Wahoos Drop Three Straight

August 27, 2017

Mississippi Braves Kolby Allard proved why, although he just turned 20 Aug. 13, scouting services consider him the top pitching prospect in the Atlanta organization and the top lefty in the minor leagues.

Allard shutout Pensacola in his season-high seven innings and struck out nine as Mississippi won the opener of the five-game series, 5-0, Saturday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Atlanta’s first pick in the 2015 draft did it in front of Pensacola’s 15th sellout crowd of 5,038.

It was the third straight loss for Pensacola and the 14th time it has been shutout this season.

Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly said Allard looked “very impressive.” Pensacola failed to get a runner to second base against him or in the game. All six Blue Wahoos hits were singles.

“The last two times we’ve seen him this season, he’s been really good,” Kelly said. “He’s the best left-hander in the Southern League.”

Meanwhile, Pensacola’s current ace Deck McGuire, a first round pick in 2010, struggled in his sixth attempt to reach a career-high 10 wins, getting chased from the game in the fifth inning.

The 6-foot-6 righty allowed four runs on three walks and six hits, including a homer and four doubles, in 4.2 innings — his second shortest outing in 25 starts this season.

It was abnormal for the 28-year-old right hander whose record in 13 starts at home entering Saturday’s game was 6-3. Plus, he had only given up 18 earned runs in 81 innings for a 2.00 ERA.

The only bright spot for McGuire is he now holds the Pensacola franchise records for innings pitched (162) and Ks (159). Both also lead the Southern League.

“He just didn’t have it tonight,” Kelly said. “We haven’t seen that many times.”

McGuire fell to 9-9 with a 2.78 ERA. Allard, who got seven of the nine outs between the fourth and sixth innings on Ks, improved to 7-11 with a 3.34 ERA.

Pensacola’s bullpen of Alex Powers, Zack Weiss and Tyler Rainey combined to throw 4.1 innings and allowed one run on two hits and two walks, while striking out 10. Rainey struck out the side in the ninth.

Mississippi scored first Saturday in the second inning when it loaded the bases on two walks and a single and Braves right fielder Tyler Neslony hit a deep sacrifice fly to centerfield that scored catcher Alex Jackson to go up, 1-0.

Braves shortstop Dylan Moore ripped a line drive over the right field wall into Hill-Kelly hill for a solo homer and 2-0 lead. Mississippi third baseman Austin Riley doubled on a liner into the left field corner and then with two outs first baseman Joey Meneses drove him to go ahead, 3-0 in the third inning.

The lead was extended to 4-0 in the fifth inning on back-to-back doubles by Mississippi left fielder Jared James and Moore.

Pensacola reliever Alex Powers gave up a two-out infield single deep in the hole to second base to Braves’ James that allowed Neslony to make it a, 5-0, game.

Pensacola won the first half guaranteeing the team a spot in the Southern Division playoffs. It was a Southern League record fourth straight half title, tying them with the Tennessee Smokies, which did it between 2009 and 2011.

In the second half, the Blue Wahoos are in fourth place at 28-33 with just nine games left this season. They are 68-63 overall.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Archive