bravo

Nice closing act by the Mississippi Braves on Tuesday night. They beat Birmingham 9-1 in their last game at Trustmark Park for 2011; the M-Braves finish the season with a five-game series at Carolina. Here's a few fun facts from the home finale: The Barons started three sons of former major leaguers: Kenny Williams Jr., Jake Oester (Ron) and Jose Martinez (Carlos). ... The Barons' manager is former Jackson Generals infielder Bobby Magallanes. ... The Barons, first-half champs in the Southern League South, made five errors, believed to be a record for a visiting team at the TeePee. ... Every M-Braves starter had at least one hit in a 13-hit attack. ... The M-Braves started their six-run sixth inning with six straight hits. ... Antoan Richardson, small but oh so swift, is excitement personified. To wit: In the sixth, with runners at second and third, he dropped a soft single into right field. He kept going toward second, expecting right fielder Martinez to throw home. Martinez instead rushed a throw toward second which skipped past the second baseman and then past the third baseman backing up the play. Richardson dashed around the bases, sliding in ahead of a throw to the plate, for a classic "Little League home run." ... Jose Lugo overcame a wobbly first inning to work seven strong and get the win. ... Brett Butts and Kenshin Kawakami, both of whom had been struggling, worked a scoreless inning each. ... Despite an announced turnout of just 1,733 on Tuesday, the M-Braves finished with a season average of 2,737. That's up from 2010 (2,620). Since the club drew 3,847 in 2005, the inaugural season, the average had dipped each year until this one. ... The M-Braves finished 33-37 at the TeePee. ... When M-Braves fans look back on 2011, what they might want to remember is that this was the team that had, for a brief spell, a rotation of Randall Delgado, Arodys Vizcaino, Brett Oberholtzer, J.J. Hoover and Paul Clemens. The first two already have made the big leagues and the latter three are likely to get there.

No. 56

Juan Abreu made his big league debut with Houston on Monday night, becoming the 56th Mississippi Braves alumnus to advance to The Show in the seven years the Double-A club has been in Pearl. Abreu, part of the Michael Bourn trade, pitched 2/3 of an inning in a 7-4 win over Pittsburgh. The right-handed Dominican allowed a hit, a walk and a run but punched out two Pirates while hitting 98 mph on the radar gun. Astros manager Brad Mills called him a "fun weapon" to have in the bullpen. Abreu was the M-Braves' closer for part of 2010, recording 11 saves and a 3.02 ERA in 39 games. He fanned 47 in 44 2/3 innings. Abreu becomes the eighth M-Braves alum to make it to the majors in 2011, following Tim Collins (Royals), Matt Young, Cory Gearrin, Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, Scott Diamond (Twins) and Arodys Vizcaino.

best-laid plans

Cincinnati trailed by two, with a runner on first base, one out in the bottom of the eighth. Reds pinch-hitter Fred Lewis yanked a pitch down the right-field line. But instead of a possible run-scoring double into the corner, the ball landed foul by a few inches. Lewis then struck out looking. The Reds lost to Philadelphia 3-2 on Monday night. It's been that kind of year for Lewis, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product from Wiggins, and the Reds. Frustrating. Lewis is hitting just .232, despite a 10-for-30 ledger as a pinch hitter. The Reds, National League Central champs in 2010, are a .500 club that isn't going to make the playoffs. After a good year with Toronto in 2010, Lewis signed with Cincy as a free agent. The Reds already were four-deep in the outfield, but Lewis, a lefty hitter with plus speed, probably figured it'd be nice to play a utility role for a contending team. Then he got hurt in spring training, delaying his debut. And the Reds have sputtered all year. The highlight of Lewis' season might have come in June when he received a World Series ring from the San Francisco Giants. Lewis didn't play a single game for the Giants in 2010; he went through spring training, got hurt before Opening Day and was traded to the Blue Jays in mid-April. But the Giants, Lewis' original organization, voted to give him a ring. One supposes there is some small consolation in that.
P.S. The Mississippi Braves play their last home game tonight at 7:05 at Trustmark Park. Can't see 'em again at the TeePee until April 2012.

