Atlanta Braves Week 10 Farm Report: A Week Chock Full of Promotions

It was a busy week as the DSL Braves saw a full slate of games during Week 10. Also, Rome continues to struggle, giving the Atlanta Braves organization their first winless week.

Week 10 in the Atlanta Braves organization featured promotions for catchers William Contreras and Jonathan Morales; outfielders Greyson Jenista and Trey Harris; and reliever Matt Hartman.

Oh yeah, the Atlanta Braves also signed free agent Dallas Keuchel to a one-year, $13 million deal, which almost gave us witness to his first start this past weekend in Gwinnett. However, Mother Nature had other plans.

If you’re new to these thoroughly prepared minor league farm reports, here are the previous nine weeks of stats, recaps, and expertise provided by yours truly!

Week 1 ¦ Week 2

Week 3 ¦ Week 4

Week 5 ¦ Week 6

Week 7 ¦ Week 8

Week 9

Those of you that don’t already know, Keuchel will be making his first start for the organization on Monday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m. (EST) versus the Charleston RiverDogs — the NY Yankees’ Single-A affiliate.

https://twitter.com/TheRomeBraves/status/1137555503276613633?s=19

(35-27) Gwinnett Stripers (AAA)

Week 10 Record: 2-4

Players of the Week

(OF) Adam Duvall

6 games, 6-for-23 (.260 BA), 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI

There were three players that really stood out in Week 10 for Gwinnett. Duvall provided the power and RBI, but second baseman Andres Blanco and shortstop Sean Kazmar Jr. also had outstanding weeks.

Blanco finished up the week 8-for-23 (.347 BA) with two doubles, a home run and three RBI. He’s also in the midst of an 8-game hitting streak, built off three multi-hit games in that span.

Kazmar Jr. was 8-for-21 (.380 BA) with a double and two RBI, recording his 1,500th minor league hit on Thursday. The veteran minor leaguer has played well in 2019, hitting .288 in 46 games and slugging eight home runs.

Duvall’s run on good hitting this past week was a welcoming development, as he had been quiet over the past few weeks. The failed experiment in Atlanta hasn’t hindered what is an excellent job of redeeming himself this season, now with a .971 OPS in 54 games with Gwinnett.

He has 18 home runs and 13 doubles, but most of all, he’s only striking out at a 20% clip, while walking in 12.1% of his at-bats. That’s pretty darn good for a guy with a career K-rate of 30%.

(SP) Kolby Allard

1 start, 1-0, 8 IP, 6 H, ER, 0 BB, 7 K

Gwinnett really only had two strong starts in Week 10, and they happened to be back-to-back outings by Bryse Wilson on Wednesday followed by Allard’s on Thursday. The two combined for:

14 IP, 12 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 14 strikeouts

Allard’s performance on Thursday was more impressive, in that he lasted 8 innings (career-high) and didn’t walk anyone. The last few weeks have been great for him, as his precision on the mound is starting to pay of again.

Allard is sporting a 4.15 ERA in 2019, due to some early struggles to begin the campaign; although, he has a 5-3 record — if you’re into that kind of stuff. In Allard’s 12 starts, his K/BB-rates are promising at 6.78 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

Week at a Glance

June 3 – June 9

(6/3) Monday: Won 7-5 vs. Charlotte Knights 

FULL RECAP

• (P) H. Ynoa: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• (LF) T. Demeritte: 1-5, HR, 4 RBI
• (DH) A. Duvall: 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI

Down 1-0 in the 3rd on Monday, the Stripers hit three consecutive singles, loading the bases. Rafael Ortega and Andres Blanco both squandered the RBI opportunity, as both of them struck out. With two outs and the bases jacked, right fielder Travis Demeritte commenced to do this to the baseball:

Feeling left out, Adam Duvall — the very next batter — went oppo, giving Gwinnett an early four-run lead.

In the 5th, Duvall hit another opposite-field shot, this time giving the Stripers 100 home runs for the season (tops in the IL).

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1135706551304556545?s=19

The scoring came to a halt for both teams after the 5th inning, and Gwinnett succeeded in out-slugging Charlotte.

Three other Stripers batters came away with a multi-hit night: Ryan LaMarre (2-for-5), Sean Kazmar Jr. (3-for-4) and Pedro Florimon (2-for-4).

