G-Braves Cruise to 11-3 Victory Over Rochester
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – The Gwinnett Braves (26-36) came out swinging on Thursday night, roughing up Rochester Red Wings’ (28-33) starter Vance Worley and coasting to an 11-3 victory at Coolray Field. Stefan Gartrell went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, and Joey Terdoslavich added three RBI on 2-for-4 hitting as Gwinnett snapped a three-game losing streak.
Worley (L, 1-2), who started on Opening Day for the Minnesota Twins, was tagged for seven runs, two earned on eight hits in 3.0 innings. His opponent, Gwinnett starter Omar Poveda (W, 4-3) utilized the offensive outburst and held the Red Wings to three runs over 6.0 strong innings.
Offensively, both teams got off to hot starts, each scoring two runs in the first inning. In the top half of the frame, the Red Wings took advantage of three walks and two hits to score twice. Oswaldo Arcia drove in the first on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, and Eric Farris singled home the other run, giving Rochester a 2-0 lead.
The G-Braves answered with three two-out singles to even it up in the bottom of the first. Tyler Pastornicky and Ernesto Mejia each singled, putting runners on the corners. After a stolen base by Mejia, Terdoslavich delivered a game-tying single to center.
In the third inning, Gwinnett tied a season high with five runs in the frame. With runners on the corners and two down, Terdoslavich singled home his third run of the night, collecting his fifth three-RBI game of the season. The next hitter, Gartrell, cleared the bases with a three-run homer to left, giving the G-Braves a 6-2 lead. After a single by Joe Leonard and a walk by Paul Janish, Matt Pagnozzi capped the scoring with an RBI single to right field.
The Red Wings answered with a run in the top of the fourth. Doug Bernier tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a groundout by Ray Olmedo, cutting the Gwinnett lead to 7-3.
Poveda would shut down the opposition from there, allowing three runs on eight hits to record his ninth quality start of the season. Ryan Buchter, Pat Egan and Cory Rasmus tossed one scoreless inning each, dusting off the Red Wings.
The G-Braves added three more runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to match a season high for runs scored in a single game (previously accomplished in an 11-7 win at Lehigh Valley on June 2). In the seventh, Rochester reliever Anthony Slama walked the bases loaded and uncorked a wild pitch to score the first run. Jose Constanza plated the other two runs with a single. In the eighth, Todd Cunningham laced a lead-off triple and scored on an RBI hit by Pastornicky.
In addition to the big nights by Gartrell and Terdoslavich, Constanza added a 2-for-4, two-RBI game, while Pastornicky went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
Brian Dinkelman, Deibinson Romero and Farris picked up two hits apiece to lead the Rochester offense.
The Gwinnett Braves will finish their four-game set against the Rochester Red Wings on Friday night, first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM. Left-hander Yohan Flande (3-4, 4.12) will start for the G-Braves, while left-hander Andrew Albers (3-2, 3.53) will start for the Red Wings. The radio broadcast will air on WDUN 550 AM and 102.9 FM. The game will also be broadcast on television on CSS.
Following Friday night’s game, stick around for Post-Game Fireworks, sponsored by WAGA Fox 5 Atlanta. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Coolray Field Box Office at (678) 277-0340 or by visiting gwinnettbraves.com.
Draft Day, G-Braves Draft Classed
It’s every amateur player’s dream to hear your name called on draft day. Tonight at 7: 05 ET, young baseball players from all over the country will have a new uniform to sport, as they will selected by a major league baseball team in the 2013 First Year Player Amateur Draft.
As we wait in anticipation of the MLB First Year Player Draft, we will take a look at all the Gwinnett Braves that have been drafted in the past.
First off, the Braves roster has seen 17 players called on draft day; six of those players were originally drafted by the Braves. Sean Gilmartin out of Florida State University was the highest draft choice, selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 2011 draft, while, Cory Rasmus was picked in the supplemental first round (38th overall) out of Columbus, GA in 2006. Right-Hander David Hale was a third round pick in 2009 out of Princeton University.
With the bevy of talent in the rotation, the G-Braves benefited offensively from the 2010 draft. Todd Cunningham (2nd round) out Jacksonville State University, Joe Leonard (3rd round )out of Pittsburgh University and Joey Terdoslavich (6th round) out of Long Beach State University were all a part of the 2010 class.
