strong 6 innings, but his final line was hurt after allowing two RBI-doubles in the 5th.

As he’s done literally all season, Trey Harris just keeps raking, slugging another homer on Wednesday (his 8th of 2019).

Shortstop Carlos Paraguate provided an RBI for Rome, finishing 1-for-4 with a double, a run and three strikeouts. Griffin Benson and Brendan Venter both picked up a hit apiece, with Benson’s being a double.

(5/23) Thursday: Won 3-1 vs. Augusta GreenJackets – FULL RECAP

• (P) A. Rangel: 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 7 K
• (CF) J. Dean: 3-5, 3B, 2B, RBI, 2 K
• (RF) T. Harris: 1-5, RBI, K

Tied 1-1 on Thursday, the R-Braves tacked on runs in the 5th and 6th innings from an RBI-single by Trey Harris and an RBI-triple from Justin Dean. With Harris and Dean providing the go-ahead runs, left fielder Henry Quintero started the scoring in the 2nd inning from an RBI-single.

Quintero finished Thursday’s game with two more hits and put up his first 3-hit night, finishing 3-for-4. Second baseman Greg Cullen contributed with two hits of his own, one being a double.

Logan Brown and Derian Cruz both finished with hits as well, with Brown finishing 2-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.

Three Rome pitchers worked the game and all three pitched excellently. Rangel kept the ball down, generating 7 groundouts in his 102-pitch (67 strikes) start, while reliever Luis Mora recorded a hold and struck out two in two innings.

William Woods converted the save, working the 9th and striking out one.

(5/24) Friday: Won 9-4 vs. Augusta GreenJackets – FULL RECAP

• (P) G. Noguera: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
• (DH) G. Cullen: 2-5, HR, 2 RBI
• (3B) D. Cruz: 2-4, 3B, 2B, 2 RBI, BB

Last week’s South Atlantic Player of the Week, Greg Cullen, had himself another great game, hitting his 3rd home run and knocking in his 18th and 19th runners of 2019.

Catcher Logan Brown also played a key part on offense as well, finishing with 2 hits and two RBI, also scoring a run.

Carlos Paraguate was the other multi-RBI provider, going 1-for-5 and also scoring a run. The Rome shortstop is struggling in Single-A, only hitting .142 in the #9 spot in the Braves lineup.

Reliever Victor Vodnik pitched the 6th, 7th and 8th, allowing four hits and striking out two. He’s still dominant this season and is running a 2.63 ERA with 35 strikeouts in just 27.1 innings pitched.

(5/25) Saturday: Won 5-4 vs. Asheville Tourists – FULL RECAP

• (P) J. Olague: 7 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, K
• (C) R. Rodriguez: 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI
• (DH) T. Harris: 1-3, 2B, 2 R

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Rome was all but handed the win Saturday night, when they walked it off in the 9th, thanks to Augusta first baseman Grant Lavigne‘s error. Rome’s Jose Bermudez scored the winning run, crossing the plate from third base after Lavigne missed the throw.

Overall, Saturday night’s game was weird in general, with four out of the five Rome runs being unearned. The R-Braves jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening frame when Griffin Benson hit an RBI-single, followed by a two-run double to left by Riccardo Rodriguez.

The 8th and 9th inning runs were provided by right fielder Henry Quintero, who finished 2-for-4; and of course, Andrew Moritz‘s hit that ended with Bermudez scoring the winning-run in the final inning. Quintero’s line drive RBI-single scored Trey Harris in the 8th.

Rome’s starter Jose Olague was extremely efficient (86 pitches / 59 strikes), but gave up a lot of contact in his 7 innings of work.

(5/26) Sunday: Lost 5-4 vs. Asheville Tourists – FULL RECAP

• (P) T. Riley: 4 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 3 K
• (C) L. Brown: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• (1B) H. Owenby: 3-4, 3B, 2B, RBI, R

It was Asheville’s turn to win it in the final inning on Sunday, as the Tourists received the go-ahead run from an RBI-double in the top of the 9th inning.

Rome once again put up three runs in the first inning, thanks to Logan Brown’s two-run double and Hagen Owenby’s double that knocked in Brown.

Then in the 4th, Carlos Paraguate hit an RBI-single to put Rome up 4-0. Paraguate finished 1-for-4 and struck out twice.

The game stayed still until the 7th, when Asheville tallied three runs. Rome’s reliever Matt Hartman surrendered those three runs, thanks to two hits, while also walking three batters.

The loss and blown save ended up going to Dilmer Mejia, as Mejia pitched the final three frames and gave up the final blow in the 9th inning. He did manage to strike out four batters, although, the four hits that he gave up just came at the wrong time.

Check back next week as we continue to keep you abreast of everything happening down on the farm for the Atlanta Braves.