Tag Archives: M-Braves

15 Jul

step right up

The award-winning Emerson Landoni Show comes to Trustmark Park in Pearl tonight. The Mississippi Braves shortstop put up back-to-back five-hit performances at Chattanooga on Sunday and Monday. Prior to Monday’s game, Landoni was named the Southern League player of the week for July 6-12. He batted .566 in that span, getting 14 hits in a six-game streak and picking up 10 runs and five RBIs. For the year, the 26-year-old Venezuela native, getting a fourth look in Double-A, is batting .281 with 11 doubles, three triples, 22 RBIs and 30 runs. The M-Braves, back at the TeePee to start a five-game series against Jacksonville, have been searching for some offense. They are 10-8, hanging a game back of first-place Pensacola in the SL South. The M-Braves won four of five games at Chattanooga, a nice run that included strong pitching performances from Andrew Barbosa and Greg Ross as well as Landoni’s heroics. Landoni is now the team’s leading hitter, just ahead of Matt Lipka (.279). P.S. Former M-Braves ace Tyrell Jenkins, who threw seven shutout innings in his Triple-A debut on July 9, is in line to start for Gwinnett on Thursday or Friday at Syracuse. Right-hander Jenkins, one of Atlanta’s top prospects, was 5-5 with a 3.00 ERA for the M-Braves this season before his promotion. … On the subject of the Braves and pitchers, here’s an interesting fact: There are 17 former M-Braves pitchers on the 40-man rosters of other major league clubs, including Craig Kimbrel, Charlie Morton, Blaine Boyer, J.J. Hoover, Chasen Shreve and J.R. Graham. Two others, Zeke Spruill and Todd Redmond, who have pitched in the big leagues this year, recently were assigned to the minors, and yet another, Paul Clemens, was among Philadelphia’s last cuts in the spring. The Braves also have traded in recent weeks John Cornely, Ian Thomas and Juan Jaime, each of whom pitched for Atlanta this season.

09 Jul

the energizer

When All-Star left fielder Alex Gordon went down, Kansas City needed a lift. Enter Jarrod Dyson. Dyson, the ex-Southwest Mississippi Community College standout, replaced the injured Gordon, threw out a runner at the plate, hit an inside-the-park home run and helped the Royals beat Tampa Bay 9-7 on Wednesday night. “He brings energy, is what he brings,” KC manager Ned Yost told the Kansas City Star, referring to the speedy Dyson, whose twitter handle is @mrzoombiya. Dyson’s playing time has been limited this season – 42 games, 99 at-bats – but with Gordon expected to miss a significant amount of time with a groin injury, Dyson likely will get more opportunities for the first-place Royals. He is batting .273 (.321 on-base percentage) with 16 runs and 10 steals. His homer Wednesday was his first of the season and first inside-the-parker of his career. P.S. Matt Harrison got knocked around (six runs in four innings vs. Arizona) but just getting back on the mound for Texas on Wednesday was a victory for the former Mississippi Braves left-hander. Harrison is trying to come back from spinal fusion surgery. His last MLB start had come on May 13 of 2014. Injuries have limited the former 18-game winner to seven appearances the last three seasons. Harrison went 8-11 with an ERA around 3.50 for the M-Braves in 2006-07, when he was one of Atlanta’s top-rated prospects. He went to Texas in the Mark Teixeira trade.

08 Jul

ebb and flow

First, the good news. The Mississippi Braves’ slumbering bats suddenly perked up on Tuesday night, when they scored a season-high nine runs to beat Jackson (Tenn.) at Trustmark Park. Now, the bad news. Staff ace Tyrell Jenkins was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett. Jenkins, 5-5 with a 3.00 ERA, deserved to go (just as the team’s best hitter, Mallex Smith, deserved to go at the end of the first half). But the M-Braves’ chances of winning a second-half title took another blow. Perhaps Steve Janas, a 6-foot-6, 198-pound right-hander promoted last week from Class A Carolina, can help soften this latest one. Janas, who starts tonight against the Generals, was dominating the Carolina League at 5-0 with a 0.49 ERA. The former Kennesaw (Ga.) State star threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his Double-A debut at Biloxi on July 3. That extended a scoreless streak he carried over from Carolina to 28 2/3 innings. The M-Braves are threatening the Southern League record for lowest slugging percentage in a season, but as they demonstrated in Tuesday’s 9-1 victory, small ball can work, especially at the spacious TeePee. Of their 13 hits, 12 were singles. All eight hits in their six-run sixth inning were singles. Every player in the lineup had at least one hit, another good sign for a team that needs some. At 6-6, the M-Braves are just a game out of first in the SL South.

