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Series Preview: Gwinnett Braves (16-27) vs. Louisville Bats (20-22)
Sat, May 18
LHP Yohan Flande (1-3, 4.95) vs. RHP Greg Reynolds (3-0, 2.92)
Sun, May 19
RHP Brandon Beachy (MLB Rehab) vs. RHP Pedro Villarreal (1-2, 4.53)
Mon, May 20
RHP Tim Corcoran (1-3, 3.93) vs. RHP Daniel Corcino (2-6, 7.20)
Tue, May 21
RHP Omar Poveda (3-2, 2.35) vs. RHP Chad Reineke (3-3, 4.10)
The G-Braves finished off their current road trip on a sour note, as they dropped the finale in Pawtucket 5-4. After leading 4-0 through 6 ½ innings, the Red Sox scored five unanswered runs to clip the Braves. Bryce Brentz ended it in dramatic fashion, as he hit a walk-off three-run homer against Wirfin Obispo to clinch it for the PawSox. The Braves did finish a nice road trip though, going 4-4 and snapping their 14-game losing skid.
Hitting-
Joey Terdoslavich enters the fold hitting .327 (54-for-165) with seven dingers and 26 RBI. He leads the International League in doubles (15), is second in hits (54) and four in extra base-hits (23). In four games against the Bats in 2013, he is hitting .438 (7-for-16) with a homer and two RBI… Jose Constanza increased his hitting streak to a league-high 13 games last night. After a dismal start, he has caught fire of late, raising his average to .275 (28-for-102). He is tied for third in the IL with three triples.
Pitching-
The Braves staff ranks ninth in the league in ERA with a 4.04 mark. However, their biggest concern has been free passes. They lead the league with 186 walks and have hit a league-high 24 batters. It has not served well at the end of games, as the Braves have six blown saves… RHP Brandon Beachy will make a rehab start on Sunday afternoon for the G-Braves. He will make his first professional appearance since undergoing “Tommy John” Surgery in 2012. He is slated for the 2:05 PM start on Sunday.
G-Bites-
The Braves are currently tied for third place in the South Division and are 13.5 games back of the Norfolk Tides.
Louisville Bats
The Bats have not enjoyed the 2013 campaign either. They hold a 20-22 mark and are currently 9.5 games back of the Indianapolis Indians in the West Division. Louisville is on a two-game losing streak and is 5-5 in their last 10.
Hitting-
Felix Perez leads the offense, hitting .308 (45-for-146) with five homers and 25 RBI. The outfielder has been exceptional with men in scoring position, posting a .313 (10-for-32) clip with one homer and 20 RBI… Fellow outfielder Billy Hamilton has been the beneficiary of the production, as he leads the squad in runs scored (21). The speedster also leads the IL in stolen bases with 21. Last season, he set the Minor League record by amassing 155 bags in his stints with High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola.
Pitching-
The Braves will miss the overpowering Tony Cingrani (1-0, 0.00 ERA) in the series. The left-hander is not scheduled to pitch this weekend. However, they will have their hands full with right-handers Greg Reynolds and Chad Reineke. Reynolds comes into the series a perfect 3-0 with a 2.92 ERA. Saturday will be his first start of the season against the Braves. On the other hand, Reineke faced the Braves at home on 4/25. He was sharp, hurling 7.0 innings of shutout baseball. He did not factor in the decision, as his team dropped the game 1-0. On the season, he is 3-3 with a 4.10 ERA.
Bat Sounds-
The Bats dropped three of four at home against the G-Braves in April. However, they hold the all-time mark at 16-15.
-JD-
Photo Gallery: May 2-9
The G-Braves are out of town, but here are some great images of the last homestand.
Five Minutes With B-Mac
Last week in his rehab stint with the Gwinnett Braves, I sat down with Brian McCann to talk about his progress, what’s it like playing in his hometown and his feelings about returning to the Major Leagues.
