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SL Mississippi Braves

Game Info: Saturday, July 27 at Montgomery Biscuits: 6:05 PM: Riverwalk Stadium

July 27, 2024 - Southern League (SL)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Mississippi Braves (14-11, 45-48) at Montgomery Biscuits (11-14, 51-43)

Saturday, July 27, 2024 - 6:05 PM - Riverwalk Stadium - Montgomery, AL

Game 94 of 137 - 2nd Half 26 of 69 - Away Game 55 of 74

Starting Pitchers: RHP Drue Hackenberg (1-1, 3.43) vs. RHP Trevor Martin (0-2, 7.71)

Watch Live: Bally Live / MiLB.TV / MLB At Bat

Listen Live: 102.1 The Box

Recent Roster Moves

7/15: RHP Landon Harper transferred to Mississippi from High-A Rome

STARTING LINEUPS

TODAY'S GAME: The M-Braves continue a nine-game road trip with game five of a six-game series at Montgomery on Saturday night at Riverwalk Stadium. This is the fourth, and final series meeting between the two clubs in 2024.

BRING ON THE BISCUITS: This week marks the final series between the Biscuits and M-Braves. Since 2005, Montgomery has been Mississippi's most common opponent. Today, the teams meet for the 360th time, with the Biscuits holding a 206-153 advantage. The M-Braves beat the Biscuits 3-2 in the 2021 Double-A South Championship Series.

ABOUT FRIDAY NIGHT: The Montgomery Biscuits rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and defeated the M-Braves 4-1 on Friday night at Riverwalk Stadium. The loss spoiled the longest M-Braves' start by Lucas Braun, who dealt 6.2 innings of one-run baseball. The loss evened the series at 2-2. Braun retired the first seven Montgomery batters, but with one out in the third, the Biscuits got back-to-back hits and a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead. That would be the lone hiccup by the 22-year-old from Los Angeles. Braun faced 25 batters and threw 96 pitches over 6.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

HE KEEPS GETTING ON BASE...: INF Keshawn Ogans was 1-for-4 on Friday and is on a team-high 23-game on-base streak that started June 9. Over the streak, he's batting .294 with a .375 OBP, 3 doubles, 5 RBI, 12 runs, 8 walks, 3 HBP, and 4 steals. The streak is the fourth-longest in the Southern League this season and the longest by an M-Brave since Jesse Franklin V had a 23-game on-base streak, July 16-August 12, 2023. Michael Harris II had a 31-game on-base streak from April 8 to May 13, 2022. Ozzie Albies has the club record with a 36-game on-base streak from April 24 to August 2, 2016.

M-BRAVES SET SINGLE-SEASON STEALS RECORD...IN 88 GAMES: With five stolen bases on July 20 at Pensacola, the M-Braves set a new single-season record for steals in a season, surpassing the previous mark, 159, set by the 2007 club.

Leading Double-A: Mississippi leads Double-A with 172 stolen bases (172-for-212, 81%) through 93 games. The closest club is Birmingham, with 151. The M-Braves are on pace for 253 (1.85 per game) in 2024.

Four players have reached 29+ steals: Justin Dean leads the way and leads the Southern League with 40. Geraldo Quintero, and Cody Milligan are T-6th with 30, and Cal Conley is T-8th with 29 ... Nacho Alvarez had 16 at the time of his promotion to Triple-A.

HACKENBERG BECOMES STRIKEOUT KING: RHP Drue Hackenberg became the first pitcher in Minor League Baseball to strike out 16 on Sunday, July 21 at Pensacola, setting a new club record. He became the 21st Minor League pitcher since 2005 to record 16 or more strikeouts in a single game and the first since Matt Sauer, who totaled 17 for Double-A Somerset on Aug. 25, 2022.

The 16-K Game: The 22-year-old didn't walk a batter over 7.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits and retiring the final 14 Pensacola batters. The righty retired the side in order in the first inning -- coming one strike shy of an immaculate frame -- before retiring the side again in the second. Hackenberg topped the M-Braves' strikeout record of 14 previously held by Ian Anderson (June 28, 2019) and Tommy Hanson (June 25, 2008). Hackenberg generated 26 swings-and-misses -- the most by any Double-A pitcher and one shy of the most in affiliated baseball as Giants rookie Hayden Birdsong piled up 27.

