IL1 Gwinnett Stripers

Braves Drop 9-5 Decision At Charlotte

May 9, 2007 - International League (IL1)
Gwinnett Stripers News Release


After an hour and 38 minute rain delay, the Richmond Braves and Charlotte Knights finally got underway on Wednesday night. The Knights downed the Braves, 9-5 and improved to 12-20 while the Braves dropped to 21-8 on the season. Richmond, who has not lost a series this season, will look to split the four-game set with a victory in the series finale on Thursday.

The Braves led off the game with three-straight hits. Gregor Blanco swung on the first pitch of the game and laced a single to left field. With Martin Prado batting, the Braves decided to be aggressive and sent Blanco but he was gunned down by Knights' catcher Wiki Gonzalez for the first out of the game. Prado quickly gave the Braves another base runner with a single of his own. The next batter, Richmond shortstop Yunel Escobar, took the first pitch he saw and hammered over the left-center wall, to give the Braves an early 2-0 lead.

Charlotte came right back in the second inning and tied the game at 2-2. With the Knights' Brian Anderson on second, Wiki Gonzalez blasted his third home run of the year.

The Knights took the lead in the third when Andy Gonzalez drove home Josh Fields on a one-out RBI double to left. With runners on first and third with one out, Richmond starter Macay McBride got out of the jam. McBride got Brian Anderson to strikeout and Wiki Gonzalez to popup to short to end the scoring threat.

Richmond battled back to take a 5-3 lead in the sixth. After the Braves loaded the bases with no outs, Corky Miller dropped a line-drive double to right, scoring T.J. Bohn and Bill McCarthy to make it a 4-3 Braves lead. Wes Timmons added to the lead, when he chased home Doug Clark on his RBI groundout to short, to give the Braves a 5-3 advantage.

Charlotte jumped back on top in the bottom of the sixth, with a four-run frame, to retake a 7-5 lead. Wiki Gonzalez went deep for the second time in the game and drove in three more of the Knights' runs. He scored Ernie Young and Brian Anderson after he unloaded on a 1-1 pitch by Braves' reliever Jeff Bennett. Kenny Perez followed the Gonzalez home run with a double to center. Kenny Kelly then drove home Perez to give the Knights a 7-5 lead.

The Knights added a pair of runs in the eighth. With two out, Ernie Young recorded a two-run single to center, to give Charlotte a final lead of 9-5.

Knights' starter Heath Phillips allowed five earned runs in 5.1 innings in the no-decision. The Charlotte' bullpen held the Braves scoreless in the last 3.2 innings. Jason Childers recorded two outs, Bret Prinz pitched 2.0 innings and Ryan Bukvich pitched the ninth. Childers, in his second game with Charlotte, picked up his first win of the season.

Wiki Gonzalez, who was 2-for-4 with five RBI, led the Knights' offense. Kenny Kelly and Ernie Young each recorded a pair of hits for Charlotte. Young had two RBI while Kelly drove in one.

Martin Prado extended his hit-streak to five games. Prado was 3-for-3 with a run on Wednesday and is now 9-for-19 (.474) in his last five games. Yunel Escobar hit his second homer of the season and finished 2-for-3 with two RBI. Corky Miller also drove in a pair of runs for Richmond. The top three hitters in the Braves' lineup (Blanco, Prado and Escobar) were a combined 8-for-12 with three walks.

McBride allowed three earned in 5.0 innings for the Braves. He notched four strikeouts and walked just one in the no-decision. Bennett, who took the loss, was touched up for four earned runs in 1.1 innings. The Braves' Will Startup and Joe Winkelsas also saw action out of the pen. Startup recorded two outs and Winkelsas allowed two earned in 1.0 inning of work.

Richmond wraps up their four-game series at Charlotte on Thursday. The Braves send Jonathan Johnson (1-0, 3.12 ERA) to the mound, where he will make his sixth start of the season. The Knights have not announced their starter for the series finale. Game time is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

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