Parke Spins Gem as Barons Win Fourth Straight Game
June 29, 2019 - Southern League (SL1)
Birmingham Barons News Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Barons newcomer John Parke spun a gem in his Regions Field debut as the Birmingham Barons (33-46) earned a 5-0 victory over the Mobile BayBears (31-47) on Saturday night.
Parke, who joined the Barons on June 20 after a promotion from Hi-A Winston-Salem, worked seven scoreless frames in his first home start at the Double-A level. The 24-year-old southpaw surrendered just four hits and struck out three.
Parke (W, 1-0) retired the first 12 batters he faced, which included a pair of punchouts. His seven shutout frames marked his first such effort since June 21, 2018 as a member of Class-A Kannapolis.
The Barons backed Parke's impressive outing with plenty of early offense as Laz Rivera put Birmingham ahead with a sacrifice fly in the second. Blake Rutherford extended the lead when he plated Luis Robert with an RBI-single in the third.
Robert doubled to lead off the third and stole third to open up the scoring threat. The White Sox top-ranked prospect later added his second stolen base of the contest, which marked his fifth time this season with multiple stolen bases in a game.
Rutherford, meanwhile, continued his dominant stretch of play in the month of June. The 22-year-old outfielder, who owned a .185 clip at the plate entering the month, raised his average to .260 with a pair of hits and two RBI.
Ramon Torres added to Birmingham's lead when he pulled a single through the right side to score Rivera.
Rutherford's second run-scoring single of the night and a sacrifice fly from Gavin Sheets brought the score to 5-0 in the fifth.
Right-handers Alec Hansen and Mauricio Cabrera locked down the win with scoreless efforts out of the bullpen in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. Each struck out two in their appearances.
The Barons, who are in the midst of a season-high four-game win streak, are set to hit the road for a four-game set against the Tennessee Smokies. Birmingham will send right-hander Vince Arobio (0-0, 0.00) to the mound against Tennessee right-hander Tyson Miller (4-3, 2.55) in Sunday's series opener.
First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. CT at Smokies Stadium and the game will be broadcast via WJQX-FM 100.5. Coverage will begin at 4:15 p.m. with the Coca-Cola Pregame Show.
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