05 Jul

by the numbers

4 – RBIs on Saturday for Tyler Moore, the former Mississippi State standout. Moore went 3-for-4 to help Washington, the National League East leader, beat San Francisco 9-3. He has 17 RBIs for the year.
5 – Wins for Mississippi Braves ace Tyrell Jenkins. The right-hander threw seven strong innings in a 4-2 win over Jackson (Tenn.) at Trustmark Park. Jenkins is 5-5 with a 3.00 ERA for the M-Braves, now 5-4 in the second half.
5 – Wins by Lance Lynn, the former Ole Miss star. Lynn (5-5, 2.74 ERA) starts today for St. Louis, the NL Central leader, against San Diego. Lynn has a 1.47 ERA in his last five starts.
7 – Shutout innings on Saturday by Kendall Graveman, the ex-State star. Graveman, now 6-4, 3.16 for Oakland, outdueled Seattle ace Felix Hernandez in a 2-0 A’s win.
7 – Holds for Drew Pomeranz, the Ole Miss alumnus. The converted starter worked a scoreless eighth inning for Oakland in relief of Kendall Graveman.
20 – Stolen bases by Corey Wimberly, the Alcorn State product. Wimberly got a bag for Yucatan in a 6-5 win over Tijuana and also went 1-for-3 to boost his average to .323 in the Mexican League.
62 – Runs by Brian Dozier, the former Southern Miss standout. Dozier, who leads the American League in runs, tallied one in Minnesota’s 5-3 win against Kansas City.

01 Jul

clash on coast

It would be an overstatement to call this a “key” series, but the Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers are hooking up in a three-game set at MGM Park that rates some attention. Both teams are 3-2 in the second half, tied for first in the Southern League South. The series, which starts tonight, will be the first played between the two on the Coast. Biloxi leads the season series 6-4, having won four of five at Trustmark Park last month, clinching the first-half title on June 14 by beating the then-second place M-Braves 9-0. The Shuckers’ lineup features an array of good hitters, led by Orlando Arcia (.308), Nick Ramirez (.283, 10 homers, 48 RBIs) and Tyrone Taylor (.265). Biloxi’s staff ERA is 3.30, second in the league. The M-Braves are fourth at 3.65. Matt Lipka is hitting .288 with 11 steals, but otherwise this is an offensively challenged club. They’ve scored 11 runs in the five games this half. There are only four home runs among players on the current roster. P.S. The official debuts of pitchers Jake Brigham and Ryan Kelly in Atlanta’s 6-1 loss to Washington on Tuesday brings to an even 100 the number of M-Braves alumni who have advanced to the big leagues during the club’s 11 seasons in Pearl.

25 Jun

starting over

Minus their sparkplug, the Mississippi Braves start the second half of the Southern League season tonight against Pensacola at Trustmark Park. Mallex Smith, the All-Star center fielder who was batting .340 with a team-best 35 runs, has been promoted – and deservedly so — to Triple-A Gwinnett. Even with Smith at the top of the lineup, the M-Braves faded from contention late in the first half and wound up with a 33-35 record, a distant 10 games behind South Division champion Biloxi. It would certainly help the M-Braves’ cause if Rio Ruiz could get it going. The highly rated prospect, acquired in the trade that sent Evan Gattis to Houston, hit .211 in the first half with no homers and 12 RBIs. A lefty-hitting third baseman, Ruiz batted .293 with 11 homers and 77 RBIs in the high Class A California League in 2014 and hit .260 with 12 homers in low A ball in 2013. The M-Braves rank ninth in the 10-team league in runs and last in homers. Smith had 23 of their 38 steals. First baseman Seth Loman, the club’s home run leader with four, was released today. Where is the offense going to come from? Somebody needs to step up. P.S. The M-Braves have added an outfielder: Sean Godfrey, who was batting .304 with five homers, 22 RBIs and 10 steals at Class A Carolina. He was a 22nd-round pick last year out of Ball State, where he was the Mid-American Conference player of the year.

23 Jun

star power

Mississippi’s minor league clubs will be on prominent display in tonight’s Southern League All-Star Game at Montgomery, Ala. The Mississippi Braves’ Mallex Smith and the Biloxi Shuckers’ Orlando Arcia, Nick Ramirez and Michael Reed are in the projected starting lineup for the South stars, and there are several pitchers from the two teams on the roster, including highly rated prospects Tyrell Jenkins of the M-Braves and Tyler Wagner of the Shuckers. In addition, Ramirez will participate in the pre-game Home Run Derby. Smith, a center fielder and leadoff batter, has emerged as one of the most exciting players in the Double-A loop. He is second in the league in hitting at .340 and in steals with 23. Penciled in at Nos. 3-5 in the lineup, Arcia is hitting .307, Ramirez .289 (with nine homers) and Reed .300 for first-half champion Biloxi. Former East Central Community College star Tim Anderson is slated to play shortstop and bat second for the North. He is hitting .313 with 23 steals for Birmingham. Game time is 7:20 (MiLB.TV). The 2016 SL All-Star Game will be at Trustmark Park in Pearl; the M-Braves previously hosted the game in 2007. P.S. Scott Copeland, the ex-Southern Miss ace, made his first MLB start for Toronto on June 10, allowing one run in seven innings. His next start came June 16, when he yielded three runs in four innings. Then came Sunday: seven runs in 1 1/3 innings. Currently back at Triple-A Buffalo, Copeland has been up and down so many times he could be excused for suffering dizzy spells.

