tommy gun

Caught former Mississippi Brave Tommy Hanson’s 11-strikeout performance at Turner Field on Monday night. Very impressive. He was dominant at times last year in Pearl, but it looks like he is even better now. He was able to dial up the 95-96 mph fastball when he needed it and commanded most of his stuff well. He allowed 5 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs in his seven innings against San Francisco, but he never seemed to be in trouble. … Fred Lewis, the former Stone County High and Gulf Coast CC star, got in that game for the Giants as a pinch hitter, drew a walk from Hanson and stole a base. The Giants were expecting much more this season from Lewis than what he has produced. He may be giving Nettleton’s Bill Hall a run for Most Disappointing Performance by a Mississippian in the big leagues this year.
P.S. Kudos to Craig Tatum, the Hattiesburg native and Mississippi State alumnus, on his call-up by Cincinnati. He becomes the 29th Mississippi-connected player (not counting M-Braves) to make The Show in 2009. Tatum is a strong defensive catcher; if he can hit just a little bit (he went 0-for-2 in his debut), he’s got a chance to stick in the big leagues for a while.