rays of hope

The Desmond Jennings Highlight Show rolls on. The former Itawamba Community College star hit two homers on Sunday — he told the Tampa Bay Tribune he can't remember doing that before at any level of the game — and went 4-for-5 to raise his average to .354. Oh, and Tampa Bay, which refuses to quit in the American League playoff race, beat Toronto 12-0. Jennings, in 34 games this season, has eight homers, three triples, 19 RBIs, 22 runs, 14 stolen bases and a .646 slugging percentage. With Jennings at the top of the order, the Rays have won 17 of 25 and are just 6 1/2 games behind New York in the AL wild card standings. According to MLB Network, Tampa Bay leads the league in ERA (3.00) and batting average against (.221) during August. The Rays are second in the AL in ERA on the year, a tribute to the good work done there by former Jackson Generals pitching coach Jim Hickey. Hickey had to rebuild the Rays' bullpen this season.

the stroke

Tyler Moore found a home run stroke last year, and from all indications, it's still working for him. The former Mississippi State standout has 30 homers at Double-A Harrisburg in the Washington system. A right-handed hitting first baseman, Moore is batting .271 with 87 RBIs and was named to the Eastern League's end-of-year All-Star team last week. Moore was rated the Nationals' No. 24 prospect by Baseball America entering 2011 after belting 31 homers (to go with a .269 average and 111 RBIs) at high Class A Potomac last season. Moore, 24, still has some work to do on strike zone discipline — he has 132 strikeouts and just 24 walks this season — but he should advance again in 2012. Washington drafted him three times — out of Northwest Rankin High, Meridian Community College and MSU — so somebody in the organization likes him. The Nats recently called up another first base prospect, Chris Marrero, which, coupled with the fact Moore is not on the 40-man roster, makes it unlikely Moore will get a September look. But his day may come soon enough.
P.S. Corey Wimberly's bid to become the first Alcorn State product to make the majors since Al Jones in the mid-'80s has bogged down. The diminutive outfielder/second baseman is batting just .238 in Triple-A with Pittsburgh and is currently on the disabled list. Meanwhile, ex-Delta State star Edwin Maysonet is hitting .293 for Milwaukee's Triple-A club. The versatile infielder, who has some big league time already, could fill a role for the Brewers as they drive toward the playoffs.

crash landing

Kenshin Kawakami's career — at least in the U.S. — appears to be nearing an end. The Mississippi Braves right-hander and erstwhile big leaguer was rocked again on Friday night and now has an 8.31 ERA in 14 Double-A appearances this season. In 39 innings, mixed between starts and relief appearances, he has yielded 52 hits and 15 walks. In each of his last two outings, he has allowed four earned runs in an inning of work. Atlanta still owed the former Japanese leagues star almost $7 million for this season and didn't want to just release him. But he's shown no signs of being able to pitch in majors again. There was some interest from Japanese teams in the spring but reportedly Kawakami didn't want to return home. Perhaps it's time now.
P.S. Tommy Hanson's rotator cuff injury is bad news for the Braves. But it could open up September starting opportunities for ex-M-Braves Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado. Fellow former M-Braves Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor have certainly risen to the occasion in recent outings. Atlanta has an embarrassment of riches in young arms. ... Former Mississippi State star Ed Easley got the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth for Mobile on Friday night as the BayBears clinched the second-half title in the Southern League South.

don't look now

The Colorado Rockies, famous for their recent late-season surges, may be making another. And Seth Smith, the ex-Ole Miss standout from Jackson, is supplying some of the power. The Rockies won their fourth straight game on Tuesday night, with the aid of a 478-foot home run by Smith. According to the Denver Post, that's the longest of Smith's career and just missed making the top 10 all-time at Coors Field. Smith hit a 458-foot bomb in a win on Sunday. He's at 15 homers and 54 RBIs for the year — his career-highs are 17 and 55 — and has seven homers in August. His average is up to .287. While National League West front-runners Arizona and San Francisco have been scuffling, Colorado has won six of 10 and climbed within 8 1/2 games of first place.
P.S. Props to former Mississippi Braves closer Craig Kimbrel for matching the rookie record with his 40th save on Tuesday night. It's going to be very interesting to see whether Kimbrel or fellow former M-Braves star Freddie Freeman takes the NL rookie of the year honor.

setting a course

Even though most of the highly rated prospects once on the roster are gone, the Mississippi Braves are showing signs of a finishing kick. They've won four in a row — their longest winning streak of the season — and are 13-8 in August. They haven't had a winning month yet. That might be a nice goal for a team that's not going to the postseason for the third straight year. The patched-up rotation has fared relatively well. Ernesto Mejia, who set the club's season home run record during the last homestand, added the RBI mark to his ledger on Sunday at Montgomery. He's now got 21 and 84. And Mycal Jones and Cory Harrilchak have heated up. Jones has a six-game hitting streak going during which he is 12-for-24. Harrilchak has a five-gamer and is 8-for-22. The last homestand of the year starts Friday night.
P.S. Former M-Braves standout Jordan Schafer, traded by Atlanta last month, made his Houston Astros debut on Monday night. Batting leadoff, he went 0-for-4.