(6/4) Tuesday: Lost 7-6 vs. Charlotte Knights 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Wright: 4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• (1B) S. Giardina: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
• (CF) R. Ortega: 2-4, 2B, R, BB

The suffering continued for Braves prospect, Kyle Wright, as he had yet another bad outing in Tuesday’s loss. Now 3-3 this season, Wright has surrendered 28 runs over his last 34 innings-pitched (eight starts). His ERA is now north of seven, at 7.41.

Down 5-0 in the 3rd, Travis Demeritte plated Gwinnett’s first run with an RBI- ground out:

Demeritte kept his on-base streak going (now 36 games), dating back to April 24.

After holding Charlotte in their half of the 3rd, part-time catcher Sal Giardina belted his first home run of the 2019 season:

Sean Kazmar Jr., who finished 1-for-4, pushed Gwinnett within one run in the 7th, scoring Rafael Ortega on an RBI-single to left:

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1136082407126446081?s=19

Jack Lopez knocked in the final two Gwinnett runs, an 2-run single in the 9th. That would be Lopez’s only hit of the night. Adam Duvall was the only hitless batter in the Stripers lineup, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.

(6/5) Wednesday: Lost 6-5 vs. Charlotte Knights 

FULL RECAP 

• (P) B. Wilson: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, BB, 7 K
• (2B) A. Blanco: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
• (3B) P. Florimon: 1-3, 3B, RBI, 2 R

The Stripers wasted a solid outing by starter Bryse Wilson and lost a late-inning lead to Charlotte on Wednesday, the last game of their three-game series. It was Wilson’s second-straight quality-start.

With only seven total hits as a team, Travis Demeritte lost his on-base streak at 36 games when he finished 0-for-4 on Wednesday. He struck out three times.

Shortstop and No. 9 hitter, Luis Marte, ripped a home run to tie the game at one apiece in the 3rd inning:

Andres Blanco also went deep, again tying the game with a home run:

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1136439079191683072?s=19

Rafael Ortega and Alex Jackson both finished with one hit each. Ortega also stole his eighth base of the season. Sean Kazmar Jr. picked up two hits on the evening, and played first base.

Chad Sobotka and A.J. Minter pitched the last two innings of the game, with Minter suffering the loss after giving up two costly home runs.

(6/6) Thursday: Won 6-1 vs. Durham Bulls 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Allard: 8 IP, 6 H, ER, 0 BB, 7 K
• (DH) A. Duvall: 2-4, HR (GS), 4 RBI
• (C) J. Morales: 3-4, HR, RBI

As a corresponding move relating to William Contreras’ promotion to Mississippi on Wednesday, catcher Jonathan Morales was promoted from Mississippi to Gwinnett.

Morales had an outstanding debut for the Stipers:

But the first four runs scored for Gwinnett came from just one swing in the 5th inning, by Adam Duvall:

https://twitter.com/GoStripers/status/1136792568094531584?s=19

Also, Sean Kazmar Jr. did something pretty cool in Thursday’s game, recording his 1,500th minor league hit:

Left fielder Travis Demeritte hit his 16th double of 2019, and finished 1-for-3 with a run and a walk. Andres Blanco also doubled, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run-scored. Luis Marte finished with two stolen bases and a hit in his four at-bats.

All but third baseman Pedro Florimon picked up a hit in the win, as Gwinnett totaled 12 hits as a team.

Kolby Allard’s eight innings was the longest start by a Gwinnett starting pitcher this season, giving him three such starts in his career. Morales’ homer in the sixth inning was the 14th different Stripers batter to hit a home run this season.

(6/7) Friday: Lost 12-3 vs. Durham Bulls 

FULL RECAP

• (P) P. Weigel: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K
• (C) A. Jackson: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
• (RF) A. Duvall: 1-3, RBI, BB

Wow, a game that stayed competitive for the first five innings sure did get out of hand. The Bulls scored six runs between the 6th and 9th innings on Friday, routing Gwinnett.

While the game was still close, catcher Alex Jackson tied things up in the 2nd with a homer out to left:

The only other Gwinnett run came from Adam Duvall’s RBI force-out in the 6th inning. No Stripers batter finished with more than one hit, though all but Ryan LaMarre and Luis Marte finished with a knock.

Starter Patrick Weigel pitched decent Friday, given his normal workload. Weigel threw 59 pitches (33 strikes) .