JD- What’s it Like Playing in Gwinnett?
“It’s amazing. I went to High School at Duluth and I saw some familiar faces in the stands that I went to high school with. This is where I grew up and I’m excited to be here.”
Jd- Do you see people that you haven’t seen since high school up in the stands during games?
“That’s the beauty of being able to play in Atlanta. I’ve been very lucky. I grew up in Gwinnett County and to go and play for the Atlanta Braves, I get to have friends and family come to a game almost every night.”
JD- How are you feeling right now, physically?
“I feel great. Coming back from shoulder surgery I couldn’t be in a better spot right now. So I’m excited to join the big league team again and start playing.”
Jd- Describe the Rehab process?
“It’s the first surgery I ever had, so it took patience and a lot of hard work. I did both of those and the work has paid off. I feel extremely good.”
Jd- Have you had to time to sit down, and think maybe you were pushing this? Or rushing your return to the diamond?
“Not at all, I wasn’t going to come back unless I felt like I can help the team win and be myself out there. I’m throwing the ball great and just as good as before the surgery. This is the best I felt in a long time.”
Jd- Last season you played through the injury, Any regrets?
“No, the position the team was in didn’t allow me to. We had a chance to win a World Series and I wanted to be a part of that. If we didn’t have a chance to make the playoffs I would have definitely had the surgery earlier, but where we were at in the standings and how good our team was, I just wanted to be a part of that. “
Jd- Did you know of the severity of your injury prior to?
“I knew I was probably going to need to get surgery. It was a just a matter of of the significance of the injury and it turned out to be a pretty decent size tear.”
JD- What will it be like when you join your team?
“I won’t know until I get there (about first game). I know I’m excited to get back and playing with my teammates. I haven’t thought about what kind of emotions I will have when I step back onto the field. But, like I said I’m really excited to get back with the team.”
The G-Braves are on ten game losing streak, tonight they hope to snap it as they send Sean Gilmartin (2-1, 2.70 ERA) to the bump against Terry Doyle of the Pawtucket Red Sox. Game time is 6:05 PM at Coolray Field.
-JD-
Boston STRONG, G-Braves baseball
Tuesday is “Boston Strong Night” at Coolray Field, as every ticket sold via the online link gwinnettbraves.com/boston using the promo code STRONG, $5 will be donated to OneFundBoston.org, benefitting the victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy. Atlanta Falcons and former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, former Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, former New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and former Boston Celtics guard Dee Brown will all be guests of the G-Braves as they throw out ceremonial first pitches.
In honor of Boston STRONG night at Coolray Field we will center today’s blog on fun facts about the Boston Braves. The team became known as the Boston Braves in 1912 after going through various names in a five year span. The name would stick until the Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953.
From Last to First- In 1914, the Braves had one of the most memorable seasons to date. After starting the season 4-18 and entering July 4th with the worst record in the league (26-40), the Braves reeled off 43 wins in 56 tries to finish first in the league. They are the only team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July. They won the World Series despite being heavy underdogs against the Philadelphia A’s, sweeping them and being the first team in modern history to sweep a World Series.
Fenway Park- The monumental park has been the Boston Red Sox’s home park since it broke ground in 1912… However, to accommodate for the excess crowds during their historic run in 1914, the Boston Braves used the park to field their last games and the World Series.
The Babe Returns to Boston- After being dealt away by the Boston Red Sox, Babe Ruth was purchased by Emil Fuchs in 1935, becoming player, Assistant Manager and Vice President of the Boston Braves. With his skills diminishing, Ruth wanted a way to transition to a career in baseball once his playing career was over. Fuchs wanted to sell more tickets, so the move was great on paper for both, and Ruth was acquired from the New York Yankees. The move did not pan out, as Ruth retired on June 1–only six days after he hit the last three home runs of his career. It remains one of the most memorable afternoons in baseball history. The Braves finished the season 38-115 in 1935.
