Results tagged ‘ Randall Delgado ’
G-Braves Host Durham on Christmas in July
Tim Beckham, Cole Figueroa and Rich Thompson all collected three hits each as the Durham Bulls defeated the Gwinnett Braves 10-8 on Tuesday night at Coolray Field. Ernesto Mejia and Stefan Gartrell each plated three RBIs apiece, but the G-Braves still fell to 2.0 games behind the Bulls for third place in the International League South Division.
For the fifth-straight game on the homestand, Gwinnett’s opponent scored the first run. Thompson led off the game with a triple for Durham and scored when the next hitter, Will Rhymes lifted a sacrifice fly into right field. Stephen Vogt followed with a double and scored when Leslie Anderson singled him home for a 2-0 Bulls’ lead.
Gwinnett responded in a major way in their half of third inning, crossing the plate five times against Durham starter Alex Torres. Lance Zawadzki, Luis Durango and Felix Pieall walked to load the bases, and Mejia capitalized on Torres’ lack of command when he singled to score the first two runs of the night for Gwinnett. Gartrell followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-3. After back-to-back walks to Josh Wilson and Ruben Gotayloaded the bases once again, J.C. Boscan capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly that sent Gartrell home for a 5-2 Gwinnett lead.
Torres worked 2.1 innings, surrendering five earned runs on just two hits. The left-hander yielded six walks while striking out five in the no decision.
G-Braves’ starter Julio Teheran would not fare so well with a lead. The right-hander allowed four more runs in the top half of the fourth and exited the game after 3.1 innings pitched for the no decision. Teheran surrendered six earned runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out one. It was his sixth start in which he failed to last 4.0 innings this season.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Hess
Wednesday, July 25th G-Braves Starting Line-up from Coolray Field:
The Gwinnett Braves (47-58) and Durham Bulls (49-56) will play the second game of their four-game series at Coolray Field on Wednesday night. The G-Braves will have left-hander Jose Lugo (2-6, 6.03) on the mound, while the Bulls counter with right-hander Lance Pendleton (5-4, 4.10) for a 7:05 PM scheduled first pitch. Listen to the broadcast on WDUN 550 AM and 102.9 FM in Gainesville, GA with Tony Schiavone calling the play-by-play.
Durham Bulls (3rd IL South) vs Gwinnett (4th IL North)
Wednesday night is “Christmas in July” at Coolray Field. The G-Braves will host a toy drive with all toys collected going to North Atlanta Toys for Tots. The night will also include an appearance by Santa, a Christmas Ornament giveaway to the first 1,500 fans, numerous holiday-themed contests, prizes and more. For a complete list of “Christmas in July” events and prizes, visit gwinnettbraves.com. Tickets for all Gwinnett Braves home games are on sale now at the Coolray Field Box Office. Call (678) 277-0340 or visit gwinnettbraves.com for more information.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Hamby
Durham Bulls Batting Order:
1) Rich Thompson, CF
2) Tim Beckham, 2B
3) Stephen Vogt, LF
4) Henry Wrigley, 1B
5) Leslie Anderson, DH
6) Chris Gimenez, RF
7) Reid Brignac, SS
8) Nevin Ashley, C
9) Cole Figueroa, 3B
G-Braves Batting Order:
1) Luis Durango, CF
2) Jack Wilson, DH
3) Felix Pie, RF
4) Ernesto Mejia, 1B
5) Stefan Gartrell, LF
6) Josh Wilson, SS
7) Terry Tiffee, 3B
8) Jose Yepez, C
9) Ruben Gotay, 2B
Randall Delgado Heading to the Gwinnett Braves
Photo courtesy of Melinda Pease
Randall Delgado made his final start with the Atlanta Braves for the time being on Saturday. The right-hander started the second game of a doubleheader against the Washington Nationals. With the new Major League rule, when a team has a doubleheader, they can legally have 26 players on the roster to help the stress of the bullpen when playing two games in a day. With the emergence and addition of Ben Sheets to the Braves rotation, Delgado is the odd man out, for now.
