Carey raised his season OPS to .871 after going 3-4 with a double and 3 RBI on Wednesday
It was a very fruitful day for Atlanta’s minor league squads on Wednesday, as three of the four teams in action came away with wins and several key prospects had individual performances to write home about. There was plenty going on, so let’s jump into it.
(10-12) Gwinnett Stripers 2, (17-6) Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 3
- Charles Leblanc, DH: 2-3, 2B, BB
- Carlos Rodriguez, CF: 2-5, R
- AJ Smith-Shawver, SP: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K — 15 swing and misses
Gwinnett failed to hold on to an early lead on Wednesday as Jacksonville came back to win by a 3-2 final.
While it wasn’t his most efficient outing, AJ Smith-Shawver at least provided the Stripers with a chance to put together some momentum somewhat. In just 3.2 innings of work, Smith-Shawver struck out five batters while inducing 15 swing and misses, which is encouraging. However, he also issued two walks, gave up four hits and allowed two runs — including one in the bottom of the first inning — in his short outing which enabled Jacksonville to take an early lead.
Trailing 1-0 headed into the top of the third, the Stripers would take their first and only lead of the game thanks to a few defensive miscues from the Jumbo Shrimp. Eddy Alvarez drew a one-out walk before scoring all the way from first on a single off the bat from Carlos Rodriguez after Jacksonville shortstop Maximo Acosta threw the ball away. In the next at-bat, Charles Leblanc singled as the Jacksonville third baseman overthrew the second baseman, allowing Rodriguez to follow suit and score as well.
Jacksonville tied things up in the bottom of the fourth inning, getting their second run of the game off Smith-Shawver.
Offensively, things remained relatively quiet for both teams until the seventh inning. In the top half, Gwinnett actually loaded the bases before Garrett Cooper flew out to center field to end the frame. In the bottom half, reliever Enoli Paredes allowed Jacksonville to take the lead after surrendering back-to-back walks and an RBI-single as the Jumbo Shrimp led 3-2.
The Stripers got a single from Conner Capel in the top of the ninth, but that was the only offense they were able to string together in Gwinnett’s final at-bat.
While the Stripers got the loss, a bright spot was Craig Kimbrel’s triple-A debut for the season. In his lone inning of work, Kimbrel needed just 10 pitches to retire the side. He didn’t strike anyone out, but he held Jacksonville hitless and didn’t allow a walk either while sitting in the low-90’s with his fastball and flashing a sharp breaking ball.
(8-8) Columbus Clingstones 6, (6-10) Chattanooga Lookouts 4
- Drew Compton, 1B: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Chandler Seagle, C: 2-3, 2 RBI
- David McCabe, DH: 1-2, RBI, R, 2 BB
- Lucas Braun, SP: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 6 K
Columbus’ game on Wednesday was called after just six innings due to weather, but it worked to the Clingstones’ benefit as the double-A squad managed to get back to .500 on the young season.
Despite allowing four runs — only one of which was earned — Lucas Braun was solid once again for Columbus. In his 5.2 innings on the mound, while he allowed seven hits, Braun struck out six batters while not issuing a single walk in this one.
On the season, Braun has posted an ERA of 3.00 in 24 innings. While he may be benefitting from a tad bit of good luck — suggested by his .263 BABIP — Braun has managed to work his way out of jams. Of the batters he has allowed to reach in his four starts so far, Braun has stranded a whopping 89.7 percent of them.
Before Braun even got to work, the Columbus offense provided him with some early run support. In the top of the fist, three Clingstones crossed the plate to give Braun a 3-0 lead to work with.
Cody Milligan and Cal Conley drew back-to-back walks to lead off the game before David McCabe singled into right field to plate Milligan and move Conley to third while McCabe was thrown out at second base. A double off the bat of Drew Compton played Conley and later in the frame, Chandler Seagle singled into left field as Compton beat the throw home to score and make it 3-0.
Smith-Shawver allowed two runs in the bottom of the second as the Lookouts cut their deficit to 3-2.
With two outs in the inning, Columbus rallied to add on in the top of the fifth, extending their lead to 6-2 over Chattanooga. Cal Conley barely beat out a little dribbler back to the mound and proceeded to steal second base. Following a walk to McCabe, Compton singled into left field to plate Conley to make it 4-2. Two consecutive singles from Ethan Workinger and Seagle made it a 6-2 game.
Braun allowed two runs in the bottom of the sixth — only one earned — as the Lookouts cut the Columbus lead to 6-4 before rain forced the game to be called for a Clingstones win.
As for individual performances, McCabe slightly bumped his OPS on the season to .917, continuing his hot start to the year.
(10-7) Rome Emperors 2, (5-12) Winston-Salem Dash 1
- Bryson Horne, 1B: 2-4, 2B
- Travis Dumitru, LF: 1-5
- Garrett Baumann, SP: 6 IP, 3 H, 3 K
It took extra innings to do it, but Rome got the win over Winston-Salem on Wednesday by a 2-1 final.
