wanted: runs

The Mississippi Braves rounded second and headed for home on Saturday night with a lively step, a 2-0 win over Jacksonville fueled by Randall Delgado’s brilliant pitching. Unfortunately for the M-Braves, they’re still lagging far behind the field in the Southern League South. They reached the halfway point in the 70-game first half on Friday night (an 8-6 loss to Jackson) and stood at 14-21, last in the five-team division and 6 games out of first place. Not an impossible dream to win the first-half crown but a daunting challenge just the same. To make it happen, they’ve simply got to get more production from more hitters. The pitching has been stellar; the M-Braves lead the league in ERA (3.57) and strikeouts. Three of the top four starters have ERAs of 2.38 or better. The bullpen has steadily improved as roles have been refined. But despite the emergence of several hitters, the offense is tied for last in the 10-team league in runs (148) and tied for eighth in average (.253). It’s not a team with a lot of power (21 homers — six by Ernesto Mejia) or speed (17 steals). This team is going to have to work counts, bunch hits, move runners and cash in consistently on scoring opportunities. Donell Linares, a player with some intriguing potential, has returned from the DL with six hits in two games and boosted his average to .320. He’s also got three homers and 19 RBIs. Kudos also go out to prospect Tyler Pastornicky (.313, three homers, 18 RBIs, six steals), Mejia (.303, 20 RBIs) and Matthew Kennelly (.275). But that group needs more help from the likes of Willie Cabrera (.254), Cory Harrilchak (.228), Antoan Richardson (.211) and Mycal Jones (.174 in seven games before his DUI-related suspension). The M-Braves’ pitching is good enough to win. The hitting, at least at the moment, is not. They’re back on the field at Trustmark Park today at 1:05, with Brett Oberholtzer (2-3, 3.61) taking the bump and hoping for some runs to work with.