wanted: some runs

Patience is a virtue, and Aaron Holbert seems to be a virtuous man. The Mississippi Braves manager has watched his team get off to a 2-6 start, but he is not throwing tantrums. (At least not publicly.) His team isn’t scoring: 22 runs so far, and eight of those came in one game (a victory over Montgomery on Wednesday). The M-Braves are hitting just .237 with one home run. “We’ve got a good group,” Holbert said before Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Biscuits at Trustmark Park. “There are some things we need to do better, but we’ll come around.” There are several prospect-types in this year’s lineup. But it is a young lineup. On Thursday, it featured seven starters in their first year of Double-A ball. Some adjustment time should be expected. Mobile, which beat the M-Braves four of five in the first series, leads the Southern League in ERA. That might have had something to do with the sluggish start. Montgomery, on the other hand, is last in the league in ERA. Maybe the attack will perk up again in the last two games of this homestand. Patience, Holbert would say.