Smokies Halt Braves Rally: L, 5-4

James Henderson induced a game-ending bases-loaded ground out from Carl Loadenthal to take Game 1 of their Southern League series (5-4) in front of an announced crowd of 5,258 at Smokies Park. The Braves (5-8) dropped their third game in a row and fell to 47-35 on the season. The Smokies (7-6) halted a two-game losing skid as well as a 19 1/3 inning scoreless inning streak while improving to 43-38 on the season and two games behind Chattanooga.

The Braves got on the board first with a two-out two-run double by Mark Jurich. They added to their lead in the 2nd inning with a sacrifice fly by Carl Loadenthal to make the score 3-0 Braves. The Smokies responded with their first runs in over 19 innings as Chris Robinson got it started with a two-out walk which was followed by a two-run double by pitcher Kevin Hart. The Smokies completed the inning with two more two-out hits capped off by an RBI double by Issmael Salas.

In the 4th inning Kevin Hart got another two-out rally started with a two-out single (his second hit of the season which doubled his hit total for the year). Two batters later Issmael Salas delivered another two-out hit with a two-run single making it 5-2 in favor of the Smokies.

The Braves got a mammoth solo homerun (approx. 430 feet) from Mark Jurich in the 6th inning which cut the lead to one (5-4). In the 9th inning the Braves got two walks by Clint Sammons and pinch-hitter Brandon Jones along with a single by Greg Creek to load up the bases for Carl Loadenthal before he bounced out to James Henderson to end it.

James Parr (2-1, 3.92 ERA) suffered his first loss on the season as he lasted six innings while giving up 5 runs on 10 hits with 2walks and 3 strikeouts. Charlie Morton tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the Braves bullpen.

Mark Jurich was the Braves player of the game as he knocked in three of the Braves four runs with a solo homerun (5th of the season) and a two-run double. He upped his RBI total to 40 on the season.

The Braves will continue a 4-game series in Sevierville Tennessee at Smokies Park as they take on the Tennessee Smokies, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, in the second game of their Southern League 4-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 3:00pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 4:00pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP Brad Nelson (3-1, 5.40 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the Biscuits will counter with RHP Mark Holliman (7-6, 2.74 ERA) who is coming off a 7-inning no-hitter while also looking for his eighth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Smokies Park frequency - 104.1-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:43

ATTENDANCE: 5,258


BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 22-20 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 14-12 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 22-11 in errorless games.
* The Braves fall to 35-15 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 36-15 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $610 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 3 games (5-11, .455)
* Mike Rozema - 6 games (8-22, .364)
* Brandon Jones - 2 games (2-8, .250)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Mark Jurich - 2 games (5-9, .556)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (4-8, .500)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Carl Loadenthal - (0-4) - 1st inning leadoff single
* Greg Creek - (0-6) - 2nd inning leadoff single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus (0-5)
* Matt Esquivel (0-11)
* Van Pope (0-4)
* Diory Hernandez (0-8)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Villa & Schreiber Batter Biscuits: W, 7-2

In Kelvin Villa's first start at home since he helped the Braves clinch the Southern League South Division First Half Crown he tossed 6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball while allowing just two runs to the #4 hitting team in the Southern League as the Braves evened their 6-game series at 2-2 in front of an announced crowd of 2,810 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (5-5) moved back to five-hundred while moving to 47-33 on the season. The Biscuits (7-3) fell to 42-38 on the season and back into 2nd place one game behind Jacksonville.

For the fifth straight game the Braves trailed early as Montgomery plated a run on a RBI double by Gabriel Martinez in the 2nd inning. The Braves responded with a three-run 4th inning as one run scored on a wild pitch and two more came in on a bases-loaded single by Ray Serrano.

Villa picked up his second win in 10 days as he allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits, 1 walk and a season-high 8 strikeouts. Zach Schreiber (3-2, 1.80 ERA, 5 Saves) came into the game with runners at first and second base and two outs and recorded a strikeout of Matt Spring to end the threat by the Biscuits. He then proceeded to retire the side in the 8th and 9th innings to notch his 5th save.

The Braves offense erupted against the overworked Biscuits bullpen as they reeled off three straight run producing plate appearances as Carl Loadenthal doubled in two runs, Brandon Jones sacrificed in a run and Matt Esquivel drove in the final run with his RBI single. For Esquivel it moved him into sole possession of the Southern League lead in that category (58).

Kelvin Villa (5-5, 5.29 ERA) was the Braves player of the game as he moved back to five-hundred on the season at 5-5 for the first time since May 21st. He also picked up a season high in strikeouts with 8 and only walked one batter. He retired 16 of the final 20 batters he faced.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the fifth game of their Southern League 6-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Francisely Bueno (2-3, 3.64 ERA) to the hill in search of his 3rd win, while the Biscuits will counter with RHP Mike Prochaska (3-7, 4.91 ERA) who is looking for his fourth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:35

ATTENDANCE: 2,810 (144,920 Home Total - 3,716 Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 25-14 at home.
* The Braves improve to 22-10 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 35-14 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 37-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves improve to 12-20 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 16-10 in games decided by more than 3 runs.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $593 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 2 games (4-8, .500)
* J.C. Holt - 3 games (4-13, .308)
* Mike Rozema - 3 games (4-11, .364)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games (6-18, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 8 games (9-31, .290)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Mark Jurich - 2 games (5-9, .556)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (4-8, .500)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Clint Sammons (0-6)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Eight Braves Make All Star Game (July 9th)

When the Southern League All-Star Game takes place July 9 at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., the hometown Braves will be well represented. Mississippi, winners of the SL South Division during the season's first half, placed a league-leading eight players on the South Division All-Star Team, which was announced Wednesday.

Second baseman Diory Hernandez, sixth in the league in hitting with a .319 average, joins the outfield trio of Matt Esquivel (16 homers and tied for league lead in RBIs with 57), Brandon Jones (.276 BA, 11 HRs, 53 RBIs) and Carl Loadenthal (.296 average and a league-leading 26 steals) on the roster.

In addition, four Braves pitchers were named to the squad: Jose Ascanio (2-0, 2.81 ERA, four saves), Joey Devine (2-4, 2.18 and a league-leading 16 saves), Matt Harrison (5-3, 3.13) and Jo-Jo Reyes (8-1, 3.56), who will not play due to his recent promotion to Triple-A Richmond.

Jacksonville, which finished a game behind the Braves during the season's first half, placed six on the All-Star roster. The Suns will send infielder Juan Gonzalez (.284, four HRs, 23 RBIs), outfielder Xavier Paul (.274, eight HRs, 37 RBIs), along with pitchers Eric Cyr (6-2, 2.94) and Jon Meloan (5-2, 2.17) to Pearl. Shortstop Chin-Lung Hu (Futures Game) and outfielder Jason Pridie (promotion) were named to the squad but won't play.

Mega-prospect Evan Longoria (.295, 17 HRs, 57 RBIs) heads a list of five Montgomery Biscuits named to the All-Star team, while former No. 1 overall draft pick Justin Upton (.314, eight HRs, 32 RBIs in the SL) from Mobile was among the five BayBears named. But both players were also selected to represent the U.S. Team at the All-Star Futures Game in San Francisco, so they will be unable to participate in the SL event, as well.

Left-hander Gio Gonzalez (6-3, 2.93), who leads the Southern League in strikeouts with 106 in 86 innings, heads a list of five Birmingham Barons going to Pearl: Gonzalez, second baseman Chris Getz (.316, two homers, 19 RBIs), outfielder Thomas Collaro (.287, 16 HRs, 55 RBIs), designated hitter Donny Lucy (.276, three homers, 13 RBIs), and right-handed pitcher and Staten Island native Jack Egbert (7-6, 3.00).

The South squad may be looking for a little payback come July 9. Last year, in front of nearly 7,500 fans at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, the North team crushed the South Division, 9-4.

Braves manager Phillip Wellman will oversee the South Division club. Wellman, who served as the Braves' hitting coach for the past three seasons, is in his first year at the helm of the club. Under him, the Braves finished the first half of the season with the best record in the Southern League at 42-28.

