Atlanta Braves Week 9 Farm Report: Rome Struggles, Drew Waters Thrives

Now into June, it’s time for Dominican Summer League baseball. The DSL Braves join our report this week, while the Braves in Single-A probably wish they weren’t.

It’s that time of year when the Atlanta Braves organization starts really getting busy, the DSL is getting started and the Gulf Coast League is right around the corner — the Danville Braves begin their season on Wednesday, June 19.

But let’s dive in to Week 9, a week of more offense from Gwinnett, solid pitching from Mississippi and some hot hitting from a the ‘new guy’ in Rome. Oh yeah, the DSL Braves kicked off the 2019 season on Saturday as well.

Here’s the last eight weeks of reports, in case you’ve missed out:

Week 1 ¦ Week 2 ¦ Week 3 ¦ Week 4

Week 5 ¦ Week 6 ¦ Week 7 ¦ Week 8

(33-23) Gwinnett Stripers (AAA)

Week 9 Record: 3-4

Players of the Week

(INF) Sean Kazmar Jr.

5 games, 7-for-18 (.388 BA), 3 HR, 2B, 10 RBI

Without playing the last two games of the week (Saturday, Sunday) Kazmar Jr. still put up the best offensive performance this week, hitting the most home runs and RBI, and finishing with the highest batting average on the team.

In 40 games this season in Gwinnett, Kazmar Jr. is slashing .275/.312/.486 (.798), far from the best rates on the team this year; but as of late, there’s no doubt he’s been one of the key hitters in this Stripers lineup.

The lifelong minor leaguer — he played 19 games in the majors with the Padres in 2008 — isn’t expected to put anyone on the big roster in danger. However, when you’re hot you’re hot, and Kazmar Jr. is just that. He’s hit homers in three-straight games that he’s played in (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday).

(SP) Bryse Wilson

1 start, 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 6 K

Wilson wins Pitcher of the Week for the second time after winning the award in Week 8. The starting pitching for Gwinnett was rather weak this past week, as no starting pitcher made it over 4.1 innings until Wilson’s start on Friday. Out of seven starts in Week 9, only two were more than five innings (Wilson’s outing on Friday and Kolby Allard‘s on Saturday).

I wrote about Wilson’s struggles at the beginning of the season, also bringing it up in last week’s report; but as of late, the righty has been strong, leading the team in strikeouts with 51. The 4th round pick in 2016 is 3-5 with a 3.92 ERA in 10 starts this season.

Week At A Glance

(May 27 – June 2)

(5/27) Monday: Lost 9-7 vs. Norfolk Tides – FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Allard: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
• (2B) A. Blanco: 3-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB
• (1B) S. Giardina: 3-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R

Down 8-1 and going into Gwinnett’s half of the 8th inning, the Stripers scored five runs but still came up short on Memorial Day, splitting their 4-game series with the Norfolk Tides.

Sal Giardina kicked off the scoring in that 8th frame, slugging a line-drive RBI-double. Then, Travis Demeritte plated Giardina with a ground ball RBI-single, making it an 8-3 game. Demeritte finished with another hit (a double), a walk and scored a run. Demeritte extended his on-base streak Monday to an IL-best 29 games.

Catcher Alex Jackson was hit by a pitch and Pedro Florimon drew a walk, pushing two more runs across and resulting in an 8-5 score. Jackson finished 0-for-3 and Florimon 2-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.

Here’s the final run scored in the 8th (Gwinnett’s 6th run), thanks to Sean Kazmar Jr. and his sac-fly that scored Travis Demeritte:

Shane Carle and A.J. Minter were two of four Stripers relievers to appear in Monday’s game, with both combining to pitch 2.2 scoreless innings and strikeout four.

(5/28) Tuesday: Lost 5-4 vs. Toledo Mud Hens – FULL RECAP

• (P) P. Weigel: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K
• (2B) S. Kazmar Jr.: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
• (LF) T. Demeritte: 1-4, HR, RBI

On Tuesday, Gwinnett lost what was Game 1 of nine-straight road games, falling to the Mud Hens after Toledo’s Willi Castro (DET’s #7 prospect) slugged a solo-homer in the 8th inning.

