Braves Eclipsed by Suns in Game Two: L, 7-4

The Jacksonville Suns used an early 6-0 lead after three innings to secure a Game Two win over the MS Braves by a 7-4 final in front of a an announced crowd of 3,299 fans at Trustmark Park. The Braves (11-16) had their two game win streak snapped and fell to 53-44 overall. The Suns (19-8) moved back into a tie for 1st place in the South Division with Montgomery while improving to 60-37 overall on the season.

Tanyon Sturtze (0-1, 9.00 ERA) got the start in his first Major League Rehab appearance. with the Braves. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and exited the game trailing 1-0. The scheduled starter, James Parr struggled in his first two innings of work as he gave up 5 runs on a two-run Homerun to Xavier Paul and a two-run double to A.J. Ellis. He also allowed another run to score on a wild pitch. He did manage to retire 6 of the final 7 batters he faced but exited on pitch count after the 5th. Phil Stockman pitched an inning of scoreless relief while Michael Nix tossed two scoreless innings of relief. Wes Wilkerson tossed the 9th and allowed a run on a two-out RBI single by James Tomlin.

James McDonald (2-0, 0.82 ERA) was able to work around trouble in the first as he got a strike-'em-out --- throw-'em-out double play to end the inning after the Braves got the first two batters on to start the frame. He retired 7 in a row at one point and 12 of the final 14 batters he faced while striking out 7 Braves. Greg Miller struggled because of an errors by his 2B David Nicholson and 3B Alberton Concepcion which allowed three runs to score. Jon Meloan picked up a five-out save (19th-league-leading )despite giving up the solo homerun to Clint Sammons in the 9th inning.

Michael Nix was the Braves player of the game as he was the only Braves pitcher (other than Stockman's scoreless inning of work) to keep the Suns off the scoreboard in his two innings of work. He also extended his scoreless inning streak to 12 2/3

The Braves finished 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position (8-for-29 in the series) in the game while the Biscuits finished 3-for-9 in that same category (6-for-19 in the series). The Braves left 5 men on base and have now left 16 on base in the series. The Suns left 10 stranded and have left 15 on base in the series.

The Braves will continue a five game set in Pearl, Mississippi at Trustmark Park as they take on the Jacksonville Suns, the AA Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the second game of their Southern League 5-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 will send LHP Matt Harrison (5-5, 3.27 ERA) to the hill in search of his sixth win and first since June 8th. The Suns will counter with RHP Justin Orenduff (5-3, 2.72 ERA) who is also looking for his sixth 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: 3,299 (176,715 - 3,760 Home Avg)

BRAVES BITES:
* The Braves fall to 28-19 at home.
* The Braves fall to 29-17 when hitting a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 14-25 when allowing a homerun.
* The Braves fall to 40-17 when scoring 4 or more runs.
* The Braves fall to 13-26 when their opponent scores first.
* The Braves registered 11 more strikeouts on the mound.(Performance Sports Academy K's for Kids Total: $710 to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital)

ACTIVE HIT STREAKS (2 games or more):
* Clint Sammons - 2 games (2-8, .250)
* J.C. Holt - 4 games (7-18, .389)
* Van Pope - 5 games (6-20, .300)
* Greg Creek - 5 games (5-15, .333)
* Ray Serrano - 7 games (11-30, .367)
* Carl Loadenthal - 13 games (20-50, .400)
* Brandon Jones - 16 games (24-64, .375) - sets a new season high

HIT STREAKS ENDED:
* Diory Hernandez - 2 games (6-10, .600)

HITLESS STREAKS ENDED:
* NONE

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

TRANSACTIONS:
* NONE

(Players in Italics did not play)

by
Bryan Eubank