Wellman told MiLB.com that his job will be an easy one at the SL All-Star Game due to the nature of the exhibition. His greatest challenge, he said, will be to make sure everyone on the roster gets a chance to play and stays injury-free.

"That's why they call it an All-Star Game," Wellman said. "Let them be stars."

Taken from
Southern League.com

Biscuits Return The Favor, L: 9-5

A five-run 4th inning by the Biscuits was too much for the Braves to overcome as they dropped Game Three by a final of 9-5 in front of an announced crowd of 4,304 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (4-5) fell back under the five-hundred mark while moving to 46-33 on the season. The Biscuits (7-2) improved to 42-37 on the season and back into a tie for first in the South Divisionw with Jacksonville.

The Braves mounted a valiant comeback with 3 runs off of Juan Salas (making his first Major League Rehab appearance after serving a 50-game suspension for a positive test on performance-enhancing substances) in the 8th but Nick DeBarr induced an inning-ending double play that bounced off his pitching hand to get the Biscuits out of any further damage.

Charlie Morton (4-4, 4.60 ERA) was saddled with the loss, his first as a starter, as he allowed 7 runs on 9 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings of work. Wade Davis (1-0, 2.31 ERA) picked up his first AA win as he baffled the Braves allowing just two runs on five hits in his 5 1/3 innings of work. He also struck out 7 and walked just 2.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves player of the game as he belted his 16th homerun of the season (2nd in that category) and drove in his league-leading 57th RBI. He also scored 2 more runs improving his total there to 54, just three behind Evan Longoria of Montgomery.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the fourth game of their Southern League 6-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (4-5, 5.52 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the Biscuits will counter with starter LHP Jon Barratt (1-5, 4.88 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:15

ATTENDANCE: 4,304 (142,110 Home Total - 3,740 Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 24-14 at home.
* The Braves fall to 21-10 in errorless games.
* The Braves fall to 24-14 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 34-14 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 3-30 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves fall to 11-20 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves fall to 15-10 in games decided by more than 3 runs.
* The Braves registered 7 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $584 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* J.C. Holt - 2 games (3-9, .333)
* Mark Jurich - 2 games (5-9, .556)
* Mike Rozema - 2 games (2-7, .286)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (4-8, .500)
* Matt Esquivel - 4 games (5-16, .313)
* Carl Loadenthal - 7 games (8-28, .286)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Greg Creek - 2 games (2-9, .222)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* NONE

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Batter Biscuits: W, 13-6

The Braves put together their biggest first inning of the season as they outscored the Biscuits 7-3 after one inning of play and coasted to a 13-6 win over Montgomery in front of an announced crowd of 5,620 at Trustmark Park. The Braves (4-4) climbed back to the five-hundred mark while moving to 46-32 on the season while the Biscuits (6-2) dropped to 41-37 on the season.

The Braves nearly hit for the homerun cycle in the first inning as they set a new standard for homers in an inning with three. Diory Hernandez got it going with a 2-run shot (his 5th of the season). Clint Sammons broke out of an 0-15 slump with a 3-run shot and Van Pope completed the Braves 3rd back-to-back homerun feat with a solo shot two pitches later. All that was missing was a grand-slam.

James Parr was the Braves player of the game as he allowed 3 runs on the first three batters he faced as he gave up a double, single and two-run homer to Cumberland, Asanovich and Brignac. Parr settled down to retire 18 of the final 20 batters he faced, while not allowing a single runner past second base in the process. He also picked up his second straight win and helped stop the Braves 4-game losing streak.

Every Braves batter got at least one hit while 5 Braves finished with multi-hit nights. The Braves were sat down in order just twice in the game (3rd inning, 5th inning --- 7-8-9 batters both times.)

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the third game of their Southern League 6-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP Charlie Morton (4-3, 3.46 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the Biscuits will counter with starter RHP Wade Davis (0-0, 1.42 ERA) who is looking for his first AA victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:05

ATTENDANCE: 5,620

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 24-13 at home.
* The Braves improve to 21-9 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 24-13 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 34-13 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 36-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves improve to 11-19 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 15-9 in games decided by more than 3 runs.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $577 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Greg Creek - 2 games (2-9, .222)
* Matt Esquivel - 3 games (4-12, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 6 games (7-24, .292)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt (0-10) - 6th Inning Single
* Josh Burrus (0-8) - 1st Inning RBI Double
* Brandon Jones (0-12) - 4th Inning RBI Double
* Clint Sammons (0-17) - 1st Inning 3-run Homerun
* Diory Hernandez (0-15) - 1st Inning 2-run Homerun

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* NONE

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Blanked by Biscuits: L, 7-0

Matt Harrison and Chris Mason engaged in a classic pitching duel before 3,772 fans at Trustmark Park Sunday evening. Mason got the better of Harrison and the Braves as he allowed only three hits and no runs en route to his league-leading 10th win.

Montgomery broke through with a pair of runs in the fourth. Brooks Badeaux lined the Biscuits first hit of the day into center for a single and he moved to second on a 1-3 chopper by Reid Brignac. Evan Longoria’s single to left brought Badeaux to the plate with the game’s first run. Longoria moved to second on the throw home and scored on a single to right by Chris Nowak. After four, Montgomery led 2-0.

The Biscuits added another run in the sixth after Badeaux started things off with a single, again. With two outs in the inning, Longoria doubled to left scoring Badeaux from first and giving the Biscuits a 3-0 lead.

Mike Rozema got the M-Braves first hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth, only the third M-Brave to reach base at that point.

Montgomery put two more runs on the board in the eighth off of Braves’ reliever Tyler Bullock. The first five batters of the inning reached base and Fernando Perez, Badeaux, and Longoria came in to score and push the Biscuits lead to 6-0.

The Biscuits plated another run in the ninth when Shaun Cumberland singled in Josh Asanovich who had singled and advanced to second on a balk.

Matt Harrison was the Braves Players of the Game as he gave up three runs on seven hits in seven innings of work and fell to 5-3 on the year.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the second game of their Southern League 6-Game Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP James Parr (1-0, 3.00 ERA) to the hill in search of his 2nd AA win, while the Biscuits will counter with starter RHP Derek Feldkamp (2-5, 4.57 ERA) who is looking for his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:14

ATTENDANCE: 3,772

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 23-13 at home.
* The Braves fall to 11-5 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves fall to 4-4 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves fall to 10-19 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves fall to 3-27 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 3 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $568 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Braves Let One Get Away: L, 6-5 (10)

West Tenn jumped out to a 3-0 lead only to see the M-Braves come back to tie the score in the seventh.

Three D-Jaxx hits and two M-Braves errors plated three runs in the third, but the Braves would respond.

In the top of the fourth, Mississippi got two runners home to cut the lead to one. Matt Esquivel doubled to start things off for the Braves and with two outs, Ray Serrano singled him home. Serrano wisely moved to second on the throw home and scored when Greg Creek singled to right-center. The two two-out singles cut the lead to 3-2.

Van Pope's third homer of the year tied the game in the seventh, but the D-Jaxx responded in the eighth with two more runs to go back on top, 5-3.

The M-Braves weren't done though. In the top of the ninth, Mark Jurich led off with a double and Serrano followed with a triple to cut the lead to 5-4. Pope then hit a sacrifice fly that plated Serrano and tied the game at five.

In the bottom of the tenth, West Tenn's Casey Craig doubled to left to put the winning run in scoring position. After a Brent Johnson walk, Prentice Redman singled to left plating Craig with the winning run.

The walk-off loss negated a strong night by several M-Brave batters. Pope went 3-3 with two doubles and his third homer of the year. Serrano went 3-4 with a double, a triple, two RBI, and two runs scored. Esquivel and Jurich each had a double as well.

On the mound, Francisley Bueno gave up three runs, two earned, on eight hits in six innings of work and did not factor into the decision. Jose Ascanio gave up two runs, one earned, in 1.1 innings. Charlie Morton threw a scoreless inning while Joey Devine got saddled with the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the 10th.

