Thursday, Game 4 Preview with Rocket City
May 30, 2024 - Southern League (SL)
Birmingham Barons News Release
ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS (24-23) AT BIRMINGHAM BARONS (31-16) RHP Jack Kochanowicz (1-5, 5.87) | RHP Jairo Iriarte (2-3, 2.77)
Game #48 | Thursday - May 30, 2024 | 7:00 pm CT | Regions Field | Birmingham, AL
MILB.tv | Bally Live | WJQX 100.5**
Upcoming Starters in Series
DATE TIME OPPONENT BARONS STARTERS OPPONENT STARTER
Fri, May 31 7:00 pm vs Rocket City LHP Jake Eder (1-1, 4.57) RHP Victor Mederos (3-2, 4.24)
Sat, June 1 6:30 pm vs Rocket City LHP Noah Schultz (0-0, 0.00) RHP Caden Dana (2-3, 2.76)
Sun, June 2 4:00 pm vs Rocket City RHP Mason Adams (2-3, 2.36) RHP Chase Chaney (2-4, 5.79)
Tue, June 4 6:05 pm at Tennessee LHP Ky Bush (3-2, 1.97 TBA
Wed, June 5 6:05 pm at Tennessee RHP Drew Thorpe (7-1, 1.50) TBA
Thu, June 6 6:05 pm at Tennessee RHP Jairo Iriarte (2-3, 2.77) TBA
LAST TIME OUT: Starting pitcher Drew Thorpe threw a shoutout for six innings. Still, the Barons bullpen could not keep the lead as the Birmingham Barons lost 3-2 in the second game of a double-header 3-2 to the Rocket City Trash Pandas before 2,565 at Regions Field on Wednesday night. The Barons lost 5-3 to the Trash Pandas in the first game, breaking the Baron's seven-game winning streak. Thorpe threw 6.0 innings, only giving up three hits, no runs, and two walks with five strikeouts. Thorpe lowered his ERA to 1.33, which leads the Southern League. In the bottom of the second inning, Tim Elko singled on a ground ball to right field, and a wild pitch moved Elko to second base. Edgar Quero walks, and Tyler Neslony singled on a line drive to left field. Elko scored, and the Barons took an early 1-0 lead. Duke Ellis hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Quero from third base, and the Barons led 2-0. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Neslony was hit by a pitch, Jason Matthews walked, and Terrell Tatum walked to load the bases with two outs. With a pitching change, the Trash Pandas get out of the inning on a strikeout and get out of the bases-loaded jam. In the top of the seventh, the Barons bullpen gave up five walks and two runs, and the Trash Pandas scored two runs with no hits in the inning. Now the game was tied at 2-2. In the eighth inning, the Barons gave up a run to go down 3-2. Winning pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks gets the win, pitching two scoreless innings. The Baron's defense, which has been pretty good for most of the season, cost the Barons the two losses on Wednesday. Next, the Barons take on the Trash Pandas on Thirsty Thursday at Regions Field. The Barons look to break their two-game losing streak as they send RHP Jairo Iriarte (2-3, 2.77) to the mound.
BARONS STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Jairo Iriarte was drafted in the as a free agent for $75,000 in 2018. Iriarte was traded with Drew Thorpe for the Dylan Cease trade in March of 2023.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Brooks Baldwin leads the Southern League with a .363 average and is first in OBP with a .442 mark. Also, he is first in hits with 62. Edgar Quero is third with seven home runs and first in RBIs with 34. Duke Ellis leads the league with 31 stolen bases. Wilfred Veras is sixth in average with a .295 average, tied for ninth in home runs with five, sixth in slugging percentage at .458 percent, eighth in OPS with a .774 mark, is second in hits with 49, tied for seventh in doubles with 12, tied for third in XBH with 17, and fourth in total bases with 76. Tim Elko is tied for ninth in average at .289, tied for ninth in home runs with five, is fifth in SLG% with a .470 mark, sixth in OPS with .800, tied for third in hits with 48, third in total basis with 78. RHP Drew Thorpe (7-1, 1.33) is first in wins with six and first in ERA. Mason Adams is third in the league with 58 strikeouts and fifth in ERA with a 2.09. Jairo Iriarte (1-2, 2.89) is second in strikeouts with 61 and while Ky Bush (3-2, 1.95) is third in ERA and fourth in strikeouts with 57 in the Southern League.
PROSPECT RANKINGS: The Barons current active roster features 12 of the White Sox's Top 30 prospects (according to MLB.com): LHP Noah Shultz (No. 2), RHP Drew Thorpe (No. 3), catcher Edgar Quero (No. 4), infielder Jacob Gonzalez (No. 7), RHP Jairo Iriarte (No. 9), LHP Jake Eder (No. 10), LHP Ky Bush (No. 17), RHP Mason Adams (No. 19), infielder Brooks Baldwin (No. 24), outfielder Wilfred Veras (No. 25), RHP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa (No. 28), and outfielder Jacob Burke (No.30).
SOUTHERN LEAGUE STANDINGS:
North | 1st Birmingham 31-16 (---) | 2nd Tennessee 27-20 (4.0) | 3rd Rocket City 24-23 (7.0) | 4th Chattanooga 14-33 (17.0)
South | 1st Montgomery 26-20 (---) | 2nd Pensacola 25-22 (1.5) | 3rd Mississippi 22-24 (4.0) | 3rd Biloxi 18-29 (8.5)
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