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SL Mississippi Braves

Game Info: Tuesday, April 23 at Montgomery Biscuits: 6:05 PM CT: Riverwalk Stadium

April 23, 2024 - Southern League (SL)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Tuesday, April 23, 2024 - 6:05 PM CT - Riverwalk Stadium - Montgomery, AL

Mississippi Braves (4-11, 4th, SL South, -6.0) at Montgomery Biscuits (8-7, 2nd, SL South, -2.0)

Starting Pitchers: RHP Ian Mejia (1-0, 3.29) vs. RHP Logan Workman (0-0, 3.21)

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

Listen Live: 102.1 The Box

Today's Roster Move

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STARTING LINEUPS - GAME 1

TODAY'S GAME: The M-Braves and Biscuits open a six-game series tonight, the first of 24 meetings between the teams this season. The two teams next meet for a six-game series from May 27 to June 2 at Trustmark Park. This series is the second leg of a 12-game road trip. The M-Braves went 1-5 against the Birmingham Barons last week, April 16-21, at Regions Field.

BRING ON THE BISCUITS, LET'S COOK: Mississippi went 11-19 against Montgomery last season, 4-8 at Riverwalk Stadium, and 7-11 at Trustmark Park ... Montgomery has won the season set against Mississippi in 14 of 18 seasons since 2005 ... The M-Braves are 142-194 (.423) all-time against the Biscuits franchise ... The Biscuits have played the most games against the M-Braves since 2005, with 336 total meetings.

ABOUT SUNDAY: The M-Braves were swept in a doubleheader by the Birmingham Barons at Regions Field on Sunday and ended the first leg of the 12-game road trip 1-5 ... Birmingham took the first game, 3-2, and in game two, walked off with an Edgar Quero three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, 4-1 ... Justin Dean was 1-for-2 with a two-run single in the second inning, and Geraldo Quintero, and Yolbert Sanchez were each 2-for-4 in the game one loss ... In game two, Mississippi jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a Drake Baldwin solo home run ... Baldwin had Mississippi's lone multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3 with the homer, a double, and RBI ... JJ Niekro suffered the tough-luck loss, after ceding three runs on seven hits over 5.0 innings, no walks, and six strikeouts. Jonathan Hughes, Peyton Williams, Patrick Halligan, and Drew Parrish tossed scoreless outings in the doubleheader.

NEED FOR SPEED: The M-Braves lead all of Double-A baseball with 35 stolen bases (35/38) through 15 games. Rocket City is second with 34. Justin Dean is 2nd in the league with nine steals, and Cody Milligan is T-3rd with eight. Mississippi had 157 (1.1 per game) stolen bases last season and is on pace for 322 (2.3 per game) in 2024. The most by an M-Braves team was 159 in 2007.

"NACHO" AVERAGE SHORT STOP: Atlanta's top-ranked position player prospect, Nacho Alvarez Jr., is on an eight-game on-base streak, batting .321 with five walks and .424 OBP. The 21-year-old ranks among the circuit leaders in walks (1st, 12), hits (T-6th, 15), batting average (7th, .319), OBP (5th, .429), and steals (T-9th, 6).

DRAKE IS "TOO GOOD": Atlanta's top catching prospect, Drake Baldwin, has reached base safely in eight straight games from April 11 to 21. Baldwin hit his first home run in game two of Sunday's doubleheader in Birmingham.

SLUGGISH START FOR THE OFFENSE: After 15 games, the M-Braves have scored 33 runs (2.2 per game), which is last in Double-A (Chattanooga has the next fewest with 39). Mississippi also ranks worst in Double-A in home runs (3), OPS (.580), and total bases (128). The offense has had opportunities but hasn't cashed in, stranding 114 runners on base (7.6 per game), which is the most by any Southern League team.

THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THE NAME NIEKRO: JJ Niekro, the son of Joe Niekro and nephew of Phil Niekro, is trying to create his legacy. The 26-year-old made his first two Double-A starts during the opening homestand and went 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA (2 ER/10.2), two walks, and eight strikeouts. Niekro won during the home opener on April 9 with 6.0 shutout innings in the 2-0 weather-shortened contest. The Plant City, FL native ranks among the Southern League leaders in innings pitched (7th, 15.2) and WHIP (9th, 1.02).

GIVE ME FIVE: The M-Braves are 4-3 when their starters go 5+ innings and 0-8 when starters go less than 5.0 innings. In the five games with 5+ innings, they combined for a 1.58 ERA (7 ER/40.0 IP). In the seven losses, the starter's ERA is 7.90 (24 ER/27.1 IP).

MR. MEJIA: After struggling in his first start, Ian Mejia has allowed just one run over his previous two quality starts, including 12 innings, one run allowed, four walks, and 13 strikeouts. Mejia set a new career high with nine strikeouts in his start on April 17 at Birmingham. Mejia has held opponents to a .188 batting average, ranking 6th in the Southern League.

ABOUT LAST SEASON: The club finished with a 62-75 overall record, 33-35 in the first half and 29-40 in the second half. The M-Braves were 32-36 at Trustmark Park and 30-39 on the road. The M-Braves went 19-32 in July and August but finished with a franchise record nine wins in September.

The M-Braves made 201 transactions in 2023 and saw 59 overall players, 24 position players, and 35 pitchers wear a Mississippi jersey. The club made a season-high 50 roster moves in April and a season-low 21 in June. That stability over the middle of the season helped the M-Braves finish a combined 26-24 over May and June after getting off to an 8-13 record in April.

OPENING DAY ROSTER FEATURES FOUR TOP-20 ATL PROSPECTS/17 RETURNERS: Mississippi returns 17 players from last season's club and four of the Atlanta Braves' Top 20 prospects. The Top 20 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, include RHP Hurston Waldrep (No. 2), INF Nacho Alvarez Jr. (No. 6), C Drake Baldwin (No. 11), and LHP Luis De Avila (No. 20). RHP Ian Mejia (No. 28), and INF Keshawn Ogans are part of Baseball America's Top 30 prospects.

The 17 returning players include pitchers De Avila, RHP Domingo Gonzalez, RHP Patrick Halligan, LHP Hayden Harris, LHP Jake McSteen, RHP Trey Riley, RHP Hurston Waldrep, and RHP Peyton Williams, and position players Baldwin, C Tyler Tolve, C Javier Valdes, INF Cade Bunnell, INF Cal Conley, INF Bryson Horne, OF Justin Dean, OF Cody Milligan, and OF Brandon Parker.

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 April 23, 2024


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