Fresh off an extra-inning thriller against Norfolk, the Gwinnett Braves returned home Thursday night to face the Durham Bulls in their home opener.
The G-Braves started off their opening ceremonies by honoring the legendary Tommie Aaron by retiring his number. Aaron is the older brother of Hank Aaron and played an important role as a player and coach with the Richmond Braves. He was the International League’s MVP in 1967 and was the league’s first African-American manager.
Phil Niekro, the hall of fame knuckleballer, threw out the ceremonial first pitch and it seemed as if the knuckleballer himself had taken the mound for the G-Braves. Top prospect Julio Teheran took the mound for Gwinnett and opened with a scoreless first inning. The right hander allowed two baserunners that inning but got out of trouble with two strikeouts. Teheran would cruise for the rest of the game. He ran into trouble in the third and fifth innings but showed an impressive pick-off move to erase runners in both innings. Teheran also exhibited his electric fastball in the opener, hitting 99 mph on the stadium radar gun in the fourth. The right-hander would pitch five innings, allow three hits, and strike out four batters.
The G-Braves got on the board early thanks to speedsters, Luis Durango and Jose Constanza. Constanza was recently demoted from the parent club because of the activation of Chipper Jones from the DL. Durango led off the first with a walk, promptly stole second, and was moved over to third by a sacrifice bunt by Constanza. Second baseman Drew Sutton would drive him in with a single. Durango would also steal another base later in the game.
The team would score three more runs in the fourth. Third basemen Joey Terdoslavich, the apparent heir to third base for the Atlanta Braves, contributed an RBI single in the inning.
Durham did not mount a real rally until the sixth. Dusty Hughes relieved Teheran to start the inning and promptly allowed two hits, with one runner crossing the plate. Hughes would load the bases but made good pitches when he needed them. The lefty got a huge strikeout to end the inning and strand three runners. He is looking to have a rebound season after posting an ERA of over 9 at the major league level last year with Minnesota.
The G-Braves would answer the Bulls with three runs of their own thanks to the bat and legs of Constanza. The outfielder hit a ball to the deepest part of the park and showed why he made it to the big leagues last year, using his speed to leg out a two-run triple. His speed would be an asset again two batters later, as he scored on a defensive miscue by Durham’s first basemen.
Jaye Chapman and Ben Swaggerty came in to pitch the last three innings to clinch the 7-1 win for the Braves. Both pitchers had rough outings against the Bulls the last time the two teams played but rebounded in the home opener. Chapman and Swaggerty both struck out two batters in the game. Besides the sixth inning, the bullpen held strong for Gwinnett.
Right-hander Eric Junge takes the hill for the G-Braves in game two of the series and will look to extend the team’s winning streak. Constanza, who has two triples in two days, will try to keep his bat hot and establish himself as the number two hitter in the lineup. Also, look for Sutton, who batted .295 last season with Pawtucket, to start producing from the three-hole after a two-hit night against the Bulls.
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