clutch knocks

Atlanta picked up Billy Hamilton for his wheels and his glove. What the ex-Taylorsville High star did late Friday night was a bonus. The light-hitting outfielder singled through a drawn-in infield to score the go-ahead run in the 14th inning as the Braves took down the New York Mets 2-1 at CitiField. Hamilton said that other than his first career steal in the big leagues Friday’s moment might have been “the best feeling of my life.” Hamilton — aka “Bone” — entered the game late as a pinch runner and stayed in to play center field, two roles at which he can excel. He was having a bad year with a bad team — Kansas City — when the Braves claimed him on waivers on Monday; he said that day felt like Christmas all over again. The first-place Braves won their sixth straight and ended a five-game win streak for Ole Miss alumnus Mickey Callaway’s Mets, third in the National League East. … Adam Frazier, the former Mississippi State standout, also came up with a clutch knock on Friday, though it came in a game that had much less significance than Braves-Mets. Frazier’s bloop single scored the tying run in the ninth inning and set the stage for Pablo Reyes’ walk-off hit as Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati 3-2 in a matchup of NL Central also-rans. … East Central Community College product Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox wasted no time extending his hitting streak to 10 games, singling off ex-UM star Lance Lynn of Texas in the first inning. Anderson, batting .332, had two hits all told as the ChiSox rallied to rout Lynn and the Rangers 8-3. In one of his worst outings of the year, Lynn (14-9) yielded seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
P.S. The Eastern League All-Star team named Friday is filled with young prospects trying to work their way up to The Show. One exception: relief pitcher Aaron Barrett. The former Ole Miss standout is 31 and trying to get back to the big leagues after a series of injuries derailed his career. Barrett, who has 90 MLB appearances on his ledger, is certainly having an All-Star worthy season at Double-A Harrisburg, with 29 saves and a 2.55 ERA for the Washington affiliate.