Jax Throws Well, but Blue Wahoos Fall
August 26, 2019 - Southern League (SL1)
Pensacola Blue Wahoos News Release
Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Griffin Jax delivers
(Pensacola Blue Wahoos)
Griffin Jax will soon rejoin the Air Force Reserve, a commitment the now-first lieutenant and Air Force Academy graduate embraces as part of his service.
But first, his focus is to help the Blue Wahoos finish a playoff push.
Jax, 24, delivered another quality start Sunday in absorbing a hard-luck loss in the Blue Wahoos 4-1 defeat against the Jackson Generals at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
It was his first game on the mound with the Blue Wahoos since July 27, before getting elevated to Triple-A Rochester. It was the ninth time in 19 starts with the team in which Jax (4-4) met pro baseball requirements for a quality start - at least six innings, no more than three earned runs.
"The past month or so, I'm trying to go out there and go as long as I can," said Jax, after working six complete innings, allowing just four hits, three runs, only one earned run with seven strikeouts and just one walk. "It was a typically quick paced game for me -- lot of contact, lot of quick outs.
"As long as I can stay out there on the mound and give my team a chance to win, that's my game. That's all I'm trying to do."
The effort was more than enough to give the Blue Wahoos an opportunity Sunday, but the Generals were bolstered by their starter, Emilio Vargas, who matched his season high with seven strong innings, allowing just five hits and a run.
The Generals enjoyed their win, after the field cleared, with spray of champagne in their visitors' dugout to celebrate clinching the wild card position in the Southern League North Division.
The Montgomery Biscuits, whom the Blue Wahoos play later this week on the road to conclude the season, won the first half and are enroute to winning the second half.
Jackson, the 2018 Southern League champions and Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate, locked up the playoff spot when the Birmingham Barons were the final team eliminated in the division race. The Blue Wahoos arranged for the bubbly beverages for the Generals to celebrate.
The Blue Wahoos, meanwhile, are vying to make the playoffs the same way in the South Division. They will face the Generals on Monday and Tuesday to finish this series, have an off day Wednesday, then play five games in Montgomery to close the season schedule.
The Blue Wahoos trail first-half division winner Biloxi by four games, following Sunday's loss and the Shuckers' win. But Pensacola gains wild card entry if the Shuckers hold off Jacksonville (2.5 games back) in the second-half chase.
The Blue Wahoos (72-60 overall), who will finish the season playing one less game, have locked up second-best, overall record in the South Division, provided the Jumbo Shrimp (65-68) don't overtake Biloxi in the second-half race.
"Yeah, it's obviously on our minds," said Jax, whose nine quality starts are a team high. "We come to the clubhouse every single day knowing the situation before the game gets going. We are always keeping an eye on what the other teams are doing.
"Seeing (Generals) celebrate is something we obviously want to do at some point. We're not really trying to stress, not trying to press, because that's not going to allow us to play our game.
"If we want to be there at the end of the year (next Monday is final game), we have to do what we do best and that's playing loose, having fun."
The Blue Wahoos ended the day with fun.
Team owner Quint Studer arranged for a post-game, private dinner at Angelena's, the new Italian restaurant on E. Intendencia Street downtown.
The players able to attend, along with the entire coaching staff, were treated to a full-course dinner prepared by owner/chef James Briscione.
Studer and the Blue Wahoos also provided for a team dinner in June at 5-Eleven Palafox, treating the players in that half of the season. He thanked the players for being accommodating in team community service projects and signing autographs for fans.
It was something he did in past years, as well, when the team was a Cincinnati Reds affiliate. This season, the first as a Minnesota Twins affiliate, has evolved with several club records set and a new relationship established.
Twins owner Jim Pohlad, along with Dave St. Peter, the Twins' chief executive officer, traveled to Pensacola recently for a private visit with Studer, a tour of the stadium and praised the operations.
Prior to Sunday's game, the entire team signed autographs for fans less than an hour before the first pitch on the stadium concourse.
Adding to the fun activities, the team honored 96-year-old living legend John Appleyard during the game. Mr Appleyard wowed the crowd of 4,257 by performing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" on his harmonica from the press box during the seventh-inning stretch, where he had joined Blue Wahoos broadcaster Chris Garagiola during the game.
Jax and the Generals' Vargas traded zeroes on the mound the first four innings. With two outs in the fifth, misfortune struck Jax.
The Generals' Galli Cribbs Jr. hit a slow roller that shortstop Royce Lewis raced in to grab, but his off-balance throw was wide of the first base bag.
First baseman Alex Kirilloff caught the ball and applied a tag to Cribbs, but the instant collision jarred the ball loose and it traveled behind first base, allowing two unearned runs to score.
"That's the crazy thing about baseball. It usually comes down to one play when you have two real good teams going at it," said Blue Wahoos pitching coach Justin Willard, who has worked with Jax during his time in Pensacola.
The Generals got another run in the sixth off Jax when Jeffrey Baez led off with a double and later scored on Seth Beer's sacrifice fly.
Mark Contreras drove in the Blue Wahoos run in the seventh with a double, scoring LaMonte Wade, who had doubled. Two Generals relievers followed Vargas in the eighth and ninth to seal the win.
Jax finished his day with 89 pitches, 60 for strikes. He lowered his earned run average with the Blue Wahoos to 2.62.
"He's got phenomenal fastball command," Willard said. "He can put it where he wants to and when he needs to. And then his slider has come a long way. That was a pitch he didn't have last year.
"That's a huge guy to have in your rotation for every series. You know he is going to go at least 5, 6 (innings every night."
BALLPARK MEMORIES
The fans attending Sunday's game were provided a frameable, color portrait of the current team by game sponsor Dlux Printing & Mailing on Fairfield Drive.
The team photo was recently taken to assure all three of the Twins' first-round draft picks from 2016-18 - Alex Kirilloff, Royce Lewis and Trevor Larnach - were in the photo.
In addition, the first 1,000 fans were provided a John Appleyard Bobblehead, provided by the Blue Wahoos, which had Mr. Appleyard sitting at an old-fashioned typewriter, surrounded by books.
The Destin United Methodist Church Choir performed the National Anthem.
During the popular "Roach Run," Mr. Appleyard's grandson, Rick, who works for the Appleyard Agency that his grandfather founded, was dressed in the roach costume, but with a cane and entered the field slowly as a video image of Mr. Appleyard appearing to put on the costume was being played on the mass video board above right field.
Suddenly, Rick did a summersault on the outfield grass, then broke into a full sprint with kids chasing, but not catching him. When completed, the video showed Mr. Appleyard again, appearing to wipe sweat off his head as he took off the costume.
After the game, WKRG News 5 and McDonald's sponsored the season's final "Kids Run The Bases" and family catch in the outfield event.
Images from this story
 Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Griffin Jax |
 Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Griffin Jax delivers |
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