Relievers Ben Rowen and Shane Carle were responsible for the breakout by Durham, allowing 10 runs combined:

• Ben Rowen: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, K
• Shane Carle: IP, 6 H, 6 ER, BB, 0 K

(6/8) Saturday: CANCELLED (rain)

Our chance to see newly-signed starting pitcher, Dallas Keuchel, was ruined by rain on Saturday. However, Keuchel did talk to reporters for a bit:

(6/9) Sunday: Lost 10-2 vs. Durham Bulls 

FULL RECAP 

• (P) K. Wright: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K
• (C) A. Jackson: 1-4, RBI, 3 K
• (2B) A. Blanco: 2-4, 2B, K

After Gwinnett’s game on Saturday was rained out, the Stripers/Bulls rubber match was delayed for 39-minutes due to rain, again on Sunday. Too bad the game wasn’t cancelled, as it wasn’t pretty for Gwinnett.

Sean Kazmar Jr. put the Stripers ahead in the 1st inning, with a sac-fly out to center, scoring Rafael Ortega:

Kazmar Jr. was hitless Saturday, but was the only other Gwinnett batter to knock in a run. Ortega went 1-for-3 with his run in the 1st, followed by a walk and a strikeout. Ryan LaMarre and Adam Duvall were the only other contributors on offense, both picking up a base-hit.

Starter Kyle Wright has been, quite frankly, terrible this season; though, his start Saturday wasn’t too bad. He’ll finish Week 10 with a 7.22 ERA in 9 starts. Just look at his numbers with the Stripers thus far:

3-4, 38.2 IP, 31 ER, 6 HR, 13 BB, 30 K

The real damage was done while reliever Jason Creasy was on the hill. Creasy gave up five runs from six hits, only getting two outs — the last out of the 5th inning and the first out in the 6th.

(25-37) Florida Fire Frogs (A+)

Week 10 Record: 2-5

Players of the Week

(OF) Trey Harris

6 games, 9-for-22 (.409 BA), 2 2B, 2 RBI, SB

Well, this looks familiar, doesn’t it? No, this isn’t Rome’s Batter of the Week. This the Florida Fire Frogs version of Trey Harris. One that is very similar to the Rome Braves type.

Harris hit the ground running once promoted to High-A, and honestly, I think we all expected him to.

All he did was record two hits in each of his first three games with Florida, getting on base at a .480 clip. In Week 10, he only struck out three times, and they all came in one game on Friday.

We know how good he was in Rome. Hopefully, I did a good enough job reporting on his greatness while with the Single-A team.

But now that he has six games completed in Florida, let’s combine his High-A and Single-A stats for this season:

• 62 games
• .371/.441/.585
• 1.026 OPS
• 8 home runs
• 16 doubles
• 4 triples
• 46 RBI
• 5 stolen bases
• 9.8 BB%
• 15.6 K%

He’s on pace for roughly 15 home runs for a full season plus around 10 stolen bases. If he can keep up that batting average as well, his prospect ranking after this season will be much closer to the top-10 than the top-20.

(SP) Philip Pfeifer

1 start, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, BB, 8 K

Whew! Not much to choose from in Week 10 in terms of pitching for the Fire Frogs. Pfeifer tossed a 3-hitter Friday, easily putting up the best pitching performance this past week. Too bad his outing resulted in a loss for Florida, 1-0.

I’m about 99.9% sure that this is Pfeifer’s first time winning my so-prestigious Pitcher of the Week award. He was actually pitching rather well at the beginning of May, but then had a three-start stint of 13 earned-runs in 16.1 innings-pitched coming into the month of June.

For the season, he’s about middle-of-the-road with a 4.00 ERA in six starts plus one appearance. Pfeifer actually started his 2019 season in Mississippi, but after seven appearances of a 4.91 ERA, he was quickly demoted.

In all, with Double-A and High-A stats combined, Pfeifer has a 4.21 ERA in six starts and 14 relief appearances. He has struck out 45 batters in 47 innings-pitched, a rate of 8.61 K/9. Not too bad, but not too great.

Week at a Glance

June 3 – June 9

(6/3) Monday: Lost 5-2 vs. Fort Myers Miracle 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) F. Tarnok: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• (LF) J. Ramos: 3-4, 2 3B, RBI
• (3B) K. Josephina: 1-4, 2B

Before Monday’s action between Florida and Fort Myers, the FSL’s Pitcher of the Week was announced:

In case you missed last week’s report, Kingham tossed his second complete game shut-out last week.

Now to the game: Freddy Tarnok‘s 11th start of 2019 was another poor outing, as the Atlanta Braves pitching-prospect has really struggled this season, sporting a plus-6.00 ERA overall.

Jefrey Ramos was at it again, plating one of two Florida runs, and Greyson Jenista provided the second with a sac-fly. Catcher William Contreras finished 1-for-4 and went down on strikes twice.

