ballpark fare

Yes, tonight is Free Hot Dog Night at Trustmark Park. On Tuesday, there is a cap giveaway, and then there’s Thirsty Thursday and Friday Night Fireworks. Just in case you needed some other reason to head out to the ballpark in Pearl this week, the Mississippi Braves are hosting what Baseball America touts as one of the most talented teams in the minors. The Chattanooga Lookouts, now a Minnesota Twins affiliate, feature No. 2 overall prospect Byron Buxton, No. 13 Miguel Sano and No. 36 Jose Berrios, plus quite a few more of the Twins’ top prospects. Buxton, an outfielder with all the tools, is batting just .225. Third baseman Sano is at .200 with two homers, and Berrios is 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA. Shortstop Jorge Polanco, No. 8 on Minnesota’s list, is hitting .324, and Ole Miss product Stuart Turner (No. 13) is batting .250. The Lookouts’ top hitter is Dalton Hicks at .385. Of course, the home team also trots out a few prospects, including right-hander Jason Hursh (Atlanta’s No. 6), third baseman Rio Ruiz (No. 10) and center fielder Mallex Smith. Hot hitters for the M-Braves, off to a 5-4 start, include Chris O’Dowd, who is 6-for-13 with a homer and seven RBIs; Matt Lipka (.393); Daniel Castro (.361); and Smith (.361, six steals, nine runs). In tonight’s series opener at 7 p.m., Hursh (0-1, 9.00) faces Chattanooga’s Tyler Duffey (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 13 2/3 innings).