It was a short outing for starter Patrick Weigel, even for him, as the slowly worked-in prospect only pitched 2.2 innings. Although he did throw his usual 50-something pitches (52).

In Gwinnett’s half of the 4th, down 2-0, Travis Demeritte went deep with a solo shot (his 12th HR of 2019):

Then in the following frame, Rafael Ortega tied things up at two apiece with a solo homer of his own:

Ortega’s 5th inning home run was his only hit of the game. He also walked once.

Keeping with the trend, Sean Kazmar Jr. this time hit a 2-run home run in the 6th inning, putting the Stripers up 4-2.

Unfortunately the lead couldn’t be savored, as Toledo plated two runs in the 7th inning, followed by Castro’s homer in the 8th.

Gwinnett, after Tuesday’s loss, has 91 home runs in 51 games; a total that leads all of the International League. They’re currently averaging 2.23 homers in the month of May, or 58 home runs in 26 games this month so far (per MiLB.com).

Also on Tuesday, the Stripers turned their first triple-play of the season in the 2nd inning. Check it out:

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1133879913080074241?s=19

(5/29) Wednesday: Lost 9-4 vs. Toledo Mud Hens – FULL RECAP

• (P) H. Ynoa: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
• (1B) S. Kazmar Jr.: 4-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI
• (RF) R. LaMarre: 4-5, 3 RBI, SB

Huascar Ynoa‘s second start in a Stripers uniform didn’t go too well, but thanks to Sean Kazmar Jr. and Ryan LaMarre‘s eight hits combined, Gwinnett came away on top Wednesday.

Kazmar Jr. kicked off the hitting with a home run of the scoreboard in the 2nd:

Then in the 3rd, Kazmar Jr. struck again. This time the first baseman scorched a liner to left, plating two more runs:

Here’s LaMarre’s RBI-single, also in the 3rd inning:

Pedro Florimon was another run producer on Wednesday, hitting a sac-fly in the 5th and finishing 1-for-3 with a walk.

(5/30) Thursday: Won 6-0 vs. Toledo Mud Hens – FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Wright: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• (2B) S. Kazmar Jr.: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
• (3B) J. Lopez: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI

A 28-minute rain delay spoiled Kyle Wright‘s start on Thursday, but between excellent pitching out of the bullpen and homers from Sean Kazmar Jr. and Jack Lopez, the Stripers shutout Toledo.

Here’s Lopez’s homer in the 2nd, putting the good guys on the board:

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1134237590490624000?s=19

Then one off the scoreboard by Kazmar Jr., giving him three-straight games with a home run. He had one home run in 2018.

In the 5th, Travis Demeritte plated the sixth and final run for Gwinnett:

Rounding out the Stripers XBHs, Rafael Ortega hit his 16th double of 2019 and finished 1-for-4 with 2 runs and a walk.

Reliever Jonathan Aro converted his second save after pitching four innings and striking out two. He only gave up one hit, walking none.

(5/31) Friday: Lost 4-1 vs. Indianapolis Indians – FULL RECAP

• (P) B. Wilson: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 6 K
• (RF) R. LaMarre: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB
• (LF) T. Demeritte: 1-3, 2B, BB

The Stripers played sloppy defense on Friday, squandering a quality-start turned in by Bryse Wilson. The righty didn’t surrender any earned runs, but was tagged with 4 unearned runs due to Gwinnett’s four errors.

Shortstop Luis Marte had two errors (one fielding and one from a missed catch); catcher Alex Jackson committed a throwing error (his 5th error this season); and infielder Jack Lopez also made a fielding error (his 5th error of 2019).

It really was a shame, as Wilson did more than just pitch well. He also finished 2-for-2 with the bat. Wilson is now hitting .400 for the season. Here’s one of his base-hits:

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1134612754080391169?s=19

Gwinnett only totaled 4 hits all evening, so Wilson’s two knocks plus LaMarre’s and Demeritte’s above was all the lineup managed Friday.

With the month of May ending Friday, the Stripers’ power surge resulted in a franchise record in home runs by the team, with 61 long balls in only 29 games (2.10/game average). The team still leads the IL with 94 home runs in 54 games this season.

With Friday’s homerless loss, Gwinnett is now 3-12 when the team fails to hit a home run. I’d say this team lives and dies by the long ball, which is fun but also frustrating as well.