The right-hander has been extremely solid during his first full MLB season, posting a 4-9 record with a 4.42 ERA in 17 starts for the Braves in 2012. Delgado has struck out 73 hitters and walked 42 amidst 91.2 innings of work. Opponents are batting .259 off Delgado this year.
Last season with Triple-A Gwinnett, Delgado registered a 2-2 record with a 4.15 ERA in four starts for the G-Braves. He struck out 25 batters while walking just 11 in 21.2 innings pitched for Gwinnett. He went 5-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 21 starts for the Double-A Mississippi Braves.
So far, the transition for Sheets has been better than the Braves ever imagined. The 34-year-old is exceeding expectations as he is 2-0 in his first two starts with zero signs of fatigue or rust settling in. This is a good problem to have for the Atlanta organization, as nobody has ever complained about having too much talented pitching within the organization. For Delgado, it is just a matter of being patient while waiting for his turn once again.
By: Tony Piraro
Storylines Since the Break
A new post on your Gwinnett Braves has been long overdue since the start of the final 52-game stretch of the regular season. The G-Braves are off to a 1-4 start since the Triple-A All-Star break and maintain a 1.0-game lead on Durham for third place in the International League South Division. Dave Brundage’s club stands 10 games behind South-leading Charlotte with time still on the clock to catch the Knights, but it’s clear that the time is now to make a move up the standings.
Here’s some of the storylines playing out since the break:
Constanza has hit in a franchise-record 19-straight games as of July 17. (Chris Roughgarden)
Jose Constanza is on a tear that may not end any time soon.
Constanza entered the All-Star break with a 14-game hitting streak in tact, tying the existing Gwinnett franchise record shared by Barbaro Canizares (2010) and Felix Pie (2012). He’s re-written the record book with hits in five-straight games since, giving him a 19-game hitting streak as of July 17. That streak is the second-longest in the International League this season, trailing only a 20-game streak accomplished by three players including former Toledo Mud Hen Brad Eldred. Constanza isn’t just collecting a hit a night to advance history, he’s often doing it with huge, multi-hit efforts. He’s logged more than one hit in 12 of the 19 games, hitting an impressive .400 (34-for-85) on the streak. Not surprisingly, he’s shot to the top of the IL in batting average, now leading the circuit with a .322 mark.
Mejia leads the IL with 106 hits and ranks fourth with a .308 batting average. He’s among offensive leaders in just about every other category. (Karl Moore)
Ernesto Mejia has been even better since appearing in the All-Star Game.
What’s left to prove for Mejia after his first Triple-A All-Star Game selection? Plenty. He’s continued to do it with his bat, hitting .354 with four homers and nine RBI over the first 12 games of July. The slugging first baseman is riding a three-game multi-hit streak that has raised his average to .308, fourth-best in the International League. He leads the league with 106 hits (amazing for a player with such power to lead in total hits), while ranking second in total bases (189), tied for second in extra-base hits (44), tied for third in RBI (62), fourth in slugging percentage (.549), fifth in OPS (.916) and tied for fifth in home runs (19). If he can keep up the pace, the IL Triple Crown could be within his grasp in his first year at the level.
Redmond went 6-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 18 starts for the G-Braves before the trade. (Kyle Hess)
It’s going to be weird not seeing Todd Redmond pitch every fifth day.
One constant over the first four years of G-Braves baseball has been the consistency of Redmond in the rotation. The all-time wins leader in Gwinnett history was shipped to Cincinnati in exchange for shortstop Paul Janish on July 14. Redmond went 34-30 with a 3.78 ERA in 101 games, 97 starts in a G-Braves uniform, making him one of the faces of the young franchise. He’ll certainly be most remembered for his nine-inning no-hitter at Louisville on May 28, 2010, still the only no-no thrown by a G-Brave. Die-hard fans will certainly remember his outstanding 2011 season in which Redmond went 10-8 with the IL’s third-best ERA of 2.92. One thing is for sure, it’s going to be weird not seeing “Red” on the mound at Coolray Field. Even stranger, he may face his old club when his new team, the Louisville Bats, come to town in August.
