Just one team still standing, but Double-A Mobile turned in a clutch performance on Monday night in Game Five of their series against Birmingham to keep their season alive. With their win, they advance to the Southern League Championship, where they'll play Tennessee, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. This also means that, at least for three more games, I have Farm Round-Ups to write! Yay! (Not sarcasm - I love doing these things.) Best of all, game three, game four (if necessary), and game five (if necessary) on the road at Tennessee are all slated to be on MiLB.tv, so hopefully I'll have a chance to watch at least a couple of them. Now, onto today's action.
Snakelets of the Day:
Charles Brewer (Double-A): 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 5:3 K:BB, 6:4 GO:AO
Ryan Wheeler (Double-A): 2-4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, K
Double-A: Mobile 7, Birmingham 1. (3-2) The BayBears needed a big day from their bats and starting pitcher Charles Brewer, and got just that. Brewer started things with six innings of one-run pitching, posting a 5:3 K:BB ratio, a 6:4 GO:AO ratio, and allowing just three hits. Things got interesting in the second innings, when Brewer gave up a single and three walks to allow Birmingham's one run to cross the plate, but managed to work out of it by striking out the side, all three swinging. Yonata Ortega worked two scoreless innings after Brewer left, striking out two with one walk (but a pair of hit batters), and Kevin Munson worked a spectacular, scoreless ninth inning, striking out the side while giving up one hit.
Offensively, the BayBears were led once again by Ryan Wheeler, who doubled twice to drive in three of Mobile's seven runs, while Jacob Elmore singled and tripled. Taylor Harbin and Daniel Kaczrowski each added doubles of their own, and Kaczrowski added a single to record the third two-hit night of the Mobile lineup. Adam Eaton also turned in a solid outing, with a single, a walk, and a HBP, scoring twice.