(6/1) Saturday: Won 7-6 (F/10) vs. Indianapolis Indians – FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Allard: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• (C) A. Jackson: 2-5, HR, 3 RBI
• (2B) A. Blanco: 2-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R

Adam Duvall‘s RBI-double and Alex Jackson’s RBI-single pushed the Stripers ahead in the top of the 10th Saturday, giving Gwinnett their 32nd win of 2019.

Duvall, who has been mysteriously absent since May 24, finished 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and also scored a run. Jackson not only played a part in winning the game at the end, but also gave Gwinnett two runs in the first frame with his home run:

Before Jackson’s homer, Ryan LaMarre broke the 0-0 tie in the 1st with an RBI-double. LaMarre went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run.

Andres Blanco added two more with his deep drive in the 5th:

Once again Travis Demeritte reached base safely on Saturday, pushing his IL-leading on-base streak to 34 games. Demeritte finished with a double and a walk in four at-bats.

Wes Parsons dominated the 10th, striking out two in his one inning of work.

(6/2) Sunday: Won 4-2 vs. Indianapolis Indians – FULL RECAP

• (P) P. Weigel: 3.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• (2B) A. Blanco: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB
• (LF) A. Duvall: 1-4, RBI

In the final game of the Stripers/Indians series and the final game of Week 9, Gwinnett put together another impressive offensive performance.

The Stripers got on the board in the 3rd inning from an RBI-ground out by Andres Blanco, scoring Luis Marte. The next batter, Adam Duvall, would plate another run with his RBI-linedrive single out to center field.

With a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning, Blanco gave the Stripers an instant two-run cushion, blasting a 2-run homer out to right field:

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1135276204456579072

That long ball was Blanco’s 9th of the season and gave him 28 total RBI in 2019. The infielder from Venezuela is batting .282 in 50 games.

Leadoff hitter, Rafael Ortega, finished the game 1-for-3 with two runs and two walks. He also stole second base, giving him seven swipes this season. Ortega is up to a .269 average in 2019, while also running an above-average .906 OPS with 16 doubles and 11 home runs.

Catcher Sal Giardina picked up two hits, one a double, in four at-bats. The part-time backstop has played in 22 games this season and is hitting .246. Shortstop Luis Marte was the only other batter in the lineup to record a hit, finishing 1-for-3 with a run and a walk. Marte has struggled a bit this season, OPSing .574 in 37 games thus far.

Patrick Weigel’s third Triple-A start on Sunday didn’t consist of many innings, but the right-handed pitching prospect has continued to comeback strong from his Tommy John surgery from last year. Weigel is running a 2.63 ERA in Gwinnett, with eight strikeouts in 13.2 innings-pitched.

(23-33) Florida Fire Frogs (A+)

Week 9 Record: 3-3

Players of the Week

(OF) Jefrey Ramos

5 games, 7-for-21 (.333 BA), 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, SB

How is a guy successful with a walk-rate of 3.4%? Well, I guess ask Jefrey Ramos, because he’s currently walking at that minuscule rate and is still slashing .263/.293/.420 (.713 OPS).

Even with his super-low walk rate, Ramos is striking out 25.8% of the time, which frankly isn’t that bad when considering he only has seven walks in 205 at-bats this season. The reason Ramos has been so successful is because, well, he hits the ball a lot!

In Week 9, Ramos continued his 9-game hitting streak, getting a knock in every single game of the week. And guess what? He didn’t walk one time, either. But, he also only struck out three times, with all three strikeouts coming in Tuesday’s game.

For the season, Ramos has seven home runs, seven doubles and 30 RBI.

(SP) Nolan Kingham

1 start, 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 4 K

You can read more about Kingham’s second complete-game shutout this season down on Friday’s game recap. The righty has been up-and-down this season, giving up seven earned runs in his first two starts of 2019.

For the 2019 season, Kingham’s ERA is still a bit bloated from those poor starts, at 4.56. However, with a 3-3 record and plenty of season left, he still has time to finish with a solid season.

Kingham started 2019 in Rome, making three starts and pitching to a 0.56 ERA. He’s worthy of pitching in High-A, but now he needs to show it on a consistent basis.