The Braves will start up a 6-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in the first game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (5-2, 3.06 ERA) to the hill in search of his 3rd win, while the Biscuits will counter with league-win leader RHP Chris Mason (9-3, 2.86 ERA) who is looking for his tenth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:18

ATTENDANCE: 3,745


by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Braves Routed by D-Jaxx: L, 8-1

Charleton Jimerson was a one-man wrecking crew as he belted two homers and finished 4-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBIs helping stop the Braves 5-game win streak in front of 1,407 fans at Pringles Park. The Braves (3-1) fell out of at least a tie for 1st for the first time since April 21st. The D-Jaxx (1-3) picked up their first win of the second half and just their 6th win in 19 tries agains the Braves this season.

Braves spot-starter Brad Nelson (3-1, 5.46 ERA) was unable to escape the fourth inning as he allowed 7 runs (5 earned) on 9 hits and the first homerun to Jimerson in losing his first game of the season. Nelson made the start in place of the recently promoted Jo-Jo Reyes. In the 4th inning Tyler Bullock entered and retired eight of the nine batters he faced except Jimerson who took him deep for his 2nd homer of the game. Zach Schreiber came in and tossed a perfect 7th and 8th inning.

The Braves avoided their first shutout since May 5th to Montgomery with an RBI single by Brandon Jones in the 8th inning bringing in Carl Loadenthal who led off the inning with a double.

Zach Schreiber (3-2, 1.96 ERA)was the Braves Players of the Game as he tossed 2 perfect frames and ran his scoreless inning streak to 4 straight while allowing no hits in the process.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Pringles Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the fifth game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (4-5, 5.48 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Travis Chick (2-0, 0.53 ERA) who is looking for his third straight victory while continuing his rehab stint with the D-Jaxx. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:50

ATTENDANCE: 1,407

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 22-17 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 9-17 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 10-17 when their opponnet scores first.
* The Braves fall to 3-26 when trailing after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $551 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 10 games (14-31, .472)
* Mark Jurich - 4 games (5-16, .313)
* Carl Loadenthal - 3 games (4-12, .333)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* J.C. Holt - 5 games (7-18, .389)
* Greg Creek -5 games (5-16, .313)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games (7-19, .368)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus (0-8)
* Mike Rozema (0-4)
* Clint Sammons (0-10)
* Diory Hernandez (0-9)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Win Pitcher's Duel: W, 1-0

Mark Jurich broke a scoreless tie in the 7th inning with an RBI single bringing in Matt Equivel to score the only run of the game in front of 2,672 fans at Pringles Park. The Braves (3-0) ran their current winning streak to 5 straight games while the D-Jaxx (0-3) dropped their third straight decision.

Braves starter James Parr tossed 6 scoreless innings while scattering 5 hits with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts to notch his first ever Double-A win. D-Jaxx starter Robert Rohrbaugh (7-5, 3.28 ERA) was a the hard-luck loser as he held the Braves scoreless through 6 2/3 innings before Jurich's RBI single. He retired 11 in a row before Esquivel blooped a single to right field to start the 7th inning rally.

The Braves escaped two big jams in the last two innings as Morton gave up a lead-off single in the 8th inning to Sebastian Boucher. He was sacrificed to second base by Brent Johnson. But then Prentice Redman bounced a ball to third and Van Pope ran down Boucher who was caught to far off the bag at second. Pope then turned and caught Redman between first and second to end the inning with a double play.

The other jam came in the 9th against Jose Ascanio as he allowed a lead-off walk to Marshall Hubbard. Tuiasosopo then laid down a sac bunt attempt that turned into a single as Van Pope watched it come to a stop on the foul line. Charlton Jimerson came up next and tried to sacrifice the two base runners over but the Braves got the lead runner at third on Jimerson's attempt as Creek got the ball to third in time. Luis Valbuena was then induced into a inning-ending double play to end the game.

James Parr (1-0, 3.00 ERA)was the Braves Players of the Game as he tossed 6 scoreless frames in his 5th start for the MS Braves. Parr retired the last 5 batters he faced and worked his way around a hit in each of the first five innings to secure his first AA win.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Pringles Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the fourth game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP Brad Nelson (3-0, 4.50 ERA) to the hill in a spot start after the promotion of Jo-Jo Reyes, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Joe Woerman (2-4, 3.63 ERA) who is looking for his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:37

ATTENDANCE: 2,612

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 11-7 in day games.
* The Braves improve to 22-16 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 20-8 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 14-10 in one-run games.
* The Braves improve to 36-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 36-12 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 35-0 when leading after eight innings.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $537 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 10 games (14-31, .472)
* J.C. Holt - 5 games (7-18, .389)
* Greg Creek -5 games (5-16, .313)
* Matt Esquivel - 5 games (7-19, .368)
* Mark Jurich - 3 games (4-12, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 2 games (3-9, .333)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (2-8, .250)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Van Pope (0-5) - 3rd inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Josh Burrus (0-8)
* Mike Rozema (0-4)
* Clint Sammons (0-6)

TRANSACTIONS:
* Jo-Jo Reyes promoted to AAA Richmond
* Brad Nelson reassigned to AA Mississippi

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Win Fourth Straight: W, 4-2 (11)

The Braves and Diamond Jaxx went into extra innings for the third time this season as the Braves scored 4 unanswered runs to defeat the D-Jaxx 4-2 in 11 innings in front of 1,262 at Pringles Park. The Braves (2-0) ran their current winning streak to 4 straight games while the D-Jaxx (0-2) dropped their third straight decision.

Both starters were brilliant Tuesday night but neither factored into the decision. Braves starter Matt Harrison tossed 6 scoreless innings and gave up 4 hits, while D-Jaxx starter Andy Baldwin was a little better as he one-hit the Braves through 7 scoreless innings. Michael Nix gave up the lead in the 7th inning as West Tenn picked up a two-out walk from Minaker, a two-out single from Boucher and a two-out two-run double by Charlton Jimerson. Jimerson was thrown out trying to take 3rd base on the play to end the inning.

Mark Jurich got a rally started off of D-Jaxx reliever Chris Jakubauskas in the top of the 8th inning with a leadoff single. Loadenthal followed two batters later with an infield single which ended an 0-15 slump for him to put two runners on. Rozema then walked the bases loaded to bring up Brandon Jones who came through with a two-run single to tie the game.

Joe Winkelsas (1-2, 1.59 ERA) got out of a huge jam in the 9th inning as Van Pope came up with two huge plays at 3rd base to get the Braves out of a jam with two runners on and one out. He also tossed a perfect 10th inning. Zach Schreiber tossed the 11th for his 4th save of the season.

In the 11th inning, Greg Creek chopped a ball up the middle that bounced off Chris Minaker's glove and into center field which allowed Brandon Jones to score the go-ahead run from second base. Mark Jurich brought Creek in with an RBI double two batters later to provide the final margin off of reliever Michael Hrynio (0-1, 9.82 ERA).

Brandon Jones was the Braves Players of the Game as he finished 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. His 8th inning single brought in the game-tying run and the run he scored was the go-ahead run in the 11th as he led off the inning with a walk.

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Pringles Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the third game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 10:55am (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 11:05am (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send RHP James Parr (0-0, 3.86 ERA) to the hill in search of his first AA win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with LHP Robert Rohrbaugh (7-4, 3.52 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:41

ATTENDANCE: 1,262

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 21-16 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 6-2 in extra innings.
* The Braves improve to 7-4 in two-run games.
* The Braves improve to 10-16 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 33-11 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $537 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 10 games (14-31, .472)
* Greg Creek -5 games (5-16, .313)
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (6-14, .429)
* Matt Esquivel - 4 games (5-15, .333)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (2-7, 2.86)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Carl Loadenthal (0-15) - 8th inning two-out single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-5)
* Josh Burrus (0-5)
* Mike Rozema (0-4)
* Clint Sammons (0-5)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Find A Way in Game One: W, 9-7

The Braves scored 4 runs in the 8th inning to rally from their biggest deficit of the season as they started off the second half with a 9-7 win over the Diamond Jaxx in front of 1,301 at Pringles Park. With the win the Braves (1-0) were able to stay in at least a tie for first which they have remained in since April 21st. The D-Jaxx (0-1) dropped their second straight decision.

