Pensacola Tops Birmingham, 6-0, to Close Series
PENSACOLA, Fla., - Pensacola Blue Wahoos right fielder Aristides Aquino smacked only three hits against the Birmingham Barons. Two left the ballpark and the other bounced into the right field corner for a triple.The 22-year-old playing in his first year in Double-A crushed a three-run homer to left field in
PENSACOLA, Fla., - Pensacola Blue Wahoos right fielder
The 22-year-old playing in his first year in Double-A crushed a three-run homer to left field in the fourth inning Friday to lead Pensacola to a, 6-0, victory over the Birmingham Barons in front of 4,567 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Pensacola snapped a three-series losing streak, defeating Birmingham, 4-1.
Despite struggling in the Southern League at the plate, hitting just .164, the No. 6 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds farm system leads the Blue Wahoos with four home runs and is tied for first in RBIs with 14. Aquino hit a two-run blast on Thursday for homers in back-to-back games.
He also tripled into the right field corner in the eighth inning to drive in first baseman
"I've been working hard," Aquino said. "I didn't lose my confidence."
The stats don't matter to Aquino, he said.
"I don't think about it," the Dominican Republic prospect said. "I do what I can to help the team win."
Pensacola manager
"Hitting the other way is a great sign," Kelly said.
Aquino's homer capped a four-run inning. The other run in the fourth scored when Jagielo ripped a line drive to right field that drove in third baseman
Jagielo, who went 1-3 with a walk, scored twice and drove in one run Friday, was 6-15 (.400) in the series against Birmingham and raised his average 38 points from .186 to .224.
The other hot bat against the Barons' was left fielder
Meanwhile,
McGuire, who has bounced around between five teams in six minor league seasons, improved to 2-2 with a 3.40 ERA.
Kelly pointed out that all three of McGuire's walks in the game came with two outs.
"He pitched well but he was a little tentative with two outs," Kelly said. "He had a tough game in Chattanooga. It's nice to get a win in the next start."
The Pensacola bullpen also blanked Birmingham. Reliever
It was the Pensacola pitching staff's fifth shutout of the season and dropped its Southern League-leading ERA to 2.62.
Pensacola improved to 19-16 and remain tied with the Biloxi Shuckers for first place in the South Division.
GAME NOTES
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos travel to play a five-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks Double-A affiliate Jackson Generals at 6:05 p.m. CST Saturday, May 13. The Blue Wahoos return home for a five-game series against the Anaheim Angels Double-A affiliate Mobile BayBears at 6:35 p.m. Thursday, May 18.
The games are broadcast live on the Blue Wahoos flagship station 97.1 The Ticket. Listen for free at bluewahoos.com and by using the TuneIn Radio app on your mobile, desktop or home devices.
BIG FISH Right fielder
Tickets to the 2017 Southern League All-Star Game are on sale now! Purchase tickets online at bluewahoos.com or visiting the Box Office. Orders can also be placed over the phone by calling 850-934-8444. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are the Double-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of the Southern League. Follow the Pensacola Blue Wahoos at BlueWahoos.com, facebook.com/PensacolaBlueWahoos and twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall.
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