SL1 Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Winker Smacks First Homer Since April

Published on June 8, 2015 under Southern League (SL1)
Pensacola Blue Wahoos News Release


PENSACOLA, Fla. - Jesse Winker isn't used to going so long between hitting the long ball. However, he hit his first home run in 163 plate appearances Monday.

The left-handed hitting Winker drove the ball deep to the opposite field in left for a solo dinger, which was his first since April 23. It ended one of his longest power outages in his four years in pro ball.

However, in-state rival Jacksonville Suns came back for the second night in a row after trailing in the sixth by scoring six runs in the seventh inning against Pensacola to pull out a 6-4 victory in front of 3,532 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.

The Cincinnati Reds' No. 2 prospect according to MLB.Pipeline is now batting .315 since May 23. On the season, he has three homers and 15 RBIs and is batting .255. Winker said except at the beginning of the season, he has hit the ball hard-just right at people.

He said Jacksonville's Austin Brice throws hard and he was just trying to work him into a hitter's count, so he could jump on a fastball.

"He's a big guy and I feel he's right on top of me," said Winker, who changed his walk up song Saturday to one by Waka Flocka. "I put a good swing on the ball and got it up and got it out. It has been a little bit of a dry spell but it's Pensacola. The breeze can work against you."

Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said there were plenty of positives to take away from the loss, which was Pensacola's fourth straight. It dropped the Blue Wahoos to 22-34 and last place in the Southern League South Division. Jacksonville improved to 25-32 to take over fourth place in the division.

Kelly said Winker's solo shot in the waterfront ballpark and Adleman's six scoreless innings of two-hit ball were highlights of the game for Pensacola.

"We had the lead going into the seventh, which sounds like a broken record," Kelly said. "Then their big inning got us. (Adleman) had done a nice job. I thought he was in a good spot."

Adleman finished his first six innings by retiring 11 Jacksonville batters in a row and led the game, 3-0. He then walked Suns second baseman Austin Nola to lead off the seventh inning, which opened the flood gates to a six-run inning with Adleman getting tagged with four of those runs. Adleman fell to 2-6 on the year with a 2.33 ERA.

Both the Suns third baseman David Adams and pinch hitter Carlos Lopez hit two-run shots to lead the inning for Jacksonville.

Brice, Baseball America's No. 29 Miami Marlins prospect, won his first start against Pensacola on May 11. In two games against Pensacola this season, Brice has now given up three runs in 10 innings on six hits and nine walks with six strikeouts. He entered Monday's game with a 2-4 record and 7.09 ERA.

GAME NOTES

The fourth game of the five-game series is scheduled at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday with the Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate Jacksonville Suns. RHP Robert Stephenson (3-4, 3.81) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Suns RHP Trevor Williams (2-6, 4.53).

Celebrate Mardi Gras with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos' Fat Tuesday ticket. Its Winn-Dixie Party Deck will be sold to individuals as an all-you-can-eat ticket. Papa John's, Moe's Southwest Grill, Hemingway's Island Grill, Beef 'O' Brady's and Cactus Cantina will provide food items while the Blue Wahoos will provide hamburgers, hot dogs and popcorn. Tickets are sold out for tonight's package.

Join the Blue Wahoos as we enjoy Kazoo's 4th Birthday Celebration.

The games are broadcast live on the Blue Wahoos flagship station NewsRadio1620 (WNRP-AM). Listen for free at bluewahoos.com and by using the TuneIn Radio app on your mobile, desktop or home devices. Stream Wahoos games on MiLB.TV, a subscription-based service provided by Minor League Baseball.

BIG FISH

Left fielder Jesse Winker hit his first homer since April 23 and ended the game 3-4 with a run and RBI...Third baseman Marquez Smith went 3-4 and scored a run. He is hitting .328 (19-58) in his past 18 games with a home run and 11 RBIs...Right fielder Kyle Waldrop was 2-3 and scored a run and is now hitting .284 on the year...First baseman Ray Chang saw his five game hitting streak come to an end, going 0-4 with a walk.

FUTURE BLUE WAHOO?

With the 11th pick in the Major League Baseball Draft, the Cincinnati Reds chose catcher Tyler Stephenson from Kennesaw Mountain High School.

The Atlanta prospect is known as the "bat flip" kid for his massive bat flip after a game-winning home run in a Georgia high school playoff game that was described as mesmerizing. The flip earned more than 1 million Vine views overnight.

Stephenson is generally regarded as the top high school catcher in the country. The Reds like his 6-4, 215-pound frame, his ability to throw and his potential to hit for power. He credits swimming for fun his senior year for helping him increase his slugging ability. Stephenson hit .415 (27-65) with eight homers and 25 RBIs this spring for Kennesaw Mountain.

BASEBALL CAMP

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos provided a baseball camp for about 180 Poarch Band of Creek Indians at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium on Monday.

The camp was led by Travis "Moose" Mattair, who played for the Blue Wahoos last season and is now in a new role for Pensacola.

Helping Mattair Monday from the team were pitchers Tim Adleman, Jacob Johnson, Wandy Peralta, Carlos Gonzalez and Kyle McMyne. Also assisting with the camp were catcher Yovan Gonzalez and outfielder Juan Silva.

The Blue Wahoos return home to play the Jacksonville Suns June 6-10. Come experience the family-fun entertainment, which includes out-of-school fireworks every Wednesday beginning June 10! You can follow the team at BlueWahoos.com, facebook.com/PensacolaBlueWahoos and twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall.

Check out the Pensacola Blue Wahoos Statistics

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Southern League Stories from June 8, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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