The #9 hitter on Monday, Brett Langhorne, picked up two base-hits in his three at-bats. The Fire Frogs were 0-for-3 with RISP in their loss.

(6/4) Tuesday: Won 8-2 vs. Fort Myers Miracle 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) H. Deal: 6 IP, 7 H, ER, BB, 3 K
• (SS) R. Delgado: 1-4, 3 RBI, BB
• (CF) S. Michel: 1-3, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB

Tuesday marked nine quality-starts for Florida starter Hayden Deal, and the Fire Frogs offense scored seven unanswered runs after trailing by a run for four consecutive innings. Oh, yeah… guess who finally got promoted?

https://twitter.com/FireFrogsBB/status/1136026344033259528?s=19

In his first taste of High-A baseball, Trey Harris showed out and went 2-for-3 with three runs. He scored two runs in Florida’s 5-run 7th inning. Harris hit seventh in the lineup in his debut for the Fire Frogs.

As a team, Florida only tallied six hits, all base-hits; and most of their knocked-in runs came from the top of the lineup: Shean Michel, Riley Delgado, and Jefrey Ramos combined to plate six runs, the numbers 1, 2 and 3 hitters respectively.

(6/5) Wednesday: Won 6-4 vs. Fort Myers Miracle 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) M. Withrow: 2.2 IP, H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• (1B) D. Lubauer: 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI
• (RF) G. Jenista: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R

In the sixth consecutive matchup between Florida and Fort Myers, the Fire Frogs flipped a 1-0 Miracle lead to a 6-4 win after scoring runs in three-straight innings.

Florida went with a pitching committee Wednesday, deploying four different hurlers on the mound. Reliever Brandon S. White notched the win (2.1 IP, H, 0 ER, 4 BB, K).

On offense, the FSL leader in hits kept his momentum going, as Riley Delgado finished 2-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run-scored. Recently promoted Trey Harris went 2-for-4, also scoring a run.

Number nine hitter, Jordan Rodgers, added a double in four at-bats, while scoring a run and striking out twice. Outfielder Jefrey Ramos also picked up a hit.

(6/6) Thursday: Lost 7-4 vs. Fort Myers Miracle 

FULL RECAP

• (P) N. Kingham: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, K
• (LF) T. Harris: 2-4, 2 RBI
• (SS) R. Delgado: 2-5, 2B, RBI, R

The reigning FSL Pitcher of the Week took one on the chin Thursday night, facing 24 batters in just 4.1 innings-pitched. Kingham hadn’t given up nine hits since a start back on May 25th.

On offense, guess who led the way? Trey Harris delivered two hits Thursday, giving him a .500 batting average (6-for-12) over his first three games with Florida. He has two hits in each of those three contests.

Catcher Zack Soria — replacing recently promoted William Contreras — went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, rounding out the Fire Frogs hitting.

(6/7) Friday: Lost 1-0 vs. Tampa Tarpons 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) P. Pfeifer: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, BB, 8 K
• (DH) R. Delgado: 1-4
• (SS) B. Langhorne: 1-3, K

A few notes before Florida’s game on Friday:

Riley Delgado enters MLB Pipeline’s Braves prospect rankings.

Also, a roster move was in order, sending reliever Matt Hartman to the Florida Fire Frogs:

Hartman had a 2.63 ERA across four appearances (13.2 innings-pitched) in Rome. Ryan Shetter had 6.75 ERA in three appearances (6.2 innings-pitched) for the Fire Frogs.

The game Friday night was way less exciting as the news before it, as the Fire Frogs were held to just two hits in their opening game of a series with the Tarpons. Riley Delgado and Brett Langhorne (listed above) were the only Florida batters in the lineup to record a hit.

On the bright side, Florida’s starter Philip Pfeifer only surrendered three hits himself, the lowest hit-total he’s given up since a start back on May 3 (also against Tampa).

There’s really not much to add regarding this snooze fest of a game. Tampa’s starter Miguel Yajure pitched six innings and struck out ten Fire Frogs, while walking one and giving up two hits. The Tarpons bullpen struck out five more Florida batters, walking none and obviously surrendering no hits.

(6/8) Saturday: Lost 7-3 vs. Tampa Tarpons 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) M. Hartman: 4 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, BB, 2 K
• (2B) B. Langhorne: 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI
• (SS) R. Delgado: 2-5, K

Righty Matt Hartman made his first start for Florida on Saturday, and it didn’t go so hot. Hartman gave up two home runs and seven runs total, swelling his ERA to 7.00 right off the bat.

