Tavarez has posted a 1.053 OPS in 22 at-bats to begin the year
Bad weather has already interferred with one minor league matchup on Friday, but there’s plenty more action to catch, including a couple of BatteryPower’s top prospects getting the start on the mound and a few others trying to keep their hot start at the plate alive.
Schedule
Gwinnett Stripers at Norfolk Tide 6:35 p.m. (POSTPONED)
GWN: Nathan Wiles — 0-0, 0.00 ERA
NOR: Raul Alcantara — 0-1, 5.06 ERA
Mother Nature got the better of this one as thunderstorms rolling through the area caused Friday’s game to be postponed. The game will be made up on Saturday as part of a doubleheader.
Columbus Clingstones at Biloxi Shuckers 7:35 p.m.
COL: Lucas Braun — 0-0, 4.50 ERA
Biloxi: K.C. Hunt — 0-0, 40.50 ERA
Streaming — MiLB.TV
Lucas Braun makes his second start in 2025 and he’ll look to build off an excellent first start last week. Against Montgomery, the 23-year-old tossed six innings of three-run ball, while striking out nine batters and issuing just one walk. The lone blemish on his record for the game, was giving up a pair of home runs.
David McCabe has been red hot to start the year, posting a 1.232 OPS to go along with a homer and two RBI. However, he is 0-6 lifetime against Biloxi starter K.C. Hunt, so he’ll have to make some adjustments if he wants to continue his solid beginning.
Rome Emperors at Bowling Green Hot Rods 7:35 p.m.
ROM: Garrett Baumann — 0-1, 18.90 ERA
BG: Garrett Edwards — 1-0, 3.60 ERA
Streaming — MiLB.TV
Garrett Baumann will look to bounce back after a less-than-stellar start to his 2025 campaign where he lasted just 3.1 innings while allowing seven runs on the day. Baumann did manage to strike out four batters, but he also walked four and gave up five hits, so he’ll have to be much more efficient in this one, obviously.
Ambioris Tavarez is our offensive player to keep an eye on Friday, as his bat has appeared to find another gear — albeit through six games. In 22 at-bats, Tavarez has posted an OPS of 1.053 and he managed to go 4-5 with a double and two runs scored in Thursday’s contest.
Augusta GreenJackets at Hickory Crawdads 7:00 p.m.
AUG: Ethan Bagwell — 0-0, 0.00 ERA
HIC: Mason Molina — 0-0, 4.50 ERA
Though it’s only been four games, Isaiah Drake has started off hot for Augusta. In 13 at-bats, Drake has posted a .914 OPS to go along with a pair of stolen bases to start his season, so he’s one to watch in this one. 18-year-old Owen Carey — who is one of the youngest players in the minor leagues — gets the start in centerfield for the GreenJackets while batting second behind shortstop John Gil.
In other news, prior to Friday’s game, Jeremy Reyes and Anthony Garcia were both placed on the 7-day injured list with undisclosed injuries. In turn, Jorge Juan and Seth Keller were promoted from the FCL squad to Augusta.