The rest of the non-international players were drafted by other clubs. The highest pick of the 11 remaining players was outfielder Brandon Boggs, selected in the fourth round of the 2004 draft out of Georgia Tech by the Texas Rangers. The 2004 class produced infielders Sean Kazmar (5th round by the San Diego Padres out of College of Southern Nevada) and Paul Janish (5th round by the Cincinnati Reds out of Rice University) as well.
The following two seasons would have produced two players apiece. However, in 2005, Cole McCurry was selected in the 31st round out Surry Community College (NC) by the Atlanta Braves, but elected not to sign. The other southpaw picked in 2005 was Ryan Buchter, 33rd round by the Washington Nationals out of Highland Regional Park H.S. (NJ).
In 2006, outfielder Stefan Gartrell went in the 31st round out University of San Francisco to the Chicago White Sox, while Pat Egan went in the 36th round to the Baltimore Orioles out of Quinnipiac College.
In 2008, Tyler Pastornicky heard his name called, as the Toronto Blue Jays picked him in the fifth round out of The Pendleton School (FL). Alden Carrithers was also selected in that draft, going in the 15th round to the Detroit Tigers out of UCLA.
The rest of the G-Braves did not have a partner in their draft class, as Joe Beimel (18th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Duquesne University), Matt Pagnozzi (8th round by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Central Arizona College) and McCurry (43rd round by the Baltimore Orioles out of Tennessee Wesleyan College) all came out solo.
G-Braves take on Rochester tonight, Thursday, June 6 at 6:05 PM.
-JD-
DeVries Strong as Rochester Beats G-Braves, 4-2
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – In a rain-shortened eight-inning game on Wednesday night at Coolray Field, the Gwinnett Braves (25-36) could not find an answer for Rochester right-hander Cole DeVries. The Red Wings’ hurler tossed 7.0 innings of two-run baseball to secure a 4-2 win, sending the G-Braves to their third-straight loss.
DeVries (W, 1-1), who was coming off 5.0 innings of two-run baseball against Charlotte on May 31, was even sharper on Wednesday night. He scattered nine hits, yielded two runs, walked one and struck out two for the victory.
His offense helped him out early. In the top of the second inning, the Red Wings utilized a little small ball to score their first run. Jeff Clement walked and Deibinson Romero singled, putting runners on first and second with no outs. After a bunt by Ray Olmedo, Doug Bernier hit into a fielder’s choice to score the first run of the game.
The G-Braves squared it up in the bottom half of the second inning. Alden Carrithers doubled over the head of left fielder Brian Dinkelman and scored on a two-out single by Jose Yepez, making it a 1-1 game.
In the third, the Red Wings regained the lead, taking advantage of two walks and an RBI single by Chris Colabello to extend the lead to 2-1.
Gwinnett’s starter David Hale (L, 1-2), who was on a 45-pitch limit, was pulled just before the Colabello single. He took the loss, allowing two runs on two hits over 2.1 innings. Cole McCurry filled in nicely, giving up just two hits and striking out three over 3.1 innings, keeping the G-Braves within one.
However, the Red Wings would strike in the seventh inning for another run off of reliever Kameron Loe. A leadoff single by Dinkelman set up an RBI double by Oswaldo Arcia, pushing the Rochester lead to 3-1.
The G-Braves answered in the bottom half of the inning. Carrithers picked up his third hit of the game, singling to left-center field. He advanced to third base on a pair of wild pitches by DeVries and scored on sacrifice fly by Paul Janish, reducing the deficit to 3-2.
The Red Wings tacked on another run against left-hander Joe Beimel in the top of the eighth before the rain came in the bottom half of the frame, ending the game at 4-2.
Offensively the G-Braves out-hit the Red Wings 9-to-7. Carrithers (3-for-3, double, 2 runs) and Yepez (2-for-3, RBI) led the offense. Todd Cunningham added a 2-for-4 game.
Arcia paced the Red Wings’ attack, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
The Gwinnett Braves continue the series with game three against the Rochester Red Wings on Thursday night, first pitch scheduled for 6:05 PM. Right-hander Omar Poveda (3-3, 3.14) will start for the G-Braves, while right-hander Vance Worley (1-1, 2.25) will start for the Red Wings. The radio broadcast will air on WDUN 550 AM and 102.9 FM with Tony Schiavone calling the play-by-play.
