7/10/2015 MINORS FINAL FRIDAY ... Barbosa latest pitching "find"

[rico43]

It seems like, this year, the Braves can turn over a rock and find a quality pitcher. That's almost what happened with Anthony Barbosa, a 6-8 left-hander who was in the Indy leagues. He was in the SL at the start of the season, but was released with a 12.00 ERA. That ERA was cut to the mid-4.00s Friday. He had a perfect game into the fifth inning, retired 13 straight before giving up a double off the wall. He finished the 7th inning, pitching out of a two-on jam, by getting a lefty pinch-hitter, Mike Gozalez, to pop up. Holbert went to the mound to let him know he was going to have at least once chance to get the job done, but reliever Andy Robinson was halfway to the mound and had to do a 180 to get off the field without a delay. He got ahead of every hitter but two.
Just as important, it would develop that Hursh (originally scheduled to start) would be the first reliever. He worked the eighth, allowing one run and one strikeout. It seems the speculation about Hursh's conversion to the bullpen has come to past.
Also, notable that the M-Braves had only 16 home runs in their first 84 games, but have hit four in the first two games of this series.

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

ALL TIMES EDT

CLASS AAA

Gwinnett 4, Durham 2

WP: Weber (3-1) 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
Cervenka 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.
Moylan 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.
McKirahan 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR.
Peraza 1-4, 2 R, SB; Bethancourt 2-4, HR (2nd), 2 RBI; M. Smith 1-3, BB, SB; Hunter 2-3, RBI.

CLASS AA

Mississippi 9, Chattanooga 0

SP: Barbosa (1-0) 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K.
Hursh 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.
Ahrens 3-6, 2B, HR (4th), 2 RBI; Hyams 2-3, HR (1st), 2 RBI, 2 BB; Godfrey 2-5, 2 R, BB, 2 SB; Kang 1-4, R, 2 RBI.

ADVANCED CLASS A

Myrtle Beach 2, Carolina 1

Walkoff win on throwing erropr
SP: Sims 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K.
Kinman 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
LP: Tate (2-1) 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER(1R), 1 BB, 0 K.

CLASS A

Augusta 8, Rome 0

LP: Caicedo (3-4) 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
Davidson 1-3, BB; Albies 1-4.

SHORT-SEASON

Danville 3, Bluefield 2

SP: J. Graham 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K.
WP: Belicek (1-0) 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K.
McLaughlin (Save, 2) 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.
Dykstra 1-3, R, RBI; Keegan 1-3, RBI; Baez 2-3, 3B, 2 R.

DSL Rangers 7 DSL Braves 6 (10)

SP: Iriarte 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.
LP: Taveras (BS, 2-2) 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
Ventura 1-4, R, BB; Michel 1-3, 2B; T. Jospehina 1-5, 2B, R.

GCL Tigers 3, GCL Braves 2

Rehabbing Braves acquisition (shoulder): age 30.
SP: Josh Outman 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
LP: Mejia (0-3) 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
Riley 2-3, R, HR (2nd), RBI; Yelich 1-3, RBI.

[buck75]

Hope Outman is healthy.

[buck75]

Looks like new LHP Barbosa started for Mississippi and struck out 12 in seven innings.

[Braves1976]

Looks like new LHP Barbosa started for Mississippi and struck out 12 in seven innings.

Yep, very impressive debut.

[Garmel]

In 19 games at Gwinnett Bethancourt is hitting .333 with an .826 OPS. Defensively, he has one error and one passed ball.

[Braves1976]

In 19 games at Gwinnett Bethancourt is hitting .333 with an .826 OPS. Defensively, he has one error and one passed ball.

Yep, but don't tell Joe and Chip that as they are apparently paid to bash him and make out AJ as something special.

[msstate7]

Yep, but don't tell Joe and Chip that as they are apparently paid to bash him and make out AJ as something special.

What old guy do they not love?

[nsacpi]

In 19 games at Gwinnett Bethancourt is hitting .333 with an .826 OPS. Defensively, he has one error and one passed ball.

He is giving me reason to believe he could be a useful major league player. Not a star mind you. But a useful player.

[msstate7]

In 19 games at Gwinnett Bethancourt is hitting .333 with an .826 OPS. Defensively, he has one error and one passed ball.

Unless we're gonna play Bethancourt every day, there's no reason to call him up. I think we messed him up by letting him only catch like 1 day a week. He's young, so you know he was pressing every start he got. As good as AJ has played this year, I hate we didn't play Bethancourt every day so we'd know what we have in a throw away year. This was the year to figure out if Bethancourt is our future, but we wasted it on a guy that won't be here in '17

[Braves1976]

Unless we're gonna play Bethancourt every day, there's no reason to call him up. I think we messed him up by letting him only catch like 1 day a week. He's young, so you know he was pressing every start he got. As good as AJ has played this year, I hate we didn't play Bethancourt every day so we'd know what we have in a throw away year. This was the year to figure out if Bethancourt is our future, but we wasted it on a guy that won't be here in '17

As good as AJ has been with the bat, he has been terrible defensively overall. Bad at throwing out runners and also has the worst DRS in MLB among catchers too.

[KB21]

As good as AJ has been with the bat, he has been terrible defensively overall. Bad at throwing out runners and also has the worst DRS in MLB among catchers too.

Yes. AJ's pitch framing is below average, and he lets too many balls get behind him.

Offensively, he's been good for the team. Defensively, not so much.

Personally, I still feel that Christian Bethancourt has the potential to be a Salvador Perez type.

[KB21]

Austin Riley in his last 30 at bats: 11 hits, 2 HR, 4 2B

His bat has heated up, and he's starting to show the pop the Braves envisioned when they drafted him.

[JohnAdcox]

Yes. AJ's pitch framing is below average, and he lets too many balls get behind him.

Offensively, he's been good for the team. Defensively, not so much.

Personally, I still feel that Christian Bethancourt has the potential to be a Salvador Perez type.

I’d settle for Salvador Perez.