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.

(22-26) Mississippi Braves (AA)

WEEK 8 RECORD: 3-3

Players of the Week

(OF) Cristian Pache 

6 games, .416 BA, 2 doubles, 1 triple, RBI

No one really stood out for the M-Braves in Week 8, in terms of crazy good offensive numbers. But, Pache did indeed bat over .400, a feat that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Pache has made some strides this season, but still is far from a finished product with the bat. He’s running an 8% walk-rate, which is good for him, but still needs to be improved upon. His 27.5% K-rate also isn’t a preferred rate either.

Regardless, Pache has turned in an excellent start to the 2019 season, playing 45 games thus far and slashing .299/.349/.483 with 3 home runs and 13 doubles. He also has six stolen bases and five triples.

He’s still not quite there yet with his plate-discipline, but Pache has definitely provided above-average results with the bat.

(SP) Kyle Muller 

2 starts, 2-0, 12.2 IP, 6 H, ER, 4 BB, 17 K

As we’ve seen throughout the 2019 season, this M-Braves team has a rather stacked starting pitching staff with several key Braves pitching prospects rostered.

Muller has been one of the most consistent of them all, sporting a 1.89 ERA for the season, as well as 57 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched.

In the M-Braves Sunday recap below, I shared just how dominant he’s been, especially in the month of May.

Muller, a Dallas, Texas native and 2nd round pick by Atlanta in 2016, has been lights out in his first 10 starts this season (3-1). If he can keep this up, it won’t be long and he’ll be pitching on the mound in Gwinnett.

Week At A Glance

(5/20) Monday: Won 6-1 vs. Birmingham Barons – FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Muller: 5.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 8 K
• (DH) R. Casteel: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K
• (CF) C. Pache: 2-5, 3B, RBI, 2 R, K

Ryan Casteel picked up right where he left off last week, leading the M-Braves to a victory on Monday. Christian Pache hit his fifth triple of the season (leads the league) and scored two runs.

Speaking of triples, Mississippi finished with a season-high of three 3-baggers. Also, out of the M-Braves 10 hits Monday, five went for an XBH.

Third baseman Riley Unroe and right fielder Shean Michel were the other triplers, with Unroe finishing with an RBI and two strikeouts. Michel’s triple was also his only hit. First baseman Andy Wilkins went 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored.

Kyle Muller put together his best start of the season, and he still has yet to allow more than five hits in a single outing. Monday’s win was also Muller’s fourth consecutive quality start.

(5/21) Tuesday: OFF DAY

After 20-straight games the M-Braves were off on Tuesday.

(5/22) Wednesday: Won 7-0 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) J. Wentz: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• (3B) L. Valenzuala: 2-4, 3B, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• (SS) R. Unroe: 1-4, 2 RBI

M-Braves starter, Joey Wentz, was remarkable Wednesday, only facing two over the minimum. Wednesday’s win was his fourth quality-start this season (9 total starts) and second in-a-row.

https://twitter.com/mbraves/status/1131377275411271680?s=19

First baseman Ryan Casteel made some history Wednesday, recording a hit in his 11th-straight game, the longest such streak by a Mississippi Braves hitter and the longest active hitting-streak this season. Casteel finished 1-for-3 with a run and a walk.

Christian Pache picked up a hit and a run in three at-bats, while also walking once. Drew Waters went hitless but did provide a sac-fly in the 6th inning.

Relievers Jason Hursh and Jordan Harrison took care of the 8th and 9th innings. Only Hursh allowed a hit, while Harrison struck out two. Both relievers walked none in their two combined innings.

(5/23) Thursday: Lost 5-2 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) T. Davidson: 4.2 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 5 K
• (LF-CF) D. Waters: 1-4, 3B, RBI, R, K
• (SS) R. Unroe: 1-4, RBI, SB, K

The M-Braves ran into some solid pitching Thursday night, facing the Miami Marlins #10 prospect, Cody Poteet. The former 4th round selection in the 2015 MLB Draft struck out six Braves in 7 innings, only surrendering two hits and walking none.

Tucker Davidson pitched well himself, once again keeping the ball on the ground and limiting the Jacksonville hits to five. Thursday’s outing was Davidson’s third-straight start allowing exactly three hits. He hasn’t allowed more than six hits all season.