Dynamic Duo- Dealing with poor seasons for decades, the Braves were revived in the late 40’s behind the brilliant duo of Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain. In 1948, the hurlers won a combined 39 games and lead the Braves to a World Series appearance. They lost in six games to the Indians.
Milwaukee- The World Series appearance would be the last hurrah in Boston, as their fate change again. Amid four more mediocre seasons, on March 13, 1953, owner Lou Perini, announced he was moving the team to Milwaukee, where the Braves had their top farm club, the Brewers.
Notable Boston Braves
Earl Averill
Dave Bancroft
Dan Brouthers
John Clarkson*
Jimmy Collins
Hugh Duffy*
Johnny Evers
Burleigh Grimes
Billy Hamilton
Billy Herman
Rogers Hornsby
Joe Kelley
King Kelly
Ernie Lombardi
Rabbit Maranville
Rube Marquard
Tommy McCarthy
Bill McKechnie
Joe Medwick
Kid Nichols*
Jim O’Rourke
Charley Radbourn
Babe Ruth
Frank Selee**
Al Simmons
George Sisler
Casey Stengel
Ed Walsh
Lloyd Waner
Paul Waner
Deacon White
Vic Willis**
George Wright
Harry Wright
Cy Young
The G-Braves take the field tonight, as Daniel Rodriguez (1-2, 7.48) will take the ball against Alfredo Aceves (1-0, 0.00) at 6:05 PM. Braves will try and stop their nine game skid.
-JD-
Series Preview: Gwinnett Braves (12-19) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (17-13)
Mon: Omar Poveda (2-1, 1.93) vs. Rubby De La Rosa (0-0, 7.11 ERA)
Tue: Daniel Rodriguez (1-2, 7.48 ERA) vs. Alfredo Aceves (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Wed: Sean Gilmartin (2-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Allen Webster (1-0, 2.70 ERA)
Thu: Yohan Flande (1-2, 4.97 ERA) vs. Terry Doyle (2-2, 3.03 ERA)
Gwinnett- The G-Braves are currently on an eight-game losing streak. Their slide has dropped them to third in the division and a whopping 8.5 games back in the South standings. After getting back to 12-11, the Braves have been swept by the Indianapolis Indians (21-10) and Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (17-11)in the last week.
Hitting- Joey Terdoslavich continues to hit. The outfielder is ninth in the IL in batting average (.333), T-1st in hits (41), 1st in doubles (13), 1st in extra-base hits (19) and 1st in total bases (71). He has amassed multi-hit games in 12 of his last 20… Jose Constanza has been missing in action. Since extending his hit streak to 11 games on 4/28, the outfielder has not appeared in a contest…
Pitching- Poveda will take the ball in game one. In five starts, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA. He is 5th in the IL in ERA, 3rd in WHIP (0.80) and 1st in batting average against (.136)… Rodriguez suffered a setback last time out, as he was roughed up for seven runs (6 ER) in 3 IP. Prior to the start, he tossed 14.1 scoreless frames. He gets the nod in Game 2… Gilmartin suffered his first loss of the season last time out, but he carried a no-hitter through the first six innings. He will pitch on Wednesday… Flande will toss the finale. The left-hander has moved from bullpen-to-starter well, posting a 1-2 record with a 4.19 ERA in four starts.
G-Bites- Infielder Tyler Pastornicky is set to return to the G-Braves lineup tonight, as he was optioned by the Braves last night.
