Is two the Wahoos’ magic number? The Mobile BayBears were hit with a triple dose of déjà blue with Pensacola capturing three 2-0 victories en route to their first series victory over their rivals. After a display of might in Pensacola, the team hits the road and has their work cut out for them as they begin a fifteen-game, sixteen-day jaunt against a ferocious schedule.
With Birmingham, Jacksonville, and Mississippi on the docket, the Fish make their first stop in Alabama to face off against the Chicago White Sox affiliate. Perhaps graciously, Pensacola has been spared this goliath matchup until August. Just how good have the Barons been? Their 67-43 clip, good for a .609 winning percentage, is the second-best in Minor League Baseball. Birmingham trails only Durham (72-41) while tying South Bend and Binghamton. Bound for the playoffs for the second time in three years, the squad finished eighteen games above .500 in the first half and clinched the title with a week to spare.
This set can be defined by fresh starts on both sides of the field. Jon Moscot gets the ball for Pensacola in his first Double-A start tonight. He struggled in High-A Bakersfield, garnering a 2-14 record with a 4.59 earned run average, but those stats aren’t too bad if you read between the lines. First, consider that the distance from home plate to the wall in center field at the Blaze’s Sam Lynn Ballpark is 354 feet; this wanes by roughly thirty feet approaching the foul poles. A hitter-friendly park in a hitter-friendly league, Moscot took most of the damage at home (0-11, 5.81). His numbers were far more respectable on the road, cutting his ERA in half and holding hitters to a stingy .188 average (2-3, 2.74).
Moscot is actually a pretty polished player, plucked from Pepperdine in the fourth round of last year’s draft. He jumped over Dayton between his two professional campaigns and finds himself in Double-A just thirteen months after his first game. With a solid low-nineties fastball and deceptive slider, Moscot racked up an organization-high 112 strikeouts in Bakersfield. Per Blaze play-by-play man Dan Besbris, the right-handed hurler only got “rattled” once all year, a stunning characteristic considering his poor fortune.
Meanwhile, Birmingham looks to continue their second-half success without slugger Marcus Semien. The infielder was a shoo-in for the Southern League MVP, leading the circuit in hits, runs, walks, on-base percentage, and total bases at the time of his departure. Semien’s video-game numbers powered on offense that pulled in the league’s second-best average (.252) and slugging percentage (.380) as well as the top on-base percentage (.349). The Barons have also been quick to score, average 4.75 runs per game and dominating the RBI column. Scott Snodgress, an eleven-game winner, anchors a lights-out rotation that boasts a league-best twelve shutout bids.
Besides watching the Barons, fans who make the trip will be rewarded with sweeping downtown views courtesy of the brand-new Regions Field facilities. After visiting the stadium during a Southern League tour in June, this blogger can say that Birmingham built a Triple-A quality ballpark for their Double-A affiliate. From modern lighting methods to luxury boxes spanning the basepaths, the $64 million complex is a sight for sore eyes, and the Barons have christened it with a 38-17 mark at home.
We’ll be keeping close tabs on first-place Jacksonville, who tangles with North Division leader Tennessee this week. The Wahoos can benefit from the Suns’ shortcomings against the Smokies, and the Fish would appreciate as much breathing room as possible before they host the Golden Skillet foes starting Wednesday.
RUNDOWN
Wahoos/Barons all-time game record: 9-3
Series record: 3-0-0
In Birmingham: 4-0
In Pensacola: 5-3
Expected Starters
Friday: LHP Spencer Arroyo (8-4, 3.16 ERA) vs. RHP Jon Moscot (0-0, — ERA)
Saturday: RHP Stephen McCray (9-7, 3.49 ERA) vs. RHP Daniel Renken (5-7, 3.37 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Michael Nix (3-3, 4.76 ERA) vs. RHP Tim Crabbe (4-8, 3.39 ERA)
Monday: RHP Chris Bassitt (2-1, 3.18 ERA) vs. RHP Josh Smith (8-8, 3.90 ERA)
Tuesday: LHP Scott Snodgress (11-7, 3.70 ERA) vs. RHP Carlos Contreras (1-1, 2.87 ERA)
NEW DIGS FOR A FORMER FISH
One surprising facet of the Wahoos’ second season is the scope of our former players. A handful of players from the 2012 squad have found niches in the higher levels, and an equal amount have moved to new organizations. Among the journeymen is Cody Puckett, who garnered a .268 average in thirty-seven games with Pensacola last season. Puckett was promoted to Louisville in May 2012, finishing the season with the Bats. Free agency brought him to the White Sox, who started him in the Southern League before giving Puckett a taste of Triple-A Charlotte. The utility man has found most of his time in the infield this season, but he might be used during the series as a designated hitter.
Fun fact: Puckett’s last games in a Blue Wahoos uniform were played against — you guessed it — Birmingham.
BARON TO WATCH
Brandon Jacobs, OF
Bats: R Throws: R
Jacobs, a former Auburn football signee, has found success on the diamond as he continues his fifth season in professional ball. The tenth-round pick was originally signed by Boston, who reaped the benefits through mid-July. The 22-year-old collected two straight seasons of 100-hit ball entering the year, batting .303 with Low-A Greenville in 2011.
Jacobs, the eleventh-best Boston prospect in the preseason, jumped to Double-A Portland after a strong start in High-A Salem. He spent only three games in the Eastern League before the Red Sox dealt him for Chicago’s Matt Thornton. In an unprecedented start, Jacobs is riding a fifteen-game hitting streak to begin his Barons career. A quick check of his player profile reveals that, yes, that would represent at least one hit in every game with Birmingham. Bumped to number eight in the Chicago system, Jacobs has a hot bat which netted him twenty-four doubles and eleven home runs with Salem. The extra-base pop is already evident in his new digs, good for thirteen RBI and a .429 slugging percentage.
MiLB.com covers the details of Jacobs’ trade in the Southern League notebook, so we’ll leave that to the analysts. You can read more about Jacobs in his changing of Sox by clicking here.
