Minors Report 4/9/14: Rome in brunch game, :Lafreniere impresses
This the first anything I've seen written about Lafreniere after excellent Rome start against Royals ace prospect
From MiLB
If he'd had a say in the matter, Frank Lafreniere wouldn't have opted for terrible weather in his second start of the 2014 season. In retrospect, though, he feels he ended up learning a good lesson about working in consistent rain.
The Braves prospect outdueled Royals counterpart Austin Fairchild -- despite Fairchild throwing six hitless innings -- as Class A Rome took the seven-inning nightcap of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Lexington Legends, 3-0.
"It was pouring rain and pretty chilly too. I was just trying to get some quick outs and get the game done as soon as possible," Lafreniere said. "All the rain made me focus more on every pitch I threw. Sometimes in the past, I've gotten caught up in trying to be too fine or too smart, and that's when I start giving up base hits and home runs.
"Tonight, because of the rain, I kept everything simple, just go after every hitter with no fear."
Lafreniere (1-1), a 47th-round pick in the 2010 Draft, allowed a first-inning single and struck out six without issuing a walk.
"After [the first inning], I kept my fastball down and was locating my curveball well and [was] just kind of cruising," the right-hander said. "Luckily, I got some strikeouts and some ground balls. Usually, ground balls are a big part of my game. [Despite the soggy infield,] everybody kept their cool and made the plays."
The wet weather helped hone the 23-year-old native of Montreal's concentration until he got over some humps that had been an issue for him in the past.
"I've had trouble getting deep into games around the fifth or sixth inning," he said, "and I made sure I just kept focusing, don't play around with the hitters too much."
He was perfect in each of those two frames, and Tyler Brosius worked a perfect seventh to earn his first save of the year.
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CLASS AAA
Gwinnett (4-2) 4, Norfolk 3
SP: Z. Stewart 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
WP: Vasquez (1-0) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Jaime (Save, 2) 1 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K.
Gosselin 2-4, 2 R, RBI.
Bethancourt 3-4, 2 RBI.
Salcedo 3-4, R.
CLASS AA
Jackson 4, Mississippi 2
M-Braves only 5 hits.
SP: Batista 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K.
Rohm 1-4.
Loman 1-3, HR, 2 RBI.
Landoni 2-3, R.
ADVANCED CLASS A
Lynchburg (4-2) 9, Potomac 1
WP: Sims (1-1) 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.
Scoggin 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.
Peraza 1-3, R, SB (3rd).
Hyams 1-3, HR, 3 RBI.
Elander 2-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI.
Tewell 2-4, 3B, 2 R.
CLASS A
Rome (3-4) 5, Lexington 2
WP: Buchanan (1-0) 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER(2R), 1 BB, 9 K.
Feigl 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Tate (Save) 1 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 K.
Schrader 1-4, 2 RBI.
Reynolds 1-3, 3B, 2R, 2 BB, SB.
V. Reyes 2-5, RBI.
Caratini 1-5, 2B, R, RBI.
***Nothing like a 10 a.m. game the day after a doubleheader. Brutal!***``