armed and dangerous

Belhaven's prospects for 2012 got brighter today with the announcement that Geoffrey Thomas and Jonathan Thompson have transferred in from Southern Miss. Hill Denson's Blazers went to the NAIA World Series in 2010 and were back in the regionals this past spring. With the addition of these two NCAA Division I arms, the Blazers will be a major force again. Thomas went 10-3 with a 3.09 ERA for USM in 2011, while Thompson was 7-1, 3.49. Both were declared academically ineligible before the start of the Conference USA Tournament in May. They will be eligible to play for Belhaven next spring. BU already had added a pitcher from USM, Matthew Shaw, for next season, along with a Louisiana-Monroe transfer, infielder Jason Hicks. Denson also signed some top junior college players. Old Smith-Wills Stadium, the Blazers' home, figures to be buzzing next season.

so weird

Somewhere, there's a Mississippi State fan sticking pins in a Colonel Rebel doll. How else to explain this? It has been reported that Drew Pomeranz, a key piece in the Cleveland-Colorado trade that sent Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians, had an emergency appendectomy and may miss the rest of the season. The former Ole Miss left-hander, after two weeks in limbo because of trade rules, threw seven shutout innings in Double-A last week in his first outing as Rockies property. He figured to get a September call-up. But that's unlikely now. Pomeranz joins Chris Coghlan, Alex Presley, Zack Cozart, Matt Maloney and Lance Lynn as former Ole Miss players who've spent time on the disabled list because of injuries this season. The others were in the big leagues when they were hurt. Pomeranz was cut down before he could even get there. It's just so weird.

like old times

Good news for the Philadelphia Phillies, bad news for the rest of baseball. Roy Oswalt pitched his best game of the season for the Phils on Saturday, throwing eight shutout innings and fanning nine in a 5-0 win over Washington. The former Weir High and Holmes Community College star, who has made two trips to the disabled list with back problems, was still hitting 93 mph in his final inning. "The velocity is coming back for me pretty nice," Oswalt (6-7, 3.51 ERA) told mlb.com. "It's coming back for me. I should feel better and better as I go." If that's true, the Phillies, who have maintained the best record in baseball for some time now, are going to be that much tougher to beat in the postseason.
P.S. On the always active injury front, San Francisco put Delta State alum Eli Whiteside (concussion) on the DL in the wake of the awkward, face-first slide he took against Atlanta last week, and Florida finally activated Ole Miss alum Chris Coghlan from his rehab stint and then sent him to Triple-A New Orleans. As bad as the Marlins are, does that make any sense?

spotlight on ...

Billy Hamilton, the former Taylorsville High two-sport star, is putting up some nice numbers at Class A Dayton in the Cincinnati organization. In fact, one of the numbers he has put up is downright amazing: 81 stolen bases. Yes, 81, which leads all of minor league baseball. His other numbers aren't too shabby: .258, two home runs, 41 RBIs, nine triples, 81 runs in 118 games in the low-A Midwest League. He has struck out 113 times, too high for a leadoff batter, but he's only 20. He's learning. Hamilton, 6 feet 1, 160 pounds, has played both shortstop and second base at Dayton. Some reports indicate his arm is better suited to second; his range his unquestioned. Hamilton was a second-round pick by the Reds in 2009 and spurned a football offer from Mississippi State to start his pro baseball career. He was called a "high-risk, high-reward" draftee, code for a player needing a lot of polish. He's certainly begun to shine. He was the rookie Pioneer League player of the year in 2010 and entered this season as the Reds' No. 2 prospect (ahead of Ole Miss alum Zack Cozart, who has already made The Show). Hamilton might make Double-A sometime next season — we might see him at Trustmark Park as a Carolina Mudcat — and that'll be the big test. He's got the speed to play in the majors. It's just a matter of whether the rest of his game catches up.

touch of irony

See where the Kansas City Royals have signed Jeff Francoeur to a two-year contract extension worth a reported $13.5 million. The former Mississippi Braves star, who is making $2.5 million for 2011, is having a good year for the also-ran Royals, batting .277 with 15 homers and 66 RBIs. Francoeur is a good guy with a vibrant personality. He never gives less than his best. Even when he's not hitting, he plays right field as well as anyone in the game right now. (Since 2005, his break-in year with Atlanta, has an amazing 93 assists.) It's more than a little ironic, don't you think, that the Braves' biggest need today is right-handed hitting outfielder with some pop. Like, say, Jeff Francoeur, the guy Atlanta essentially gave away a couple of years ago. (Ryan Church? Really?) Still think Francoeur will come back to the Braves before he's done and have a happy ending in his hometown.