The Braves scored first for the 46th time this season in 71 games jumping out to an early 4-1 lead in the first four innings before Rene Rivera launched a game-tying 3-run homerun in the bottom of the 4th inning. The D-Jaxx took their first lead of the game with a sacrifice fly by Matt Tuiasosopo in the 5th and padded their lead with a two more runs in the 7th inning.

The Braves finally woke up from their first-half victory haze in the 8th inning as Greg Creek started off with a one-out double. Ray Serrano then doubled him in to bring the Braves to within two. Two batters later Van Pope drew a two-out walk and then Mike Rozema knocked Serrano in with an RBI single. After a two-out walk by J.C. Holt to load the bases, Josh Burrus blooped a two-run single over the head of Tuiasosopo to give the Braves the lead. The Braves tacked on an insurance run in the 9th with an RBI single by Serrano.

Francisely Bueno (2-3, 3.75 ERA) didn't factor in the decision as he yielded the homer to Rivera and continued his up and down season in his six innings of work for the Braves. Tyler Bullock (1-0, 5.11 ERA) picked up the win in relief despite giving up two runs in his inning of work. Zach Schreiber and Joey Devine each worked perfect innings while Devine picked up his league-leading 16th save of the season.

Ray Serrano was the Braves Players of the Game as he picked up his second three hit game of the season with 2 doubles 2 RBIs and he also scored two runs. Serrano extended his hit streak to 10 games (17-36, .472).

The Braves will continue a 6-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Pringles Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the second game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (5-2, 3.31 ERA) to the hill in search of his sixth win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Andy Baldwin (1-7, 5.38 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:13

ATTENDANCE: 1,301

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 20-16 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 6-4 in two-run games.
* The Braves improve to 20-8 in errorless games.
* The Braves improve to 34-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves improve to 11-4 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 34-0 when leading after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 5-2 in the first game of a road trip.
* The Braves improve to 32-11 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* Every Brave registered at least one hit, while 4 Braves had multi-hit games.
* The Braves registered 11 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $529 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 10 games (14-31, .472)
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (6-14, .429)
* Greg Creek -4 games (4-12, .333)
* Matt Esquivel - 4 games (5-15, .333)
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (2-7, 2.86)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Josh Burrus - (0-10) - 5th inning leadoff single.
* Mike Rozema - (0-13) - RBI triple in 4th inning.
* Mark Jurich - (0-15) - Leadoff triple in 2nd inning.

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Carl Loadenthal (0-12)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Win First Half Title: W, 5-2

With a win over Mobile the Braves could celebrate their first ever secured playoff spot in MS Braves history. So the Braves turned it over to Kelvin Villa who has been inconsistent at best during the first half of this season, but on Sunday afternoon at Trustmark Park, he was sensational. He gave the Braves (42-28) seven strong innings and won his fourth game of the year. The offense provided more than enough firepower as they defeated the BayBears (37-33), 5-2 in front of a Father's Day crowd of 2,791 at Trustmark Park.

The Braves trailed early as Wilkin Castillo picked up a two-out RBI single in the top of the 4th inning. The Braves answered in the bottom of the same inning as Kelvin Villa got a two-out rally started with a single (his first hit of the season) to right field. J.C. Holt and Carl Loadenthal followed with walks which brought up Brandon Jones. He fouled off a pitch that was carried into the seats by the wind which gave him a second chance and he delivered with a bases-clearing triple to right field. Matt Esquivel brought him in on the next pitch with his league-leading 53rd RBI of the season. Clint Sammons added an RBI single in the 5th to close out the Braves scoring. Jose Ascaio tossed the final two frames to finish it off for the newly crowned first-half champs.

Kelvin Villa (4-5, 5.48 ERA) was the Braves Players of the Game as he stopped a personal 2-game losing streak and started the two-out rally in the third inning. Villa tossed 7 innings while scattering 5 hits and allowing just a single run on one walk and three strikeouts.

The Braves will start up a six-game series in Jackson, Tennessee at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the first game of their Southern League Series and the Second Half. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Francisely Bueno (3-5, 5.97 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with LHP Justin Thomas (2-3, 3.26 ERA) who is looking for his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Pringles Park frequency - 104.7-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:23

ATTENDANCE: 2,791 (128,412 Total - 3,669 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 23-12 at home .
* The Braves improve to 6-8 in the last game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 4-1 in the last game of a homestand.
* The Braves improve to 9-16 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $518 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Finally Halt Losing Ways: W, 6-1

The Braves turned to Jo-Jo Reyes and he answered with a streak-stopping performance as the Braves defeated Mobile 6-1 and halted their six-game losing streak in the process in front of a crowd of 5,205 at Trustmark Park. With the win the Braves (41-28) were able to hold onto their lead in the South Division at 1 game over the Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half finally dropped to 1 with 1 game remaining. So the Braves must win Sunday to clinch their first ever playoff spot in MS Braves History. The Braves are assured of at least a tie for the first half with their win tonight. By Southern League rule the first game in the second half between the two teams tied for the first half would decide the first half title. The BayBears (37-32) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 4 games with 1 to play.

For the first time in the last 6 games the Braves finally got on the board first and made it stand up thanks to Reyes. Matt Esquivel belted his league-leading 15th homerun of the season to straight-away center field. Ray Serrano added an RBI double to put the Braves up 4-0 in the 6th inning and Greg Creek finished off the scoring with a two-run double in the 8th inning to post the final margin of 6-1.

Jo-Jo Reyes was the Braves Players of the Game as he stopped the 6-game losing streak. Reyes (8-1, 3.56 ERA) picked up his 5th straight win (counting his Richmond start) as he tossed 7 innings while twirling 10 strikeouts and allowing just one run on seven hits.

The Braves will wrap up their five-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the final game of their Southern League Series and the First Half. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (3-5, 5.97 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the BayBears will counter with LHP Esmerling Vasquez (4-4, 3.51 ERA) who is looking for his fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:45

ATTENDANCE: 5,025 (125,621 Total - 3,694 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 22-12 at home .
* The Braves improve to 31-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves registered 14 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $513 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Skid Extends to Six: L, 4-1

The Braves fell to the BayBears for the third straight game in front another fantastic crowd (4,907) at Trustmark Park as they continued their last 5-game series of the first half with a 4-1 defeat. With the loss the Braves (40-28) still maintain their lead in the South Division but it is now at 1 game over the Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is still at 2 with 2 games remaining, so the Braves must win each of the last 2 to assure themselves of a playoff spot. (If the Braves win at least one they are assured at least a tie for the first half - by Southern League rule the first game in the second half between the two would decide the first half title). The BayBears (37-31) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 3 games with 2 to play.

Neither starter factored in the decision as a one hour lightning delay chased both James Parr and Esmerling Vazquez. The BayBears turned things over to Clint Goocher and A.J. Shappi and neither disappointed as they combined to allow just one run in their six innings of work. Matt Elliott allowed a couple of 9th inning hits but escaped trouble for his 4th save of the season.

Zach Schreiber (3-2, 2.20 ERA) was charged with the loss as he gave up two walks and the three-run homer that followed to Chris Rahl that gave the BayBears the lead.

Diory Hernandez was the Braves Players of the Game as he picked up a 3-for-4 performance with a double.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the fourth game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (7-1, 3.80 ERA) to the hill in search of his league-leading 8th win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Matt Green (6-2, 3.79 ERA) who is looking for his seventh victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:40 (1:00 delay)

ATTENDANCE: 4,907 (120,596 Total - 3,654 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 21-12 at home .
* The Braves fell to 3-25 when trailing after 8 innings.
* The Braves fell to 8-16 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 10 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $499 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
*

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
*

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
*

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
*

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Slump Continues: L, 2-1

The Braves fell to the BayBears for the second straight game in front another great crowd (4,533) at Trustmark Park as they continued their last 5-game series of the first half with a 2-1 defeat. With the loss the Braves (40-27) still maintain their lead in the South Division but it is now at 2 games over the Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is still at 2 with 3 games remaining, but the Braves must win 2 of the last 3 to assure themselves of a playoff spot. (If the Suns lose two games they also clinch). The BayBears (36-31) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 4 games with 3 to play.

