taking off
Matt Lipka has been bouncing around the Atlanta Braves’ minor league system since 2010 with mixed results. He is a career .257 hitter but has hit as high as .288 in a season. He has stolen as many as 37 bags in one year. He has always been regarded as one of the organization’s best athletes, but his progress has been stalled by injuries. Yet Lipka is only 23, and in his second crack at Double-A, he is off to a flying start in what could be a crucial year. The Mississippi Braves outfielder, who goes 6 feet 1, 200 pounds, is hitting .368 with four RBIs and six runs. He takes a 12-game hit streak into tonight’s game at Trustmark Park. Lipka was a prep baseball and football star in Texas who was bound for Alabama before the Braves made him the 35th overall pick in the 2010 draft. He reached Double-A in 2014, but a hand injury ended his time with the M-Braves after 28 games. This year, he has teamed with David Rohm (.296) and Mallex Smith (.322) to give the M-Braves a highly productive outfield. The M-Braves, who have lost five in a row to fall to 9-9, are digging in for a 15-game homestand that starts with a five-game series against old rival Montgomery. P.S. Ex-Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland of the Texas Rangers had minor elbow surgery on Wednesday and will be out up to three weeks, according to reports.