dog days

Jonathan Papelbon, who'll be a free agent after this season, is certainly making himself attractive to potential suitors. The former Mississippi State pitcher notched his 23rd consecutive save for Boston on Tuesday night and now has 28 in 29 chances this season. Papelbon, who has been known for hair-raising escapes in the past, has been more efficient of late. He hasn't allowed a run since July 16. On Tuesday, protecting a 3-1 lead against Tampa Bay, he retired all three batters he faced on just 10 pitches, nine of them strikes. Another former Bulldogs star, Mitch Moreland, playing for another playoff contender in Texas, has had six hits in two games, both wins, against the Los Angeles Angels, who are chasing the Rangers in American League West. Moreland has boosted his average to .277. The Angels are now 6 games back heading into Game 3 of this big series tonight. Meanwhile, former MSU ace Paul Maholm starts tonight for Pittsburgh looking for something to smile about. The left-hander is 0-4 with a 5.80 ERA in his last six starts for the fading Pirates. Maholm (6-13, 3.60) faces a desperate St. Louis club that has dropped 7 games back of first-place Milwaukee in the National League Central.
P.S. Pascagoula's Senquez Golson is rolling the dice. He reportedly turned down a $1.4 million signing offer from the Boston Red Sox to enroll at Ole Miss and play football for the Rebels. That's a lot of money, and it may never be there for Golson again. He must really like football.

worth the trip

The fans who turned out at Trustmark Park tonight — and there weren't many — were treated to a couple of memorable highlights by the homeboys. Antoan Richardson, the diminutive left fielder, jumped and reached over the fence to take a three-run homer away from a Huntsville batter in the fifth inning. Had to be one of the best defensive plays of the year for the M-Braves, who have not been a very good defensive team. In the bottom of the frame, Ernesto Mejia launched his 20th homer of the year, breaking the M-Braves' record which he had held jointly with Matt Esquivel. Mejia's blast was majestic, clearing the batter's eye screen in center field. Not many have gone there before. Two for sure: Delmon Young and Jason Perry.

parting shots

Chris Cody, Zeke Spruill, Luis Avilan, Aaron Shafer and Jose Lugo. That's the Mississippi Braves' announced rotation for the Huntsville series that starts tonight at Trustmark Park. Who are those guys? Cody was signed last month out of an independent league. Spruill and Shafer are recent call-ups from A-ball. Avilan and Lugo are erstwhile relievers. Among the five, only Lugo has an ERA under 4.00. The rotation that many thought might lead the M-Braves to a playoff berth in 2011 is long gone. At 22-28, 12 1/2 games out of first in the Southern League South with 20 games left, there isn't much for the M-Braves to play for as a team. But Atlanta's minor league brass will want to see a strong finish from individual players, especially those that are on the prospect radar. And the players know this. They won't be just going through the motions. Fans at the TeePee might want to keep a sharp eye out for the performance of strong-armed relievers Brett Butts and Billy Bullock. First baseman Ernesto Mejia is one homer away from breaking the M-Braves' record; that would be a nice feather in his cap. Outfielders Cory Harrilchak (.248) and Mycal Jones (.239) are due, overdue actually, for a breakout. Third baseman Donell Linares (.275, seven homers, 58 RBIs) appears to still have a future in the organization. Only 10 home games left, but that's plenty of time to leave a lasting impression.

case closed

The signing deadline for 2011 draft picks came and went Monday night, and the top pick from Mississippi, Sumrall High shortstop Connor Barron, did not sign with Florida, according to Baseball America's latest draft tracker. As expected, Barron will play for Southern Miss in 2012. Barron was a third-round pick; the Marlins signed 11 of their top 13. Also good news for USM: Mr. Baseball Mason Robbins, an outfielder from George County, did not sign with the New York Mets; he was a 20th-round pick.
Here's a rundown of the rest of the top 10 draft picks from the state:
USM infielder B.A. Vollmuth signed with Oakland;
Wheeler High outfielder/pitcher Brandon Woodruff (MSU) did not sign with Texas;
Ole Miss pitcher David Goforth signed with Milwaukee;
Pascagoula outfielder Senquez Golson (Ole Miss football) did not sign with Boston;
Ole Miss pitcher Austin Wright signed with Philadelphia;
MSU pitcher Devin Jones signed with Baltimore;
St. Stanislaus pitcher/outfielder Jacob Lindgren (MSU) did not sign with the Chicago Cubs;
Ole Miss catcher Miles Hamblin signed with Houston;
Copiah-Lincoln CC catcher Kolby Byrd signed with St. Louis.

