Inspired Jenkins dominates for mom, Braves
Tyrell Jenkins turned in one of his best starts of the season Monday, but the Braves right-hander didn't fully realize how special the night had been until afterward, in the clubhouse, when he picked up his cell phone to read a text from his mom.
"She texted me, 'To God be the glory, I love you, I'm over here shouting and jumping up and down,' Jenkins said of the message he received from his mother, Sharon. "That was good, I'm glad she's happier than me."
The Braves' No. 10 prospect delighted his biggest fan by allowing just two hits over eight shutout innings for his second win in four Triple-A starts as Gwinnett blanked Durham, 5-0, on Monday night. Jenkins (2-1) struck out five, walked two and threw 55 of his 97 pitches for strikes in his 20th outing of the year. Vin Mazzaro worked a perfect ninth to finish off the shutout.
"I'm happy about it, she's ecstatic," Jenkins said of his mom. "To see a smile on her face and see her happy from just doing something I love and having success with, it means the world."
Luke Maile doubled with two outs in the third inning for the Bulls' first hit. Jenkins pitched around a one-out walk to Corey Brown in the fifth and another free pass to start the sixth, inducing an inning-ending double play from Nick Franklin. Taylor Motter singled to start the seventh for Durham's only other hit before Jenkins used another double play to end the threat. He worked a 1-2-3 eighth and Mazzaro struck out one in the ninth.
"I didn't realize I only gave up two hits until after the game. They had a good lineup, we knew they could swing it, so we wanted to establish the inside part of the plate, work around that and see how they'd react," Jenkins said. "I got some swings up in the zone with my fastball, so that was good -- my curve and change worked off that. I kept them off balance while working everything off my fastball."
But besides the heater, Jenkins said he often thinks of his mother while on the mound. The Texas native grew up without a father, and learned in high school that his mother had been secretly suffering from breast cancer. She beat it, and when Jenkins was drafted, he used his signing bonus to pay off his mother's home and bought her a new car.
"I think about her a lot, even when I'm conditioning. When I need motivation ... all the things she's been through ... battling cancer, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to run another lap or do this last set on my lift," he said. "She's motivated me to be the best in whatever I'm doing. That's just who she is. If it weren't for her, who knows where I'd be now."
The 6-foot-4 hurler was the Cardinals' Compensation A-round pick in the 2010 Draft out of high school in Texas and was traded to Atlanta along with Shelby Miller last November in a deal that sent Jason Heyward to St. Louis.
He sometimes shows off his mother's praise, on Twitter, and on his birthday last week, decided to give away his game-worn cleats to a fan of his mother's choosing. Letting his mom choose the winner has been a strategic move, though.
"Usually the key is I let my mom choose so they get mad at her [for not winning]" he laughed. "I let my mom get involved with things like that, she's always been there for me, so I have her pick out the winner and whoever wins it, wins it."
The 2015 Southern League All-Star also used some strategy Monday when he walked off the field after the eighth inning and slid past manager Brian Snitker in hopes of closing out the contest.
"My manager told me, 'Great game,' and tried to shake my hand, but I tried not to acknowledge him and walked right by him," Jenkins said. "He came down the stairs and found me, so I really couldn't hide for too long."
The 23-year-old began the season at Double-A Mississippi before making his Triple-A debut on July 9, when he pitched seven shutout innings to beat Norfolk. In his two home starts at Gwinnett, he's 2-0 with 15 scoreless innings. The righty wasn't necessarily more effective pitching at home in the Southern League, though -- he was 4-2 with a 3.04 ERA in nine starts at Mississippi and 1-3 with a 2.95 ERA in seven starts on the road. He said his road struggles -- not that he's been bad -- came from an interrupted routine.
"I didn't even realize that, I knew going into the Syracuse start [on July 17] that I was off my routine, I took eight or nine days off. That was me not having my feel, midseason. I have a routine. I was so lost, that's what got me there," he said. "Last week I pitched very well -- I thought I had my best stuff -- but they put some swings together. I had a no-hitter though five and they put three runs on me. But I'd take that start as one of my best starts. I try to build off each start and keep the ball down and let the defense work."
