Gwinnett put together the kind of night that turns a routine minor league recap into a head-turner. The Stripers blanked Jacksonville 8-0, got a dominant start from Brett Sears, and piled on late with a burst that turned a close game into a blowout.
Sears was the engine. In his third Triple-A start, he worked six innings and allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out 10. It was easily his best outing since arriving at the level, and his early numbers now look strong: a 0.92 ERA across 10.2 innings with 22 strikeouts.
The offense waited until the sixth to break through, then kept rolling. David McCabe singled in Jim Jarvis to open the scoring, and Jose Azocar followed by lining two more runs home with a single that brought in McCabe and Jordan Groshans. Gwinnett added another in the eighth when Lizandro Espinoza scored on a sacrifice fly from McCabe.
Then came the hammer in the ninth. Maverick Handley walked, Jarvis drew a walk with two outs, and Espinoza singled to load the bases. McCabe stepped in on a 3-2 pitch and launched a grand slam to right, capping his huge night and stretching the lead to 8-0.
McCabe finished 2-for-4 with a home run and six RBIs, while also scoring twice. Groshans went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and a run scored. Azocar drove in two runs, and Jarvis added a triple and a run scored.
The pitching didn’t stop with Sears. Luis Vargas struck out three in relief, and Blake Burkhalter followed with a scoreless inning and a strikeout.
In Columbus, Cam Caminiti kept doing his part even though the Clingstones fell 6-1 to Montgomery. The left-hander delivered his second straight start of at least six innings with one earned run allowed, working six innings and giving up one run on three hits while striking out four and walking three.
Since being promoted to Double-A, Caminiti owns a 2.01 ERA over 31.1 innings, with 32 strikeouts and 16 walks.
Columbus managed only one run, and it came in the fourth. Alex Lodise grounded into a double play, but it was enough to bring in John Gil and make it a 4-1 game at the time.
Gil finished 1-for-3 with a run, while Eric Hartman drew two walks in a 0-for-2 night. Adam Zebrowski went 1-for-4, and Carson Taylor was 1-for-3.
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Braves Fans Wanted This Deadline Arm And It Looks Worse By The Week
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For a front office that gets graded on the margins this time of year, this has become one of those decisions that looks better with every start. Alex Anthopoulos passed on a pitcher many in Atlanta wanted, and the early returns suggest the Braves may have been right to stay patient rather than chase a deadline name that has not translated well so far. [Read more 🡒]