Robins finished their first homestand of the 2024 season in style with a sweep of Calgary and a 2-1 series win over Greenville. This also included a five game winning streak which was only snapped as they lost the final game before they headed on the road again. In Carolina they earned their second shutout of the year before losing their first extra-innings game of 2024, tonight they meet the Kraken in the series decider before heading to Buffalo.
Brooklyn bats were certainly jumping during this period, Brian Whitten loving his new DH role sent four into the bleachers, knocked in nine runs and hit an average of .344. Davis Locke also hit for average, .480, whilst scoring five times and leading the team with three steals in these eight games. Robins are currently lead the JL in stolen bases (22) & homers (25), Jose Escarceja also having a three homer burst. Both catchers are yet to find their sweet spot though as Benjamin O'Rorke is hitting .200 and Sam Adams just .083 while Rob Childers is yet to hit top form hitting a lowly .211 with three homers and 10 RBI.
Mario Méndez posted his first career MBBA CG and shutout
Mario Mendez recorded Robins' first shutout of 2024 when he pitched a complete game blank of Greenville at New Ebbets Field allowing three hits and one walk while striking out eight. Fernamdo Moran quickly followed that up with the Robins second shutout as he blanked Carolina at Carolina Field, it was hit second career shutout and his seventh complete game while Mario's was his first in both categories. Joey Budding snapped a two-game losing streak and recorded his first win of 2024 when he beat Calgary 5-3, both of Moran's two starts were wins for him putting his record up to 3-0 with an ERA of just .077. In the bullpen closer Jose Castro was tagged with the loss in 10 at Carolina but is still 100% in his save attempts, converting all six chances. His ERA is still dangerously high at 10.29 and he has now given up 13 hits & three walks in just seven innings pitched. Silas Thompson picked up a save too, against Calgary, as he pitched four innings in three outings giving up three hits but no runs.
Luis Méndez will have plenty of dollars to lend his impoverished Triple-A teammates
$19m man Luis Mendez cleared waivers, unsurprisingly, and reported to Triple-A San Francisco alongside Juan Hernandez who also failed to break into the Robins 27-man squad. Catcher Ivan Perez also ended up back in the Doves squad while catcher Mitch Barlow, who also attended Spring camp, was not best pleased to find himself bumped down from San Francisco to Memphis.
Newly acquired Bob Brandon is now set to make his first start for Brooklyn after being activated from the DL while the Robins problems over which outfielder to demote was temporally solved as Atsushi Nomura headed for the DL with back pains, the 30-yr-old had been hitting .267 with three homers and five RBI.