JUSTIN DEAN, THE MAN OF STEAL: OF Justin Dean leads the league with 40 stolen bases and is the M-Braves all-time leader with 110. Dean is two stolen bases away from the club single-season record of 42, set by Matt Young in 2009.

BACK-TO-BACK SERIES WINS...SIX-GAME WIN STREAK: The M-Braves finished off a three-game sweep of Pensacola on Sunday and won six straight from July 13-23. They started the streak by ending the 4-2 series win over Birmingham with back-to-back walk-off wins on July 13 and July 14.

(FORMER) ANGEL IN THE INFIELD...AND PITCHING: David Fletcher logged his first professional win on the mound on July 19 at Pensacola ... He joined the M-Braves roster on June 2 as a two-way player... Through nine starts as a knuckleball pitcher is 1-2 with a 5.05 ERA (29 ER/51.2 IP), 19 walks, 18 strikeouts, five quality starts and pitching into the sixth inning in seven outings ... Fletcher set a new career high with 8.2 innings pitched on July 13 vs. Birmingham (8.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) ... Fletcher is the first Southern League player since Rick Ankiel to log a pitching win, 45+ IP, and 180 at-bats as a position player at the Double-A level.

DE AVILA IS DEALIN': Luis De Avila dealt his team-leading 10th quality start of the season on July 23 at Montgomery with 6.0 innings of one-run baseball. In his last seven starts since June 2, De Avila leads the Southern League with a 1.64 ERA (44.0 IP/8 ER), 37 strikeouts, and 11 walks. During that time period, he ranks among the league leaders in opponents' batting average (2nd, .191), WHIP (2nd, 0.93), and strikeouts (T-6th, 37). This season De Avila ranks among the league leaders in innings pitched (4th, 92.1 IP), ERA (9th, 3.51), and starts (6th, 17).

START ME UP: The M-Braves' starting pitchers have 39 quality starts and a 3.49 ERA, ranking them T-6th in Double-A. They lead Double-A with five complete games, T-1st with three complete game shutouts, and 11th with 433 strikeouts.

HIP, HIP, TOLVE: Tyler Tolve homered in three straight games from July 13 to 21, becoming the first M-Brave to do it this season and the 10th in club history. Tolve blasted a walk-off homer on July 13 vs. Birmingham. Over 20 games since June 21, C Tyler Tolve leads the league with seven home runs and is batting .266 with two doubles, a triple, and 18 RBI.

TO THE TOP...OF THE LONGEST SCORELESS STREAKS: Pearl River CC and Southern Miss product Landon Harper hasn't allowed a run over his last nine M-Braves outings and 21.0 innings pitched, dating back to June 2. He hasn't allowed an earned run over his last 25.0 innings between Rome and Mississippi. The 21.0 innings without a run is the third-longest in the Southern League this season and the longest currently.

THE MEJIA MAGIC: Ian Majia ERA (5th, 2.70), wins (T-1st, 7), strikeouts (6th, 88), WHIP (9th, 1.18), and opponent's batting average (5th, .218). Mejia set a new club record, not allowing a run over 30.1 innings from April 28 to May 5. Mejia was named Southern League Pitcher of the Month for May and was 4-0, not allowing a run in 26.2 innings, five walks to 30 strikeouts.

ROAD WARRIORS: After starting the season 6-14 on the road, the M-Braves are 21-13 over their last 34 games away from Trustmark Park, including a 4-1 mark in a home-away-from-home series at Toyota Field, June 13-16. They won a club record nine straight games away from Pearl from May 12 to June 5. The streak included a six-game sweep in Chattanooga, May 21-26.

