MINORS FINAL 4/21/15 Sobotka 1st pro win

[rico43]

Perhaps we should draft some hitting this June?

GWINNETT team batting average (11 games): .235 with one home run
MISSISSIPPI team batting average (10 games): .271 with 3 home runs
CAROLINA team batting average (10 games): .246 withn 6 home runs
ROME team batting average (9 games): .196 with 1 home run

TUESDAY GAMES
ALL TIMES EDT

CLASS AAA

Gwinnett 5, Norfolk 4

WP: Banuelos (1-0) 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K .
Kurcz (Save, 2) 1 IP, 1 H,` BB, 0 K.
Kleinknecht 1-3, 2 RBI; Peraza 3-4, R, BB, 2 SB.

CLASS AA

Mississippi 4, Chattanooga 1

WP: Jenkins (1-1) 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K.
R. Kelly (Save, 4) 1 IP, 0 H, 2 K.
Lipka 2-3, RBI; Castro 2-4, 2B, 2 R; Ruiz 1-4, RBI; Ahrens 2-4, RBI.

ADVANCED CLASS A

Winston-Salem 5, Carolina 1

LP: Gil (0-3) 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.
Walters 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.
Camargo 1-4, RBI; Hyams 2-4, 2B; D. Peterson 1-2, 2B, 2 BB..

CLASS A

Rome 2, Savannah 1

WP: Sobotka (1-1) 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.
Dirks (Save, 1) 2 IP, 3 H, 0 K.
Curcio 1-4, 2B, R, RBI; Esdgerton 1-4, RBI, SB.

[MadduxFanII]

Perhaps we should draft some hitting this June?

I'm told that we live in a post-hitting society.

[chop2chip]

In regards to the 2015 club, it would be really nice to see Banuelos continue to do good work. We could really use him in the big leagues.

[nsacpi]

GWINNETT team batting average (11 games): .235 with one home run
MISSISSIPPI team batting average (10 games): .271 with 3 home runs
CAROLINA team batting average (10 games): .246 withn 6 home runs
ROME team batting average (9 games): .196 with 1 home run

What's wrong with the Carolina team? Didn't they get the memo that baseball has evolved so that power is no longer part of the game?

[Tapate50]

What's wrong with the Carolina team? Didn't they get the memo that baseball has evolved so that power is no longer part of the game?

off with their heads!

[MadduxFanII]

Nice to see the K/BB ratio from Banuelos, even with the four runs.

[Braves1976]

Nice to see the K/BB ratio from Banuelos, even with the four runs.

I caught part of the game and I couldn't believe a few calls that cost Man-Ban at least two strikeouts tonight. He would've had at least 7 K's otherwise. One was right down the middle and should've been strike three and ended the inning, Man-Ban was headed off the field.

[smootness]

Great to see Peraza hitting in Gwinnett, and he tripled his SB total tonight.

Albies went 2-4 with a 3B as well, now up to .282.

[rico43]

This was GOOD day for the farm systerm. Banuelos wins, Jenkins and Sobotka zwere dominant; Jenkins allowing only one hit.
Best sign: Lipka looked like a No 1 pick. Went up on the wall (LF) to take homer away midway through game, other good catches, bunt single to break ice, and two hits giving him .413 average.

[Braves1976]

Best sign: Lipka looked like a No 1 pick. Went up on the wall (LF) to take homer away midway through game, other good catches, bunt single to break ice, and two hits giving him .413 average.

I missed that catch, I'll have to catch it on replay. But I have always liked Lipka personally, even after all the injuries and others wrote him off. I still think he has the skills to make the Majors and hope he does so. The key for him might be more staying healthy than anything else.

[jpx7]

WP: Sobotka (1-1) 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.

[Julio3000]

That's not gonna get the grain pier built.

[Tapate50]

That's not gonna get the grain pier built.

I bet they have people come in that bar all the time asking for a shot and a beer.

[50PoundHead]

I missed that catch, I'll have to catch it on replay. But I have always liked Lipka personally, even after all the injuries and others wrote him off. I still think he has the skills to make the Majors and hope he does so. The key for him might be more staying healthy than anything else.

The book on Lipka when he was drafted is that he was a football player who would have translate his physical tools (especially speed) to baseball skills. The injuries put him behind the curve a bit and likely stunted some necessary development. It's a small sample size, but if he builds on the guy he looked like he was becoming before he got injured in 2012, there's still hope. I'm curious to see if they move him around the infield at all during the season like they did in spring training in 2014.

Some nice pitching again last night.

[nsacpi]

All 2015 data involve small samples, but it is interesting to look at Mallex Smith and Lipka so far this season:

Smith: .419 BABIP, .150 ISO, 6.8% walk rate, 20.5% strikeout rate

Lipka: .458 BABIP, .143 ISO, 9.1% walk rate, 15.2% strikeout rate

I like Lipka's numbers better so far. But Smith is a year younger, which tilts things in his favor. His strikeout rate in past years has been in the high teens, so this year's 20.5% is probably a small sample artifact and should be moving down.

Lipka has never had a walk rate over 9%, so that might be a small sample thing too. It would be nice if he could sustain it.