Week At A Glance

(May 27 – June 2)

(5/27) Monday: OFF DAY

The Fire Frogs were off Monday, and going into Tuesday they found themselves in last place in the North division of the Florida State League (9.5 GB from 1st).

(5/28) Tuesday: Lost 7-5 (F/10) vs. Fort Myers Miracle – FULL RECAP

• (P) P. Pfeifer: 6 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
• (C) W. Contreras: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI
• (RF) G. Jenista: 1-4, HR, RBI

Thanks to a Fort Myers wild pitch in the 9th inning, Rome’s Kevin Josephina scored from third base to send the game into extra innings, but in the 10th, the Miracle scored three runs and put the game out of reach for the Fire Frogs.

The Florida bats were hot on Tuesday, tallying nine hits as a team and two home runs, including William Contreras and Greyson Jenista‘s back-to-back homers in the 6th inning.

Josephina (2-for-3), Drew Lugbauer (1-for-4) and Jefrey Ramos (1-for-4) all contributed with doubles; and Brett Langhorne, Izzy Wilson and Riley Delgado all finished with base-hits in the loss. Wilson also finished with a stolen base (his sixth of 2019).

Florida had the pleasure of facing the Minnesota Twins top-prospect, shortstop and leadoff hitter Royce Lewis, who hit a solo homer on the third pitch of the game in the 1st inning. Lewis finished 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.

Philip Pfeifer dealt with runners on the basepaths seemingly all evening, but his 6 innings-pitched on Tuesday was his longest outing of his 2019 season, and it was also an improvement from the four walks in his last start.

(5/29) Wednesday: Lost 7-1 vs. Fort Myers Miracle – FULL RECAP

• (P) F. Tarnok: 6.1 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• (LF) J. Ramos: 1-4, HR, RBI
• (CF) S. Michel: 2-3, 2B, K

Florida’s Freddy Tarnok threw 100 pitches for the second time this season, but was knocked around a bit in Wednesday’s loss.

The Fire Frogs only managed 5 hits, with two of them coming from Shean Michel, who just got transferred back to Florida before the game.

Kevin Josephina added a hit and a stolen base while Juan Morales went 1-for-3, rounding out the hitting.

Relievers Bradley Roney and Daysbel Hernandez pitched 2.2 innings and struck out three batters combined, with Hernandez surrendering a two-run homer from last year’s 20th pick in the draft, Trevor Larnach.

(5/30) Thursday: Lost 3-2 vs. Fort Myers Miracle – FULL RECAP

• (P) H. Deal: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• (C) R. Estrada: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• (1B) K. Josephina: 3-4, 2B, R

Kevin Josephina turned in three hits for the Fire Frogs, giving him a 4-game hitting streak, but it wasn’t enough as the Miracle slugged a go-ahead solo homer in the 8th to win Thursday.

Starting pitcher Hunter Deal pitched another great game, but made a couple of costly mistakes at the wrong time. His two walks both came in the 5th inning, and Fort Myers benefited by scoring both walked runners.

Greyson Jenista and William Contreras both went hitless, with Jenista striking out twice and Contreras striking out once.

(5/31) Friday: Won 7-0 vs. Palm Beach Cardinals – FULL RECAP

• (P) N. Kingham: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 4 K
• (C) W. Contreras: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• (CF) S. Michel: 2-4, RBI, R, BB

In 103 pitches on Friday night, Florida’s Nolan Kingham tossed a complete-game shutout, giving the Fire Frogs only their third nine-inning shutout in franchise history. He already had one back on May 1st against Lakeland.

https://twitter.com/FireFrogsBB/status/1134613339009703941?s=19

Florida’s offense did their job as well, coming up with 11 hits on the night. With a 4-0 lead in the 5th, Kevin Josephina (finished 2-for-4) plated a run, putting the Frogs up by five.

https://twitter.com/FireFrogsBB/status/1134600297224036353?s=19

Shortstop and #2 hitter Riley Delgado, picked up two hits as well. Delgado knocked in a run from a sac-fly in the 8th inning and became the first player in the FSL to accrue 60 hits this season. His multi-hit game Friday gives him 17 total so far in 2019.