Thursday night is “$3 Thursday” at Coolray Field featuring $3 food and beverage specials all game long. All Lawn Seats are also just $3. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Coolray Field Box Office at (678) 277-0340 or by visiting gwinnettbraves.com.
-JD-
Rochester Red Wings (27-32) at Gwinnett Braves (25-35)
Scouting the Opponent
The Gwinnett Braves will take the field at 6:05 PM Wednesday night, as they try to avenge their 4-3 loss from the night before.
In their last contest, Sean Gilmartin (3-5) gave up four runs in six innings, striking out five and walking three. The left-hander dropped his second straight game, bested by right-hander Kyle Gibson (5-5) of the Rochester Red Wings. The former Missouri Tiger, hurled six innings, scattering seven hits and allowing two runs. He picked up the victory in the battle of former first rounders.
Tonight the G-Braves will square off against right-hander Cole DeVries (0-1, 12.00). Last season, he made 17 appearances (16 starts) for the Minnesota Twins, going 5-5 with a 4.11 ERA. He posted a strikeout rate of 5.95 K/9 and 1.85 BB/9 walk rate. He was efficient, hurling 87.2 innings, avereging 5.1 innings per appearance with the Twins. He features a four-pitch arsenal, relying heavily on the fastball, while using a slider, curveball and changeup to mix it up. He throws in the high-80s and touches the low-90s, while his slider and changeup sit in the low-80s. He is fly ball pitcher and utilizes his slow curveball (mid-70s) induce the fly out. He proved to be an quality pitcher for the Twins, but broke his ribs in September last season. This season, he is slowly progressing through the minor league ranks, making stops at High-A Fort Myers and Double-A New Britain before reaching Triple-A Rochester.
The Braves will send the lineup below to face DeVries:
Constanza 7
Cunningham 8
Pastornicky 4
Mejia 3
Terdoslavich DH
Boggs 9
Carrithers 5
Janish 6
Yepez 2
Hale 1
-JD-
Gibson Outduels Gilmartin as G-Braves Fall, 4-3
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – In a battle of former first-round picks, Rochester’s Kyle Gibson outdueled Gwinnett’s Sean Gilmartin as the Red Wings (27-32) fended off the G-Braves (25-35) with a 4-3 win on Tuesday night at Coolray Field.
Atlanta’s first-round pick in 2011 out of Florida State University, Gilmartin (L, 3-5) was touched up for four runs in 6.0 innings for Gwinnett. Meanwhile, the first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2009 out of the University of Missouri, Gibson (W, 5-5) went 6.0 innings with two earned runs allowed in the win for Rochester.
The G-Braves fell behind early. In the third inning, the Red Wings picked up three hits to score their first run. Singles by Doug Bernier and Eric Fryer put runners on first and second with no outs. Gilmartin looked to get out of it as he recorded two straight outs, but after a walk to load the bases, he gave up an RBI single to Deibinson Romero, making it 1-0 Rochester.
The Red Wings added three more runs in the top of the sixth. Jeff Clement singled to start the frame. After a strikeout of Dan Rohlfing, Eric Farris doubled, putting runners on second and third with one out. The G-Braves elected to intentionally walk Bernier to load the bases and set up the potential inning-ending double play, but Fryer smacked a bases-clearing double, extending the lead to 4-0.
After going five innings without getting to Gibson, the G-Braves finally answered in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs. Ernesto Mejia singled and Joey Terdoslavich walked, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. Two weak fly-outs and a wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position for Paul Janish. The shortstop delivered with a two-run single, cutting the deficit in half at 4-2.
The G-Braves added a run in the seventh, drawing three walks and scoring on a double play groundout from Tyler Pastornicky to make it a 4-3 game.
However, that would be as close as Gwinnett would get, as they left 10 runners on base and went 1-for-11 at the plate with runners in scoring position.
Following Gibson’s strong outing, Luis Perdomo yielded a run over 0.2 innings and Aaron Thompson (S, 3) worked 2.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts for Rochester.
Gilmartin dropped his second-straight decision, allowing four runs for the second-straight start. Wirfin Obispo and Pat Egan finished the game, hurling a combined 3.0 shutout frames in relief.