The Fire Frogs showed some life in the 4th when Brett Langhorne slapped a 2-run single to right field, but Florida couldn’t manage another run the rest of the game.

The newest member of the lineup, outfielder Trey Harris, finished 1-for-2 with a run and two walks, upping his average to .389 in his six games of High-A competition. Saturday’s DH, Drew Lugbauer, went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two strikeouts.

Reliever Brooks Wilson pitched the 5th through 7th innings, striking out four and walking none, while giving up two hits and no runs. Wilson has been lights-out this season, carrying a 0.96 ERA in eight appearances (only three walks).

(6/9) Sunday: Lost 5-0 vs. Tampa Tarpons 

FULL RECAP

• (P) H. Deal: IP, H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K
• (RF) T. Harris: 2-4, 2B, SB
• (DH) I. Wilson: 1-4, 3B

Starter Hunter Deal gave up a two-run home run in the 1st but was relieved of his duties shortly after, as a 32-minute rain delay in the 2nd inning ruined any chances for him on Sunday.

Trey Harris just keeps hitting, posting his fourth multi-hit finished in his first six games with Florida. This man is for real!

Third baseman Kevin Josephina, center fielder Shean Michel and shortstop Riley Delgado all finished with one hit apiece, as the Fire Frogs picked up six hits as a team, going 0-for-12 with RISP.

Reliever Daysbel Hernandez was the best pitcher for Florida on Sunday, working 3.1 innings and striking out two. Hernandez has been quite effective all year long, carrying a 1.61 ERA in his 17 appearances.

(26-36) Rome Braves (A)

Week 10 Record: 0-6 (ouch!)

Players of the Week

(OF) Jeremy Fernandez

5 games, 7-for-23 (.304 BA), 1 double

Rome’s hitting was just as bad as its pitching this past week, hence the 0-6 finish. Fernandez wins Batter of the Week from basically one excellent game — his 5-for-5 finish on Sunday.

That display of perfect hitting accounted for five of his seven total hits in Week 10, a great start for a player that hasn’t been in Rome very long.

Fernandez played in just two games for Florida, going 0-for-6 and ultimately earning a demotion back down to Single-A competition. He’s not new to success, though, as the soon-to-be 22-year-old hit .281 last year in 47 games with the DSL Braves.

Another player to recognize for his Week 10 performance, is catcher Logan Brown. The 22-year-old lefty-hitting catcher went 8-for-20 (.400 BA) with a double and an RBI.

Brown has been one of the better players for this light hitting Rome team, batting .308 with 10 doubles in 46 games.

(SP) Odalvi Javier

1 start, QS, 6.2 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 8 K

As you can see by their winless Week 10, the Rome Braves pitchers had it rough this past week, as well as this entire 2019 season, quite frankly. There’s just not a lot of talent in Single-A for the Braves organization.

However, starter Odalvi Javier has made some impressive strides since the middle of May. His 2019 season-stats aren’t very impressive — 4.13 ERA and 2-3 record in 12 starts — but his numbers since his May 12th start have been great.

Javier has made six starts, since his May 12 outing, and has a 2.73 ERA in that span, with 9.69 K/9 and 2.48 BB/9. Compare those stats to his season totals, and it’s easy to see that he’s turned things around.

His last start, this past Saturday, was a perfect example. Javier’s doing a better job on the mound, trading those early-season walks for strikeouts. This could be a solid starter, in a rather depleted Rome starting rotation.

Week at a Glance

June 3 – June 9

(6/3) Monday: Lost 5-2 vs. Columbia Fireflies 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) A. Rangel: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• (RF) T. Harris: 1-3, 2B, RBI,
• (C) L. Brown: 1-3, RBI, K

A four-run 3rd inning by Columbia all but sealed the deal for the Fireflies, as Rome only managed four hits Monday night. Starter Alan Rangel fell to 4-4 on the season, reeling from a 5.47 ERA.

Trey Harris and Logan Brown provided the runs for the Braves, with both players contributing in the 7th, giving Rome some hope at the end of the game.

Reliever Dilmer Mejia worked three innings, striking out two and giving up four hits; while Jake Higginbotham pitched the last two frames, pinching out two and giving up no hits.

(6/4) Tuesday: Lost 3-2 vs. Columbia Fireflies 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) G. Noguera: 4 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, K
• (2B) G. Cullen: 1-4, 2B, RBI, R
• (LF) A. Moritz: 2-3, 2B

Before Rome’s game Tuesday, four players from the team were selected All-Stars in the South Atlantic League:

Of course, Harris was promoted to Florida (High-A) on Tuesday. The Northern and Southern teams will each have 26 players representing their respective divisions.

