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SL Mississippi Braves

Game Info: Thursday, September 5 vs. Tennessee Smokies: 6:35 PM: Trustmark Park

September 5, 2024 - Southern League (SL)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Mississippi Braves (30-29, 61-66) vs. Tennessee Smokies (40-19, 80-47)

Thursday, September 5, 2024 - 6:35 PM - Trustmark Park - Pearl, MS

Game 128 of 137 - 2nd Half 60 of 69 - Home Game 60 of 63

Starting Pitchers: RHP Ian Mejia (7-6, 3.55) vs. RHP Nick Hull (0-0, 3.00)

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

Listen Live: 102.1 The Box

Today's Promotions:

Thirsty Thursday™ Blues N' Brews: Mississippi Delta Blues will be featured throughout the game. The night will include the Trustmark Park staple Thirsty Thursday™ drink specials. The M-Braves will salute the rich history of blues music during the final season by wearing Mississippi Blues jerseys.

Free Bounce House Access: Fun Zone Bounce House Access is FREE!

Recent Roster Moves:

9/3: Brooks Wilson transferred to Mississippi from Triple-A Gwinnett

TODAY'S GAME: The Mississippi Braves continue their final homestand on Thursday night against the Tennessee Smokies with game three of a six-game series at Trustmark Park. The first M-Braves homestand was April 18-21, 2005, against the Montgomery Biscuits, which was 7,080 days ago. The M-Braves are 3-11 against the Smokies this season, including 1-7 at Trustmark Park. The Smokies lead the all-time series, 111-98. At Trustmark Park, the M-Braves trail the all-time series 51-50.

ABOUT WEDNESDAY NIGHT: The Mississippi Braves continued their final homestand at Trustmark Park on Wednesday night and were shut out by the Tennessee Smokies 5-0. The M-Braves were held to just four hits in the loss. David Fletcher (L, 3-6) made his 16th start on Wednesday and struck out a season-high five batters but surrendered five runs on six hits over 5.0 innings. The Smokies (40-19, 80-47) hit two solo home runs and tallied three in the third inning against the knuckleballer. The M-Braves (30-29, 61-66) bullpen held Tennessee off the scoreboard over the final four innings. Drew Parrish tossed 2.0 shutout innings, striking out two, and Jonathan Hughes and Patrick Halligan contributed a scoreless frame each.

THE PLAYOFF PICTURE: Having gone 13-8 since August 11, the M-Braves are in third place, 5.0 games out of first place in the Southern League's South Division behind Montgomery, and 1.0 game behind Biloxi for the wild card with 10 games remaining. The 5-1 series win in Biloxi, August 13-18, brought the club from 6.5 back to 2.5 back. The M-Braves finish the season on the road in Biloxi, September 15-20 to close the final season in Mississippi.

SANCHEZ SIZZLIN': Yolbert Sanchez has hit in 16 of his last 20 games, including a 7-game hitting streak, 8/24-9/3, since August 4, leading the league by batting .408 with 12 multi-hit games. Since June 30, Sanchez ranks fourth in the Southern League, batting .329 in 38 games.

STARTING STUDS - GREAT PITCHING: M-Braves' starters rank eighth in Double-A with a 3.67 ERA this season. Over the last 24 games since August 8, as a pitching staff, the M-Braves rank fourth in Double-A and seventh in MiLB with a 2.68 ERA.

WINNING AUGUST: Despite starting August 2-7, the M-Braves posted a winning month by going 12-6 over the final 18 games, and finish 14-13 overall.

LANDON HARPER TO THE TOP: Pearl River CC and Southern Miss product Landon Harper might have found a home as a starting pitcher. Harper tossed a career-high 6.0 shutout innings on Tuesday, and over four starts this season for the M-Braves he hasn't allowed a run in 17.0 innings, nine hits, two walks, and 16 strikeouts.

STREAKING HURLERS: M-Braves' relievers Jonathan Hughes (10 games/16.2 IP), Patrick Halligan (8 games/9.0 IP), and Eilson Joseph (8 games/8.1 IP) have scoreless streaks going currently.

CONLEY JOINS 40-STEAL CLUB: Cal Conley became the fifth player in Double-A to join the 40-stolen base club on August 31 at Pensacola with his 40th and 41st stolen base of the season. He joins Justin Dean (47) as the only other M-Braves player to have a 40-steal season in club history.