Offensively, Jose Constanza led the G-Braves as he went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Janish went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
The Red Wings were led by the bottom half of the lineup, as the 7-8-9 hitters went 5-for-11 with three runs scored and three RBI. Fryer was the high man, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
The Gwinnett Braves continue the series with game two against the Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday night, first pitch scheduled for 6:05 PM. Right-hander David Hale (1-1, 5.12) will start for the G-Braves, while right-hander Cole De Vries (0-1, 12.00) will start for the Red Wings. The radio broadcast will air on WDUN 550 AM and 102.9 FM, while the television broadcast will air on CSS.
Wednesday night is another “Winning Wednesday” at Coolray Field. Play along with Baseball Bingo for a chance to win great prizes! A fully-cleared card will get you something extra special from the Gwinnett Braves. Also, if a G-Braves’ player hits a grand slam in the fifth inning, one lucky fan will win $5,000. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Coolray Field Box Office at (678) 277-0340 or by visiting gwinnettbraves.com.
-JD-
Series Preview: Gwinnett Braves (25-34) vs. Rochester Red Wings (26-32)
Tue: LHP Sean Gilmartin (3-4, 4.26) vs. RHP Kyle Gibson (4-5, 3.38)
Wed: RHP David Hale (1-1, 5.12) vs. RHP Cole De Vries (0-1, 12.00)
Thu: RHP Omar Poveda (3-3, 3.14) vs. RHP Vance Worley (1-1, 2.25)
Fri: TBA vs. Andrew Albers (3-2, 3.53)
The Gwinnett Braves return to Coolray Field Tuesday night after going 4-4 on their last road trip. The squad got off to a hot-start in their latest trip, winning their first three games but they dropped four of their last five.
Hitting-
Joey Terdoslavich comes in with the seventh-best batting average in the International League, hitting .332 (74-for-223). He leads the IL in hits (74), extra-base hits (32), doubles (21) and total bases (127). Last night, he hit his 10th homer of the season in the eighth inning, surpassing his home run total from 2012… Joe Leonard’s 10-game hitting streak was snapped Monday night (0-for-3), but on the road trip he went 8-for-27 (.296) with six runs and three RBI. On Saturday night, he tied a career-high in hits (3) and set a new career-mark with two triples against Lehigh Valley. The defensive-minded third baseman has been swinging a hot bat of late, raising his batting average from .187 to .228 during his hitting streak…
Pitching-
Gilmartin will make his 11th start of the season in the opener on Tuesday night. In his last start, he matched his season-high striking out six, but suffered the loss, giving up four runs in six innings. After going 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA in April, he has struggled in the month of May. In five starts, he went 1-4 with a 6.33 ERA… With 19 saves, the G-Braves bullpen ranks second in the league in stops. Cory Rasmus, who returned last week after short stint in Atlanta, leads the team with seven saves.
G-Bites-
Daniel Rodriguez was placed on the DL on Monday with an apparent arm injury… Left-hander Joe Beimel joined the squad on Sunday. He spent last season recovering from an elbow injury.
Rochester Red Wings
Hitting-
The IL’s leading hitter, Chris Colabello is back after spending a week with the Minnesota Twins. In 47 games, he is hitting .361 (65-for-180) with 12 homers and 40 RBI. He leads the league in slugging percentage (.656) and is second in extra base hits (29) and total bases (118)… Oswaldo Arcia has bounced around from Triple-A to major leagues, but it hasn’t stopped his production for the Red Wings. In 19 games, he is hitting .328 (21-for-64) with six homers and 14 RBI.
Pitching-
The G-Braves will have their hands full on Tuesday night, as they will face the No.5 prospect according to Baseball America, Kyle Gibson. Last season, he spent part of the year recovering from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander is at the cusp of breaking into the league, posting a 4-5 record with a 3.38 ERA in 2013. Gibson possesses a low-90’s fastball, hard slider and superb changeup. He leads the IL in complete games (2) and shutouts (2)…
Red-Winged- Rochester comes into the series nine games back of the front-running Pawtucket Red Sox (35-23) in the North Division. They have won two straight games and leaped over struggling Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the standings.
-JD-
Series Preview: Gwinnett Braves (24-31) at Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (24-29)
Fri: RHP Tim Corcoran (3-3, 3.19)vs. RHP Zach Miner (2-3, 5.40)
Sat: RHP Omar Poveda (3-3, 2.84)vs. RHP B.J. Rosenberg (1-4, 4.10)
Sun: LHP Daniel Rodriguez (3-3, 5.76)vs. RHP Ethan Martin (5-2, 5.44)
Sun: LHP Yohan Flande (3-4, 4.25)vs. LHP Raul Valdes (0-1, 5.54
The Braves seven game win streak was snapped on Thursday night, as they were blanked by Syracuse 5-0. Despite the loss, the Braves have been on a roll of late, winning eight of their last ten.
