Earning Their Stripes: 7/29/21 | Miami Sports Today

Miami Marlins Victor Victor Mesa #32 poses during media day at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium — USA TODAY NETWORK

Here’s what happened in the Marlins organization on Thursday.

Marlins minor league affiliates went 2-4 on Thursday:

Jacksonville 6, Charlotte 4 (F/7); Jacksonville 2, Charlotte 3 (F/7)
Mississippi 5, Pensacola 1
Beloit 10, Peoria 3 (F/12)
Jupiter 2, Lakeland 3
FCL Astros 2, FCL Marlins 1
DSL Marlins vs. DSL Red Sox Red—postponed

Triple-A Jacksonville (41-33)

Joe Dunand went deep twice in the first game, including a two-run shot that put Jacksonville ahead for good.

Sean Guenther padded his elite strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has K’d more than one-third of all batters faced this season.

Ten days removed from his last game action, Monte Harrison stole a couple bases. His absence seemingly stemmed from a confrontation between he and former teammate Starling Marte, according to Craig Mish’s reporting.

Only six innings, but still counts as a complete game for Brandon Leibrandt! His first at any MiLB level since 2015.

Double-A Pensacola (37-38)

A season-long seven-game losing streak has dragged the Blue Wahoos below the .500 mark for the first time all season.

Mediocre outing for Zach McCambley overall, but at least he was efficient, spreading 68 pitches across 22 batters faced (3.1 P/PA).

High-A Beloit (32-43)

Special night for Víctor Víctor Mesa. Nearly three years after signing with the Marlins organization, the Cuban outfielder finally homered in an official game. VVM was already providing good offensive production for Beloit since his demotion, but predominantly on well-placed ground balls. Unsustainable.

This swing is something to feel encouraged about:

The box score is deceiving—this was a lousy night at the plate for the Snappers outside of Mesa. But his dinger combined with Antonio Velez’s terrific pitching effort forced extra innings. In the 12th, Mesa’s RBI single ignited an eight-run rally against Peoria’s Fabian Blanco.

Meanwhile back in Beloit, newly constructed ABC Supply Stadium opened its gates for a movie screening event. The Snappers will host their first game there on Tuesday.

Thank you, Beloit, for an unforgettable and historic night at the Grand Opening of YOUR ballpark – ABC Supply Stadium. pic.twitter.com/woZi62fkuK

— Beloit Snappers (@BeloitSnappers) July 30, 2021

Low-A Jupiter (36-37)

Davis Bradshaw boasts an on-base percentage of nearly .500 over the last three series. At age 23, he’s old for this level without much else to prove. Even if it means a slight reduction in playing time, I hope he gets the bump up to High-A soon.

FCL Marlins (7-12)

Seven baserunners but no hits for the FCL squad.

It was nonetheless a productive morning/early afternoon for them. Tanner Allen (fourth-round draft pick) and Zach Zubia (20th-rounder) made their professional debuts and played the complete game. Rehabbing Pensacola right-hander Anthony Maldonado made one full trip through the FCL Astros lineup in what ought to be his final tune-up against rookie-level competition.

2021 Marlins MiLB Leaders (entering July 30)

Hits: Troy Johnston, 79
Home Runs: Griffin Conine, 24
Stolen Bases: Nasim Nuñez, 33
wRC+ (among qualifiers): José Salas, 186
Innings Pitched: Zach McCambley, 74 ¹⁄₃
Strikeouts: Kyle Nicolas, 94
ERA (among qualifiers): Max Meyer, 1.80
FIP (among qualifiers): Jake Eder, 2.57