It was a lackluster day down on the farm, but there were a handful of individual performances to highlight. So let’s dive into Wednesday’s action.
(18-11) Gwinnett Stripers 9, (14-15) Charlotte Knights 10
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Luke Williams, 2B; 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R
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Elieser Hernandez, SP: 5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, BB, 3 K
Box Score
Despite holding a three-run lead headed into the home half of the seventh inning, Gwinnett failed to hold on to it, resulting in the one-run loss to Charlotte as the Stripers dropped game two of the series.
Gwinnett jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning thanks to an RBI-groundout off the bat of Jair Camargo which scored Brett Wisely.
After Charlotte tied things up in the bottom of the frame, the Stripers retook the lead in the top of the third — scoring three runs to take a 4-1 lead.
Whenever you score nine runs on 10 hits, the odds for winning are probably going to be heavily in your favor. That was not the case for Gwinnett on Wednesday.
The biggest detriment came in the form of starting pitching, as Elieser Hernandez got the start on the mound and proceeded to give up six runs on nine hits while striking out three before he was pulled in the sixth inning.
As the score suggests, Gwinnett’s offense more than held its own on the night. Luke Williams launched his third homer of the year in the top of the sixth inning — a solo shot that traveled 391-feet over the left field wall.
On a defensive note, first baseman Aaron Schunk made an incredible play in the bottom of the third inning where he tracked down a fly ball in foul territory and made the catch despite his momentum carrying him over the dugout railing. Somehow Schunk held on to the ball and made the out in what was a stellar play.
Sean Murphy — who continues to rehab in an attempt to make his way back to the big league roster — also came through with an RBI-single in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 6-6 as well.
It’s been a rough go of it for Murphy on his rehab stint as he’s only posted an OPS of .469 in 10 games. However, he may be turning a corner as he has five hits in his last three games, including a pair of doubles and 4 RBI.
(12-10) Columbus Clingstones 5, (10—12) Montgomery Biscuits 6
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David McCabe, DH: 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, R
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Adam Zebrowski, C: 2-3, HR, RBI, R
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Garrett Baumann, SP: 5 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Box Score
It was yet another rough outing for Garrett Baumann, as the tall righty suffered through a lackluster start again for Columbus as the Clingstones — like their triple-A counterparts — came up short in the one-run loss.
Across five innings of work, Baumann surrendered six runs on eight hits while also issuing four walks and striking out three. In 22.1 innings on the mound this season, Baumann has allowed 22 runs (20 earned) on 30 hits, while giving up at least one homer in each of his five starts thus far. He is carrying an ERA of 8.06 after Wednesday’s outing.
While his strikeout rate is up a click at 23.4%, Baumann’s walk rate has also skyrocketed along with it; going from 6.4% to end the 2025 season, to 13% in 2026. His fly ball-home run ratio is also trending in the wrong direction, as 30% of balls hit in the air against Baumann leave the yard.
It’s as close to a disastrous start to a season as you can get for Baumann, who was hoped to be on the verge of taking that next step toward becoming the next elite starting pitching prospect in Atlanta’s system. Instead, he has taken several steps backwards and could be on the verge of being sent down to high-A Rome with the hopes he gets things back on track.
Otherwise, Baumann may be destined for a bullpen role if he’s not able to make things work as a starter. Regardless, it’s extremely concerning.
Getting back to Wednesday’s action, David McCabe stole the show at the plate for Columbus, as the designated hitter went 2-5 with a home run and a double to pace the Clingstones’ offense. McCabe also drove in two of Columbus’ five total runs on the night.
Ha-Seong Kim also made his much-anticipated debut as he begins his own respective rehab assignment.
Going 1-2 with a single, Kim also managed to swipe third base eventually and by all accounts looked healthy.
On defense, Kim only had one ball hit to him before he was removed in the sixth inning, but he managed to field it cleanly.
(12-11) Rome Emperors 9, (15-8) Bowling Green Hot Rods 4
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Dixon Williams, CF: 2-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
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Logan Braunschweig, RF: 3-4, 2 RBI
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Eric Hartman, 0-3, R, 2 BB
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John Gil, DH: 0-2, 2 RBI, R, BB
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Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Box Score
The Emperors rode an early hot start — in which they scored all but one of their nine total runs in the first four innings — to a victory to get back above .500 on the season.
Cedric De Grandpre got the start on the mound and arguably put up one of his best performances thus far. Across five innings of work, De Grandpre did allow three runs, but managed to strike out eight on the day while keeping his offense in the game.
Of course, it wouldn’t take much to keep the bats in it as Rome outhit Bowling Green 11-4.
Dixon Williams continued his hot start at the plate following his delayed start to the season, as he went 2-5 with a homer and three RBI on the day for Rome. Going 2-5 with a homer and three RBI, Williams raised his season OPS to .953 with his stellar performance on Wednesday as he continues to get up to speed after starting the season on the injured list.
One thing to keep an eye on is Isaiah Drake, who was removed from Rome’s game in the top of the second inning on Wednesday and replaced by Logan Braunschweig. While there has been no official report as to why he was replaced, Braunschweig put up a solid night by going 3-4 with two RBI to his credit.
(13-11) Augusta GreenJackets 0, (8-16) Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 6
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Juan Mateo, DH: 2-3, 2B, BB
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Derek Vartanian, SP: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Box Score
Long story short: it simply wasn’t Augusta’s night on Wednesday as the GreenJackets were shutout in the loss.
Derek Vartanian got the start and while he was somewhat solid — five innings pitched while allowing two earned runs on three hits and six strikeouts — his offense failed to provide him with any meaningful support on the day.
Overall, Augusta was was outhit 7-5 as the GreenJackets simply failed to string together any sort of meaningful offense on Wednesday.
One positive was Tate Southisene, who managed to go 2-4 on the night, while Juan Mateo — who went 2-3 with Augusta’s only extra-base hit in a double — also put up respectable numbers for the GreenJackets on Wednesday as well.
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