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SL Mississippi Braves

Game Info: Tuesday, June 18 at Tennessee Smokies: 6:00 PM CT: Smokies Stadium

June 18, 2024 - Southern League (SL)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Mississippi Braves (29-33) at Tennessee Smokies (36-26)

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - 6:00 PM - Smokies Stadium - Kodak, TN

Game 63 of 137 - Away Game 34 of 68

Starting Pitchers: LHP Mitch Farris (0-0, --) vs. RHP Connor Noland (3-2, 3.18)

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

Listen Live: 102.1 The Box

Recent Roster Moves

6/18 LHP Mitch Farris transferred to Mississippi from High-A Rome

TODAY'S GAME: The Mississippi Braves and Tennessee Smokies begin a six-game series on Tuesday night at Smokies Stadium. This is the first of two series' between the two teams this season. The M-Braves and Smokies will meet for a six-game set at Trustmark Park, July 30 to August 4.

ABOUT SUNDAY: Playing as the home team in Madison on Sunday, the M-Braves scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off the Trash Pandas 3-2. The M-Braves won four of five in the shortened five-game series that was moved to Toyota Field on Thursday. Yolbert Sanchez hit a two-out single to center, scoring Brandon Parker to win the game. Mississippi relievers Jorge Juan, Anthony Vizcaya, Jonathan Hughes, Hayden Harris, and Domingo Gonzalez held Rocket City without a hit over the final 6.2 innings on Sunday. Bryson Horne was 2-for-4 with a run, and Sanchez finished 2-for-5. Parker scored the game-winning run and went 1-for-4, extending his on-base streak to 12 games and hitting streak to six.

PARKER POWER SURGE: The South Mississippi native Brandon Parker has reached base safely in 12 straight games since May 26 and holds a six-game hitting streak that began on June 8. Over the 12-game on-base streak games, batting .389 with five of his six home runs, three doubles, 11 RBI, 10 runs, seven walks, and 1.366 OPS.

START ME UP: M-Braves' starting pitchers have a 3.36 ERA, ranking 5th in Double-A and leading Double-A with five complete games and T-1st with three complete game shutouts.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Due to unplayable field conditions at Trustmark Park, last week's series between the M-Braves and Rocket City Trash Pandas was shifted to Toyota Field in Madison, AL. The M-Braves won four games in the shortened five-game series.

ROAD WARRIORS: After starting the season 6-14 on the road, the M-Braves are 13-5 over their last 18 games away from Trustmark Park, including a 4-1 mark in last week's home-away-from-home series at Toyota Field. 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.

MOVING ON UP: Since May 29, four M-Braves have been promoted to a higher level, and two are currently on the Atlanta major league roster ... RHP Spencer Schwellenbach was promoted directly to Atlanta on 5/29 ... RHP Hurston Waldrep was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on 6/1, and then Atlanta on 6/9 ... C Drake Baldwin (6/11) and INF Nacho Alvarez Jr. (5/12) were promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett this week.

BALDWIN LEFT HIS MARK: Drake Baldwin was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday after his most productive series of the season. The Madison, WI native had 11 RBI during the Pensacola series, adding a homer, six runs, seven hits, and two walks. The M-Braves catcher ranked 4th in the Southern League with 33 RBI at the time of his promotion. C Sebastian Rivero was transferred to Mississippi from Triple-A Gwinnett.

FLETCH ON THE MOUND...AND INFIELD: David Fletcher was transferred from Triple-A Gwinnett on May 1 and joined the M-Braves roster as a two-way player, throwing the knuckleball ... Fletcher tossed 6.0 innings of one-run ball in his first M-Braves start on June 4 and over his first three starts is 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA (17.1 IP/9 ER), five walks, four strikeouts, .238 opponents' batting average and 1.15 WHIP ... The former major league infielder is a career .276 batter with 16 home runs, 170 RBI, and 560 hits over seven seasons and 539 MLB games ... He has played for the LA Angels (2018-23) and Atlanta Braves (2024) ... Fletcher appeared in five games for Atlanta this season in April. He made his first five pitching appearances for Gwinnett this season and appeared in 39 games as a position player. Atlanta received Fletcher via trade with the Angels in exchange for 1B Evan White and LHP Tyler Thomas (12/8/23).

"MAY" BE A GOOD SIGN: After going 7-15 in April, the M-Braves completed a 16-10 May. The 16 wins in May were the 5th-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. In May, starters Ian Mejia, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Hurston Waldrep combined to go 9-1 with a 0.51 ERA, four runs allowed over 70.1 innings pitched, 13 walks to 78 strikeouts.

THE MEJIA MAGIC: Ian 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. In four starts at Trustmark Park, Mejia hasn't given up a run in 27 innings. When Ian Mejia takes the mound, the Mississippi Braves are 10-1 in his 11 starts. Mississippi's opening-day starter leads the Southern League with two shutouts and ranks among the league leaders in ERA (3rd, 1.79), wins (T-2nd, 5), strikeouts (7th, 67), WHIP (5th, 0.98), and opponent's batting average (4th, .180). Mejia set a new club record, not allowing a run over 30.1 innings from April 28 to May 5.

M-BRAVES SWEEP CHATTANOOGA: The six-game sweep of Chattanooga, May 21-26, was the second by an M-Braves team and first since a six-game sweep of Rocket City July 12-17, 2022. The M-Braves scored 39 runs over the six games with no home runs but 18 doubles, one triple, a .299 batting average, and a .371 OBP. Nacho Alvarez hit .370 (10x27) with a double, two RBI, four runs, a walk, and three steals.

SCHWELLY TO THE SHOW: Atlanta Braves No. 3 overall prospect Spencer Schwellenbach had his contract selected by the Atlanta Braves on May 29. He made his MLB debut on May 29 vs. Washington (5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO). Schwellenbach is the second M-Braves alum to make their major league debut this season, joining Tyler Ferguson, who debuted for Oakland on May 7. The right-hander is the 171st Mississippi player to make their major league debut and the 24th to be promoted directly from Double-A. Michael Harris II and Vaughn Grisson were promoted from Mississippi to Atlanta in 2022. Max Fried was the last pitcher to be promoted from the M-Braves roster in 2019.

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.

NEED FOR SPEED: The M-Braves are T-2nd in Double-A behind Birmingham (115) and Hartford (113) in stolen bases with 113 (113-for-135) through 62 games. Five players have reached double-digit steals. Justin Dean leads the way and is 2nd in the league with 28. Geraldo Quintero is T-7th with 19, Cody Milligan is 10th with 18 ... Nacho Alvarez has 16, and Cal Conley has 15. Mississippi had 157 stolen bases last season and is on pace for 249 (1.82 per game) in 2024. The most by an M-Braves team was 159 in 2007.

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.

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 June 18, 2024


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