Staying with the pitching, two M-Braves relievers made appearances, Jonathan Aro and Jeremy Walker. Both combined to pitch 4.1 innings and surrender only four hits, while preventing the Jumbo Shrimp from scoring.

Cristian Pache finished 0-for-4, but on the bright side, he didn’t strike out in any of his four tries at the plate.

(5/24) Friday: Lost 4-1 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) De La Cruz: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (RF) C. Pache: 4-4, 2B (LF) D. Waters: 1-4, RBI, K

Jacksonville got another strong outing from their starting pitcher, as the Marlins 22nd ranked prospect, Robert Dugger, struck out eight and only gave up 5 hits and a run.

Jasseel De La Cruz didn’t keep his pitches down like he’s been doing in the past, and left the game after facing 25 batters in five frames (80 pitches).

One positive from Friday’s loss was Cristian Pache, who recorded a hit in every at-bat.

https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1132114786551042048?s=19

Other than Pache and Drew Waters, the only other batter in the lineup for the M-Braves that contributed was Ray-Patrick Didder, as he finished 1-for-2 with a run and a walk. Didder also had one strikeout.

Reliever Claudio Custodio came in the game in the 6th and pitched three innings of one-hit ball, striking out five and walking none. Custodio has been consistently dominant for Mississippi this season, running a 0.52 ERA in 17.1 innings-pitched (1 ER in that span).

(5/25) Saturday: Lost 8-7 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) I. Anderson: 6.2 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 9 K
• (RF) C. Pache: 2-5, 2B, R
• (LF) D. Waters: 2-5, 3B, RBI, 3 R, SB

Before the game there were a few roster moves that impacted the M-Braves:

Saturday night was a matchup between two top pitching prospects in Ian Anderson (Braves #4 prospect) and Sixto Sanchez (Marlins #1 prospect).

https://twitter.com/mbraves/status/1132455027774316552?s=19

In terms of their final pitching lines, Anderson prevailed as the better pitcher.

Anderson’s line is shown above, but Sanchez wasn’t bad himself, as he pitched 5 innings and struck out six. Sanchez surrendered three runs on seven hits and walked none.

Offensively, the M-Braves picked up 12 hits (5 XBHs) and had a 4-0 advantage going into the 6th inning. Ray-Patrick Didder went deep in the 3rd, slugging his third homer of the season. The Braves center fielder finished 2-for-4 and also had a double on Saturday.

Other M-Braves that contributed with RBI were: Riley Unroe (1-for-5), Ryan Casteel (1-for-3), and Alejandro Salazar (1-for-5, stolen base). Catcher Carlos Martinez also plated 2 runs in the loss, and finished 2-for-5.

Reliever Conner Johnstone surrendered the lead in the eighth and ended up giving up four runs in just 0.2 innings.

Some more roster moves on Saturday:

(5/26) Sunday: Won 4-0 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Muller: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
• (1B) R. Casteel: 3-4, 2 RBI
• (LF) D. Waters: 1-3, 2B, 2 R

Sunday featured the Braves 12th ranked prospect doing it all, as starting pitcher Kyle Muller not only threw a 3-hitter but also finished 2-for-2 at the plate, with one hit being this double:

Here’s him showing some speed with his infield single in the 3rd inning:

Muller is the first M-Braves starting pitcher to record a hit, let alone two! The lefty threw 98 pitches (66 strikes) in his 7-inning start, notching his fourth-straight quality start in his past five starts.

The month of May has been great for Muller. He has only given up three runs in 33.1 innings, good for a 0.86 ERA for May.

On offense and batting leadoff, Cristian Pache finished with a hit in three at-bats, also drawing a walk and scoring a run. Pache is batting. 299 with an .832 OPS after Sunday.

Riley Unroe and Daniel Lockhart both finished with multi-hit efforts, with Unroe picking up his 7th RBI of the season.

Reliever Jeremy Walker worked the 8th and 9th innings, adding a strikeout. Walker now has 37 strikeouts in 44.2 innings-pitched for Mississippi, and is sporting a 2.82 ERA.

(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.