Matt Harrison (5-2, 3.31 ERA) was charged with a hard luck loss as his offense was non-existent for the second night in a row. Jose Ascanio tossed two scoreless frames to keep the BayBears lead at one.

Matt Harrison was the Braves Players of the Game as tossed 7 innings of two-run baseball while allowing 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4 batters.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the third game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). We will broadcasting live from the Southern Wireless Suite down the 3rd base line. The Braves are scheduled to send RHP James Parr (0-0, 4.00 ERA) to the hill in search of his 1st AA win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Esmerling Vasquez (4-4, 3.61 ERA) who is looking for his fifth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:25

ATTENDANCE: 4,533 (115,689 Total - 3,615 Home Average)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 21-11 at home .
* The Braves fell to 13-10 in one-run games.
* The Braves fell to 3-24 when trailing after 8 innings.
* The Braves fell to 8-15 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 6 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $489 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Brandon Jones -4 games (4-15, .267)
* Ray Serrano - 8 games (12-27, .444)
* Carl Loadenthal - 3 games (4-13, .308)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (5-9, .555)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-9)
* Josh Burrus (0-7)
* Mark Jurich (0-11)

TRANSACTIONS:
* RHP Joe Winkelsas activated from the Disabled List.
* RHP Moises Hernandez returned to Myrtle Beach.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Stuck in a Rut: L, 5-3

The Braves fell to the BayBears in front of the largest crowd this season at Trustmark Park (6,469) as they began their last 5-game series of the first half with a 5-3 loss. With the loss the Braves (40-26) still maintain their lead in the South Division but it is now at 3 games over the Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is still at 2 with 4 games remaining. The BayBears (35-31) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 5 games with 4 to play.
Francisely Bueno (2-3, 3.33 ERA) had a couple of hiccups in his outing as he lasted 6 innings but gave up 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits and the Braves offense never woke. Charlie Morton and Zach Schreiber both tossed scoreless frames in their relief effort.

Van Pope was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI. He also walked twice in the 7th and 9th innings to try and start a rally that were both squashed by double plays hit into by Greg Creek.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Mobile BayBears, the AA Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the second game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (5-1, 3.53 ERA) to the hill in search of his 6th win, while the BayBears will counter with RHP Chris Kinsey (3-4, 4.19 ERA) who is looking for his fourth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:00

ATTENDANCE: 6,469

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fell to 21-10 at home .
* The Braves fell to 5-4 in 2-run games.
* The Braves fell to 7-7 when scoring 3 runs.
* The Braves fell to 3-23 when trailing after 8 innings.
* The Braves fell to 8-14 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves fell to 10-4 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves fell to 4-3 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $483 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Ray Serrano - 8 games (12-27, .444)
* Brandon Jones -3 games (3-11, .273)
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (5-9, .555)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-9)
* Josh Burrus (0-7)
* Mark Jurich (0-9)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Lose First Series to Barons: L, 9-6

Birmingham jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first after a Diory Hernandez error extended the Barons inning. Five singles, an error, and a walk plated Robert Valido, Victor Mercedes, Jeremy West, Chris Kelly, and Jeremy Frost.

The Braves got on the board in the second as Matt Esquivel hit his 14th homer of the year, a solo shot that gave him 50 RBIs for the season.

The Barons added three more runs in the second. Victor Mercedes and Thomas Collaro got back-to-back singles to start the rally before Cory Aldridge doubled to center. Aldridge’s double brought Mercedes and Collaro to the plate to push the lead to 7-1. A walk to West and a single by Kelly loaded the bases for Frost who hit a sac fly to center that brought Aldridge to the plate making the score 8-1.

The M-Braves cut into the lead again in the third when Brandon Jones blasted his 11th homer of the year, a two-run shot, over the left-center field wall. Jones’ 43rd and 44th RBIs made the score 8-3, Barons.

Mississippi cut the lead to 8-5 in the sixth after drawing three consecutive two-out walks to load the bases. Carl Loadenthal broke out of an 0-18 slump with a single up the middle that brought Josh Burrus and Van Pope in to score the M-Braves fourth and fifth runs.

Jeremy Frost hit his third homer of the year in the seventh to give the Barons a 9-5 lead.

The M-Braves got that run back in the eighth when Clint Sammons got a lead-off double and came in to score on a 4-3 groundout by Pope. Heading to the bottom of the eighth, Birmingham led 9-6.

Kelvin Villa only made it through two innings for the M-Braves. He gave up eight runs, three earned, on nine hits and fell to 3-5 on the year. Michael Nix surrendered only two hits through three shutout innings. Jose Ascanio gave up one run on two hits in two innings of work. Zach Schreiber threw a scoreless eighth.

Wes Whisler gave up three runs on six hits through five innings and improved to 4-6 on the season. Ryan Wing gave up two runs on one hit and three walks in on inning of work. Eduardo Sierra gave up one run on two hits in two innings. Fernando Hernandez threw a scoreless ninth to record his fourth save of the year.

The Braves have tomorrow off before hosting the Mobile BayBears in a five-game set at Trustmark Park. Game one is scheduled for Wednesday night at 7:05. The Braves are scheduled to send lefty Francisley Bueno (2-2, 3.00) to the hill in search of his third win of ’07. The BayBears are scheduled to counter with southpaw Greg Smith (2-2, 4.03) who’s also going for win number three.

Tomahawk Chops:

*Matt Esquivel belted his league-lead tying 14th homer of the year and drove in his league-leading 50th RBI … Esquivel went 3-5 in the game.
* Brandon Jones blasted his 11th homer of the year and drove in his 43rd and 44th RBIs of the year … Jones went 1-4.
* Clint Sammons went 3-4 with a double in the game.
* Carl Loadenthal broke out of an 0-18 slide with a two-RBI single in the sixth.

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Mercedez Cycles Barons to Win: L, 12-3

Mississippi and Birmingham went back-and-forth until the fifth when the Barons put a five-spot on the board to push their lead to 7-3. Birmingham went on to win, 12-3.

Birmingham jumped on top in the third when Donny Lucy doubled and scored on a single by Victor Mercedes. Mercedes hit the walk-off two-run homer last night and put the Barons on top 1-0 today.

The M-Braves responded with two runs in the fourth when Mark Jurich belted his third homer of the year, a two-run shot out to right. It was the first homer that Jack Egbert had given up all year.

Birmingham came right back in the bottom of the inning to tie the score at two. Cory Aldridge doubled and came in to score on a sac fly by Ricardo Nanita.

The Braves went back on top in the fifth when Carl Loadenthal walked, stole second, and scored on a single by Diory Hernandez.

The Barons came back in the bottom of the fifth. Birmingham got four hits and three walks and plated five runs in the fifth inning. After five, the Barons led the Braves 7-3.

Birmingham extended its lead to 10-3 in the sixth on a Victor Mercedes home run, three singles and a walk.

The Barons added two more runs in the seventh after Mercedes hit a triple to become the first Southern Leaguer to hit for the cycle since Reggie Jackson did it back on July 8th, 1967.

Moises Hernandez gave up seven runs on seven hits through 4.1 innings in his AA debut. He fell to 0-1 on the year. Charlie Morton gave up three runs on five hits through 1.2 innings pitched. Tyler Bullock gave up two runs on two hits in two innings of work.

Jack Egbert gave up three runs on six hits through five innings of work and improved to 6-4. Carlos Torres threw three scoreless innings and Tim Bittner threw a scoreless ninth.

