Barons Smother Biscuits Late Rally

José Ruiz  slammed the door on a ninth-inning rally as the Birmingham Barons (33-36) edged out the Montgomery Biscuits (37-34) by a score of 6-5 to open the second half of the season on Thursday night at Riverwalk Stadium.

• Facts and Figures: Joel Booker  didn't miss a beat in his first Double-A appearance, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base. The Carolina League All-Star Classic MVP got off to a fast start in his debut with Birmingham, leading off with a double in the top of the first and scoring on a wild pitch later in the inning.
• Turning Points: Trailing 3-1 in the fourth, Matt Rose cut the deficit to one-run with a solo shot over left center. The Barons would re-take the lead in the top of the fifth after consecutive bunt singles from Booker and Luis Alexander Basabe followed a single from Bryant Flete  to load the bases. Trey Michalczewski doubled in Flete and Booker, while a walk from Danny Mendick  loaded the bases again as Jameson Fisher drew a walk to push the Birmingham advantage to 5-3. 
• By the Numbers: As for Rose, he notched his third, two-homer game of the season after a solo shot in the eighth proved the difference in a one-run ballgame. Matt Tomshaw  (W, 2-4) settled into the game after giving up three runs on seven hits against over the first two innings, retiring eight of the next nine batters before giving way to the Birmingham bullpen. 
• Moments That Mattered: Taking a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth, Dalton Kelly made it interesting with a two-run homer as the only hit against Baron's reliever Brian Clark over 1.1 innings of work. After Thomas Milone walked with one away, Ruiz came into the game and struck out the final two batters to deny the Biscuits of a walk-off victory.

• Up Next: The Barons and the Biscuits continue the-six-game series on Friday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. The White Sox' No. 4 prospect, right-hander Alec Hansen  (0-1, 11.57), will look to improve upon his season debut, while the Biscuits will follow the Tampa Bay Rays' lead with a start from the bullpen before righty Zach Lee (8-1, 2.22) comes in as a reliever. Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.