SL1 Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Blue Wahoos Get Best of Davidson in Win over M-Braves

Published on July 1, 2019 under Southern League (SL1)
Pensacola Blue Wahoos News Release


No team had produced a big inning, or much success this season against Mississippi Braves lefthander Tucker Davidson.

"He's been untouchable," said Blue Wahoos manager Ramon Borrego.

His team defied the norm Sunday.

The Blue Wahoos chased Davidson before the fourth inning ended, touching him up for five runs on their way to a 7-5 victory against the M-Braves to begin a four-game, holiday week series at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

For perspective, Davidson, 23, a Amarillo, Texas native, who is part of the latest array of Atlanta Braves pitching prospects, had not allowed five earned runs combined in this last seven starts. One of those was against the Blue Wahoos. He had not allowed a run in his last three starts.

His 1.48 ERA he carried into Sunday was the lowest among any pitcher in the 30 teams and three leagues of Double-A baseball.

"He wasn't bad (Sunday), either," said Blue Wahoos shortstop Jordan Gore, who helped lead the way by going 2-for-4 with four RBI. "We just put a few good swings on some balls and caught some breaks.

"He's got a really good fastball. He pitches off that."

After building a 7-1 lead, the Blue Wahoos withstood the M-Braves offense in the final three innings. The game suddenly got suspenseful in the ninth inning.

With runners on second-and-third and none out, M-Braves gifted outfielder Christian Pache, the No. 1 rated prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization, drove a pitch from reliever Zack Weiss into the right-center field gap.

Blue Wahoos right fielder Alex Kirilloff, the No. 2 prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization, who had his best day at the plate of the second-half schedule, made the game's biggest play with his glove. He went into full extension on a diving catch.

A run scored, but if not for Kirilloff's catch, it would have been a 7-6 game with Pache likely on second or third base.

"I was just trying to focus on getting a good read on it," said Kirilloff, who went 3-for-3 and reached base on a walk in his other at-bat. "Pache is a good hitter and can drive some balls.

"I saw it good off the bat and got a good jump on it. I think either one of us (centerfielder Aaron Whitefield was nearby) would have caught it."

Weiss, who pitched for the Blue Wahoos in 2015 and 2017 as part of the affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds, then made big pitches to strike out equally dangerous outfielder Drew Waters. And Weiss ended the game by getting Tyler Neslony to line out to Whitefield in center.

Count in Borrego among the relieved at the ballpark.

"When I saw the ball (Pache) hit going between center and right (field) and I saw Alex I thought that ball might be bouncing in the ground (for an extra base hit). When I see that Alex dove for the ball, I'm saying, 'He's going to catch it, he's going to catch it!' That was big. That was the game right there."

The Blue Wahoos (44-37 overall, 6-5 in second half) will continue the series Monday through Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the M-Braves are scheduled to throw Ian Anderson, who combined with reliever Jeremy Walker (2 innings) on a no-hitter in his last start.

The Blue Wahoo faced a similar challenge Sunday going against Davidson, whose recent starts including a win against the Blue Wahoos on May 29, along zero runs allowed in his last 13.1 innings pitched. He is the No. 18 rated prospect by MILB Pipeline in the Braves system.

Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, Lewin Diaz led off with a double, then scored on Jimmy Kerrigan's RBI single. Kirilloff followed with a single.

At this point, Borrego was planning a low scoring game. He signed for Brian Navarreto to attempt a sacrifice bunt, which Navarreto did to move the runners into scoring position.

"I just wanted try to score one run, take the lead to put pressure on this guy," Borrego said.

It went even better when Caleb Hamilton delivered a two-run single. It prompted a mound visit from M-Braves pitching coach, Pensacola native Dennis Lewallyn. Davidson's struggles continued, however, when he walked Joe Cronin, then Gore followed with a two-run single to force a pitching change.

In the sixth inning, Gore delivered a two run double. It was his first four RBI day of the season.

"I feel great for this kid," Borrego said. "This is his best game offensively the whole season. He's been working trying to make his own adjustments.The last couple days, he's been swinging the bat better, and making better contact.

(Sunday) was really fun to watch."

Borrego has worn many hats in the past week since former hitting coach Steve Singleton, who managed the team's series in Jacksonville with Borrego on extended vacation from the all-star break, accepted a new job.

He's worked with the batters the past several days to try and simulate pitching situations against that day's starter. New hitting coach Michael Thomas, who was in Fort Myers working with the Low-A team in the Gulf Coast League, begins Monday his new job in Pensacola.

"The biggest thing is changing the routine," Borrego said. "We went over more situations, game-like situations. We made the guys work with quick swing, short swing. And it paid off."

Of the Blue Wahoos 10 hits Sunday, only leadoff batter Travis Blankenhorn and Navarreto went hitless or did not reach base.

"I think we're battling throughout the lineup," Kirilloff said. "It's being aware of the scouting report and what's (Davidson) trying to do and I think it helps that this was the third time we have faced him."

The big lead was needed after the M-Braves scored two runs in the seventh, added another in the eighth.

BALLPARK MEMORIES

The Blue Wahoos held a moment of silence before Sunday's game to honor the memory of John Myslak, 54, who worked for the Dawson Company, and close friend of Blue Wahoos owner Quint Studer.

Myslak, a retired Air Force veteran, passed away Sunday. He had worked with the Studer Community Institute in a variety of projejcts.

Check out the Pensacola Blue Wahoos Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Southern League Stories from July 1, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central