Pawtucket
Hitting- The Pawtuket attack is led by Jackie Bradley Jr. After struggling in the MLB, Bradley Jr. has found his stroke in Triple-A. In 11 games, he is hitting .302 (13-for-43) with two doubles and four RBI… Bryce Brentz is the muscle in the middle of the lineup, leading the squad in homers (5) and RBI (20)… Jeremy Hazelbaker also has five dingers this season…
Pitching-De la Rosa takes the ball in the opener, the former LAD farmhand has struggled in 2013. He is 0-0 with a 7.11 ERA. He has limited hitters to a .229 batting average, but has walked eight in 12.2 IP… Seasoned Vet, Aceves gets the ball in Game 2. After being sent down by the big club, Aceves was sharp with Pawtucket, tossing six scoreless in a win last week… Baseball America’s No.4 ranked Boston prospect, Allen Webster will start on Wednesday. He has an impressive strikeout rate, as he has set down 26 hitters in 20 IP… Doyle gets the call on Thursday. The right-hander currently leads the team in innings (32.2), walks (18) and strikeouts (28)…
-JD-
McCann Homers, Braves Fall Again
On a night when Brian McCann homered in second rehab start for the Gwinnett Braves, the RailRiders stole the show, scoring two in the first, one in the fifth and three in the six to roll to a 6-2 victory on Friday night.
Things never got going for Gwinnett, as starter Yohan Flande was tagged for five runs, four earned in five innings. He entered the sixth inning down two, but surrendered back-to-back hits to Ronnier Mustilier and Addison Maruszuk before being removed from the game. Roman Colon promptly gave up a leadoff double and the rest was history.
The Braves dropped their sixth straight game, seventh in their last ten and have fallen 7.5 games behind the first place Norfolk Tides (19-9).
Joey Terdoslavich had another big night, going 3-for-4 with a solo blast in the seventh. The outfielder has connected for multi-hit games in 12 of his last 18 games. McCann added another hit in the bottom of the sixth, reaching on an infield single. He finished 2-for-4 on the night.
He will be featured in the lineup today, as he plans to be behind the plate to catch starter Tim Corcoran (1-2, 3.12 ERA). The Braves will hope to stop their current six-game losing streak against RHP Dellin Betances (1-2, 7.58 ERA) at 7:05 pm.
G-Bites- Last night in the top of the ninth inning, Corey Rasmus appeared in his 13th game of the season. He tossed a scoreless frame and now leads the league in games pitched. He boasts a 0.64 ERA and leads the G-Braves in saves (4).
-JD-
McCann Rehabs, Braves Continue Slide
The Gwinnett Braves returned to Coolray Field, but couldn’t get back on track, dropping their fifth straight game.
The Braves outhit the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 7-to-5, but could not come up with the timely hits, going 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Brian McCann, in his first rehab start with the Gwinnett Braves, punched the only run in with an RBI single in the eighth inning. After a two-out double by Todd Cunningham, McCann delivered with his first hit of the night.
In six rehab games, through Single-A Rome and Triple-A Gwinnett, he is hitting .333 with three homers and eight RBI. The six-time All-Star is not worried about his hitting, but looking to regain full strength in surgically repaired shoulder.
“The last thing I’m worried about is my hitting,” said McCann to Barrett Sallee in his post-game interview for MLB.com. “I feel great swinging the bat. I’m ready to go.”
His bat is not the only thing MLB ready, as he called a great game for the first six innings of the night. Entering the seventh inning, starter Sean Gilmartin was tossing a no-hitter. However, the left-hander surrendered a leadoff single to Melky Mesa and everything went south from there. He would be tagged for three runs in 6.2 innings of ball, suffering the loss.
Joey Terdoslavich had another big night, going 3-for4 and raising his average to the .333 mark. He leads the team in hitting, hits (37), doubles (13) and total bases (64).
The Braves will turn the page from last night’s loss, sending Yohan Flande (1-1, 4.43 ERA) to the mound tonight. The southpaw has been solid as a starter, posting a 1-1 record with a 3.14 ERA in 2013. He will face Graham Stoneburner (1-1, 3.00 ERA). The right-hander is 14th round draft pick out of Clemson University. He features a fastball, change up and a slider. In 2011, Baseball America ranked him the No. 17 prospect in the Yankees organization.