Hitting-
The Braves enter play with the 6th-highest batting average in the International League. Despite outscoring their opponents 47-24 in the last eight games, the Braves are 11th in the league in runs (224)… Joey Terdoslavich leads the squad in batting average (.325), hits (67) and total bases (114). His 67 hits lead the IL, as well as his 21 doubles… Brandon Boggs has been a delight since signing with the Braves. In 20 games with the G-Braves, the switch-hitting outfielder is batting .329 (24-for-73) with five homers and 13 RBI.
Pitching-
Tim Corcoran was named IL Pitcher of the Week this week, going 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA (1ER/11IP) from 5/20 through 5/26… He will get the ball in game one and make first ever start against the Iron Pigs… Omar Poveda, the G-Braves best starter this season, will get the ball in game two. In his last start, the Toledo Mud Hens snapped his seven-game quality start streak, scoring four runs in six innings. Despite the poor performance, the right-hander ranks seventh in the IL in ERA (2.84) and second in WHIP (0.99).
G-Bites- During the first five games of the winning streak, the G-Braves bullpen did not allow a run, going 17.2 scoreless innings. The streak was the longest of the season…
Lehigh Valley
Batting-
Josh Fields paces the Iron Pigs offense. The infielder is hitting .329 (44-for-134) with four homers and 17 RBI. He ranks ninth in the league in BA… Cody Overbeck is the muscle in the Lehigh Valley lineup. The first baseman enters play, leading the team in homers (9) and is second in RBI (23)… The Iron Pigs enter play with the 5th-best batting average in the league, while leading the league in triples (21).
Pitching-
The pitching staff has been suspect all season, posting 5.19 ERA and allowing the most runs (293) in the International League. Ethan Martin, Lehigh Valley’s best starter, will get the nod on Sunday afternoon. The right-hander is 5-2 with a 5.44 ERA. He has struck out 45 hitters in 49.2 innings… Left-hander Jake Diekman has been a workhorse out of the bullpen, logging 23 innings in a league-high 23 games…
Piglets-
Lehigh Valley is on a four-game losing streak, dropping to fourth place in the North Division. They are currently 7.5 games back of the front-running Pawtucket Red Soxs.
-Jd-
Dejavu in Syracuse
One day after scoring a season-high five runs in the first inning, the Gwinnett Braves (22-30) utilized a five-run ninth inning to come-from-behind and clip the Syracuse Chiefs (22-28) 9-5 on Monday night.
It was all too similar to Sunday afternoon’s five-run outburst. On Sunday, Ernesto Mejia hit a three-run homer to give the Braves an early 3-0 lead, while on Monday he hit a three-run dinger, giving the Braves an 8-5 lead. In the Sunday affair, Matt Pagnozzi capped the scoring in the first with a two-run single, and ended the comeback on Monday with a solo home run.
The win extended the Braves streak to five in a row, the longest of the season. Also, cut the deficit in the IL South Division to 9.5, as they trail the Durham Bulls and Norfolk Tides in the standings.
Scouting Report- Matt Torra will face the Braves for the first time tonight. The former first round pick (31st overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005, is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 2013. Last year, Torra was sold to the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He spent the season with Triple-A Durham before signing a minor league deal with Washington. In 176 MiLB games (169 starts), Torra is 64-52 with a 4.42 ERA. He throws a fastball, curveball, but his changeup is his bread and butter.
G-Bites- Brandon Boggs extended his five-game hitting streak with a 3-for-4 performance on Monday night. Since signing with the Braves, the switch-hitting outfielder has been on a tear, hitting .309 (21-for-68) with four homers and 12 RBI.
-JD-
G-Braves Sweep Toledo, Win Fourth Straight
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – The Gwinnett Braves (21-30) utilized a five-run outburst in the first inning to coast to a 9-0 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens (15-36) on Sunday afternoon at Coolray Field. Every G-Braves’ hitter had at least one hit as the club matched season highs in runs (9) and hits (15) in the sweep-clinching win.
