G-BRAVES BEAT: Minor has another solid start; Chapman visits

The Gwinnett Braves got their 12-game homestand off to a slow start by dropping the first three games against the Louisville Bats. The problem was not getting on base, but driving runners in. A combined 26 runners were left on base over the weekend and the G-Braves could not muster more than four runs.

Starting pitcher Mike Minor, who had won his first three starts for the G-Braves, looked good again on Saturday night. He allowed three runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in six innings of work. “I could have gone another inning, but the guys in the pen needed work,” Minor said after the 3-2 loss.

The 22-year old has become one of the top young arms in the Gwinnett rotation since coming over from Mississippi in early July. He is 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.

Minor has met his success with a humble attitude. “I’ve put a couple good starts together, but there are guys better than me and I’m still learning on this level,” said Minor.

Wes Timmons has been the hottest bat in the lineup during the past 10 games. Despite going hitless on Sunday, he is batting .378 over that span and continues to lead the team with a .398 on-base percentage on the season.

The visiting Lousiville Bats are the Cincinnati Reds’ affiliate and they boast one of the top prospects in baseball. Aroldis Chapman has been mentioned in the same breath as Stephen Strasburg. That is high praise considering the success Strasburg has had. “I never thought my pitching was on the level of the major leagues,” Chapman said. His fastball is more than good enough, it might be the best, topping out at 103 mph.

The one thing that is holding him back, might be the very thing that brought him where he is. He defected from Cuba and signed with the Reds in January of this year, leaving behind his family and friends.

“It’s been tough to be alone, the language has been the biggest adjustment, but I have no problem adjusting on the field,” Chapman said through an interpreter.

The success of the Reds this year give him hope to join a playoff team towards the end of this season. “That’s something that is exciting and I think about that all the time,” concluded Chapman.

The success of the Braves this year has kept the G-Braves an ever revolving door this season. That is something that comes with the territory in the world of triple A baseball. “I learned a long time ago to take things one day at a time in this game,” manager Dave Brundage said earlier this season.

That is exactly what Gwinnett has to do with the myriad of roster moves over the past month. The success of the first place parent club has made the G-Braves a very inconsistent team. Their July record is 8-14, but if they have anything to lean on it is that their next nine games are at home.