The Birmingham Barons have won nine of their last 10, and their first hot streak of the season comes at a good time -- the start of the second half and the fresh standings it brings. The Barons lead the Southern League North by two games with an 11-5 record.
The offense is a leading reason for the Barons' revival. Birmingham has scored 88 runs over its first 16 games of the second half, an average of 5.5 a game. That's an improvement of nearly two runs a game over their first-half output.
It helps having Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal at the top of the order at the start of a sample, but they're also getting help from the guys who had been scuffling for most of the season. In his article for The Athletic, James Fegan explored the progress made by Blake Rutherford, Gavin Sheets and Luis Gonzalez.
Sheets offered what might be the most concise reason that captures the struggles for all involved:
“With guys trying to hit more and more balls in the air, the high pitch is the toughest one to hit,” Sheets said. “This is the first level where they really use the fastball up effectively. A lot of times guys can try to use the fastball up but they don’t really execute it and get it there, or they just throw it so high that it’s not even close. Guys here really work on that and they can put it to use.”
I'm also growing to be a fan of Madrigal's utter inscrutability:
Madrigal seemingly has a response for why every possible adjustment to the level is actually a good thing or not a thing at all.
The flood of new information: “At Oregon State we had a lot of reports, maybe even more than here.”
Opposing teams shifting him to hit to the opposite field: “It might help because you think if they’re shifting you the opposite way, they have to pitch you away more.”
The need to pull the ball for power: “I haven’t changed anything.”
A slow start in Winston-Salem: “I feel like I was doing fine.”
In it, we also learn that Luis Basabe has been on the injured list twice for a strained quadricep.
Birmingham 7, Pensacola 3
- Luis Robert went 1-for-3 with a homer and an HBP.
- Nick Madrigal was 1-for-4 with a double.
- Blake Rutherford, 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Gavin Sheets just had a plain ol' 1-for-4.
- Ti'Quan Forbes went 0-for-2 with a sac bunt and a walk.
- Luis Gonzalez, 1-for-3 with a triple, walk and strikeout.
- Laz Rivera went 3-for-4, but was caught stealing twice.
- Blake Battenfield: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR, 1 HBP
More:
Fayetteville 3, Winston-Salem 1
- Steele Walker went 0-for-4.
- Kade McClure: 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
- Tyler Johnson: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Kannapolis 5, Augusta 0
- Lenyn Sosa went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
- Andrew Vaughn made his Kannapolis debut, singling and striking out thrice.
- Romy Gonzalez went 1-for-4.
- Corey Zangari walked and struck out thrice.
- Amado Nunez was 1-for-4 with a K.
- Davis Martin: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
Great Falls 3, Billings 2
- Kelvin Maldonado, Harvin Mendoza and Luis Mieses all went 0-for-4 with a K.
- Lency Delgado singled twice and struck out twice.
- Sam Abbott's uneven season ticked upward: 2-for-3 with a homer.
- Cabera Weaver went 1-for-3 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
AZL Royals 3, AZL White Sox 2
- James Beard went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- Misael Gonzalez dropped a sac bunt in his only PA.
- Samil Polanco, 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Jose Rodriguez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- DJ Gladney struck out all three times up.
- Bryan Ramos had both Sox hits -- a double and a single -- and also struck out.
- Josue Guerrero was 0-for-3 with a K.
- Yoelvin Silven: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
DSL D-backs1 4, DSL White Sox 2
- Wilber Sanchez went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Benyamin Bailey, 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Anthony Espinoza went 1-for-3 with an HBP and two stolen bases.