Since throwing his first career complete game on June 3, Teheran is 1-3 with an 8.56 ERA in his last six starts. (Kyle Hess)
With Redmond gone, who steps up?
It’s no secret that even when Redmond was still a member of the rotation, Gwinnett starters had been struggling. The question is, who is able to shake off those struggles and consistently win for this team? We’ve seen flashes of dominance from Julio Teheran, Eric Junge, Yohan Flande and Jose Lugo this year, but who takes the reigns as the staff ace? Teheran would be the likely candidate given what he did just a season ago. There’s still time for the 21-year-old to improve upon a 6-5 record and uncharacteristic 4.96 ERA. Randall Delgado served up six runs in his first Triple-A start since being optioned to Gwinnett by Atlanta, but could also ressurect his season with a strong finish in Triple-A.
McCurry has thrown 5.0 scoreless innings across two appearances with Gwinnett this season. (Leslie Watts)
There’s a whole lot of new faces here.
Terry Tiffee, Cole McCurry, Andy Russell…who are these guys? The G-Braves’ roster underwent nine transactions this past weekend, giving the roster a bit of a new look. Not only the addition of Tiffee, a third baseman who has logged Major League time in Minnesota and Los Angeles (Dodgers), McCurry, a reliever who came over from the Baltimore system earlier this year and Russell (not to be confused with Adam), a 28-year-old reliever in just his second U.S. season after pitching in his native Australia, but also the “re-addition” of Jordan Parraz. Parraz had been out since May 7 with a broken left hand, but went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles in his first game back with Gwinnett on July 14 at Louisville. Which of the new faces becomes a key piece of the puzzle?
Carlyle ranks second among IL relief leaders in fewest walks per 9.0 innings with a 1.76 mark. (Melinda Pease)
With a slim lead late in the game, who gets the call?
Triple-A All-Star Cory Gearrin is currently on the DL, so who gets the coveted closer’s role? Jaye Chapman posted two saves and a win in three scoreless outings from July 4-12, but suffered a tough letdown in a blown save and loss on July 14 at Louisville. Buddy Carlyle is the active bullpen leader in ERA (2.34) and wins (5), but gave up the grand slam to Bats’ catcher Dioner Navarro that defeated the G-Braves on that same July 14 evening. Don’t count out the rest of the pen, Billy Bullock, Adam Russell, Dusty Hughes and others to get on track, but the late innings will still likely belong to Chapman and Carlyle.
That’s just a small sampling of what’s going on with the Gwinnett Braves just past the half-way point of July. To find out how it all plays out, keep coming back to the G-Blog and gwinnettbraves.com, as well as catching the radio broadcasts with Tony Schiavone on WDUN 550 AM / 102.9 FM and WDUN.com.
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G-Braves Game Notes for 5.17.12 at Buffalo
The Gwinnett Braves scored seven runs on a season-high 15 hits, getting three-hit, multi-RBI efforts from both Stefan Gartrell (3-for-5, 2 doubles, HR, 2 RBI) and Ernesto Mejia (3-for-5, double, 3 RBI) and a 2-for-4, two-RBI game from Joey Terdoslavich. Yet they still lost. Right-hander Jair Jurrjens entered the Gwinnett record book with a team-high (dating back to 2009) 11 runs allowed, 10 0f them earned on 12 hits over 4.2 innings. Buffalo added three more runs against the bullpen and won the second game of the four-game set by a touchdown.
Stefan Gartrell connected on his team-leading eighth home run last night in Buffalo, but it was a mere side-note in Gwinnett’s 14-7 loss to the Bisons. (Leslie Watts / Gwinnett Braves)
Jurrjens had been stellar in the rotation for Gwinnett prior to last night, entering with a 2-0 record and 2.05 ERA. JJ, however, now holds the dubious distinction of being the first G-Brave to allow more than eight earned runs in an outing (the last one to allow eight ER was Randall Delgado in a loss at Charlotte on August 21, 2011). We’ll see how JJ bounces back in his next outing on Monday against a struggling Rochester club.
