SL Mississippi Braves

Saturday, August 7 at Birmingham Barons: 6:30 PM CT: Regions Field

Published on August 7, 2021 under Southern League (SL)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Mississippi Braves (ATL) (46-36, 2nd, AA-S South, -0.5) vs.

Birmingham Barons (CHW) (44-36, 1st, AA-S North, +2.0)

Pitching Matchup: RHP Victor Vodnik (0-4, 7.30) vs. LHP Taylor Varnell (1-1, 3.86)

Game #83 | Road Game #41

Radio: 103.9 FM WYAB and (LISTEN LIVE LINK)

TV: MiLB.TV

Today's Roster Moves:

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NEWS & NOTES:

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TODAY'S GAME: The M-Braves continue a 12-game road trip on Saturday with game five of a six-game series against the Birmingham Barons at Regions Field. This is the second series and final meeting between the clubs in 2021. The M-Braves are 7-3 against the Barons this season.

- The M-Braves lead the all-time series, 122-108, while Birmingham holds the edge in games played in Birmingham, 63-56. The M-Braves are 23-25 in games played at Regions Field since 2013.

- The M-Braves are 6-4 on the current 12-game road trip to Pensacola, and Birmingham. The M-Braves went 4-2 during the first leg of the road trip in Pensacola.

M-BRAVES SLAM BARONS 12-0 TO EVEN SERIES FRIDAY: M-Braves starter Spencer Strider had a career-best 6.1 shutout innings, and matched a career-high with 12 strikeouts, one walk, four hits, earning his second win. Trey Harris added a grand slam home run, and M-Braves season-best five RBI. Riley Delgado had four hits in the win. The 16 hits matched a season-high, while the 12-run margin of victory was a season-best.

LOOKING UP AT THE LEADER: The M-Braves dropped out of first place on Thursday night, and are currently a half-game back in the AA-S South Division to Montgomery. The M-Braves held at least a share of first place from June 24 to August 5.

PITCHING AND DEFENSE: The M-Braves lead the league, and are T-3rd in Double-A baseball, with a 3.78 ERA. M-Braves hurlers have served up 55 home run balls, which is the fewest in Double-A baseball, and T-8th fewest in all of minor league baseball. The starting rotation holds a 3.68 ERA, 5th in Double-A baseball. The M-Braves still lead the Double-A South and are 3rd in Double-A with a .982 fielding percentage, 51 errors in 82 games.

ANOTHER PITCHER OF THE MONTH AWARD: RHP Bryce Elder was named the Double-A South Pitcher of the Month for July, after going 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA over five starts. Another former Longhorn, Nolan Kingham took home the award in June, also wearing the #58 on his back. The Decatur, TX native has logged five straight starts of 7.0 innings. In 16 starts between Rome and Mississippi, Elder is 7-2 with a 3.13 ERA, 36 walks, 99 strikeouts, and 1.13 WHIP. He ranks 2nd in all of MiLB with 89.0 IP.

TOP HOME RUN HITTING TEAM IN CLUB HISTORY: The M-Braves have hit 24 home runs over the first 10 games of the road trip, by 10 different players, and surpassed the M-Braves record for home runs in a single season. The 104 home runs this season in 82 games, ranks 2nd in the Double-A South, and 6th in all of Double-A.

- The M-Braves have hit 69 home runs on the road, and 35 at Trustmark Park, which statistically ranked 30th in Double-A for homers per game in 2019, at 1.1 combined. The all-time franchise record for homers is 147, set by the 1997 Greenville Braves. The 2021 team is on pace for 152 home runs in 120 games this season.

- The M-Braves have four players with double-digit home runs for the first time since 2008, Shea Langeliers leads the way with 17, while Drew Lugbauer and Greyson Jenista have 12, and Wendell Rijo has 10. In 2008, Kala Ka'aihue (14), Jason Perry (13), Reid Gorecki (10), and Jordan Schafer (10) reached double-digit homers. Langeliers' 17 homers are T-4th-most in a single season by an M-Braves player.