The Braves and Barons play game five of this five-game series tomorrow at 11:05 am. Mississippi is scheduled to send lefty Kelvin Villa (3-4, 5.71) to the hill in search of his fourth win of the year while Birmingham is scheduled to send lefty Wes Whisler (3-6, 4.30) to the hill in search of his fourth win.

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Barons Walk-Off with Game 3: W, 3-2

James Parr and Gio Gonzalez were the story in this one. Both starters gave up one run through seven innings of work. Though they were outstanding, neither starter factored into the decision.

For the first time this series, Birmingham took the lead in the third inning. Jeremy Frost singled and scored on a sac fly by Robert Valido to give the Barons a 1-0 lead.

The M-Braves finally got on the board in the top of the eighth as J.C. Holt came through in the clutch. Mark Jurich started the inning by drawing a walk and he moved to second on a single by Clint Sammons. With two outs in the inning, Holt fought off a great pitch by Oneli Perez that found its way down the left field line for a double. Holt’s big hit brought Jurich to the plate tying the score at one.

Mississippi took the lead in the ninth after Matt Esquivel doubled to get things started. With two outs, Mark Jurich singled to right bringing Esquivel to the plate with the go-ahead run.

With Donny Lucy standing on second, Victor Mercedes blasted a two-run, walk-off homer that gave the Barons a 3-2 win.

James Parr gave up one run on four hits through seven innings and left the game with the score tied at one. Jose Ascanio threw one scoreless inning and Joey Devine came on in the ninth and gave up a two-run walk-off homer as he fell to 2-3 on the year.

Gio Gonzalez gave up one run on two hits in seven innings of work. Oneli Perez gave up one run in two innings of work, but still improved to 2-2 on the year.

The Braves and Barons play game four of this five-game series tomorrow at 2:05 pm. Mississippi is scheduled to send righty Moises Hernandez (0-0, 0.00) to the hill in search of his first AA win of the year while Birmingham is scheduled to send righty Jack Egbert (5-4, 3.05) to the hill in search of his sixth win.

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Reyes & Nelson Promoted To Richmond

Jo-Jo Reyes and Brad Nelson were promoted to AAA Richmond due to a dire need for pitching in the AAA ranks on Saturday.

Reyes was scheduled to start for the M-Braves tomorrow, but will obviously miss that start. Mississippi is 11-1 in Jo-Jo’s starts and he’s 7-1 on the year. Reyes is tied for second in the league with seven wins and ranks fifth in the league with 61 strikeouts. He’s allowed two runs or less in six of his 12 starts.

Moises Hernandez has been promoted to AA Mississippi from High-A Myrtle Beach and is scheduled to start for the M-Braves tomorrow.

taken from
MS Braves.com

Braves Crush Barons: W, 8-3

Mississippi's domination of the Birmingham Barons continued Friday night as Mississippi defeated Birmingham 8-3.

The M-Braves jumped on top in the top of the first when J.C. Holt singled and Brandon Jones blasted his 10th homer of the year down the left field line. It marked the 44th time this season the M-Braves scored first and they’ve now scored 51 runs in the first inning.

Birmingham responded with a run in the bottom of the first. Robert Valido and Victor Mercedes got back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Thomas Collaro then drew a walk to load the bases. Former Greenville Brave Cory Aldridge hit a sac fly to center that scored Valido and cut the lead to 2-1. Holt then turned a grounder by Donny Lucy into a spectacular double play to get the M-Braves out of the inning.

Mississippi extended their lead in the second when Mark Jurich singled and Van Pope blasted a no-doubter over the left-center field wall. Pope’s second homer of the year gave the M-Braves a 4-1 lead.

Birmingham answered the M-Braves in the second when three singles from Ricardo Nanita, Jeremy Frost, and Michael Myers loaded the bases with no outs. Once again, Matt Harrison held the Barons to one run as he induced a foul out by Sean Smith and a fly out to center to Mercedes. He gave up a sac fly to Valido that brought Nanita to the plate with the Barons second run.

Mississippi added another run in the third when Diory Hernandez ripped a two-out double to left center. Clint Sammons single brought Hernandez to the plate with the M-Braves fifth run of the game.

Once again, Birmingham answered the Braves score with a run of their own in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Lucy and Nanita singled to set the stage for Frost. Frost singled to center bringing Lucy to the plate, making the score 5-3.

The M-Braves put the game out of reach with a three-spot in the sixth. Mike Rozema got the rally started when he reached second on a two-base error by Mercedes. Van Pope then doubled down the left field line scoring Rozema. Pope moved to third on a single by J.C. Holt and scored on another error by Mercedes. Holt moved to second on the error and came in to score on a single by Brandon Jones to give Mississippi an 8-3 lead.

Mike Rozema’s grand slam in the ninth gave the M-Braves a 12-3 lead.

Matt Harrison gave up three runs on 10 hits through six innings of work and improved to 5-1 on the year. Michael Nix came on and threw two shutout innings. Zach Schreiber threw a scoreless ninth to finish off the Barons.

Adam Russell gave up five runs on seven hits through four innings of work and left the game trailing 5-3 and fell to 5-5 on the season. Tim Bittner gave up three runs on five hits in three innings of work. Eduardo Sierra threw a scoreless inning while Fernando Hernandez gave up four runs on four hits in an inning of work.

With this win, Montgomery’s loss, and Jacksonville’s win, the M-Braves lead in the Southern League South is 6.0 games. The Braves magic number is three with eight games to play in the first half.

The Braves and Barons play game three of this five-game series tomorrow night at 7:05 pm. Mississippi is scheduled to send righty James Parr (0-0, 5.73) to the hill in search of his first AA win of the year while Birmingham is scheduled to send lefty Gio Gonzalez (4-3, 3.05) to the hill in search of his fifth win.

Braves Bites:
* The M-Braves are now 32-12 when they score first … they’ve scored first 44 times this year … Mississippi has scored 51 runs in the first inning this year.
* Brandon Jones blasted his 10th homer of the year … He went 3-5 with three RBI and a run scored.
* J.C. Holt went 3-5 with two runs scored … He’s now hit in 20 of 23 games in Mississippi this year.
* Mark Jurich extended his season-high hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the second … He went 1-4 with a run scored.
* Mike Rozema went 1-5 with a grand slam … It was the M-Braves first grand slam since Josh Burrus did it on 5/2.
* Mississippi now has 51 homers on the year … They had 65 in all of ’06.
* The M-Braves came into the game tied with Montgomery for the league-lead in double plays with 61 … They turned one in the game giving them 62 for the year.
* Five M-Braves had at least two hits and four Braves had three hits.

by
Nick Skinner
(Mississippi Braves.com)

Braves Beat Barons in Extras: W, 6-3 (10)

The Braves knocked off the Birmingham Barons for the 3rd time in extra innings this season as they began their 5-game series with a 6-3 win Thursday night in front of 5,130 fans at Regions Park. With the win the Braves (39-22) still maintained their lead in the South Division at 5 games over the Montgomery Biscuits. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is at 5 with 9 games remaining. The Barons (27-34) are out of the first half race as they trail the Braves by 12.0 games.

Francisely Bueno (2-2, 3.00 ERA) had good outing as he lasted 7 innings for the first time this season allowing three runs while scattering 5 hits. Charlie Morton (4-3, 3.34 ERA) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to secure the win and Joey Devine struck out the side in the 9th to register his league-leading 15th save of the season.

The Braves offense had no problem getting on the board as they scored 4 in the first inning while seven of the Braves batters had at least two hits. The Braves raised their team batting three more points average to .271 on the season. The D-Jaxx also pounded the baseball picking up 9 unanswered runs after falling behind 4-1 in the first inning. Both teams finished with 16 hits.