no free rides

Getting to the big leagues is hard, the sage baseball man will tell you, but staying in the big leagues is harder still. Jarrod Dyson, the McComb native and former Southwest Mississippi Community College standout, defied the odds by making it to the majors as a 50th-round draft pick. The dash-fast Dyson hit just .211 in his 18 games with Kansas City in 2010, but he made an impression with his speed, stealing nine bases. He made the club out of spring training this year but didn't stay. Dyson was sent down after batting just .172 in 22 games. (He did, however, swipe nine bases in nine tries.) Dyson is bidding for a return to The Show. He's hitting .298 at Triple-A Omaha and has stolen 34 bases in 35 tries. He's scored 50 times in 63 games. He will likely get a call-up in September, but he's going to have to hit better to stick. Dyson's hardest work is ahead of him.
P.S. Four former Mississippi Braves pitchers started in big league games on Sunday, and all four coulda, shoulda come away with victories. Only Jo-Jo Reyes, now with Baltimore, managed to get a W (with former Mississippi State star Craig Tatum behind the plate). Atlanta's Brandon Beachy, Texas' Matt Harrison and Pittsburgh's Charlie Morton watched their bullpens blow saves.

oh, that guy

Trevor Bauer was the subject of a recent Sports Illustrated feature (Aug. 15 issue) and the Mississippi Braves got a first-hand look tonight at what all the hubbub is about. Bauer, in his Double-A debut, threw five shutout innings for Mobile as the BayBears beat the visiting M-Braves 5-4. Bauer yielded five hits and fanned eight. The tall right-hander, who has a 97 mph fastball, a wide assortment of other pitches and an unorthodox training regimen, was the third overall pick in June out of UCLA, where he was named national pitcher of the year after leading the country in strikeouts. Mobile is expected to be just a pit stop for Bauer on his way to pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks in September, if not before. His is a name to remember.

full speed ahead

Tampa Bay may have lost its way in the playoff chase this season, but the Rays appear to have found their leadoff batter for 2012. Itawamba Community College product Desmond Jennings continues to rake. He belted his fourth home run of the year in Saturday's loss at Yankee Stadium and went 2-for-4 overall to lift his average to .338. In 21 games in The Show this summer, Jennings has posted a .424 on-base percentage, scored 13 runs, driven in 13 runs, stolen eight bases and rapped three triples. ... Weir's Roy Oswalt, whose first start back from the DL was shaky, pitched better for Philadelphia on Saturday, allowing six hits and three runs in seven innings of an 11-3 win over Washington. Oswalt (5-7) notched his first win in some two months. ... Holds are sort of a ridiculous statistic, but still Pascagoula's Tony Sipp did notch his 20th on Saturday, helping Cleveland nail down a 3-1 victory over Minnesota and keep pace with Detroit in the American League Central. ... And former Mississippi Braves star Brian McCann might be back in Atlanta's lineup today; needless to say, he makes a big difference, especially with his bat. It is fun to watch him hit.

memories

Atlanta is honoring its worst-to-first 1991 team today at Turner Field, so here we'll give a nod to the two local connections who played on that team. Greg Olson, a member of the Jackson Mets' Texas League championship teams of 1984 and '85, was the Braves' No. 1 catcher in 1991. Best known for his defense, he hit .241 with six homers and 44 RBIs in 133 games. Also on that club was former Jackson State pitcher Marvin Freeman, a huge (6 feet 6, at least) right-hander who worked 48 innings over 34 games and posted a win, a save and a 3.00 ERA. The '91 Braves, in Bobby Cox's first full year back in the dugout, won 94 games after winning just 65 the year before and took Minnesota to seven games in one of the best World Series ever played.
P.S. Ernesto Mejia matched the Mississippi Braves' record with his 19th home run on Friday night. Matt Esquivel hit 19 in 2007. Esquivel was suspended before the end of that season — for the second straight year — and ultimately released by Atlanta. He is still playing in independent ball. He's batting .343 with 11 bombs and 48 RBIs for the Long Island Ducks, and he also won the Atlantic League's home run derby last month.