Greyson Jenista finished 1-for-4 with 3 strikeouts and Drew Lugbauer was hitless in 4 at-bats. Friday’s DH Rusber Estrada went 2-for-2 with two runs and a walk.

(6/1) Saturday: Led 2-0 vs. Palm Beach Cardinals (SUSPENDED / TOP 2ND) 

Due to unplayable conditions from rain, the Fire Frogs game on Saturday was suspended after one inning. Sean Michel doubled and Jefrey Ramos homered later in the inning to put Florida up 2-0. Matt Withrow started the game on the mound for Florida.

(6/2) Sunday: GM1 Won 9-7 vs. Palm Beach Cardinals (RESUMED GAME) – FULL RECAP

GM2 Won 4-0 vs. Palm Beach Cardinals – FULL RECAP

Game 1:

• (P) P. Pfeifer: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• (LF) J. Ramos: 3-4, HR, 3B, 4 RBI
• (CF) S. Michel: 3-4, 2 2B, 4 R, BB, SB

Saturday’s suspended game was resumed on Sunday, starting in the top of the 2nd inning. Since Saturday’s starter, Matt Withrow, only pitched an inning before the game was suspended, Philip Pfeifer was tasked with the shortened game on Sunday.

Sean Michel did it all in Game 1 as he continues to tear up High-A baseball. Michel scored four of the nine runs the Fire Frogs scored on Sunday. The leadoff hitter is batting .276 in Florida, after hitting only .100 in Mississippi before he demotion. He’s already got three triples in just 19 games with the Fire Frogs.

Greyson Jenista got in the hit column with a base-hit in four at-bats.

Pfeifer’s win in Game 1 gives him a 1-2 record in five starts and one appearance for Florida (4.75 ERA). He appeared in seven games as a reliever in Mississippi this season, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.91 ERA.

Game 2:

• (P) W. Borkovich: 3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, K
• (DH) G. Jenista: 2-3, 2B, RBI, R
• (C) W. Contreras: 1-3, RBI, R

The Florida bats cooled off in Game 2, only managing three hits as a team, despite scoring four runs and sweeping the two games on Sunday.

Reliever Daysbell Hernandez picked up the win after relieving Walter Borkovich in the 4th inning. Hernandez pitched two innings and struck out four with just one walk and no hits or runs. He’s now 4-1 in 15 appearances, and has a 1.90 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 23.2 innings-pitched.

Greyson Jenista’s double and two hits pushes his poor batting average up a bit to .225 (.683 OPS). Jenista, in 53 games with Florida, has 13 doubles and four home runs. He’s knocked in 26 runs as well.

Catcher William Contreras was the only other batter to record a hit, besides Jenista. Contreras is having a respectable season thus far, batting .269 (.707 OPS) with three homers and 11 doubles in 48 games.

(26-30) Rome Braves (A)

WEEK 9 RECORD: 1-5

Players of the Week

(C) Hagen Owenby

5 games, 10-for-22 (.454 BA), 3B, 2 RBI

Owenby is still relatively new to the Rome Braves team. After spending only four games with the Florida Fire Frogs he was transferred down to Rome, and let me tell ya, he’s been hitting ever since he got there.

In the seven games that Owenby has played with Rome, he’s batting .433 with a 1.033 OPS. He has 13 hits in his first 30 at-bats, and has four multi-hit games already, not to mention a five-game hitting streak currently. Remember, he has only played seven games so far.

He has already had three 3-hit games, with two of them coming in Week 9. Granted, he only has one extra-base hit and three RBI, but the amount of contact he’s making is pretty impressive.

(SP) Gabriel Noguera

1 start, 0-1, 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K 

Sporting a 4.24 ERA and only 28 strikeouts in seven starts (34 innings-pitched), Noguera doesn’t have too fancy of numbers at the moment. But what he does have is consistency.

In those seven starts to begin the season, Noguera has only given up more than three runs once (May 19).

What he lacks in strikeouts he makes up for in run prevention, which is a valuable tool to have on a rotation that lacks really any standout pitchers.

He has also been solid in terms of limiting walks, giving up only 14 free passes thus far. A starting pitcher that doesn’t give up a ton of runs and doesn’t walk a lot of batters… yes please.

