Series Recap - Knoxville Smokies at Birmingham Barons
July 21, 2025 - Southern League (SL)
Knoxville Smokies News Release
Knoxville Smokies shortstop Pedro Ramirez at bat against the Birmingham Barons
(Knoxville Smokies, Credit: Lindsay Coward)
BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Knoxville Smokies hit the road once again coming off their short break for a three-game weekend series at Regions Field to take on their Southern League North rivals, the Birmingham Barons, in a pivotal second-half series from July 18-20. Coming off a strong start to the second half, the Smokies looked to keep their momentum rolling. However, the Barons had other plans, ultimately handing the Smokies their first sweep of the season.
Game 1: Barons Blank Smokies
Birmingham's arms were on full display in the series opener, shutting out the Smokies for the second time this season. Starter Tanner McDougal continued to build on a dominant stretch, tossing three scoreless innings before handing things off to Tyler Schweitzer, who matched him frame for frame with three innings of his own.
The Barons scratched across a run in the third on a William Bergolla RBI single and added some more insurance in the sixth, as Jacob Gonzalez matched Bergolla with an RBI single of his own. Two RBI singles was all the run support that the Barons bullpen needed, as Jared Kelley and Zach Franklin each worked clean innings - with Franklin closing the door in the ninth for his ninth save of the season.
Starter Tyler Schlaffer continued his success in Double-A, pitching four strong innings and allowing only one earned run. In his three games started this season for the Smokies, he has an ERA of 1.80. Unfortunately, the offense couldn't give him any run support as Birmingham took Game 1 with a 2-0 shutout victory.
Game 2: Smokies Lead Spoiled by Barons
Saturday night started optimistically for the Smokies. In the top of the second, Andy Garriola delivered a clutch two-run double into the left-field corner to put the Smokies up 2-0. Starter Jaxon Wiggins cruised through the first two innings, not allowing a single hit to the Barons offense, before Grant Kipp relieved him of his duties. Kipp would go on to pitch three more scoreless innings of work.
However, in the sixth, the Barons came alive. A one-out walk and a fielding error opened the door, as William Bergolla got Birmingham on the board with a sharp RBI single, followed by another clutch hit from Wilfred Veras to give the Barons a 3-2 lead.
Sam Antonacci added an RBI single in the eighth for some cushion, as the Smokies bats stalled. Mark McLaughlin faced four batters in the ninth to notch his first save of the season, giving the Barons a 4-2 victory.
It was the Barons' eighth straight win, keeping their second-half surge rolling as they moved to three games up at the top of the standings in the Southern League North.
Game 3: Barons Sweep Weekend Set
Sunday's series finale felt like a missed opportunity for the Smokies to gain at least one win in the weekend series, as they once again showed offensive flashes of life, but couldn't string together enough quality at-bats to stay in the game.
Matt Hogan opened the scoring for the Barons with a solo home run, his first of the season, in the bottom of the third. Knoxville briefly tied things up in the fifth after an Andy Garriola RBI triple, but the Barons immediately answered back in the sixth, with Wilfred Veras delivering a two-run single after a costly Smokies error and walk extended the inning.
Jake Palisch had another sharp outing for the Barons, tossing five efficient innings of two-hit, one-run ball.
Birmingham added three more runs in the eighth on a throwing error by catcher Pablo Aliendo, a Jason Matthews RBI single, and a Riku Nishida sac fly. The Smokies mustered just five hits on the day and were held scoreless over the final four frames by the bullpen trio of Dalton Roach, Andrew Dalquist, and Zach Franklin. The Barons were able to complete the three-game series sweep of the Smokies with a 6-1 victory.
With the win, the Barons strengthened their gap to four games atop the Southern League North standings, along with extending their current win streak to nine games.
Not Done Yet
While the Smokies were swept by the Barons over the weekend, their pursuit of a postseason berth is far from over. Knoxville will return home this week and look to bounce back in a key series against the Southern League South-leading Blue Wahoos.
The Smokies currently sit four games behind the rival Barons in the North Division standings, holding a 10-11 record in the second half and going 5-5 over their last 10 contests. For a Smokies team that saw their first half stretch come up short, the mission is clear: finish the season strong and win the division. While the margin for error continues to slim down, the opportunity for making the postseason is still right in front of them.
Next Up
The Smokies return home from the three-game road trip to face the Pensacola Blue Wahoos starting on Tuesday at Covenant Health Park. For more information on the Knoxville Smokies- including game highlights, upcoming promotions, ticket info, and the latest news- visit smokiesbaseball.com or follow @Smokiesbaseball on IG, X, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Listen to all the action on the radio: 92.5 FM/1180 AM WKCE
Images from this story
 Knoxville Smokies shortstop Pedro Ramirez at bat against the Birmingham Barons (Lindsay Coward) |
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