Vargas vanquishes Birmingham with 10-K effort

BIRMINGHAM - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, rode the strong arm of pitcher Emilio Vargas to a 3-0 victory over Birmingham at Regions Field on Friday.

The shutout win is the 12^th by Jackson (70-60) this year, and it gives them a one-up advantage on the Barons (62-67) entering Saturday.
Vargas (1-3, 4.55 ERA) --- whom the California League named Pitcher of the Year earlier this week --- made his longest start in more than two seasons, firing eight shutout innings while striking out ten batters on 100 pitches. The 22-year-old Dominican did not issue any walks and allowed only three hits, none of which went for extra bases. The ten-punchout effort also vaulted the right-hander in front of teammate Taylor Widener in total strikeouts, 166-161, though both remain in the top five in that category among all Minor League Baseball players at press time. The Diamondbacks' No. 14 prospect was relieved by Kevin Ginkel, who pitched a scoreless closing frame for his third save of the year.
At the plate, Ben DeLuzio kicked things off for Jackson with a lead-off home run in the top of the first off Birmingham's Tanner Banks (4-5, 2.83 ERA). Nothing else came from either side until the fifth, when the Generals tagged Banks for two more runs, as singles by Dominic Miroglio and Josh Prince helped the Generals stretch their lead. Every General reached base in the contest, which went Jackson's way for the 13^th time in 22 meetings so far. The Generals and Barons play four more times.        
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:30 pm CT Saturday (8/25) vs. Birmingham Barons
Regions Field - Birmingham, Ala.
RHP Bo Takahashi (2-3, 5.37 ERA) vs. RHP Felix Paulino (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Birmingham Barons Radio
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
August 30-September 3 vs. Chattanooga Lookouts (AA, Minnesota Twins)
…featuring SEC Night (September 1)!
PLAYOFFS!
Games 1 and 2 of the North Division Series will be held at The Ballpark at Jackson on September 5 and 6. For tickets and more information about the Generals, dial 731.988.5299
or log on to our ticket page at JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!
The Jackson Generals, a West Tennessee franchise since 1998, are the Double-A minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2017, The Ballpark at Jackson was named the Professional Sports Field of the Year by the Tennessee Turfgrass Association.