Tonight’s game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
-JD-
The G-Braves Minute
The Gwinnett Braves (8-10) failed to make it three in a row, dropping game three of the four-game set to the Charlotte Knights, 4-3 on Sunday afternoon in front of 6,676 at Coolray Field. The largest crowd of the 2013 season came out to see first baseman Freddie Freeman, as he took the field
in his final rehab start for the Gwinnett Braves.
Freeman went 0-for-2 with an HBP before leaving in the seventh to get on a plane and head to Denver, CO to meet the rest of his Atlanta teammates.
The G-Braves ended their current two-game winning streak, as Dusty Hughes (0-2) gave up the game-winner in the seventh inning. After giving up a single and retiring the next hitter, Hughes gave up two walks and HBP to allow a run to cross the plate, making it 5-4 Knights.
Offensively, the Braves could not get going against the Knights bullpen, as they threw five innings of shutout baseball. Deunte Heath (1-0) picked up the victory, while Ramon Troncoso recorded the save.
League Leaders: Tyler Pastornicky leads the league in hits (26)… Joe Terdoslavich leads the league in doubles (11), at bats (74) and total bases (46)… Ernesto Mejia rounds up the league leaders, as he leads the IL in homers (7) and RBI (20)…
Tonight’s matchup features Yohan Flande (0-0, 5.23) and Simon Castro (0-2, 6.88)
Starting Lineups Below
Charlotte
Short 7
Sanchez 4
Anderson 9
Bell 3
Phegley 2
Loman DH
Tolleson 5
Gallagher 8
Garcia 6
Castro 1
Gwinnett
Constanza 7
Pastornicky 4
Terdoslavich 9
Mejia 3
Leonard 5
Cunningham 8
Parraz DH
Yepez 2
Kazmar 6
Flande 1
-JD-
Game Preview: Gwinnett Braves (8-9) vs. Charlotte Knights (5-12)
The Gwinnett Braves (8-9) took to the road and get back on track, winning two straight over the Charlotte Knights. The G-Braves are back in town today, facing the Knights in a home-road split series, before they hit the road for eight straight games.
Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is still with the G-Braves rehabbing from an oblique injury. Last night, the left-handed hitting Freeman went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI in their 6-0 victory over the Knights. He will play first and hit third today, as he hopes to join the Braves roster tomorrow.
However, for today, he will be in the lineup and ready to go for the G-Braves, as they try and make it three straight victories. The Braves enter tonight’s contest in third place in the South Division and one game back of second-place Norfolk.
Sean Gilmartin (1-0) will take the ball for the G-Braves. So far, so good for Gilmartin, as he possesses a 1-0 mark with a 1.69 ERA. In his last start, he went seven Innings, allowing one unearned run and struck out won. He did not factor in the decision, as the bullpen blew a two-run lead in the ninth. This will be his second start against the Knights, as he pitched the opener on 4/5. He went five innings, allowing one run on six hits, while striking out four.
Gilmartin looks for his second Triple-A win and second straight quality start of the season.
The Knights enter the contest seven games back of Durham and on a four game losing streak. The team has struggled both offensively and on the mound. The hitters are 10th in the league in batting with a .238 batting average and are third to last in homers (9). On the mound, the Knights possess the third highest ERA in the league at 4.99.
Andre Rienzo (1-1) makes his fourth start of the season. He is 1-1 with a 7.16 ERA. In his lone start against the G-Braves, he went five innings, allowing four runs. He was credited with the loss.
The matchup is set and the lineups are below.
Charlotte
Durango 8
Sanchez 6
Anderson 7
Bell DH
Loman 3
Tolleson 5
Short 9
Anderson 2
Garcia 1
Rienzo 1
Gwinnett Constanza 7
Pastornicky 4
Freeman 3
Mejia DH
Terdoslavich 9
Cunningham 8
Leonard 5
Pagnozzi 2
Kazmar 6
Gilmartin 1
-Jd-
