It wasn’t a banner day across the Braves’ farm system, but Columbus had the kind of pitching performance that can carry a club all by itself. Brett Sears kept Biloxi quiet for seven strong innings, and the Clingstones made enough timely contact to come away with a 4-2 win.
Sears was in command from the jump, allowing just two hits and one earned run while walking three and striking out three. It was his third straight start of at least seven innings with two or fewer runs allowed, a stretch that’s starting to look less like a hot streak and more like a habit. On the Double-A season, the 26-year-old has a 3.44 ERA over 83.2 innings across 15 appearances, including 13 starts, and has punched out 100 batters.
Columbus gave him support after falling behind 1-0 in the second. Austin Machado answered with his first Double-A homer of the year in the third, and Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. followed immediately with his fourth long ball of the season to put the Clingstones in front 2-1.
Kilpatrick came through again in the fifth, driving in Ambioris Tavarez to stretch the lead to 3-1. John Gil later scored on a Jordan Groshans single in the eighth to make it 4-2, which held up as the final.
Kilpatrick finished 2-for-2 with a homer, two RBI and a run scored. Gil went 1-for-4 with a triple and a run, while Eric Hartman added a double and Owen Carey singled. Biloxi’s Mark Coley II also made his mark in the field with a highlight-reel catch to rob Hartman of a home run in the third.
Elsewhere, Rome’s bats never found much rhythm in a 6-1 loss to Greensboro. The Emperors actually out-hit the Grasshoppers 7-5, but the big inning came against them when Greensboro scored three times in the third to build a 3-0 cushion.
Zach Royse gave Rome a workable start, covering six innings and allowing two runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Rome’s only run came in the third when Alex Lodise brought Logan Braunschweig home on a sacrifice fly.
Lodise finished 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Luis Guanipa also had two hits. Dixon Williams went 1-for-4.
Augusta had one of those nights where the box score looks a little better than the result. The GreenJackets piled up 12 hits but came up short in a 4-3 loss to Hickory. Landon Beidelschies turned in one of his better outings of the year, giving up two unearned runs on three hits over five innings, with two walks and five strikeouts.
The left-hander has now allowed just three runs over his last 13.2 innings at Low-A, while striking out 15, a stretch that suggests he may be settling in. Offensively, Juan Mateo delivered the biggest swing with a double that drove in two and tied the game.
Mateo finished 2-for-5. Carter Beck, Parker Brosius, Caleb Klein and Jacob Jarrell each had two hits, and Jarrell picked up his first professional hit.
In the DSL, the Braves were overwhelmed early in a 10-2 loss to DSL Red Sox Blue. Hector Aguilar lasted only 1.1 innings and was tagged for eight runs on 10 hits, leaving the Braves in a deep hole almost immediately. Geowin Gomez provided the lone bright spot on the mound, working 4.1 relief innings and striking out eight while allowing two runs.
At the plate, Edelson Cabral had the only extra-base hit with a triple and scored one of the team’s two runs. Jose Nelo and Elioberto Mondesir each collected two hits. Gwinnett’s game against Jacksonville was postponed and will be completed Saturday as part of a doubleheader.
In Other News...
Braves Roster Crunch Could Push Out Familiar Names Before Seasons End
The trade deadline came and went without any movement for Ha-Seong Kim, Danny Young or Dominic Smith, but that does not mean all three are safe in Atlanta for the rest of the season. The Braves are carrying a roster that has started to tighten around healthier options and more defined roles, and for players on the margins, that usually means every day matters. Kim has been around, but his path to meaningful at-bats has been squeezed by the clubs other infield choices, while Smith has seen his role shrink as the lineup gets back to full strength and his power has not carried over.
Young is in the most obvious spot of jeopardy among the group because the Braves have not gotten the kind of relief work they were hoping for. His numbers have drifted the wrong way, and a pitching staff that needs dependable innings cannot afford too many soft spots for long. Atlanta has no obligation to make a quick move, but with the season winding down and roster spots at a premium, the pressure is building on players like these to hold their ground before the team decides it has easier options elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Added A New Arm With A Rise Fans Will Want To Follow
The Braves latest roster move brought in a pitcher whose climb has been notable for more than just the change of scenery. Tyler Uberstine came over from the Red Sox in the Eli White deal and wasted little time making his organizational debut with Atlantas Triple-A club, working a scoreless inning as he settled into a new system.
Uberstine has already reached the big leagues once with Boston, and his path has gotten more interesting this season thanks to a noticeable uptick in velocity and better results across three different Minor League stops. For a Braves pitching pipeline that is always worth tracking, he is the kind of arm who can quickly go from a transaction footnote to a name fans keep checking back on. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Were Deeper In The Ace Market Than Fans Realized
Tarik Skubals move from Detroit to the Dodgers gave the pitching market the jolt it had been waiting for, and it also confirmed just how many clubs were circling one of the winters biggest arms. The Tigers pushed the deal forward amid uncertainty over George Kirbys availability, only for Kirby to stay put with the Mariners, while teams including the Brewers, Yankees, Rays, Braves and Cubs all spent time in the mix before Los Angeles landed the left-hander.
For Atlanta, the takeaway is less about the final destination and more about how aggressively the Braves were willing to chase a top-end starter. They were not merely on the fringe of the conversation, and their involvement says plenty about how determined the front office was to fortify the rotation, even if the market ultimately broke in another direction. [Read more 🡒]