Stripers Held to Five Hits in 7-0 Shutout at Jacksonville

By Dave Lezotte

(@davelezotte)

Adam Mazur, Josh Simpson, and Patrick Monteverde combined on a five-hit shutout for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (19-6) on Friday night, handing the Gwinnett Stripers (10-14) a 7-0 loss at VyStar Ballpark. Gwinnett has lost a season-high five straight games.

Decisive Plays: Jacksonville took a 1-0 lead in the second inning and never trailed as Troy Johnston singled, stole second, and scored on a throwing error by first baseman Garrett Cooper. Albert Almora Jr.’s two-out, two-run single off Hurston Waldrep (L, 2-1) highlighted a three-run third that stretched the lead to 4-0. Johnston homered (3) and Jack Winkler added an RBI single as the advantage grew to 7-0.

Key Contributors: Carlos Rodriguez, Charles Leblanc, Eddys Leonard, Bryan De La Cruz, and Jason Delay each had singles for Gwinnett. Mazur (W, 2-1) scattered five hits and struck out six over 5.2 innings for Jacksonville. Almora (2-for-5, double, 2 RBIs) had the only multi-RBI game, and Winkler (4-for-4, double, RBI) had a perfect night at the plate for the Jumbo Shrimp.

Noteworthy: Leonard’s fourth-inning single extended his team-best hitting streak to 10 games. Rodriguez has hit safely in six of seven games to start his Stripers career.