Ian Anderson struggles as Gwinnett drops Game 2

Atlanta Braves Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers, face an uphill battle after losing Game 2 on Thursday night.

The Atlanta Braves may have won a big game against the Washington Nationals on Thursday, but Gwinnett ended their night with a two-game deficit in their 5-game semifinal series versus the Columbus Redbirds, losing 7-3 (boxscore).

The recap

DH Ryan LaMarre and center fielder Cristian Pache took turns knocking in runs in the first two innings of Thursday’s game, giving Gwinnett an early two-run lead.

LaMarre drove the very first pitch of the inning over the right field wall, oppo-style, as it had just enough to reach the Columbus’ bullpen.

In the 2nd, Jack Lopez doubled, setting up a perfect RBI situation for Pache. The Braves top prospect delivered and sent a sharp line drive to left, scoring Lopez.

Atlanta Braves’ top pitching prospect, Ian Anderson, got the start in Game 2 on Thursday. Anderson cruised through three scoreless innings with his two-run lead, but in the 4th he got touched up to the tune of four runs, coming from an RBI single and a 2-run homer by the swing-happy Columbus lineup.

In the 5th, with the Stripers down 4-2, Sean Kazmar Jr. drove a pitch to deep center, scoring the speedy Drew Waters all the way from first base. The Columbus outfielder was charged with an error, robbing Kazmar of an RBI as he finished 0-for-4 on Thursday.

With Gwinnett down 4-3 in the 6th, Columbus produced an insurance run, as the Redbirds’ Daniel Johnson doubled in a run to put the bad guys up by two. Anderson got the next batter to fly out to center, but was then given the hook.

Columbus ended up pouring it on, slapping an RBI single in the 8th and slugging a solo-home run in the 9th, tallying their 7 runs from 10 total hits.

So far, the Redbirds’ lineup has been a thorn in Gwinnett’s side, scoring 12 runs from 21 hits in these first two games of the series.

It’s been tough for the Stripers to keep up on offense, and Gwinnett manager Damon Berryhill has taken notice of this dangerous Columbus lineup:

“We made a few mistakes and they capitalized. They only hit a few balls hard but when they did it really counted.”

Strong pitching will be a must in Game 3 on Friday.

A few takeaways

Anderson’s struggles in Triple-A: As a Mississippi Brave in 2019, Anderson was once of, if not the best, starting pitcher in Double-A. But so far it’s been a rough go at the minors’ highest level.

There was Thursday’s start, then the fact that Anderson’s final 5 starts of the season featured a 6.57 ERA, as he allowed 3 or more runs in 4 of his last five outings to end the season.

Frankly, I was a bit disappointed that Bryse Wilson didn’t get the nod on Thursday, and that’s nothing against Anderson. I just didn’t feel too good about sending out a guy with only five career starts in Triple-A, especially when it’s in the middle of a postseason series.

But at the end of the day, this is still about development. Of course Gwinnett is trying to win this series, but Anderson’s growth as a starting pitcher outweighs a Triple-A league championship.

More strong relief work: We seen a great bullpen performance in Game 1 on Wednesday, well on Thursday it was more of the same.

Tyler Matzek, recently-signed Caleb Thielbar and Jose Rafael De Paula combined for 3.2 innings-pitched and 7 strikeouts, allowing two runs from 4 hits.

They weren’t quite as stingy as the three from Game 1, but they still gave Gwinnett a chance to come back. That’s all you can ask for from a bullpen.

Up next

The series shifts to Columbus, OH on Friday, as Gwinnett will now have to win to survive. The Stripers face a tough task, needing 3-straight wins for an opportunity to play for the Governor’s Cup.

As long as there’s no last-minute changes, Kyle Wright is slated to start Game 3 on Friday. Wright will oppose Redbirds’ righty, Shao-Ching Chiang, who finished the 2019 regular season with a 5.15 ERA in 26 starts for Columbus.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST.