The Braves’ minor league picture was thin during the all-star break, but the Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League still had a few notable developments - most of them centered on rehab work and one very unusual pitching gem.
In Northport, Ronald Acuna Jr. made his second appearance in his recovery from a hamstring strain, and the line was quiet: 0-for-3. He flew out in the first inning, struck out in the third, then reached on an error in the top of the fifth before being removed for a pinch runner, just like he was in yesterday’s game when he reached on an error in the fifth and got pinch-run for.
Ha-Seong Kim also got his second look, though his day ended early. He drew a walk, later scored on a home run, and was lifted with one out during a long defensive fourth inning.
Ray Kerr’s return may have been the most interesting of the trio, but his first inning was messy from a control standpoint. He opened with two quick fly outs, then walked a batter, hit the next one, and walked a third before finally getting out of the inning.
That game ended with the FCL Braves falling 11-3 to the FCL Twins. Caden Merritt supplied the biggest offensive punch for the Braves, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run while driving in three runs.
Down in the DSL, the Braves turned in one of the strangest kinds of games: a clean, well-pitched, well-defended one. Cesar Navarro was the story in a 1-0 win over the DSL Giants Orange, throwing seven innings of two-hit shutout ball with one walk and five strikeouts.
It was the first complete-game shutout in the DSL this season, only the second complete game in the league overall, and there’s a strong chance it ends up being the only shutout thrown in the DSL this year. The Braves hadn’t had a complete-game shutout since Felix Falcon on July 2nd, 2013, in a six-inning rain-shortened game.
Jose Manon was responsible for the only run in the game, though not with one of his two hits. He was hit by a pitch to start the third inning, stole second, moved up on a fly out, and scored on a wild pitch.
Manon also continued to pile up stolen bases, with 10 in eight games, even as his power and walks have dropped off compared to June. Edelson Cabral and Sherrintley De Costa Gomez both went 0-for-2 with a walk in the win.
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