As for the game, Rome jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first frame, but Columbia answered with three runs in the 2nd inning. Neither team would score again for the remainder of the game.

Greg Cullen‘s RBI-double and Henry Quintero‘s sac-fly in the 1st provided the runs for Rome. Second baseman Derian Cruz stole a base and went 1-for-3 in the loss. Logan Brown also picked up a base-hit in his four at-bats.

After Gabriel Noguera‘s four innings of work, reliever Victor Vodnik pitched the remaining four frames, only giving up one hit and striking out three. That was only Vodnik’s third appearance in the past 11 games.

(6/5) Wednesday: CANCELLED 

Rain sucks.

(6/6) Thursday: Lost 8-7 (F/10) vs. Lexington Legends – FULL RECAP

• (P) J. Olague: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• (1B) G. Benson: 2-5, HR, RBI
• (C) L. Brown: 3-5, R

Down 4-1 in the 7th inning, a throwing error committed by Lexington on a ground ball hit by Greg Cullen allowed two runs to score, narrowing the lead at 4-3. Then in the 9th, a Lexington wild-pitch allowed Carlos Paraguate to score tying the game at 4 apiece.

However, it was all for not, as Lexington pushed four runs across in the 10th.

Every Rome batter, except for infielder Derian Cruz, picked up a hit Thursday. Trey Harris’ replacement, outfielder Jeremy Fernandez, finished 1-for-5 with a walk and a strikeout, batting leadoff.

Cullen went 1-for-5 with his RBI in the 7th, but committed his fourth error of the season, a fielding blunder. Outfielder Andrew Moritz, still batting 9th, finished 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run, a walk and a strikeout.

Reliever William Woods suffered the loss, pitching the 8th and 9th innings and surrendering 4 runs (three earned).

(6/7) Friday: Lost 7-2 vs. Lexington Legends 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) T. Riley: 4 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
• (C) L. Brown: 3-4, 2B, K
• (DH) D. Cruz: 1-4, 2B, R

Lexington pounced on Rome Friday, scoring six runs combined in the first two innings, thanks to a sac-fly, 2-run single, RBI forceout and two RBI singles. Six unanswered runs from no extra-base hits!

The R-Braves didn’t strike until the 4th inning, an RBI by Griffin Benson coming from a ground out back to the pitcher. The second and final run scored by Rome was an RBI single off the bat of Jose Bermudez, scoring Derian Cruz in the 9th. Bermudez finished 1-for-4 with his 9th-inning RBI and two strikeouts.

Both teams committed two errors, though none resulted in any unearned runs. Shortstop Darling Florentino recorded his ninth error of the season, a throwing error.

Florentino finished with a hit and two strikeouts in four at-bats, while Greg Cullen and Carlos Quintero both contributed with one hit apiece.

Trey Riley has had it rough in 2019, now with an ERA north of 6.00. Last year’s 5th round pick — and Fangraphs’ recently updated 23rd ranked prospect in the organization — has given up four or more runs in six out of his 11 starts this season.

(6/8) Saturday: Lost 5-1 vs. Lexington Legends 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) O. Javier: 6.2 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 8 K
• (1B) H. Owenby: 2-3, 2B, RBI
• (2B) G. Cullen: 1-4, 2B

Lexington clinched the series win on Saturday, but it wasn’t Rome starter, Odalvi Javier‘s, fault. Javier turned in a quality-start, tossing a four-hitter and forcing seven ground outs, out of nine batted-ball outs throughout his outing.

The blame fell on Rome’s offense, as only four batters in the lineup contributed with hits. Jose Bermudez, batting 9th, picked up a knock in three at-bats; while catcher Logan Brown finished with a base-hit and a run-scored.

Two Rome errors caused some heartache, with Hagen Owenby and reliever Dilmer Mejia’s fielding blunders allowing two runs to score. Altogether, Rome surrendered five unearned runs in Saturday’s loss.

(6/9) Sunday: Lost 7-5 (F/11) vs. Lexington Legends 

FULL RECAP

• (P) A. Rangel: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• (C/1B) H. Owenby: 1-5, HR, RBI, BB
• (CF) J. Fernandez: 5-5, 2 R, SB

Rome’s final game of their series with Lexington ended with a loss on Sunday, but it was a heck of game at least. Outfielder Jeremy Fernandez put up a 5-for-5 night, the first one all season by any player on any of Braves minor league team.