blast from past

Daryle Ward is playing for Mobile? The 36-year-old former Jackson Generals star and longtime big leaguer is back in Double-A? Well, yes. He hit a big home run for the BayBears — Arizona's affiliate in the Southern League — to beat the Mississippi Braves on Thursday night. Ward, a left-handed hitter who had big-time power in his heyday, was signed to a minor league deal by Arizona on July 31. He last played in the independent Atlantic League, hitting 14 homers for Newark in 2010 and 12 in 57 games this summer. He spent some time in Triple-A in 2009 but hasn't been in a major league game since '08. Ward smacked 19 homers for the 1997 Generals and famously hit the foul ball that went through the wooden outfield fence at Smith-Wills Stadium. (Sure, the fence was old, but it makes for a great, Roy Hobbs-type story.) Ward blasted 20 homers for Houston in 2000 and hit 70 more while playing for six different teams — including Atlanta in 2006 — in his big league career. Rest assured, Ward is not in Mobile to help the BayBears win a Southern League pennant. Arizona is in a division race, and Ward just might be able to help them as a power-threat pinch hitter in September.
P.S. Apparently, Tyler Pastornicky was ready for Triple-A pitching. The former M-Braves shortstop is hitting .398 through 23 games at Gwinnett. He has a homer, nine RBIs and 15 runs. In 90 games in Pearl, Pastornicky batted .299 with six homers, 36 RBIs and 50 runs.

rebel yelp

The hex that has gobbled up former Ole Miss players this season got Lance Lynn on Wednesday. St. Louis put the rookie right-hander on the disabled list with a side injury. Meanwhile, Cincinnati announced that rookie shortstop Zack Cozart (elbow) will have season-ending surgery. Chris Coghlan (knee, elbow) is currently shut down with hopes of restarting rehab work at the end of this month; he might be able to return to the Florida outfield in September. Pittsburgh outfielder Alex Presley (thumb) is currently doing a rehab assignment, and lefty Matt Maloney (side) is pitching again for Cincinnati's Triple-A Louisville club after a long stay on the DL. Maloney, who last pitched in the big leagues on May 23, got a win Tuesday night, and Triple-A manager Rick Sweet (the former Jackson Generals skipper) told The Courier-Journal, "I can tell he's back in form."
P.S. Ernesto Mejia moved within one home run of matching the Mississippi Braves' single-season record when he blasted his 18th on Wednesday night.

fast-tracked

Arodys Vizcaino, the cannon-armed right-hander who blew through Pearl earlier this summer, has been called up to Atlanta to bolster the Braves' bullpen. Vizcaino, 20, the Braves' No. 7 prospect in preseason, started 2011 at Class A Lynchburg. He had a 2.45 ERA there. On May 29, he was bumped to Double-A Mississippi, where he was 2-3 with a 3.81 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings. He started out in the M-Braves' rotation before moving to the bullpen. He was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on July 26 and posted a 1.29 ERA out of the pen there. Vizcaino will be the 55th M-Braves alumnus to play in a big league game. Meanwhile, the M-Braves, who lost highly touted right-hander J.J. Hoover to Gwinnett on Tuesday, have replaced him with righty Andrew Wilson, up from Lynchburg. Wilson had a 2.68 ERA and five saves for the Hillcats.

still kickin'

His numbers are down this year, but Bobby Abreu, at age 37, showed he still has a little pop in his bat on Tuesday night. The ex-Jackson Generals standout blasted a pair of home runs, including a ninth-inning game-changer off Mariano Rivera, to spark the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-4 win over the New York Yankees. Abreu, who hit .303 with 16 homers and played a stellar right field for the 1994 Gens, is one of the most accomplished former Jackson area Double-A players. He entered this season with 2,257 career hits, 276 homers, 1,265 RBIs and 372 stolen bases. A .296 career hitter, he's batting just .255 this season. His two homers Tuesday gave him six for the season, to go with 45 RBIs. The Angels, battling for a playoff spot, figure to keep plugging the left-handed hitting Abreu into the lineup. His days of carrying a team likely are over, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him provide some more big hits down the stretch.
P.S. Former Meridian Community College standout Cliff Lee went eight innings and fanned 10 to pick up his 12th win for Philadelphia on Tuesday. But there seemed to be more buzz about his bat than his arm; he hit his second home run of the season in the Phils' 2-1 win at Los Angeles. He reportedly has a friendly competition going with fellow pitcher Kyle Kendrick, and Lee now leads 2-0. By the way, the Phillies moved 36 games over .500 with Tuesday's victory.

