Lookout! Marte's homers are twice as nice

Double-A Chattanooga is on a roll, and there’s no surprise that Noelvi Marte is at the center of it all.

On Friday night, the Lookouts extended their win streak to four games with a 6-4 victory over the Biloxi Shuckers. Marte, the MLB's No. 23 overall prospect, went deep twice and drove in three runs, bringing his season totals to eight and 22, respectively.

After starting the season off slow with just one long ball in 20 games, the 21-year-old shortstop has turned up the heat in May with seven dingers, including three in the last two games. His season total of eight places him second in the Southern League behind fellow top prospect Kyren Paris.

While Marte brought the power at the plate, No. 29 Reds prospect Lyon Richardson and Michael Byrne combined for a dominant performance on the bump. In his fifth start of the season for the Lookouts, Richardson struck out six batters while allowing one run on two hits over 3 2/3 innings of work. Byrne took over in the fourth inning and worked around a two-out single, ultimately earning the win to move to 2-0 on the season. Byrne’s seven strikeouts matched a career high he both set and last achieved in April 2019 at the Class A-Advanced level.

While the other bats in the Chattanooga lineup have been inconsistent, Marte’s spike in power has kept the Lookouts chugging along. And if he finishes the month the way he started it, the Lookouts will have an opportunity to vie for a Southern League championship.