It wouldn’t have taken much for the G-Braves to sweep away the Mud Hens. Starter Tim Corcoran (W, 3-3) was on top of his game, pitching 6.0 innings of scoreless of baseball, yielding four hits and striking out two to collect his third victory of the season.
The bats backed Corcoran early. In the top of the first, the G-Braves tied a season high for runs in an inning, scoring five runs on six hits against Toledo starter Derek Hankins. With two runners on base, Ernesto Mejia provided the big blow, connecting for a three-run homer off the retaining wall in left field. Mejia’s 12th home run of the season, tied with Rochester’s Chris Colabello for the International League lead, staked Gwinnett to a 3-0 lead.
After the blast, the G-Braves continued their first-inning attack. Brandon Boggs singled and Joe Leonard doubled, and Matt Pagnozzi drove both runners in with a single to extend the lead to 5-0.
Todd Cunningham added RBI in the third and fifth innings. With the bases loaded in the third, the switch-hitting outfielder was hit by a pitch to bring in Pagnozzi. In the fifth inning, he singled home Corey Wimberly from second, pushing the lead to 7-0.
Boggs continued his hot homestand in the sixth inning, lacing a solo homer to right field to raise the lead to 8-0. In 18 games since joining the G-Braves, he is hitting .281 (18-for-64) with four homers and 12 RBI.
Gwinnett tacked on another run in the seventh on an RBI double by Alden Carrithers.
The bullpen took care of the large lead, as Ryan Buchter, Wirfin Obispo and Juan Cedeno completed the shutout. In the series, the Gwinnett bullpen hurled 14.2 innings of scoreless relief against the Mud Hens.
Hankins (L, 1-3) suffered the loss, giving up 12 hits, seven runs, six earned in 4.2 innings on the mound.
Offensively, each G-Braves hitter collected at least one hit, with Wimberly, Cunnningham, Carrithers, Boggs, Pagnozzi and Sean Kazmar recording two hits each. Cunningham added two runs and two RBI. Mejia led the way with three RBI.
The Mud Hens were held to just five hits by G-Braves’ pitching on the day. Danny Dorn’s 2-for-4 effort led Toledo, while Jordan Lennerton extended his season-best hitting streak to 15 games with a single in the sixth.
The Gwinnett Braves open a four-game road series against the Syracuse Chiefs on Monday night. First pitch from NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, NY is set for 6:30 PM. Right-hander Omar Poveda (3-3, 2.52) will start for the G-Braves, while the Chiefs will counter with right-hander Ryan Tatusko (0-1, 2.97). Listen to the game on WDUN 550 AM and 102.9 FM with Tony Schiavone calling the play-by-play.
The next G-Braves’ home game is Tuesday, June 4 against the Rochester Red Wings, first pitch scheduled for 6:05 PM. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Coolray Field Box Office at (678) 277-0340 or by visiting gwinnettbraves.com
-JD-
Inside the Numbers
The Braves have won three straight games, their longest winning streak since opening up the season 4-0. The bullpen has been a large part of the success, as they have not allowed a run in their last three games and have a 12.1 innings scoreless streak.
In their last series against the Louisville Bats, the bullpen was not as efficient, surrendering five runs in 9.2 innings, yielding eight hits and three free passes.
The bullpen has been a cause for concern in 2013, blowing six saves in 23 opportunities. In 162 innings pitched, the pen’ is 8-12 with a 3.83 ERA. The biggest concern has been the free passes, the relief corps has given up 89 walks in 162 frames.
The Braves enter today’s contest, looking to continue their winning ways and extend their bullpen streak. Prior to the 12.1 shutout frames, the longest streak of the season was 8.0 innings from 4/24-4/27. During that four-day span, the Braves won three of four and were hovering at .500-mark.
With the Braves on an upward swing after their season-high 14-game losing streak, it’s easy to point out that bullpen success is the key to winning for this club.
G-Bites- With an RBI double in the seventh inning, Joey Terdoslavich collected his league-leading 20th double of the year Saturday night. In 2011, he set the All-Time Mark in the Carolina League with 52 doubles. The International League high mark for doubles is 57, set by Jim Holt in 1924.
Gwinnett Braves Starting Lineup vs. Toledo (5/26)
Wimberly 7
Cunningham 8
Carrithers 4
Mejia 3
Boggs 9
Gartrell 8
Leonard 5
Pagnozzi 2
Kazmar 6
Corcoran 1
-JD-