Week At A Glance

(May 27 – June 2)

(5/27) Monday: Lost 5-2 vs. Asheville Tourists – FULL RECAP

• (P) O. Javier: 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 0 BB, 8 K
• (3B) D. Florentino: 1-3, R, 2 K
• (SS) A. Montesino: 1-2, R, BB, K

The Rome offense spoiled a terrific start from Odalvi Javier, only mustering three hits in Monday’s loss to Asheville.

Javier forced seven ground outs and one fly out, throwing 89 pitches (57 strikes) in his second-straight start with 8 strikeouts. His only blemish was a solo-homer by Asheville’s Grant Lavigne in the 2nd inning.

Other than Darling Florentino and Ariel Montesino listed above, only center fielder Jose Bermudez recorded a hit, finishing Monday’s game with hits from the 7th, 8th and 9th hitters in the Rome lineup.

Reliever Luis Mora suffered the blown save when he threw a wild pitch, allowing a runner to score and tie the game at two apiece.

Then in the 9th, Asheville piled it on by scoring three runs in the final inning on reliever Jose Montilla. Montilla gave up 5 hits in his two innings of work and was pegged with the loss.

Injury Note: Outfielder Justin Dean was placed on the 7-day I.L. (May 25th)

(5/28) Tuesday: Lost 4-3 vs. Asheville Tourists – FULL RECAP

• (P) A. Rangel: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• (1B) G. Benson: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• (SS) C. Paraguate: 1-4, RBI

Rome fell short of a comeback on Tuesday, scoring two runs in the 9th from Griffin Benson‘s RBI-double. Overall the R-Braves outhit Asheville (12-8), but couldn’t generate enough offense from only two extra-base hits all game.

Alan Rangel suffered the loss, but Rome’s bullpen made a strong statement by only allowing two hits in 3.1 innings combined. Relievers Jake Higginbotham and Tanner Lawson combined to strike out four and walk none, also allowing zero runs.

Left fielder Andrew Moritz led off for Rome and finished 1-for-3 with a run and a walk, while also stealing his eighth base of the season, swiping 2nd base.

(5/29) Wednesday: OFF DAY

Rome was off on Wednesday, but there was an update to MLB.com’s top-30 Atlanta Braves prospect list:

Harris is now ranked #28 on the list, jumping in front of teammate Justin Dean and behind Mississippi’s Ray-Patrick Didder. Harris is certainly deserving of making the prospect list, as he hasn’t stopped hitting and still boasts a plus-1.000 OPS in Rome.

(5/30) Thursday: Lost 4-2 vs. Hagerstown Suns – FULL RECAP

• (P) G. Noguera: 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• (C) L. Brown: 1-3, RBI, BB
• (2B) G. Cullen: 2-4, R

On Thursday another Rome player was included in MLB.com’s updated Braves top-30 prospect list:

As far as Thursday’s game, Gabriel Noguera pitched a strong five innings, but Rome dropped their series opener against Hagerstown.

The R-Braves outhit the Suns 10-6 as every Rome batter recorded a hit except for Griffin Benson.

Trey Harris picked up a hit, as usual, going 1-for-3 with a walk. No one was able to manage an XBH for the Braves, though two players did finish with a multi-hit day: Cullen above and third baseman Darling Florentino.

Victor Vodnik was the only reliever to work on Thursday. He pitched three innings and struck out four, only allowing two hits.

Rome committed four errors in the game: Benson, Logan Brown, and two from Florentino.

(5/31) Friday: Won 6-0 vs. Hagerstown Suns – FULL RECAP

• (P) J. Olague: 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• (LF) T. Harris: 4-5, 2 RBI, R
• (CF) H. Quintero: 3-5, 2B, 2 R

Trey Harris led Rome to victory on Friday with his four-hit performance, giving him three multi-hit games in his last 10 contests. The man has a .377 batting average (1.054 OPS) through 53 games now. Wow.

Starter Javier Olague was a ground ball machine in his outing, generating 12 ground ball outs compared to only two fly outs. He only needed 89 pitches to get through his six frames.

Outfielder Andrew Moritz — who is now batting 9th for some reason after being absent — finished the evening 3-for-4 with a stolen base (his 9th SB of the season).