As the score would suggest, offense was hard to come by in this one. For Rome, starter Garrett Baumann was excellent as he tossed six scoreless innings while striking out three and scattering three hits on the night. What was really encouraging from Baumann was the fact that he showed a much better feel for his secondary pitches, particularly his changeup which features great command and a solid drop to it. He got his first strikeout of the night on the pitch.
Since allowing seven earned runs in his first start of the season, Baumann has worked his ERA back down to 5.19 on the year so far. Under the surface, Baumann’s numbers suggest his turnaround isn’t a fluke, especially based on his .333 BABIP.
The primary concern for Baumann coming into this season was his command and the ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. He has put those concerns to rest so far, as the 6-foot-8 righty has allowed just six walks in 17.1 innings of work and has yet to allow a homer.
After Baumann gave way, relievers Cory Wall and LJ McDonough continued to carry the torch, as the pair combined for four innings of one-run ball. Interestingly enough, Wall has been incredibly solid to begin the year. In 8.2 innings of work, the 25-year-old possesses a 1.04 ERA and has only walked one batter while striking out 47.6 percent of the batters he’s faced.
As the lede suggests, offense was not a strongpoint in this one. Rome actually put a runner 90-feet away from scoring in the first inning, but failed to bring him home in what was the Emperor’s best opportunity to score until the ninth inning.
In the top half of the final frame, Ambioris Tavarez struck out to begin the inning, but Will Verdung tallied an infield single to follow that up. A Bryson Horne ground-rule double moved Verdung to third before a Joe Olsavsky fielder’s choice brought Verdung home to give Rome the 1-0 lead. Winston-Salem tied things up in the bottom half which would send things into extras.
Rome retook the lead in the top of the tenth. Justin Janas began the frame at second base but was called out on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Jace Grady. Grady stole second prior to Carlos Arroyo singling him to third. Then, a sac fly by Lizandro Espinoza plated Grady to give the Emperors the 2-1 lead which held as the final.
(10-7) Augusta GreenJackets 6, (4-13) Delmarva Shorebirds 2
- Owen Carey, LF: 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB
- Isaiah Drake, CF: 2-4, 3B, RBI, R
- Eric Hartman, 2B: 2-5, 2B, RBI, R
- Luke Sinnard, SP: 4.2 IP, 5 H, BB, 8 K
It was an all-around great performance from Augusta on Wednesday, as the GreenJackets got a stellar performance from starter Luke Sinnard and several key offensive outings from a handful of teenagers on the team in the win.
While Sinnard was a bright spot in this one — more on him later — the offensive output from several young guys in a system that has a serious lack of top-end position player prospects was the highlight here.
As one of the youngest players in low-A, Owen Carey has been an absolute stud for Augusta. In 60 at-bats this season, Carey has posted an .871 OPS to go along with one homer and 11 RBI and three stolen bases so far. He only improved his early season numbers with his performance on Wednesday. The 18-year-old led the way offensively, going 3-4 with a double and three RBI on the day. The most encouraging aspect of Wednesday’s outing for Carey, is that he drove a fastball on the outer third of the plate off the left field wall in the top of the second inning, just missing an opposite-field grand slam. If he keeps this up, Carey has a good chance to skyrocket into one of the Braves top position prospects.
Carey wasn’t alone in dominating on Wednesday, as Isaiah Drake went 2-4 with an RBI-triple and Eric Hartman went 2-5 with a double and an RBI to his credit as well. While Drake is well-known as a prospect amongst Braves fans, Hartman is a very underrated player who has put together sneaky good numbers thus far.
Taken in the 20th round of last year’s draft out of a Canadian high school, Hartman has posted an OPS of .803 across 59 at-bats. The 18-year-old also has a pair of homers and 10 RBI — to go along with eight stolen bases — in his first pro season. It stands to reason that Hartman’s numbers will eventually come back down, but so far he has shown no signs of stopping, so the Braves may have found an absolute diamond in the rough in the teenager.
On the mound, Luke Sinnard put together his second straight solid start for Augusta on Wednesday. Across 4.2 innings, Sinnard scattered five hits while striking out eight batters and only walking one.
Coming into this season, Sinnard was a bit of a wild card. Given his size as a 6-foot-8, 250-pound righty, there was obviously a lot of projectability to like. However, his college numbers — particularly regarding his command — were cause for concern. However, to his credit, Sinnard has issued just six walks compared to 17 strikeouts in nine innings of work so far with the GreenJackets. Given his age (22) and his amount of college experience combined with his fast start to his pro career, don’t be shocked if the Braves push Sinnard up to Rome in the near future and give him an expedited timeline to Mississippi.
As for Wednesday’s game, the GreenJackets tallied six runs in the first three innings to jump out to a 6-0 lead behind Sinnard’s excellent start. Thanks to solid pitching performances across the board — including 4.1 innings of work from relievers Brett Sears and Reibyn Corona — Augusta was able to hold Delmarva to just two runs in the win.