Isaiah Drake homered for the Rome Emperors, showcasing the team's strong hitting despite a loss. The Gwinnett Stripers narrowly defeated the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 6-5.
The Atlanta Braves minor league system has been dominated by the performances of the Rome Emperors lineup, who have that talented group of hitters that has made waves this week in Greensboro. Although they werenât able to drag Rome to a win this time around Isaiah Drake, John Gil, and Eric Hartman all looked good at the plate to keep a hot streak of hitting going.
Elieser Hernandez, SP: 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 4.88 ERA
Hayden Harris, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 5.59 ERA
The Stripers kept their success rolling with a third straight win to start this road trip, squeaking it out against Jacksonville despite being outhit. They had notable early trouble against Marlins top prospect Thomas White, notching only one hits off of him despite his trouble with command, and they entered the sixth inning trailing by a couple of runs. A pitching change would change everything, as Rowdy Tellez drew a walk off of new relief arm Patrick Monteverde which sparked a tying rally. Aaron Schunkâs critical role in this offense continued as he followed with a double to get the Stripers on the board, and following an error on the play and a sac fly Gwinnett had the game evened in a snap. Monteverde would continue struggling in the seventh inning, and Jim Jarvis broke the tie with a single and forced him from the game. The next man up had no more success, hitting Sean Murphy on the second pitch he threw. He had a chance to escape with the deficit left at just one run, but Rowdy Tellez had different plans. Tellez launched an absolute nuke on a slider that spun in the middle of the zone, clearing the bases and blowing the game wide open to give Gwinnett a 6-2 lead. With this fortunate sequence of hits the Stripers had all the offense they needed in the game, despite a close shave from the bullpen.
Q&A
What were Isaiah Drake's contributions in the recent minor league game?
Isaiah Drake hit a home run for the Rome Emperors, contributing to the team's strong offensive performance.
How did the Gwinnett Stripers perform against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp?
The Gwinnett Stripers won the game against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp with a score of 6-5.
What is the current record of the Gwinnett Stripers?
The Gwinnett Stripers currently have a record of 16 wins and 8 losses.
Who are the standout players for the Rome Emperors this week?
Isaiah Drake, John Gil, and Eric Hartman have been standout players for the Rome Emperors, all performing well at the plate.
Related Articles
Sports
Sesko backs 'great' Fernandes for player of the year
Sesko endorses Fernandes as top contender for Player of the Year
Sky Sports··1 min read
Sports
Blackstenius: Arsenal always a team to count on as OL Lyonnes rematch beckons
Arsenal's women's team meets OL Lyonnes again in Champions League semis, with Stina Blackstenius aiming for victory.
Sky Sports··1 min read
Soccer·Feature
Young Stuarts Draft squad making rest of district soccer take note
Stuarts Draft girls soccer team shines with eight freshmen, currently 6-1-2!
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Cricket·Feature
'700-800 runs banaye, phir bhi drop': Pakistan star's emotional outburst on live TV - WATCH
Khushdil Shah opens up about being dropped from Pakistan team despite strong domestic performance
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Sports
Where Is Sherrone Moore Now? Inside the Former Michigan Coach's Life After His Arrest
Yahoo Sports·
Sports
Fabregas, Howe, Alonso - who's in running for Chelsea job?
Elieser Hernandez matched up against the organization that he spent five of his MLB seasons a part of, and he got off to a good start in this game despite the Jumbo Shrimp managing to roll up some hits. Hernandez lived inside the strike zone with his pitches and Jacksonville had trouble lifting the ball, so even though they did make their fair of contact they couldnât net an extra base hit and left four runners on with four strikeouts in the first three innings. A big mistake in the fourth inning with a fastball over the plate turned into the first great opportunity for Jacksonville, with Kemp Alderman smacking the pitch for a 111 mph double to lead off what would be a big inning for the Jumbo Shrimp. They strung together contact and chased home two runs in the inning, taking a lead they would hold for only a couple of innings. While Hernandez did throw plenty of strikes he was heavily reliant on his fastballs and the Jumbo Shrimp had success putting those balls in play. He never really landed any good sliders and didnât get much swing and miss, though his ability to keep his four seam fastball up in the zone outside of that fourth inning led to success. Hayden Harris took his turn on the mound in the seventh inning following the Stripers bid to tie the game, and he had his best outing for Gwinnett this season. He did a much better job of dialing his fastball up on the top of the zone than he has in past appearances, and kept his pitches all out of the middle of the strike zone. He struck out two of the batters he faced in a hitless inning and earned the win for Gwinnett as they exploded in the following half inning. That result was in some question, however, as Blayne Enlow had a blowup outing in the top of the 8th. Enlow allowed four hits and walked a batter to let up three runs, and was still in trouble with two runners in scoring position when the lineup flipped to the leadoff man. Enlow left a fastball over the plate in a dangerous spot, but Ethan OâDonnell hit a lazy fly out for the final out of the inning and allowed Stripers fans to take a breath. Javy Guerra swept through the order in the ninth inning to close the game, letting the Stripers keep pace at the top of the division standings.