Catcher Logan Brown and Hagen Owenby also had multi-hit finishes, giving Rome five such finishes on Friday.

Behind the plate, Brown also picked off a runner at second base in Friday’s game. Greg Cullen scored two runs but was hitless, though he did draw a walk.

(6/1) Saturday: Lost 2-1 vs. Hagerstown Suns – FULL RECAP

• (P) T. Riley: 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• (C) L. Brown: 1-4, 2B, RBI, R
• (RF) A. Moritz: 2-2, 2 BB, SB

Rome and Hagerstown provided a low scoring affair, as both teams combined for three runs and only one XBH on Saturday.

The Braves only picked up four hits all night, and left 10 men on base, going 0-for-4 with RISP.

Hagen Owenby, Saturday’s DH, was the only other Rome batter to record a hit, other than the two hitters listed above. Owenby finished 1-for-4 with a run and a strikeout.

Starter Trey Riley dropped to 2-6 on the year, as he’s only stuck out more than four batters twice this season.

Reliever Matt Hartman relieved Riley in the 6th inning and pitched three strong frames. Hartman didn’t allow any runs, while surrendering two hits, walking two and striking out three.

(6/2) Sunday: Lost 5-4 vs. Hagerstown Suns – FULL RECAP

• (P) O. Javier: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
• (3B) D. Florentino: 3-4, HR, 2 RBI
• (RF) H. Quintero: 2-5, HR, RBI

The Rome offense put together 11 hits on Sunday, slugging two homers and four extra-base hits; but it was all for not. Starter Odalvi Javier didn’t have his best stuff and walked five batters for the first time this season.

Javier’s run-prevention has been strong this season, only giving up more than three runs twice this year, but timely hitting has cost him. He’ll carry a 4.47 ERA and a 2-2 record into Week 10.

Henry Quintero started the scoring for Rome with a solo home run in the 3rd inning. Quintero had himself a solid week, and improved his average to a solid .327 mark this season.

Trey Harris and Hagen Owenby contributed with hits as well. Harris finished 1-for-4 and Owenby 2-for-4, as the former hit a double and the latter a triple. Harris is up to a .367 batting average.

Darling Florentino’s three-hit night pushed his numbers up to .234 (BA) and .645 (OPS). Florentino now has two home runs and nine RBI in 22 games.

(1-0) DSL Braves (RK)

Week 9 Record: 1-0

Players of the Week

With the Dominican Summer League just starting on Saturday, June 1,  there wasn’t enough games played to determine any Players of the Week.

Week At A Glance

May 27 – June 2

(6/1) Saturday: Won 2-1 vs. DSL Dodgers Bautista – FULL RECAP

• (P) J. Bautista: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
• (1B) Y. Medina: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI
• (LF) R. De La Cruz: 1-2, 2B, R, BB

It was Game 1 of 72 for the DSL Braves as they opened up the Dominican Summer League season on a good note, holding the Dodgers to only three hits in their win.

19-year-old Yerangel Medina led the way with his two-run homer, a quick burst of power as opposed to the 46 games last season where he never hit a home run for the DSL team. The first baseman was a rather weak hitting corner-player in 2018, slashing .216/.300/.269 (.569 OPS).

Randi De La Cruz, one of two De La Cruz’s on the team and one of three in the Braves minor league organization, had the only other XBH Saturday. De La Cruz was a .178 hitter with only four XBHs (4 doubles) in 35 games last season for the DSL Braves.

Outfielder Jeremy Celedonio, 17-years-old, was the only Braves batter to have multiple hits. He finished 2-for-4 with a strikeout.

Righty Jorge Bautista started on the mound for the Braves, but Jordano Perez picked up the win. Perez, also a right-hander, pitched 2.1 innings and struck out two, walking none and giving up two hits.

Carlos De La Cruz picked up the save, appearing as the 4th and final pitcher of the game for the Braves. De La Cruz pitched 1.2 innings and struck out one. In 2018, the 22-year-old Cruz pitched in 13 games, converting two out of four save chances and finishing with a 2.28 ERA in 27.2 innings-pitched.

(6/2) Sunday: OFF DAY

No baseball for the DSL Braves on Sunday. They get back on the field Monday, June 3.