J.C. Holt was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI. He raised his batting average to .402 on the season and picked up his 8th stolen base.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Hoover, Alabama at Regions Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in the second game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (4-1, 3.43 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the Barons will counter with RHP Adam Russell (5-4, 4.04 ERA) who is looking for his sixth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Regions Park frequency - 93.1-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 2:59

ATTENDANCE: 5,130
(Home Total - 30 Games - 104,687 --- 3,490 Avg.)
(Road Total - 31 Games - 103,572 --- 3,341 Avg.)
(Season Total 208,259 - 61 Games --- 3,414 Avg.)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 18-13 on the road.
* The Braves improve to 8-5 in 3-run games.
* The Braves improve to 31-12 when scoring first.
* The Braves imrpove to 21-9 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves improve to 10-3 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 4-2 in the first game of a road trip.
* The Braves improve to 28-10 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 31-10 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves registered 8 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $460 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Carl Loadenthal - 13 games (23-52, .442)
* Mark Jurich - 10 games (16-39, .444)
* Clint Sammons - 8 games (11-34, .324)
* Ray Serrano - 8 games (10-24, .417)
* Brandon Jones -5 games (11-23, .478)
* Diory Hernandez - 5 games (9-20, .450)
* Matt Esquivel - 2 games (4-10, .400)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* JC Holt - 3 games (8-13, .615)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-7)
* Mike Rozema (0-7)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Drop Series Finale

When Mississippi and West Tenn took the field Wednesday night, it wasanything but a pitcher's duel. The worst hitting team in the leaguebattered the best pitching team in the league 12-6 in front of 3,194 fans at Trustmark Park. With the loss the Braves (38-22) still maintained their lead in the South Division at 5 games over the Jacksonville Suns. The Braves magic number to clinch the first half is at 6 with 10 games remaining. The Diamond-Jaxx (26-34) remain 7.0 games back in the North Division race as they halted a six-game losing streak.

Kelvin Villa (3-4, 5.71 ERA) had his worst and shortest outing of the year as he gave up eight runs on seven hits through 3.1 innings pitched. Villa struggled with control as he issued five walks and hit a batter. Tyler Bullock gave up two runs on six hits through 3.2 innings. Brad Nelson gave up two runs on three hits through two innings.

The Braves offense had no problem getting on the board as they scored 4 in the first inning while seven of the Braves batters had at least two hits. The Braves raised their team batting three more points average to .271 on the season. The D-Jaxx also pounded the baseball picking up 9 unanswered runs after falling behind 4-1 in the first inning. Both teams finished with 16 hits.

J.C. Holt was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI. He raised his batting average to .402 on the season and picked up his 8th stolen base.

The Braves will start up a 5-game series in Hoover, Alabama at Regions Park as they take on the Birmingham Barons, the AA Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in the first game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Francisely Bueno (2-2, 2.85 ERA) to the hill in search of his 3rd win, while the Barons will counter with LHP Ryan Wing (2-1, 1.59 ERA) who is looking for his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 93.1-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:12 --- ATTENDANCE: 3,192 (104,687-Total --- 3,490-Avg)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 21-9 at home.
* The Braves fall to 8-10 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 27-10 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves are outscoring their opponents 49-17 in the first inning.
* The Braves registered 3 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $452 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* JC Holt - 3 games (8-13, .615)
* Mark Jurich - 9 games (15-36, .417)
* Ray Serrano - 8 games (10-24, .417)
* Clint Sammons - 7 games (9-29, .310)
* Brandon Jones -4 games (10-20, .500)
* Diory Hernandez - 4 games (8-17, .471)
* Carl Loadenthal - 12 games (22-47, .468)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
*Matt Esquivel (0-5) - 1st Inning 2-run double

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-6)
* Mike Rozema (0-7)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Magic Number Reduced to Six

The MS Braves Magic Number to clinch the First Half Southern Division Title was reduced to six this afternoon thanks to the Mobile BayBears victory over the Jacksonville Suns (7-5). The Suns have 10 games remaining against Chattanooga and Montgomery. Should Montgomery win tonight they will move into a tie for second place with Jacksonville and their final 2 series are against Mobile and Jacksonville. The Braves remaining 10 games, after tonight's series finale against the D-Jaxx, are 5 in Birmingham and 5 at home against Mobile.

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Reduce Magic Number to 7: W, 6-2

Jo-Jo Reyes won his third straight start Tuesday night improving the Braves to 11-1 when he takes the hill as the Braves took Game 4 of the series (6-2) from West Tennessee in front of 5,005 fans at Trustmark Park. Reyes (7-1, 3.80 ERA) also tossed his first game without allowing a run. With the win the Braves (38-21) maintain their lead in the South Division at 5 games over the Jacksonville Suns. They were also reduced their magic number to clinch the first half down to 7 with 11 games remaining. The Diamond-Jaxx (25-34) remain 7.0 games back in the North Division race as they dropped their sixth straight game.

The Braves scored first for the 42nd time this season as Brandon Jones brought home the first run with an infield single in the first inning. Diory Hernandez followed two batters later with a two-run single to make it 3-0. The Braves added another run in the 2nd inning as Carl Loadenthal chased home Greg Creek with an RBI single. The Braves tried to put the game out of reach with another RBI single by Diory Hernandez and a RBI ground rule double by Clint Sammons making the score 6-0.

The D-Jaxx finally responded in the 8th inning off of Jose Ascanio as Rene Rivera drove home Erick Monzon with an RBI double. Joey Devine entered the game and gave up an RBI single to Charlton Jimerson. He then struck out four of the five batters he faced to end the game and pick up his league-leading 14th save of the season.

Carl Loadenthal was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI. He picked up his team-leading 27th walk in the 5th inning and also registered his league-leading 20th stolen base of the season in the 5th inning.

The Braves will wrap up a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the final game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Kelvin Villa (3-3, 4.62 ERA) to the hill in search of his 4th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Doug Fister (2-6, 4.68 ERA) who is looking for his third victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:01 --- ATTENDANCE: 5,005 (101,495-Total --- 3,500-Avg)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 21-8 at home.
* The Braves improve to 30-12 when scoring first.
* Carl Loadenthal is now #9 in the League in hitting.
* The Braves improve to 30-0 when leading after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 27-9 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 30-10 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves are outscoring their opponents 45-16 in the first inning.
* The Braves registered 13 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $449 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* JC Holt - 2 games (5-8, 625)
* Mark Jurich - 8 games (13-31, .419)
* Ray Serrano - 6 games (9-20, .450)
* Brandon Jones -3 games (8-15, .533)
* Clint Sammons - 7 games (9-29, .310)
* Diory Hernandez - 3 games (6-12, .500)
* Carl Loadenthal - 11 games (20-43, .465)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Mike Rozema - 8 games (12-33, .364)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-6)
*Matt Esquivel (0-5)
* Mike Rozema (0-7)

TRANSACTIONS:
* J.C. Holt was reassigned from AAA Richmond.

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves' Magic Number Down to 8: W, 7-6

Brandon Jones finished off a 4-for-4 night at the plate with a walk-off RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the 9th as the Braves took Game 3 of the series in 7-6 fashion over West Tennessee in front of 3,043 fans at Trustmark Park. With the win the Braves (37-21) maintain their lead in the South Division at 5 games over the Jacksonville Suns. They were also reduced their magic number to clinch the first half down to 8 with 12 games remaining. The Diamond-Jaxx (25-33) fell to 7.0 games back in the North Division race.

The Braves got on the board first with an RBI double by Jones that chased home Mike Rozema who tripled to start the 4th inning. Diory Hernandez followed two batters later with an RBI single to make it 2-0. The D-Jaxx responded in the 6th inning as they manufactured a couple of runs. Charlton Jimerson singled and then stole second and third before scoring on a sac fly by Prentice Redman. They added another run on an RBI single by Jeff Frazier to tie the score at 2-2. The Braves responded in a big way in the bottom of the 6th as they ripped off 4 two-out hits as Jurich (RBI), Burrus (RBI) and Pope (2 RBIs) all drove in runs with doubles.

James Parr (0-0, 5.73 ERA), was good early as he allowed 2 runs on only 3 hits while walking three but striking out six. In fact he recorded 5 strikeouts through the first two innings. Brad Nelson was charged with the blown save as he gave up 4 runs in the 7th inning on three hits a walk and a hit batter. Charlie Morton (3-3, 3.55 ERA) picked up the win in relief as he tossed two scoreless innings, giving up a lone single to Luis Oliveros, while striking out three D-Jaxx batters.