Jack Dashwood, SP: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 5.40 ERA
Jhancarlos Lara, RP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 8.10 ERA
The Columbus lineup was raking from top to bottom in this game, and that was a good thing as the pitching staff did not have much success in the early portions of this game. Jack Dashwood managed a reasonable spot start despite some spotty command, ultimately ceding his control of the game in the third inning with Columbus on top by a commanding margin. After the first five Clingstones of the game were retired in order they suddenly exploded with two outs in the second inning, starting off with a base hit from Archer Brookman. Ambioris Tavarez then followed with a double, and Kevin Kilpatrickâs two-run single flipped the game in favor of Columbus. The inning kept going in the favor of the Clingstones with nine hole hitter Cal Conley bashing the second double of the inning. RBI singles from Patrick Clohisy and Tristin English at the top of the lineup capped off a five-run rally that burst the Clingstones ahead.
Columbus likely hoped for a quick inning from Jack Wallace in his debut with the team, but it went awry for him in the fourth inning. A one-out flare into center field for a base hit set off a chain of hits against him with three straight base hits combining to drive in two runs and cut a chunk out of the Columbus lead. A double then pushed the go-ahead run into scoring position, and despite getting a strikeout for a big second out Wallace couldnât escape his fate. Braden Montgomery fell behind 0-2, swinging through a couple of breaking balls out of the strike zone, but Wallace made a mistake with a third one up and over the plate which got roped into right field for a go-ahead single. The inning was capped by a hanger that got demolished for a two-run home run, giving Wallace a total of six runs allowed and flipping a three run Columbus lead to a three run Birmingham lead.
The bottom of the Columbus order was the source of much of the production in this game, and that was particularly true in the sixth inning. Luke Waddell caught a break and reached on a error, and hits from Jordan Groshans, Brookman, and Kilpatrick in the same inning forced home three runs to tie the game up at eight apiece. While the Barons avoided disaster for a time, in the seventh inning David McCabe finally got his hands on the game. McCabe smoked a one-out single into right field, and once again the Clingstones were off and rolling. Waddellâs hit put the go-ahead run on third base, and Groshans came through in a huge spot to put the Clingstones in the lead with a double. A walk then loaded the bases for Kilpatrick, who came up clutch for the third time in the game. He laced a single into center field that scored two runs, bringing his RBI total on the day to four, and would score soon after thanks to Cal Conleyâs two-run double. For the second time in the game a five run inning gave the Clingstones a big lead, and this time the bullpen was up to the task of protecting it. Jhancarlos Lara looked far and away the best he has in any of his games this season with a dazzling performance for the Clingstones in relief. His command was as frustrating as ever, but he got enough pitches in the strike zone to have success and the Barons couldnât make contact against him. Lara recorded strikeouts from three of the seven hitters he faced and only walked one batter, protecting that huge lead and sending it to Tyler LaPorte in the ninth. LaPorte had no trouble and cruised through a perfect inning, extending his streak of 5 2/3 scoreless innings to start the year.
Cade Kuehler, SP: 3 IP, 13 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 10.29 ERA
Owen Hackman, RP: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1.42 ERA
The stellar trio at the top of the Emperors lineup had their way again in this game, but it went to waste as Cade Kuehler threw up a stinker in his fourth start of the season. Kuehler had flashes of moments in this game, especially in the first inning, as he was able to get a good share of swing-and-miss throughout. In the first inning he diced up Wyatt Sanford and was able to keep his fastball above the hands of hitters, except for one big mistake. He left a fat fastball that Lonnie White Jr. tattooed for a solo home run, but still going into the second Rome held a 5-1 lead. That lead took seven total pitches to flip on its head. Kuehler was grooving sliders and the Grasshoppers were all over it, hitting three home runs and two singles in a span of seven pitches to tally up five quick runs and take the lead. Kuehler then bounced back and struck out the next two hitters in good looking at bats, but left a fastball over the plate to the next man that got smoked for the fourth home run of the inning. Thankfully for Kuehler the Grasshoppers were down with the power explosion, but the damage wasnât over just yet. Kuehler allowed three more runs in the next inning, though all were unearned thanks to a Colby Jones error, and he left allowing double digit runs in the game. While Kuehler was able to locate some pitches well he was getting torched on anything close to the strike zone, and so far early in the season his stuff has just not been good enough to get outs consistently. The issues with the velocity and pitch shape that were present prior to his Tommy John surgery are still there, and though more distance from injury may help him he just has not looked like an MLB quality pitcher at any point in his professional career.
