SL1 Mississippi Braves

Thursday, June 20 at Biloxi Shuckers| 6:35 PM CT | MGM Park

Published on June 20, 2019 under Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Game #70: Mississippi Braves (0-0, 33-36) at Biloxi Shuckers (0-0, 41-29) | 6:35 pm | MGM Park

Streak: L1, W 3 of 4

Home/Road: 17-18/16-18

Starting Pitchers: LHP Joey Wentz (2-6, 5.37) vs. LHP Cameron Roegner (1-1, 5.63)

Standings: Mississippi (T-1st, SL South, -), Biloxi (T-1st, SL South, -)

Current Series: 1 of 5 (0-0)

vs. Biloxi: 2019 (1-4, 21 games) All-Time (45-49), at MGM Park (21-26)

Radio: Coverage begins at 6:20 pm on 103.9 FM WYAB and on TuneIn Radio

Gameday Stats: LINK

TV: MiLB.TV

Social Media:Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Today's Roster Moves: RHP Bradley Roney promoted to Mississippi from High-A Florida, RHP Andres Santiago placed on the 7-day Injured List, retro to 6/17.

Today's Game: The M-Braves begin the second-half of the 2019 season and open a five-game road series at Biloxi on Thursday night at MGM Park. The Magnolia State rivals will meet 21 times this season. The Shuckers return to Trustmark Park for a series, July 4-9 and the clubs will meet again at MGM Park, Aug. 23-27.

All-time the M-Braves are 45-49 against the Shuckers since 2015 and 21-26 in games played at MGM Park. The Shuckers are 1-4 against the M-Braves so far this season.

last time out: The M-Braves closed the first-half of the season on Sunday, June 16 with a 6-2 loss to the Mobile BayBears at Trustmark Park. The M-Braves out-hit Mobile 11-5, but went 1-for-13 with RISP. Drew Waters, Riley Unroe, Greyson Jenista and William Contreras had two hits each in the loss. LHP Kyle Muller took the loss on the mound giving up six runs on five hits over 4.0 innings with seven strikeouts and five walks.

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL HIGH QUALITY H20: OF Drew Waters went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's Southern League All-Star Game. So far this season, the Woodstock, GA native has recorded nine three-hit and three four-hit games this season and has a league-best 27 multi-hit games. Waters leads all of Double-A baseball with 93 hits (next closest with 88), 147 total bases, 23 doubles and 36 extra-base hits. He leads the league in AVG (.338), hits (93), doubles (23), triples (8), XBH (36), TB (147), slugging (.535), OPS (.916) and runs (42).

Waters is on a season-high and 2019 Southern League best 25-game on-base streak that began on May 23, batting .411 (39-for-95) with eight doubles, six triples, two home runs, 13 RBI, 17 runs, seven walks and .462 OBP. He is also on a 13-game hitting streak that began on June 4, batting .478 (24-for-51) with six doubles, two triples, two home runs, nine RBI, eight runs, four walks and a .518 OBP. The streak is the longest by an M-Brave this season and longest active streak in the Southern League.

TOP ARMS: M-Braves pitchers are at the top of three pitching categories in the league. RHP Ian Anderson leads the league with 93 strikeouts, LHP Tucker Davidson leads the league with a 1.61 ERA and LHP Kyle Muller ranks 2nd with a .188 opponents' batting average.

all-stars: The M-Braves had seven All-Star selections for the June 18 game at Biloxi. Outfielders Cristian Pache and Drew Waters are joined by pitchers Ian Anderson, Tucker Davidson, Jason Hursh Kyle Muller and Jeremy Walker.

the atlanta braves top prospect:OF Cristian Pache ranks among the top 10 in the Southern League in 11 different offensive categories: AVG (.291, 9th), Hits (72, T-3rd), doubles (16, 4th), triples (5, 3rd), XBH (30, T-2nd), TB (125, 2nd), slugging (.506, 3rd), OPS (.854, 5th), HR (9, T-8th), runs (36, T-5th) and RBI (36, 6th). Pache has hit five of his nine home runs over 16 games in June.

Pache is also riding a season-high nine-game hitting streak that began on June 8, batting .313 (10-for-32) with two doubles, three home runs, six RBI, eight runs, two walks and .371 OBP. leading the league in strikeouts: RHP Ian Anderson leads the Southern League with 93 strikeouts over 14 starts and ranks T-7th in wins (5), 4th in opponents' batting average (.201), 7th in innings pitched (72.2), and 9th in ERA (2.85).

davidson dealing: Over 13 starts, LHP Tucker Davidson leads the league with a 1.61 ERA, 5th in opponents' batting average at .206 and 7th in strikeouts with 72.

MULLER TIME: LHP Kyle Muller has six quality starts over his last nine outings and 14 starts. Muller is 2nd in the league with a .188 opponents' batting average, 2nd in strikeouts (86), 5th in innings pitched (73.2) and 10th in ERA (3.18).

12 ATL top 30 prospects on the active roster: In the May 14 MLB Pipeline ranking update, OF Cristian Pache is the new No. 1 prospect for the Braves and No. 17 prospect in their top 100. There are 12 total top 30 prospects on the M-Braves roster: RHP Ian Anderson (3, #31 overall), OF Drew Waters (5, #64 overall), C William Contreras (7), LHP Joey Wentz (10), LHP Kyle Muller (11), OF Greyson Jenista (13), LHP Thomas Burrows (16), LHP Tucker Davidson (19), INF C.J. Alexander (IL - 20) RHP Jasseel De La Cruz (23), and INF Ray-Patrick Didder (27).

pulling away in the triples category: The M-Braves recorded their league-leading 24th triple last Saturday at Jackson. The next closest team is Chattanooga with 18. Drew Waters leads the league with eight, while Cristian Pache is 3rd with five.

DON'T LET THE LAST NAME FOOL YOU: RHP Jeremy Walker logged the first three saves of his career in an All-Star first half. In 16 appearances, including one start this season and over 52.2 IP, he has 47 strikeouts and just three walks. Walker ranks 8th in the league with a 2.56 ERA and is 5th with a 1.06 WHIP.

Young guns: The roster contains seven players that are 21-years-old, or younger. OF Drew Waters is the youngest (20, 12/30/98), followed by OF Cristian Pache (20, 11/19/98), RHP Ian Anderson (21, 5/2/98), C William Contreras (12/24/97), LHP Kyle Muller (21, 10/7/97), LHP Joey Wentz (21, 10/6/97) and RHP Jasseel De La Cruz (21, 6/26/97).

hammer time: Jackson, MS native Chris Maloney "Hammer" returns for his second season as M-Braves manager. Maloney, 57, the seventh skipper in franchise history attended Jackson's St. Joseph High School and went on to play collegiate baseball at Mississippi State University, graduating in 1983.

During his first season in 2018, Maloney guided the M-Braves to a 67-71 record, boasting a 38-30 mark in the second half of the season, missing out on the playoffs by just one game in the standings. Maloney enters 2019 ranked eighth among active minor league managers with 1,417 wins (1,417-1,321 overall record, .518 winning percentage) and has guided his clubs to winning records in 11 of 21 seasons and league championships in 1993 (Savannah Cardinals, South Atlantic League) and 2009 (Memphis Redbirds, Pacific Coast League).

Based in Pearl, MS since 2005, the Mississippi Braves are the Double-A Southern League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The M-Braves are owned and operated by the Atlanta Braves, the longest continuously operated franchise in Major League Baseball. Follow the M-Braves at www.mississippibraves.com, www.facebook.com/mbraves, and www.twitter.com/mbraves.

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Southern League Stories from June 20, 2019


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