one fine day

A handful of former Mississippi Braves made significant contributions for various MLB teams on Monday. The sizzling Freddie Freeman (two hits, two RBIs) and the amazing Craig Kimbrel (35th save) helped Atlanta beat Florida. Charlie Morton stepped up as the stopper Pittsburgh so desperately needed, throwing eight shutout innings as the Pirates beat San Francisco to end their 10-game skid. Matt Harrison worked seven innings for his 10th win in Texas' victory over Seattle. And Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2-for-5 with his 11th homer in Boston's win over Minnesota. "Salty" arrived in Pearl in 2006 as Atlanta's No. 1 prospect and had a rough go of it. He made strides in 2007 and jumped to The Show. He was traded to Texas, along with Harrison, Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus, in the big Mark Teixeira deal, then dealt to Boston last season. The switch-hitting catcher has had his share of struggles — at the plate and behind it — the last couple years but may finally have locked in with the Red Sox. While sharing catching duties with veteran Jason Varitek, Saltalamacchia is batting .257 with 38 RBIs in 72 games. The hitting coach in Boston is former Jackson Mets star Dave Magadan.
P.S. Ole Miss product Seth Smith hit a pair of homers for Colorado on Monday, giving him 11 for the season. There were seven homers hit all told in the Rockies' 10-7 win at Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark.

off the rails

It's all gone horribly wrong for Pittsburgh. The Pirates, who had captured our fancy in the season's first half, have lost nine straight and fallen four games under .500. Their playoff hopes may be dashed even before September gets here. Paul Maholm, the left-hander from Greenwood by way of Mississippi State, has had two chances to play stopper during the Pirates' skid and failed both times. On Saturday, he allowed 10 hits, a walk and seven earned runs in 6 2/3 innings of a 13-2 loss at home to San Diego. On Monday, when the losing skid was just three, Maholm yielded six hits, three walks and four earned runs in six innings of a 5-3 loss at home to the Chicago Cubs. For the year, Maholm is 6-12 with a 3.54 ERA. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, the former Jackson Mets skipper, may be headed toward one of his most disappointing finishes. He's not alone there; all the Mississippi-connected managers in the big leagues are having tough times. An awful start may have doomed Ron Gardenhire's Minnesota club. Washington has fallen into last place since Davey Johnson took over. Baltimore has been a disaster in Buck Showalter's first full year there, and Kansas City has floundered again under Ned Yost.
P.S. Former Mississippi Braves shortstop Brent Lillibridge hit his eighth homer of the season on Saturday for the Chicago White Sox. Lillibridge, a 185-pound utility man who has just 132 at-bats this season, was in the game as a defensive replacement at first base for Adam Dunn, the 285-pound slugger signed to a big-money deal in the off-season. Dunn has 11 homers in 331 at-bats. He is hitting .163 and has struck out an MLB-worst 142 times.

fight night

The battle between first-place teams in San Francisco turned into a literal fight on Friday night. In the sixth inning of what would be a 9-2 Philadelphia win, the Giants' Ramon Ramirez hit Shane Victorino squarely in the back with a fastball. Victorino, who had homered earlier in the game, started towards the mound but was cut off by Giants catcher Eli Whiteside. The former Delta State star then tackled (sort of) the Phillies' Placido Polanco as both benches, bullpens and clubhouses emptied. It was a wild scene; even Phillies coach Sam Perlozzo, the old Jackson Mets manager, was caught up in the middle of the giant scrum. Ramirez, Victorino and Whiteside — who hit his fourth homer of the year Friday — were ejected. Suspensions are sure to follow. The Phillies have won the first two games of the four-game series, which continues today with Cole Hamels facing Matt Cain. Weir's Roy Oswalt is slated to come off the disabled list and go Sunday for Philly. This is compelling stuff.
P.S. Ole Miss product Lance Lynn notched his first career save Friday in hair-raising fashion for St. Louis. He gave up two walks and a hit in the ninth before ending the Cardinals' 3-2 win over Florida with a punchout of Marlins slugger Mike Stanton.

take that

Cliff Lee's numbers from Thursday night's start imply dominance. (On Sirius/XM radio, he sounded dominant, and the MLB Network highlights today confirmed that.) The left-hander out of Meridian Community College hurled his fifth shutout of the season for Philadelphia, beating San Francisco 3-0. He allowed just seven hits, struck out eight and walked none. The Giants were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. That's the kind of effort the Phillies were paying for when they gave Lee a 5-year, $120 million dollar deal in the off-season. For the year, Lee is 11-7 with a 2.96 ERA. He's had some rough spots, but when he's on, as he was Thursday, he's an artist. Still hard to fathom how he lost twice to the Giants while pitching for Texas in the World Series last fall. Thursday night might have been a little payback, though the real test will come if these teams meet in the postseason, which is a strong possibility.