With the disappointing day from Kuehler on the backburner it will be nice to once again take a look at Isaiah Drake, John Gil, and Eric Hartman, who were effectively the entire offense for Rome on Thursday. The trio had seven of the teamâs nine hits, four of their five extra base hits, and five of their six runs, though they could not keep pace with the Greensboro onslaught. Drake led off the game with a walk, though his caught stealing may have stifled what could have been a massive first inning. Two pitches after that John Gil smoked a grounder down the third base line and trotted in for a double, kicking off a rally that gave Rome a solid lead. Hartman drew a walk, Dixon Williams got hit by a pitch, and Cody Miller drew another walk to force home a run and open the scoring for the game. With two outs Mason Guerra made a contribution from the bottom third of the lineup driving in two runs with a single to push the lead up to 3-0. In the next inning Drake jumped all over the first pitch he saw. He got a cutter that stayed out over the plate and turned on it, crushing a solo home run to get back the run Kuehler gave up in the first inning. Eric Hartman then extended the lead with a solo shot of his, launching a no doubter off of a fastball up in the strike zone for his fourth home run of this series. While the group was active offensively for the rest of the game they werenât able to string together enough hits to really push for a comeback, though all are looking impressive at the plate. Drake hit a sharp liner to center field in the fourth inning that was run down for a fly out, and in the ninth inning smacked a single up the middle for his second hit of the game. It canât be overstated just how good his swing looks at the moment, as he has taken to all of the mechanical adjustments and looked better than ever. Heâs turning on velocity and is lifting pitches to all fields, and has looked the part of a guy who can be a starter at the major league level. Gil added a single and then a hustle double in the seventh inning, and a shoestring catch in the ninth inning was the only thing that kept him from a four hit performance. Everything off of his bat this series has been hit hard, and so far this series he has three three-hit games and four extra base hits. His contact numbers have taken a dip this season in the early going despite him keeping his strikeouts low, though given the tradeoff weâve seen for his batted ball performance it should be worth it. What makes Gil look so impressive is his swing decisions at his age, as he handles spin incredibly well and doesnât chase near as often as the other players at this level. Because of that even though his contact rate is a bit below average he is able to keep churning out hits and avoiding strikeouts, and he should see his numbers improve even more if and when his batted ball numbers catch up to how hard he is hitting the ball and how often those hits are line drives.
Swing and Misses
Cade Kuehler â 18
Owen Hackman â 11
Trent Buchanan â 6
(10-8) Augusta GreenJackets 1, (10-8) Columbia Fireflies 8
Landon Beidelschies, SP:Â 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 7.71 ERA
Luis Arestigueta, RP: 2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 4.00 ERA
On to another group of good hitters at the top of a lineup, the Augusta GreenJackets had a rough evening on both sides of the ball and there wasnât a ton of impact anywhere in the lineup. Looking at each of the three, Tate Southisene had a pretty off day mechanically though it has been impressive to watch his adjustments over the first few weeks of the season. He seemed a bit behind in the first series or so with his swing decisions but has really made some strides to settle in and has looked comfortable for the most part. His hit today wasnât that impressive, though. He rolled a ball too slow down the third base line for the defender to have any chance, and overall his swing was a bit flat and long in this particular game. The two times he did make contact he swung over the ball, a problem that has made its appearances for him early this season, though in the past few games his swing has been much better and he seemed to just have an off night. Alex Lodise had a few good swings that resulted in balls hit right at defenders, and it feels like its only a matter of time before he really breaks out at the plate. He is just missing extra base hits regularly and has been hitting the ball hard, and even the early returns on contact rate and swing decisions show that his strikeout rate will probably come down some over the next few weeks. It shouldnât be a surprise to see a Power 5 bat look comfortable in Single-A, but thatâs certainly better than the possibility of him looking bad. Luis Guanipa had a similar roll-over base hit to Southisene in the first inning, and his fly out his next time up was his best swing of the day. He just missed and flew out to the warning tracking in the deepest part of the park, but he kept his lower body in his swing like he has been doing more often lately. In his other two fly outs that back foot flying away really sapped his ability to impact the ball, so while weâre seeing the progress it has still been awfully hard for him to break his old habits.
It wasnât a spectacular day on the mound for Landon Beidelschies, but it did mark his best start of the season in terms of command, and that turned into an overall solid performance. His inability to locate more than one pitch in his arsenal at a time has been a bit of a burden on him, but in this outing he was landing both of his breaking balls well and the results were encouraging. He still wasnât consistent with burying his slider and did get hurt by a few over the plate, but he has enough movement on those two breaking balls to get a fair number of whiffs even when he is making some mistakes. However, his velocity is really holding him back across the board at this point and the Columbia hitters were able to adjust the next time through the order. For Beidelschies to be effective he is going to need to find just an extra tick on his arsenal especially given how mediocre the shape of his fastball is, or he is going to have to take a major leap with his command and changeup in a hurry. Overall this start was progress for him and that canât be understated, but his season has been a bit unspectacular so far. Luis Arestigueta came pretty significantly short of his first few outings this season as he could not locate any of his pitches well. He has come out with more effort in his delivery and his stuff has more velocity and movement across the board, but itâs come with a loss of command that is hurting him a bit in the early going. In the long run laying the base of better stuff and giving Arestigueta, who is still 20, athletic, and super-projectable, time to learn how to work within those confines should yield positive development. However in the meantime we are likely to see some days like Thursday where he could not get his slider near the plate and his fastball was not enough to drag him to a successful outing.