In the meantime, it’s Julio Teheran on the hill tonight against the Bisons. Teheran, in case you haven’t already seen, has looked much more like the defending IL Pitcher of the Year and top Braves prospect as of late. In three May starts, he’s 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA (2 ER in 16.0 IP) and is limiting IL opponents to a .214 average. Last time he faced the Bisons, he limited the IL’s top-hitting team (.275 team average) to just an unearned run on five hits across 6.0 innings. He’ll hope to post similar numbers tonight.
Read more about Jurrjens, Teheran, Gartrell, Mejia and other’s in tonight’s G-Braves Game Notes: 5.17.12 GBraves Game Notes
Don’t forget to check out the broadcast with Tony Schiavone on WDUN 550 AM / 102.9 FM and on WDUN.com.
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Coming To You Live From Turner Field
The Gwinnett Braves Front Office is taking a much needed breather from their 145-game Triple-A regular season schedule on Thursday, as we visit our parent club at Turner Field this afternoon. I am writing this article live during the Atlanta Braves (15-10) and Philadelphia Phillies (12-13) game from the Turner Field Press Box directly above home plate. The press level is magnificent and is at least 10 times the size of our press box in Gwinnett. This will be an easy adjustment for me to make.
Former G-Braves standout righty Randall Delgado (2-2, 6.30) will be matching up with the Phillies right-hander Joe Blanton (2-3, 3.81) for a 12:10 p.m. first pitch from Turner Field. Other current Atlanta Braves in today’s starting line-up that have donned a Gwinnett Braves uniform are Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann, Martin Prado, Jason Heyward and Tyler Pastornicky…just to name a few.
Regardless, all is well in Braves country. The Atlanta Braves are right in the thick of the National League East Division, as they trail the Washington Nationals by just half a game for first place. With all the hype surrounding the phenom Bryce Harper, it surprises me that there are still four other teams in the NL East besides Harper and his Nats. Needless to say, both the Braves and Nats had improbable wins Wednesday night…
Atlanta found themselves down 6-0 Wednesday night to Roy Halladay who had never lost a game when leading by six runs or more. Also, Halladay hadn’t allowed a grand slam since the previous decade (1999), which really set the stage for some Braves heroics. Following a Brian McCann grand slam that tied the game, 6-6, the Braves found themselves down four runs, 12-8, just an inning later.
Atlanta stole the show and Chipper Jones broke the collective back of the Phillies with not one, but two dramatic walk-off shots in the 12th inning. Jones’ first blast down the right field line was called just foul as the fans of Atlanta were primed to erupt….Nevertheless, two pitches later the living legend sent a no-doubter into the right centerfield stands for a walk-off winner, 13-12, as the Braves grabbed their first win over the Phillies in their last nine tries.
The G-Braves have also been cruising as of late with their league-best record. Gwinnett took one of two games from the back-to-back defending National Champion Columbus Clippers in a Wednesday double-dip. Currently, the G-Braves own the best record (18-8) in the International League and have the No. 1 ranked pitching in the IL this season. Stefan Gartrell has picked up after his 2011 pace, jacking two bombs this week and raising his batting average from .165 to .205 in a matter of days.
The G-Braves return home, alongside the rest of our Front Office staff, on Saturday for the first of 11 games in 10 days from Coolray Field. Gwinnett will be playing host to Charlotte (2 games), Buffalo (4 games) and Toledo (5 games) during the upcoming home stand. Tickets for all Gwinnett Braves home games are on sale now at the Coolray Field Box Office. Call (678) 277-0340 or visit gwinnettbraves.com for more information.
By: Tony Piraro
Braves Spring Training, Day 2
I’m back in press row for today’s Braves vs. New York Yankees game, scheduled for 1:05 PM. It’s set to be one of the busiest days of the Spring here at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex with not only a huge crowd expected here at Champion Stadium but also a major Cheerleading/Dance competition going on next door.