ROSTER SHAKEUP: The M-Braves have made 19 roster moves since July 28. RHP Brooks Wilson was added to the roster on Tuesday from Triple-A Gwinnett. Wilson was instrumental in the 2021 League Championship, going 3-1, 2.45 ERA in 33 games, 17 walks, and 73 strikeouts.

SHUTOUTS, DONUTS, AND GOOSE EGGS: The August 25, 4-0 shutout win over Chattanooga was Mississippi's fourth in 12 games and 15th of the season. The 15 shutouts are T-1st in Double-A and T-3rd in Minor League Baseball.

FLETCHER'S FEELING GOOD ON THE MOUND AND AT THE PLATE: M-Braves two-way player David Fletcher is 2-2 over his last five starts with a 4.85 ERA (26.0 IP, 14 ER), and at the plate over that same span since August 8, is batting .297 over eight games while playing second base. The knuckleballer and former two-time MLB Gold Glove award finalist with the Angels has made 14 pitching starts and appeared in 49 total games this season for Mississippi.

ROAD SUCCESS/HOME SWOON: The M-Braves are 18-6 over their last 24 road games since the All-Star Break (6-14 at home). After starting the season 6-14 on the road, the M-Braves are 27-15 over their last 42 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.

EMPER0RS RISING: The three newest position player additions to the roster from High-A Rome, Ethan Workinger, David McCabe, and Adam Zebrowski have made an immidiate impact. The trio reached base nine times in the 11-1 win in Biloxi on August 18. Zebrowski has hit in six of 10 games, including a three-hit game on August 18. McCabe has been on base 26 times in his last 20 games, and Workinger has hit in four of his last five games (3 XBH).

BIG BAD BRAUN: RHP Lucas Braun has put together one of the top seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization this year. Braun leads the organization in strikeouts (145), and innings pitched (131.1), and is among the leaders in ERA (3rd, 3.49), starts (T-1st, 22), WHIP (2nd, 1.15), opponent's batting average (3rd, .236), and wins (2nd, 8).

MCCABE MAKING IT BACK: DH David McCabe had Tommy John surgery in February, returned to action, and made his M-Braves debut on July 30. McCabe hit his first home run on August 9 vs. Pensacola, his first home run since August 18, 2023, while with Rome. In 2023, McCabe led the Braves farm system with 75 RBI and finished T-3rd in homers with 17.

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

Leading Double-A: Mississippi leads Double-A with 219 stolen bases (219-for-277, 79%) through 127 games. The closest club is Montgomery, with 211. Birmingham set the Southern League record with 264 in 1989.

First to 200 Steals: With three steals on August 16 at Biloxi, the M-Braves became the first team in Double-A and 10th in minor league baseball to reach 200 steals in 2024.

Four players with 30+ steals, two with 40+: The M-Braves became the first team in Minor League Baseball to have four players with 30+ steals in 2024, and first in Double-A and third in Minor League Baseball to have two with 40+ steals. Justin Dean led the way at the time of his August 8 promotion to Triple-A and led Double-A with 47. Cal Conley ranks 3rd in the Southern League with 41, Cody Milligan is 6th with 36, and Geraldo Quintero is T-10th with 32 ... The M-Braves became the first team with 4+ players with 30+ steals since the 2022 Down East Wood Ducks (5). The most by a team since 2005 was the 2017 Lancaster Jethawks, with six players.

IMPRESSIVE ON-BASE STREAK: INF Keshawn Ogans saw his team-high 24-game on-base streak end on July 30. Over the streak, he hit .287 with a .374 OBP, three doubles, 5 RBI, 13 runs, nine walks, 3 HBP, and four steals. The streak was the fourth-longest in the 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.

THE MAN OF STEAL PROMOTED: OF Justin Dean was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett after the game on Wednesday. Dean set a new M-Braves single-season record with 47 stolen bases in 92 games. On July 28 at Montgomery, Dean surpassed Matt Young's record of 42 (set in '09) in just 88 games. Dean is the M-Braves all-time leader with 117 steals.

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).

M-BRAVES TO THE SHOW: RHP Parker Dunshee became the eighth M-Braves alum and fourth from the 2024 squad to make an MLB debut this season on August 8 for Atlanta. He also became the 177th alum to debut since 2005. Dunshee 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) and Nacho Alvarez Jr. (7/22, ATL). 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.

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