Birmingham (24–11, 57–47) @ Tennessee (16–19, 55–49) — Game #2 Preview
Game #1 Recap
An early deficit was too much to overcome for Birmingham on Sunday, as the Barons lost their series opener to Tennessee, 5–2, at Smokies Park.
Tyler Danish (7–8) saw his struggles continue, as he dropped his third straight decision after allowing five runs on 11 hits over just four innings, recording one walk and one strikeout. The right-hander now has a 5.63 ERA over seven second-half starts, and has 18 walks to just 17 strikeouts in that span.
Tony Bucciferro was excellent out of the Barons bullpen, throwing four scoreless innings and allowing just two hits, but Birmingham was unable to mount a serious comeback.
The Barons, who recorded just four hits on the night, scored both of their runs in the eighth inning, on RBIs from Jacob May and Nicky Delmonico.
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Read the full game recap here.
Southern League Second-Half Standings
Southern League NorthClubWLPCT▼GBELIM #HomeAwayL 10StreakBirmingham Barons (CWS)2411.686–13–711–46–4L1Montgomery Biscuits (TB)2015.5714.03215–55–106–4L2Tennessee Smokies (CHC)1619.4578.0288–58–146–4W2*Chattanooga Lookouts (MIN)1420.4129.5265–119–95–5W1Jackson Generals (SEA)1025.28614.0212–148–112–8L4
Southern League SouthClubWLPCT▼GBELIM #HomeAwayL 10StreakMobile BayBears (ARI)2213.629–12–810–57–3W2Mississippi Braves (ATL)2016.5562.53311–109–64–6W1Pensacola Blue Wahoos (CIN)2016.5562.53311–49–124–6L1*Biloxi Shuckers (MIL)1718.4865.0307–710–116–4L1Jacksonville Suns (MIA)1323.3619.5269–124–114–6W1
Game #2 Probable Pitchers
- BIRMINGHAM: Robinson Leyer (1–0, 3.14 ERA) — Leyer has been solid in his first three starts for the Barons, allowing just five earned runs over 14.1 innings. However, he’s allowing a .291 opponents average, along with a 1.53 WHIP, both significantly higher than he allowed during his tenure with Winston-Salem, where he went 3–6 with a 4.30 ERA.
- TENNESSEE: Pierce Johnson (5–0, 1.66 ERA) — Johnson has been absolutely dominant in nine starts for the Smokies this season, allowing just nine runs over 48.2 innings. In his only start against the Barons this season, Johnson allowed just one run over seven innings while earning the win. For Johnson, a top-10 prospect in the Cubs’ system, success is nothing new, as he’s recorded a 2.50 career ERA in the minor leagues over 280.2 innings with 276 strikeouts.