Franchise-Record seven homers on July 27: The M-Braves set an M-Braves, and franchise record for homers in a game on July 27, at Pensacola with seven in a game, and four during the 7th inning. The previous franchise record was five in a game (3x: 8/14/99 vs Orlando, 7/1/92 vs Knoxville, 9/3/04 vs West Tenn). The four home runs in an inning matched the franchise record, tying the four-hit on 7/7/86 vs. Memphis.

ANOTHER WINNING MONTH: The M-Braves went 14-13 in July, and have not had a losing month this season. The M-Braves had the best June in club history, going 18-8, and were 12-12 in May. The 44 home runs in July were the most in any month in club history.

THE LANGELIERS FACTOR: Shea Langeliers is 25-for-53 in catching opposing base stealers, 47%. His 25 caught stealings are T-1st in MiLB, while nine double plays and 56 assists are tops among catchers in MiLB.

- At the plate, Langeliers leads the club with 17 home runs, and is on a season-high eight-game hitting streak, batting .363 with three home runs, three doubles, and seven runs scored.

TURNAROUND FOR SHEWMAKE: Since June 17, Braden Shewmake is batting .369 with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 21 RBI, and 19 runs scored in his last 29 games. Prior to June 17, in his first 31 games, Shewmake was batting .133.

41 WINS SINCE MAY 19: Despite a 9-game losing streak, July 17-25, since May 19 (starting 4-8), the Braves are 41-28. The 41 wins are T-2nd in Double-A over that time.

M-BRAVES DROPPED FIRST SERIES SINCE MAY 16: The M-Braves were swept in a six-game series to Biloxi, July 20-25, and have lost eight straight games for the first time since dropping eight-straight in 2019, 6/29-7/6. The M-Braves went nine consecutive series without dropping one. Overall, the club is 5-3-4 in series' this season.

TOPS IN STRIKEOUT PERCENTAGE: Reliever Indigo Diaz over 36.2 innings this season between Rome and Mississippi has allowed, 15 hits, 3 ER, 11 walks, 72 strikeouts, 0 HR, 17.13 K/9, 5-1, 0.76 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, .121 BAA.

151 MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUTS: LHP Kyle Muller made his major league debut for the Atlanta Braves on June 16 vs. Boston. Muller became the first M-Braves alum to debut in 2021 and 151st all-time.

FIRST ROUND PICKS AND PROSPECTS: The squad features both of Atlanta's first-round selections from the 2019 draft in catcher Shea Langeliers (#9) and shortstop Braden Shewmake (#21). They represent the third and fourth-ranked prospects in the organization, according to MLB.com and Langeliers is #56 on the MLB.com Top 100 and sixth-ranked catching prospect in baseball.

- Overall, the M-Braves feature 11 of the Braves' Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline. After Langeliers and Shewmake, RHP Freddy Tarnok (10), RHP Bryce Elder (#11), OF Trey Harris (#12), RHP Victor Vodnik (#13), RHP Daysbel Hernandez (15), INF Greyson Jenista (#17), C.J. Alexander (#18), RHP Spencer Strider (19), INF and OF Justin Dean (#24) are among the Top 30.

AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS:

Shea Langeliers -HR (T-2nd, 17), Slugging (3rd, .515), OPS (4th, .849), XBH (7th, 28), and Total Bases (5th, 124)

Justin Dean - SB (1st, 22), Runs (T-5th, 42), 3B (T-5th, 3), Walks (T-9th, 34) and OBP (9th, .361).

Braden Shewmake - 3B (T-5th, 3).

Drew Lugbauer - OBP (11th, .365), OPS (10th, .826), HR (T-10th, 12), Slugging (8th, .470), XBH (T-10th, 25)

Trey Harris - Hits (T-9th, 66)

Greyson Jenista - Walks (5th, 42), HR (T-7th, 13)

Brandon White - Saves (T-4th, 7)

Odalvi Javier - Wins (T-5th, 5), ERA (3rd, 3.14), BAA (2nd, .202), and WHIP (3rd, 1.11)

Hayden Deal - IP (7th, 73.0), BAA (9th, .253), T-1st in starts (15), WHIP (7th, 1.30), ERA (7th, 3.82)

Bryce Elder - Wins (T-5th, 5)

Check out the Mississippi Braves Statistics

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Southern League Stories from August 7, 2021


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