Josh Burrus started off the bottom of the 9th by getting on base as he was hit by a pitch. Van Pope sacrificed him over to second base and then Carl Loadenthal was intentionally walked. Mike Rozema struck out which set up the heroics by Brandon Jones.

Brandon Jones was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 4-for-4 at the plate (his first 4-hit game of the season) with two runs scored and two RBIs. He also picked up his team-leading 26th walk of the season in the 7th inning.

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the fourth game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (6-1, 4.18 ERA) to the hill in search of his team-leading 7th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Joe Woerman (3-3, 3.02 ERA) who is looking for his fourth victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:13 --- ATTENDANCE: 3,043

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 20-8 at home.
* The Braves improve to 13-8 in one-run games.
* The Braves improve to 29-12 when scoring first.
* Carl Loadenthal is now #9 in the League in hitting.
* The Braves improve to 10-4 in final at-bat decisions.
* The Braves improve to 5-2 when tied after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 26-9 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 29-10 when not allowing a homerun.
* The Braves registered 5 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $427 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich -7 games (12-28, .429)
* Ray Serrano - 6 games (9-20, .450)
* Brandon Jones -3 games (7-11, .636)
* Mike Rozema - 8 games (12-33, .364)
* Clint Sammons - 6 games (8-25, .320)
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (3-8, .375)
* Carl Loadenthal - 10 games (17-40, .425)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel (0-6) - 6th inning single
* Van Pope (0-9) - 6th inning 2-run double
* Josh Burrus (0-16) - 6th inning RBI double

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-6)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Atlanta Suspends Wellman for 3 Games

Atlanta Braves Director of Player Development Kurt Kemp announced today that the organization has issued a three-game suspension to Double-A Mississippi Braves manager Phillip Wellman for his actions Friday (June 1) in Chattanooga. The suspension begins with tonight's home game against West Tennessee.

Wellman, 44, is in his first season with Mississippi. He rejoined the organization in 2004 after working for the Braves from 1988 to 1991.

MLB Clip of Wellman's Outburst

Braves Win In Extras: W, 4-3 (10 Innings)

Despite leaving 16 runners on base the MS Braves found a way to take the series opener against the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx 4-3 in 10 innings and in front of 3,871 fans at Trustmark Park. With the win the Braves (35-21) moved their lead in the South Division back up to 5 games over the BayBears and Suns. They were also reduced their magic number to 10 to clinch the first half with 14 games remaining. The Diamond-Jaxx (25-31) remain 5.0 games back in the North Division race.

The Braves had won just twice when trailing after 8 innings this season before ripping 4 singles (Loadenthal, Rozema, Jones-RBI, Esquivel-RBI) to start the bottom of the 9th which tied the game 3-3. The Braves left the bases loaded in the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 10th but still escaped with the win.

Francisely Bueno (2-2, 2.85 ERA), didn't factor in the decision but pitched out of a couple of tough situations. He got out of a bases-loaded no out situtation in the 4th with just one run allowed. He then induced a 6-4-3 double play to help get himself out of the 6th inning. Jose Ascanio was touched for two runs (one earned) in his 3 innings of work. Brad Nelson scattered two hits in the 10th inning to register his 3rd win in relief this season.

Matt Esquivel was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 2-for-5 at the plate with the game-tying and game-winning RBI single. His two RBIs move him to 46 for the season - 3 clear of his nearest competitor (Evan Longoria-43).

The Braves will continue a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the second game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 12:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 1:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Matt Harrison (4-1, 3.60 ERA) to the hill in search of his 5th win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with RHP Andy Baldwin (1-4, 5.15 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:36 (:43 minute delay to start the game) --- ATTENDANCE: 3,871

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves improve to 18-8 at home.
* The Braves improve to 12-8 in one-run games.
* The Braves improve to 14-7 when following a loss.
* The Braves improve to 9-3 in the first game of a series.
* The Braves improve to 3-19 when trailing after 8 innings.
* The Braves improve to 24-9 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves improve to 8-9 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves improve to 4-2 in the first game of a homestand.
* The Braves registered 9 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $422 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich -5 games (9-21, .429)
* Ray Serrano - 5 games (8-16, .500)
* Mike Rozema - 5 games (10-24, .417)
* Clint Sammons - 5 games (7-21, .333)
* Carl Loadenthal - 8 games (13-32, .406)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Diory Hernandez - 3 games (3-12, .250)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* Matt Esquivel (0-9) - 9th inning RBI single
* Brandon Jones (0-6) - 5th inning single

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Van Pope (0-5)
* Greg Creek (0-6)
* Josh Burrus (0-11)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank

Braves Fall in Wild Finale, L, 7-6

In a game featuring Braves 4 ejections, including Manager Phillip Wellman, the Braves dropped the series finale to the Lookouts 7-6 in front of 4,240 fans at AT&T Field. With the loss the Braves (34-21) had their lead in the South Division trimmed to 4 games over the BayBears. They were unable to reduce their magic number as it stayed at 12 to clinch the first half with 15 games remaining. The Lookouts (24-31) remain 6.0 games back in the North Division race.

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The chaos started in the 3rd inning as Wellman was ejected for the second time this season, but he didn't leave quietly. The former Lookouts Manager walked off the field to a standing ovation a few times. He first covered home plate completely with dirt. Then he removed third base and tossed it. He then crawled (like a soldier) from behind the pitcher's mound, grabbed the rosin bag and chucked it at home plate like a grenade. He then grabbed the already removed third base bag and removed the the second base bag and dropped them in right field on his way off the field.

Kelvin Villa (3-3, 4.75 ERA), was touched for three runs in the first 4 innings. In the 5th play was stopped as Brent Rice thought he found a foreign substance on the ball. After meeting with his crew he ejected Villa. Joey Devine and Mike Rozema were also tossed trying to vouch for their pitcher. The Braves still recovered from all of that to take a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the 8th inning, only to watch Zach Schreiber struggle. Schreiber walked three batters and gave up a bases-loaded walk to tie the game and a two-run single by Drew Anderson to give the Lookouts the lead...all with two outs on the board.

The Braves rallied in the 9th again as an ailing Diory Hernandez dropped in a double to score Carl Loadenthal who walked to lead off the inning. Mark Jurich struck out to end the game with the tying run at second base as Carlos Guevara notched his 3rd save of the series and his 6th of the season.

Van Pope was the Braves Players of the Game as finished 3-for-4 at the plate. He also drove in the go-ahead run in the 8th inning on his hustling infield single.

The Braves will start up a 5-game series in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the AA Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in the first game of their Southern League Series. The Braves On Deck Circle presented by Wendy's will air starting at 6:05pm (CT). The First Pitch will follow at 7:05pm (CT). The Braves are scheduled to send LHP Francisely Bueno (2-2, 3.09 ERA) to the hill in search of his 3rd win, while the D-Jaxx will counter with LHP Justin Thomas (1-2, 3.23 ERA) who is looking for his second victory. Make sure you take your radio to the game and tune to the exclusive Trustmark Park frequency - 104.3-FM.

Check out the Braves Minute here. To catch an archived version of tonight's game or any previous MS Braves game head to Minor League Baseball.com and select the day you want to hear.

GAME TIME: 3:01 (:37 minute delay to start the game) --- ATTENDANCE: 4,240

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 17-13 on the road.
* The Braves fall to 11-8 in one-run games.
* The Braves fall to 23-9 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 7-9 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 10 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $413 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Mark Jurich -4 games (7-16, .438)
* Ray Serrano - 5 games (8-16, .500)
* Mike Rozema - 5 games (8-19, .421)
* Clint Sammons - 4 games (5-16, .313)
* Carl Loadenthal - 7 games (11-27, .407)
* Diory Hernandez - 3 games (3-12, .250)

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

ACTIVE HITLESS STREAKS:
* Greg Creek (0-6)
* Fernando Lunar (0-11) - (DL)

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players listed in Italics did not play in this game)

by
Bryan Eubank