The Braves fell to 1-7 on the Grapefruit League season with losses in each of their split-squad games yesterday, including a 5-3 loss to the New York Mets. Randall Delgado was tagged for three runs, two earned over 3.0 innings in his second outing of the Spring, while Rule 5 selection Robert Fish surrendered two runs in relief in the eighth to take the loss. Martin Prado went 3-for-4 with a pair of ground-rule doubles. Julio Teheran fared better than Delgado against the Yankees in Tampa, allowing an earned run over 3.0 innings in what was still the losing cause.
I’ve been out at Champion Stadium since 7:45 today, checking things off my Spring Training “to-do” list. I was able to meet the Gwinnett coaching staff for the first time today and sat down with manager Dave Brundage for an interview previewing the season. I’m planning on saving that interview for my 2012 Preview in the first edition of our gameday program, ”Tomahawk Talk”. Look for that at Coolray Field in April.
I also caught up with the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, former G-Brave and current Braves closer, Craig Kimbrel. I’ll post that audio interview with Craig once I get a chance to listen to it in quieter conditions.
It’s getting fairly noisy here now as the starting lineups for the Yankees and Braves are introduced. Both Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are in the lineup for New York, but no sign of Derek Jeter.
As for the Braves, here’s the lineup: Michael Bourn (CF), Martin Prado (LF), Brian McCann (DH), Dan Uggla (2B), Chipper Jones (3B), Freddie Freeman (1B), Tyler Pastornicky (SS), J.C. Boscan (C), Jose Constanza (RF), Jair Jurrjens (SP).
And, in closing, some pictures from today:
Prado, Jones, McCann and Hinske around the cage this morning.
Braves' manager Fredi Gonzalez.
Chipper Jones and Freddie Freeman converse in the dugout.
2011 G-Brave Cory Gearrin and fellow pitchers Dusty Hughes and Zeke Spruill.
Ernesto Mejia has been a popular target for interviews these last two days.
Yankees' manager Joe Girardi and the legendary Dale Murphy.
Speaking of legends, Andy Pettitte threw a round of Yankees' BP today.
As hopefully you did yesterday, follow along with my game tweets at @DaveLezotte and re-tweets at @GwinnettBraves. It’s back home to Lawrenceville, GA tomorrow!
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Greetings from Champion Stadium
It’s the first-ever “G-Blog On Location” if you will, as I write to you from the slightly damp Champion Stadium pressbox at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, FL. I’m taking in my first Atlanta Braves Spring Training game today, a split-squad tilt vs. the New York Mets that’s scheduled for 1:05 PM.
Scheduled is the key word. We had a sudden rain storm pass through that seemed to catch everyone off-guard, including myself as I rushed to move out of the first row of press seating. The grounds crew is currently working on fixing up a large puddle on the left side of the diamond, where Chipper Jones and Andrelton Simmons are slated to be this afternoon.
Here’s a few photos I’ve taken already today:
A view of Champion Stadium from the press box.
Checking out the first BP group from the Braves' dugout.
2011 G-Braves outfielder Stefan Gartrell signs autographs.
Ernesto Mejia...an imposing figure. Love the way the ball came off his bat today in BP. Might we see him in Gwinnett?
Here’s a look at the Braves’ lineup for today: Andrelton Simmons (SS), Martin Prado (DH), Brian McCann (C), Dan Uggla (2B), Chipper Jones (3B), Eric Hinske (1B), Jason Heyward (RF), Stefan Gartrell (LF), Todd Cunningham (CF), Randall Delgado (SP).
Personally, I’m excited to see Gartrell in action after all I’ve read about his 2011 campaign in Gwinnett. I’m also intrigued to get my first look at Simmons, the #4 prospect in the Braves’ system according to Baseball America. Plus, I’ll get a first-hand view of Delgado, who throws for the first time since a forgettable first Spring outing against Detroit on March 4. It looks like we’ll be ready to get underway here shortly.
I’ll likely be tweeting throughout the game at my personal account, @DaveLezotte and re-tweeting through @GwinnettBraves. Feel free to check in throughout what should now be a gorgeous day for baseball here in Lake Buena Vista.
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