comings and goings

Roy Oswalt is slated to make his return to the Philadelphia rotation on Sunday. The Holmes Community College alumnus from Weir has been out since June 24 with back problems. His rehab work reportedly went well, and the Phillies will put him back on the bump at San Francisco. "The thing about baseball is that you never know what's going to happen until you get out there," Oswalt told mlb.com. Oswalt won seven straight games for the Phils down the stretch last season after he was acquired from Houston. A repeat of that kind of performance would be a bonus for a first-place club that doesn't appear to need that much help. Oswalt is 4-6 with a 3.79 ERA this season. ... On Wednesday, for the second straight day, ex-Mississippi State star Jonathan Papelbon picked up a win thanks to a walk-off hit by Jacoby Ellsbury. The Boston closer has allowed just one run in 11 appearances since July 6. He has five saves and the two W's over that period. For the year, Papelbon, a pending free agent, is 4-0 with 24 saves in 25 opportunities and a 3.35 ERA. ... Ole Miss product Chris Coghlan, out of the Florida lineup since June 17 because of a knee problem, has twice had his rehab assignment interrupted, the latest time by an elbow injury. He is expected to resume playing in the next couple of days. When he might return to the Marlins is unclear. ... Nettleton's Bill Hall has cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to San Francisco's Triple-A Fresno team. Hall, hitting .318 in six games for Fresno, is no longer on the Giants' 40-man roster but apparently is hoping he can get back to the big league club in September. We shall see. Other than two rehab assignments, Hall's last stint in the minors was in 2003.

unsung hero

In what might have been the game of the year in the big leagues on Tuesday night, Ole Miss product Lance Lynn played a large if somewhat unheralded role as St. Louis took an 8-7 win over Milwaukee in 11 innings. The game between the two National League Central title contenders — the Cardinals moved within 2 1/2 games of the first-place Brewers with the win — had home runs, hit batsmen, great plays, bad plays, a big comeback and an ejection. Pretty much everything. Lance Berkman, the former Jackson Generals star who is having an MVP-type season, knocked in the game-winning run, slicing an opposite field single to shallow left to score Matt Holliday in the top of the 11th. Octavio Dotel, a trade deadline pickup by the Cards, notched the save. But give props to Lynn, the rookie right-hander who entered the game for St. Louis in the midst of a mess in the seventh inning. St. Louis had just tied the score at 7-all in the top of the frame. Jason Motte hit Ryan Braun to start the bottom of the seventh, clearly a retaliatory measure after Cards star Albert Pujols had been plunked previously. Motte was lifted — not ejected — and Marc Rzepczynski came on to walk the next batter. Enter Lynn. An infield hit loaded the bases with none out. Lynn then got a pop up, a ground-ball force at home and a strikeout to end the frame. A truly pivotal moment. Lynn has posted a 3.48 ERA in 15 games since he made his debut on June 2. Opponents are hitting just .214 against him, and he has 32 strikeouts in 31 innings. Good starting pitching is essential for a contender, and you've got to have a reliable closer who throws strikes. But those guys who work the middle innings, guys like Lynn, are pretty valuable, as well.

the new guy

Right-hander Zeke Spruill, up from Class A Lynchburg, is slated to start tonight for the Mississippi Braves, filling one of their two vacant starting jobs. Spruill, who'll be making his Double-A debut, was 7-9 with a team-best 3.19 ERA and five complete games in 20 starts for the high-A Hillcats. He's not a highly rated prospect, but with those numbers, he's one to watch. Wondering if some more players might be coming from Lynchburg in the coming days. Lefty Chris Masters is 6-5 with a 3.17 ERA, primarily as a starter. Then there's shortstop Andrelton Simmons, Atlanta's No. 15 prospect entering 2011. The Curacao native is a stringy 6-foot-2, 170-pounder who reportedly has marvelous defensive skills. He's also hitting .295 with 37 RBIs, 48 runs and 16 steals in 99 games. Other prospects there are outfielder Adam Milligan, hitting .291 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs in 64 games, and second baseman Phillip Gosselin, batting .264 with five homers, 55 RBIs and 47 runs in 99 games.