Fernandez’s five games with Rome have been great, as he’s 7-for-23 (.304 BA) so far with the team, after playing in two games with Florida.

Hagen Owenby continues to hit well with Rome, now up to a .362 average with the R-Braves.

Greg Cullen finished 0-for-6 Sunday, an unlikely performance for one of the best talents on the team. Cullen has been struggling over his last 10 games, hitting just .171 in that span, with 12 strikeouts compared to only 3 walks.

Outfielder Henry Quintero has been sharp as Rome’s leadoff hitter, and he was sharp Sunday, finishing 2-for-5 with a double, a walk and a strikeout. He’s only been up at Single-A for 17 games (played for DSL Braves and Danville in 2018), but is hitting .296 with a home run and three doubles.

(4-3) DSL Braves (RK)

Week Record: 3-3

Players of the Week

(C) Kelvin Pena

5 games, 7-for-21 (.333 BA), 4 2B, 4 RBI

With it being still such a young season (only seven games played), there’s not one player that’s clearly outperforming the rest, on this DSL Braves team.

Although, Pena has been terrific so far this season, batting .292 overall and up to four doubles with nine RBI ( in just six games).

At 18-years-old, the Bonao, D.R. native had his best game yet on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with two doubles. Pena has already put up better numbers than he did last year, in 10 less games.

In 2018, he played 16 games with the DSL Braves, batting .196 with just two doubles and five RBI. The 5’11”, 210 lbs. catcher looks as if he’s set to have a much better season this summer, as opposed to his first one playing professional baseball last year.

(SP) Roddery Munoz

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

Again, with it being so early in the season, many of the starting pitchers for the DSL Braves are obviously being worked in slowly, only pitching 3-4 innings per start. With such short outings, that means several different pitchers are getting appearances, usually only lasting a few innings apiece.

Munoz was one of the few starters to work four innings this past week, and he pitched well only allowing two hits and no runs. His start on Wednesday was his first taste of action in 2019.

Another pitcher of note so far this year, is reliever Carlos De La Cruz. The 22-year-old, in Del La Cruz, already has three saves this season and has yet to allow a run score.

In 2018, De La Cruz and Munoz had fared quite the opposite. The former ran a 2.28 ERA in 13 appearances (27.2 IP) and held opposing hitters to a .198 batting average; while the latter finished with a 6.88 ERA, giving up 13 earned-runs in 17 innings-pitched across 10 appearances.

Week at a Glance

June 3 – June 9

(6/3) Monday: Lost 4-0 vs. Dodgers Bautista 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) O. Sierra: 2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• (DH) A. Then: 1-4, K
• (RF) R. De La Cruz: 1-3, K

After a victorious season opener for the Dominican Braves last Saturday, Game 2 of the 2019 season was much different. As a team, the DSL Braves only managed two hits and struck out 11 times on Monday.

The two batters listed above was all she wrote for the Braves. No one else on the team picked up a hit.

Dodgers starter, Igor Avila, pitched the first four innings and struck out five Braves, yielding the only two hits. Three other Dodgers relievers would piece together the final five innings, striking out six and walking none.

The Dodgers recorded 10 hits as a team, with one double and one triple.

(6/4) Tuesday: Won 10-5 vs. DSL Athletics 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) R. Alesandro: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• (C/1B) K. Pena: 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI
• (3B/SS) J. Dilone: 2-5, R, BB, SB

The DSL Braves unleashed 10 runs on Tuesday, slugging five extra-base hits and stealing six bases in their win. Shortstop Alexander Then stole two bags and went 1-for-2 with an RBI, two runs-scored and two walks.

Randi De La Cruz (RF), Yerangel Medina (1B/3B) and Delvi Estrada (CF) all doubled.

The Braves deployed six different pitchers in Tuesday’s game, with Reibyn Corona (pitcher #2) picking up the win. Corona worked one inning of zeros, walking none and striking out none, while also giving up zero hits or runs.

As a whole, the six Braves pitchers struck out eight batters and walked five, while giving up 10 hits. With 21 combined hits and eight total pitching changes between the two teams, the game lasted a drawn-out 3 hours and 47 minutes.

(6/5) Wednesday: Won 2-1 vs. DSL Athletics 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) R. Munoz: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K
• (DH) R. De La Cruz: 1-4, RBI, 2 K
• (1B) K. Pena: 2-4, 2B, K

It was another game of pitcher-by-committee for the DSL Braves on Wednesday, as they bested the Athletics despite going 1-for-14 with RISP.