M-BRAVES TO THE SHOW: INF Nacho Alvarez Jr. became the eighth M-Braves alum to make their MLB debut on July 22 for Atlanta. Nacho joined and became the seventh M-Brave alum to make their major league debut on July 9 for Colorado. Gordon joined Roddery Munoz (4/20, MIA), Tyler Ferguson (5/7, OAK), Spencer Schwellenbach (5/29), Justyn-Henry Malloy (6/3, DET), Hurston Waldrep (6/9), C.J. Alexander (6/24, KC), and Tanner Gordon (7/9, COL). Overall, 176 former M-Braves have made their Major League debut.

THE JUCO BANDIT HAD A GREAT JUNE: Cody Milligan homered in back-to-back games on June 25-26, for the first time as an M-Brave and had three multi-hit games in the Montgomery series. The Binger, OK native, went 9-for-24 with two doubles, two homers, four RBI, three runs, and two stolen bases in the June 25-30 series. In June, Milligan hit .300 and was T-5th in the league with 11 extra-base hits, plus eight RBI, five walks, and six stolen bases. His .538 slugging percentage ranked seventh in the league.

"MAY" BE A GOOD SIGN...NO JUNE SWOON: After going 7-15 in April, the M-Braves went 28-26 the past two months, completing a 16-10 May and 12-14 June. The 16 wins in May were the fifth-most in Double-A. The Mississippi pitching staff gave up the second-fewest runs in Double-A (86) during the month and posted a 3.19 ERA.

WALDREP TO THE SHOW: RHP Hurston Waldrep was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on May 8, and after just one start in Triple-A, he made his major league debut on June 9 at Washington. He was the 173rd player to move from Mississippi to "The Show." The Atlanta Braves' first-round pick in 2023 (24th overall) went 3-1 with a 1.19 ERA from Mississippi in May, with 31 strikeouts to seven walks.

MEJIA TOSSES FIFTH NO-HITTER IN M-BRAVES HISTORY: RHP Ian Mejia's seven-inning no-hitter in game two of the Friday, May 17 doubleheader vs. Biloxi was the fifth no-hitter in M-Braves history, and first individual one since Tommy Hanson's nine-inning no-hitter on June 25, 2008, vs. Birmingham at Trustmark Park. The M-Braves beat the Barons 6-0, and Hanson walked three and struck out 14 in the game. There have been three combined nine-inning no-hitters in team history (Julio Teheran & Tyrelle Harris, 8/2/10 vs. Mobile, Ian Anderson & Jeremy Walker, 6/28/19 vs. Jackson (TN), and Bryce Elder & Daysbel Hernandez, 7/10/21 vs. Pensacola.

FINAL SEASON IN MISSISSIPPI: On January 9, it was announced that after 20 years, 2024 will be the M-Braves' final season in Pearl, MS. As of the start of the 2025 season, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves will be relocating to Columbus, GA.

M-BRAVES REACH 1,200 WINS: The April 25, 13-3 win over Montgomery was Mississippi's 1,200th in franchise history. It took the M-Braves until the sixth game of the inaugural season in 2005 to win the first game in club history, which was an April 12, 2005, 7-4 win over the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx in game two of a doubleheader at Pringles Park. Jeff Francoeur was 0-for-3, with a walk and RBI, in the game, using a five-run sixth fueled by RBIs by Scott Thorman, Francoeur, and Derrick Gibson. Brian O'Connor got the win for Mississippi.

COACHING STAFF WITH A NEW FLO: After spending one season as manager of the Braves High-A affiliate Rome Braves (Emperors), Angel Flores will take the reins for the first time at the Double-A level, succeeding Kanekoa Texeira. Texeira was promoted to manager of the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers after Matt Tuiasosopo was named to the Braves' Major League coaching staff for 2024. Flores returns to Mississippi, where he served as bench coach in 2022. Flores took over as interim manager from April 26 to May 15, 2022, while Bruce Crabbe took a leave of absence from the club. During the 18-game stretch, the M-Braves went 10-8. During his first season as a full-time manager last year, Flores led the R-Braves to a 34-32 record in the second half and an overall 64-68 mark. Rome closed the year with a 21-15 record in August and September. Overall, he holds a 74-76 record as a manager.

Check out the Mississippi Braves Statistics



Southern League Stories from July 27, 2024


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