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SL Mississippi Braves

Game Info: Thursday, May 2 vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos: 6:35 PM CT: Trustmark Park

May 2, 2024 - Southern League (SL)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Thursday, May 2, 2024 - 6:35 PM CT - Trustmark Park - Pearl, MS

M-BRAVES (7-16, 4th, SL South, -6.0) vs. Pensacola (13-10, 1st, SL South, +0.5)

Starting Pitchers: RHP Hurston Waldrep (0-3, 5.68) vs. RHP Valente Bellozo (1-1, 6.08)

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

Listen Live: 102.1 The Box

Today's Roster Move

N/A

TODAY'S GAME: The M-Braves and Blue Wahoos play game three of a six-game series tonight at Trustmark Park. This is the sixth of 30 meetings between the clubs this season. Pensacola swept the season's Opening Series at Blue Wahoos Stadium, April 5-8. They will meet again June 4-9 for a six-game series at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

ABOUT YESTERDAY MORNING: In a case of déjà vu, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos erased a deficit and forced extra innings again on Wednesday morning, winning 5-3 in ten innings. The 11:05 am first pitch featured 4,221 school kids, the largest crowd in 2024. Yolbert Sanchez and Brandon Parker put Mississippi up 2-1 in the fourth inning with solo home runs. Sanchez was 3-for-5 with a double, home run, and two RBI. Parker finished 2-for-4 with a double, home run, and RBI. Starter Drew Parrish turned in his second-straight quality start, ceding just two runs on four hits over 6.0 innings with no walks and six strikeouts. Jake McSteen pitched a season-high 3.0 shutout innings out of the bullpen, striking out four and walking none.

GOING FISHING: The M-Braves are 0-5 so far this season against the Blue Wahoos ... Mississippi went 13-17 against Pensacola last season, 8-10 at Blue Wahoos Stadium, and 5-7 at Trustmark Park ... The M-Braves have won the season series two of the last three seasons, going 44-40 from 2021-2023 ... The M-Braves are 122-126 all-time against the Wahoos franchise.

NEED FOR SPEED: The M-Braves are second in Double-A in stolen bases with 49 (49/57-86%)) through 23 games. Geraldo Quintero, Cody Milligan, and Justin Dean are tied for the team lead and T-6th in the Southern League with 10. Mississippi had 157 (1.1 per game) stolen bases last season and is on pace for 294 (2.1 per game) in 2024. The most by an M-Braves team was 159 in 2007.

THE DEAN OF THE CLASS: OF Justin Dean has appeared in 251 games for the M-Braves since 2021 ... The Mauldin, SC native is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, batting .321 with two doubles, a homer, eight RBI, five walks, and a .924 OPS .. He currently ranks among the league leaders in batting average (4th, .322), OBP (2nd, .414), OPS (8th, .889), and stolen bases (T-6th, 10).

"NACHO" AVERAGE SHORT STOP: Atlanta's top-ranked position player prospect, Nacho Alvarez Jr., is on a 13-game on-base streak, batting .314 with 16 hits, a double, five RBI, six walks, six stolen bases and a .386 OBP. He also has a five-game hitting streak. The 21-year-old ranks among the circuit leaders in walks (T-2nd, 13), hits (T-6th, 22), batting average (8th, .292), and OBP (T-5th, .402).

HOME SWEET HOME: The M-Braves are coming off what will be their longest road trip of the season, six games in Birmingham, and six games in Montgomery. The M-Braves went 4-8 on the road trip, going 1-5 in Birmingham and 3-3 in Montgomery.

M-BRAVES REACH 1,200 WINS: Thursday night's 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 a 7-4 win over the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx in game two of a doubleheader at Pringles Park on April 12, 2005. 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.

PRIDE OF FLORIDA STATE: In five starts, LHP Drew Parrish has paced the rotation with a 2.66 ERA (7 ER/23.2 IP), four walks, and 24 strikeouts. Overall, the former Florida State star is 2-2 with a 3.55 ERA (10 ER/25.1 IP), seven walks, and 26 strikeouts in six games.

SCORING SPREE: Over the six games of the series in Montgomery, the M-Braves scored 32 runs, the most in the Southern League last week, with three home runs and 13 extra-base hits. The club scored a season-high 13 runs in the 13-3 win in Montgomery on April 25. In the first 15 games, Mississippi had scored just 31 runs, the fewest in Double-A with three home runs.

GIVE ME FIVE: The M-Braves are 6-7 when their starters go 5+ innings and 1-9 when starters go less than 5.0 innings. In the 13 games with 5+ innings, they have combined for a 2.27 ERA (18 ER/74.1 IP). In the 10 games of less than 5, the starter's ERA is 7.69 (30 ER/35.1 IP).

TOP PROSPECTS: According to MLB Pipeline, the M-Braves have five of Atlanta's Top 30 prospects. RHP Hurston Waldrep (No. 2), SS Nacho Alvarez Jr. (No. 6), C Drake Baldwin (No. 11), LHP Luis De Avila (No. 20), and INF/OF Geraldo Quintero (No. 28) are included. In Baseball America's Top 30, OF Cody Milligan (No. 27), RHP Ian Mejia (No. 28), and INF Keshawn Ogans (No. 30) are included.

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.

MISSISSIPPI MADE: M-Braves outfielder Brandon Parker, a native of Saucier, MS, on the Gulf Coast and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product, became the first player to prep in Mississippi and play for the M-Braves since Austin Riley in 2017. Riley prepped at Desoto Central in North Mississippi ... Parker was a two-time All-American at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Parker attended West Harrison High School.

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.

Check out the Mississippi Braves Statistics



Southern League Stories from May 2, 2024


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