Roddery Munoz got the start and pitched well, but Luis Vargas received the win, working two innings of middle-relief. Vargas struck out none and walked one, giving up no hits.

The entire group of five pitchers for the Braves only struck out five batters, but limited the Athletics to just three hits on the day.

Kelvin Pena (above) hit a double and right fielder Jeremy Celedonio hit one as well, giving the Braves the only two extra-base hits in the game.

Leadoff hitter Geraldo Quintero, outfielder Carlos Paiva and third baseman Yerangel Medina rounded out the hitting for the offense. Quintero also stole second base.

(6/6) Thursday: Lost 8-3 vs. DSL Marlins 

 FULL RECAP

• (P) C. Moreno: 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, BB, K
• (CF) C. Paiva: 1-1, 2 RBI
• (SS) J. Dilone: 2-4, RBI, R

The DSL Marlins outhit the Braves 11-5 on Thursday, and picked up the win despite only one extra-base hit combined between the two teams. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the DSL Braves.

The Braves DH, Randi De La Cruz, kept his strong hitting going with a 1-for-3 finish, while also drawing a walk. No. 9 hitter Geraldo Quintero picked up a hit and a walk in two at-bats.

Two players stole bases for the Braves, with third baseman Alexander Then picking up his third swipe of the season, and outfielder Jeremy Celedonio stealing his first. So far in the early going, the DSL Braves like to run, as the team has tallied at least one stolen base in every game so far in 2019.

The pitching was utilized as it has been in the first four games of the season. The Braves used four pitchers Thursday, with reliever Kevin Solano lasting the longest on the mound. Solano pitched well, working three innings and striking out five, only giving up one hit and walking none.

(6/7) Friday: Lost 6-2 vs. DSL Marlins 

FULL RECAP

• (P) J. Bautista: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• (1B) Y. Medina: 1-3, 2B, RBI, R
• (C) K. Pena: 1-3, 2B, BB

The DSL Braves dropped Game 2 of their series with the Marlins, resulting in a two-game sweep, as the teenage Bravos only mustered five team hits. The Marlins outscored the Braves 14-5 in the two-game set.

Jorge Bautista made his second start of the 2019 season, but was far from effective, surrendering five runs and unable to make it through the 3rd inning. The Braves once again used several pitchers in the loss, shuffling through five different relievers.

On offense, the Braves were just 1-for-9 with RISP, though they continued their streak of a stolen base in each of their games to start the season, now up to six-straight. The player to continue the streak was center fielder Leomar Jimenez, who finished 1-for-2 with a walk and a successful swipe of 2nd base.

Other than the listed batters above, only Deivi Estrada recorded a hit, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

(6/8) Saturday: Won 8-4 vs. DSL Astros 

FULL RECAP

• (P) O. Sierra: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K
• (LF) J. Celedonio: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
• (2B/CF) G. Quintero: 2-5, HR, 2 RBI

More from Tomahawk Take

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• Braves News: Dansby to the Red Sox?, Braves top prospects, more
• Atlanta Braves 2023 Preseason Top 30 Prospects List: 26-30
• Atlanta Braves Rumors: Red Sox Interested in Dansby Swanson

The DSL Braves picked up their fourth win on Saturday, while also hitting just their second and third home run as a team, hitting two in their victory over the Dominican Astros.

The Braves broke out for 12 hits overall, a welcoming improvement after a few games of poor offense. Shortstop Francisco Floyd picked up three hits, one a triple, as he knocked in a run.

The other multi-hit performer was first baseman Yerangel Medina, who went 2-for-5 with a strikeout. Medina was also one of three base stealers on Saturday.

Catcher Kelvin Pena knocked in a run of his own, going 1-for-5 with two strikeouts. Pinch-hitter Alexander Then and DH Deivi Estrada rounded out the hitting, as both went 1-for-5, with Estrada scoring a run.

The Braves used their usual four pitchers in the win, with reliever Rainiery Rodriguez picking up the win. Rodriguez tossed two innings of one-hit ball and struck out one, while walking none and surrendering zero runs.

(6/9) Sunday: OFF DAY

The Dominican Braves were off Sunday, after playing six-straight games. The Braves DSL action will resume on Monday when they face the DSL Astros again at 10:30 a.m. (EST)

In the DSL, most teams play two-game series.

Thanks for sticking with me through this lengthy recap, but hopefully it was beneficial in helping you keep up with all of the Atlanta Braves minor league teams and prospects.