19 Jun

on the dotted line

With the signings on Thursday of Austin Riley by Atlanta and Jacob Taylor by Pittsburgh, the top six Mississippians taken in the 2015 MLB draft reportedly are under contract. Riley, a third baseman from DeSoto Central High taken at No. 41 overall, and Taylor, a right-hander from Pearl River Community College picked in Round 4, join RH Scott Weathersby (Ole Miss, Houston), RH Witt Haggard (Delta State, New York Mets), 1B Sikes Orvis (Ole Miss, Chicago White Sox) and 2B Dalton Dulin (Northwest Mississippi CC, Washington) as major league hopefuls. Most, if not all, of these players will head to the Gulf Coast or Arizona rookie leagues, which start next week. Some others who have signed include Southern Miss RH James McMahon (Colorado), DSU RH Stephen Milligan (Kansas City), Alcorn State OF Earl Burl (Toronto), Mississippi Valley State OF Kalik May (Toronto) and former East Mississippi CC OF LaDarious Clark (Texas). Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, son of Hattiesburg native and ex-big league star Charlie Hayes, has signed with the Pirates; he was the 32nd overall pick out of a Texas high school. P.S. Former Mississippi Braves standout Jordan Schafer has been released by Minnesota. Schafer, the Twins’ opening day center fielder, hasn’t played since mid-May because of a knee injury and was hitting just .217. The recent promotion of top prospect Byron Buxton made him expendable. Schafer arrived in Mississippi as Atlanta’s No. 1 prospect in 2008, was hit with a drug suspension just days into the season and rode a rollercoaster over his career from then on.

18 Jun

aches and pains

One stint on the disabled list was not enough time for Corey Dickerson’s plantar fasciitis to sufficiently heal. The former Meridian Community College star, in the midst of another strong season with Colorado, went back on the 15-day DL on Wednesday. He came off his first trip on June 11. “It won’t get better until it has time to rest,” Dickerson told mlb.com. Dickerson, 4-for-16 without an RBI during his brief return, is batting .299 with five homers and 16 RBIs in 38 games. When he might rejoin the Rockies is unclear. The MLB all-Mississippi injured list now includes Zack Cozart (knee, out for the season), Cliff Lee (flexor tendon, possibly out for good), Desmond Jennings (knee, return uncertain), Aaron Barrett (biceps, return uncertain) and Lance Lynn (forearm, due back next week). P.S. Daniel Castro, who got a hit in his first big league at-bat for Atlanta on Wednesday, joins a lengthy list of former Mississippi Braves shortstops to make The Show. The others: Luis Hernandez, Yunel Escobar, Diory Hernandez, Brandon Hicks, Brent Lillibridge, Tyler Pastornicky, Andrelton Simmons and Ed Lucas. Castro hit .277 for the M-Braves in 2014 and was batting .389 this season when he was bumped up to Triple-A Gwinnett.

17 Jun

pitching in

In a game notable primarily for the eight home runs belted by Baltimore hitters, former Mississippi Braves star Jeff Francoeur made his MLB pitching debut on Tuesday. It was an adventure, to say the least. The erstwhile outfielder threw 48 pitches, 25 for strikes, in two innings of mop-up duty in Philadelphia’s 19-3 loss. He struck out a batter, hit a batter, walked three and gave up a home run. The fact that he was left in for two innings — the bullpen phone was off the hook? — seemed to rile up Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, who reportedly was concerned Francoeur would hurt his arm. Francoeur, who has a cannon, pitched in high school and also threw in eight games in Triple-A in 2014. … Meanwhile, another ex-M-Braves standout, Charlie Morton, who actually pitches full-time, tossed seven shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox to lead Pittsburgh to its sixth straight victory, five of them shutouts. Morton is 5-0 with a 1.62 ERA in five starts for the surging Pirates. Morton was an unspectacular 4-6, 4.29 for the M-Braves in 2007, but he threw a memorable gem in the Southern League playoffs that likely boosted his career. He made the big leagues with Atlanta in 2008, then was traded to Pittsburgh the next year. … Then there’s Craig Kimbrel, the former M-Braves closer who now toils for San Diego. His outing against Oakland on Tuesday was almost as rocky as Francoeur’s. Kimbrel allowed a hit, two walks and the go-ahead run in a 6-5 loss. Though he has 16 saves, Kimbrel’s ERA this season is 3.81; his career mark is 1.63.