After winning three of six games versus the Rocket City Trash Pandas in their most recent homestand, the Birmingham Barons hit the road on July 20th and began a stretch of 12 consecutive games away from Regions Field. The team’s first stop was in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the Barons would take on the Chattanooga Lookouts in a six-game series.
Entering this series, the Lookouts held a three-game lead over Birmingham for first place in the Double-A South North Division. Despite this, the Barons would dominate the series, winning five of six games to retake the top spot in the division.
Tyler Nelsony and Yolbert Sanchez led the Barons’ offensive charge versus Chattanooga. In five games, Nelsony batted 10-for-21 (.476) and Yolbert Sanchez batted 10-for-20 (.500). Ian Dawkins also performed well, finishing 6-for-14 (.428) at the plate in four games.
Sanchez, who was recently called up to Birmingham from the High-A Winston-Salem Dash, had his best performance of the trip on July 21st. The 24-year old finished 4-for-5 at the plate in a 17-9 Barons victory. Nelsony, who was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in a trade on July 11th, recorded three hits in three consecutive games from July 21-July 23.
The Barons’ offense shined in this series, as the team accumulated 49 total runs across six games. However, Birmingham also has their pitching staff to thank for such a successful series.
In game one, the Barons held the Lookouts scoreless. Birmingham’s four pitchers combined to strike out fourteen batters, and first-time starter Taylor Varnell earned the win on the mound. Felix Paulino and Andrew Perez both earned holds, as Lane Ramsey recorded the save to put a cherry on top of the Barons’ 3-0 victory.
Birmingham’s pitching staff wasn’t as impressive in game two. Starter Blake Battenfield received the win, but allowed eight hits and seven runs along the way. In game three, however, Kade McClure and Emilio Vargas combined for twelve strikeouts, and held Chattanooga to only five runs. Vargas recorded the win, his third of the season.
Anderson Severino and Konnor Pilkington also recorded wins on the mound versus Chattanooga. Severino pitched two innings in game four and struck out three batters, without allowing a single hit. In game six, Pilkington would strike out six batters in five innings, en route to his fourth win of the season.
In this 5-1 series victory, the Barons’ offense carried the majority of the weight. Birmingham’s defense allowed five or more runs in four of six games, which can’t happen on a consistent basis if this team wants to continue winning.
The Barons kicked off their second series versus the Rocket City Trash Pandas on July 27th at Toyota Field in Huntsville, Alabama. Birmingham would lose the first three games of this matchup, but then bounce back to win the final three and tie the series 3-3.
Once again, it was Yolbert Sanchez who would power the Barons on offense. Sanchez played five games versus Rocket City and finished 8-for-18 (.444) at the plate. His best performance came on July 31, where he would finish 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI in the front end of the Barons’ double-header.
Xavier Fernandez, who is currently on a nine-game hitting streak, also showed up strong for Birmingham. The 26-year old catcher finished 8-for-17 (.470) at the plate across five games, while also batting in six runs. Jameson Fisher (9-for-21) and Tyler Nelsony (8-for-18) also had their way with Rocket City’s pitching staff in this series.
In the first two games, Birmingham’s starting pitchers struggled. Taylor Varnell would allow four hits and three earned runs over less than two innings in game one, and Blake Battenfield would allow ten hits and six earned runs across four innings in game two.
Birmingham’s pitching staff would turn things around in game three. Starter Kade McClure pitched six innings, striking out seven batters and allowing three earned runs. Relievers Alec Hansen and Luis Ledo each pitched one inning and combined to strike out four batters in the Barons’ 3-2 loss.
In games four and five, the Barons’ pitching staff only allowed a total of five hits and two runs. Starter Emilio Vargas pitched five innings in game four, recording the win and allowing only two hits in Birmingham’s 11-1 victory. In game five, Jason Bilous started and pitched 5.2 innings, only allowing three hits and one earned run as the Barons went on to win by a score of 2-1.
Six different pitchers would take the mound for Birmingham in game six. Taylor Varnell and Alex Hansen each pitched 0.2 innings, and combined to walk five batters and allow two runs. On the flipside, reliever Peter Tago would earn the win, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing only one hit. Caleb Freeman and Felix Paulino also pitched for two innings each, combining to strike out seven batters without recording a single hit. The Barons would go on to win 9-5.
This Barons team knows how to fight adversity. So many of the team’s top performers have been moved up to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, and replaced with High-A players such as Yolbert Sanchez and Ian Dawkins. Despite having so many new faces on the roster, Birmingham answered the bell in this two-week road trip and will return home with a 42-35 record, which leads the Double-A South North Division.
Following this twelve-game road trip, the Barons are returning home for a twelve-game homestand. Their first opponent will be the Mississippi Braves, who currently lead the Double-A South South Division by one game over the Montgomery Biscuits.
Birmingham will open this six-game series at Regions Field on Tuesday at 7:05 pm CT.
Photo credit: Caleb Probst/FutureSox
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