In fact, Jenkins credited his teammates again Monday.
"My defense played a heck of a game, two or three big double plays where they really made big plays," he said. "Two of the times they doubled up a guy on line drives, we had some good plays on slow choppers. [Right fielder] Mycal Jones impressed me with a ball that could have hurt me. They called a good game and I was able to execute and put up some zeros."
Jenkins and Durham starter Bradin Hagens (1-2) traded zeros for five innings until Jones' sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth plated Todd Cunningham with the go-ahead run. Gwinnett added three more runs in the sixth when Christian Bethancourt hit a two-run double and Cedric Hunter added an RBI single. Joey Terdoslavich capped the scoring with a run-scoring base hit in the eighth odd Andrew Bellatti. Atlanta's top prospect Jose Peraza finished a homer shy of the cycle as well.
"I like the game when it's 0-0, I like pitching in tight games," Jenkins said. "It's harder to focus when I have a 5-0 lead. I tried to focus when it was 0-0, be aggressive, pound the zone, and I was able to pitch well enough to get through eight. I tried talking my way to nine, but that didn't happen."
Danny Wild is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow his MLBlog column, Minoring in Twitter.
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between
Prospect Peña quietly drawing raves in Brewers' farm system
PHOENIX – Jesús Made was at the top of the Brewers’ lineup for Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Reds in the finale of MLB’s four-day Spring Breakout, a fitting perch when you consider that the 17-year-old infielder is under a bright spotlight as MLB Pipeline’s No. 55 prospect. Made could
Brecht -- in 1st outing since '24 Draft -- wows at Spring Breakout
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Sunday's Spring Breakout showcase was the perfect unveiling for Rockies No. 5 prospect Brody Brecht. A right-handed pitcher from the University of Iowa whom the Rockies selected 38th overall last summer, Brecht had a nice collegiate resume, an interesting backstory as a former wide receiver for the
Braves prospects show promise in Spring Breakout
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- As Terry Pendleton prepared to serve as the manager of the Braves prospect team that played the Tigers prospect team in a Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon, he said fans should be patient with John Gil and Luis Guanipa, a pair of teenagers who have
Yanks' Lagrange flashes triple-digit heat in Spring Breakout
SARASOTA, Fla. -- There was an audible “Ooh” from the crowd at Ed Smith Stadium, and Carlos Lagrange quickly glanced beyond the right-field wall, checking the velocity of the pitch he’d just thrown in Saturday’s 5-4 Spring Breakout loss to the Orioles. It had registered in the triple digits, and
Bradfield dedicates Spring Breakout performance to late friend
SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was about more than playing in the national spotlight. More than the dinner bet placed with an old college teammate earlier in the month. More than a game. As Enrique Bradfield Jr. slid home to score a run during the first inning of Saturday night’s Spring
'Hungry' Alcántara hoping to pounce on big league prey in '25
MESA, Ariz. -- The thing about jaguars is, you don’t want to see one when it’s hungry. So when Cubs legend Sammy Sosa spoke to the organization’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- and the No. 89 prospect overall -- the former slugger gave him some apt advice. “His
Rainiers broadcaster Pay talks historic role on MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Prospect Santos 'electric' in Spring Breakout start
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Malcolm Moore knew Winston Santos was locked in before he even threw a pitch. In the second annual Spring Breakout game, Santos -- the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- was throwing to Moore, the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect and highest-ranked catcher. The battery more
Switch-pitcher Cijntje deals from both sides in Spring Breakout
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Jurrangelo Cijntje knew who’d be waiting for him in the batter’s box when he emerged from the visiting bullpen on Friday evening. The Mariners’ switch-pitcher had seen Guardians infielder Travis Bazzana recently at a card-signing event, to which they each joked, “I’m going to see you soon,”
Fans in this Minor League town are hungry for ... the Spicy Meatballs?!?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Chandler adds mix to upper-90s heat in stellar Spring Breakout start
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- In the inaugural Spring Breakout game a year ago, as he was coming out to pitch the ninth inning, Bubba Chandler slammed a Red Bull and declared “let’s do this” before pumping upper-90s heat.