Rutherford's Blast Cooks the Shrimp, Gets Barons to .500

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A early home run and clutch hitting from the middle of the order propelled the Birmingham Barons (7-7) to a 7-3 win Thursday night over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (5-9) at Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

Blake Rutherford, the White Sox No. 9 prospect, broke out of an early season slump in a big way. With two on in the top of the second inning of a scoreless game, Rutherford blasted a homer to deep right for his first shot and three RBI of the season.
Overall, the middle of the Barons lineup produced in a big way. The three-six hitters of Luis González, Yermin Mercedes, Gavin Sheets and Rutherford combined for seven hits, one home run, six runs and five RBI.
Barons second baseman Mitch Roman blasted a double in the fourth to score two runs and retake the lead 5-3, a lead they wouldn't relinquish. For Roman, it was his fourth RBI of the series.
Sheets, hitting very well recently, finished 2-for-4 which included a two-RBI single to left in the fifth that plated Gonzalez and Mercedes to push the lead to 7-3.
Barons right-handed starter Felix Paulino earned his second win of the season, improving to 2-0. On Thursday night, Paulino pitched 5.1 innings, giving up five hits and a walk while striking out five Shrimp batters.
Tanner Banks would come on for the Barons, pitching the final 3.2 innings and earned his first save of the season. For Banks, it was just the fifth save of his career and his first since 2015.
Uncharacteristic errors and mistakes hurt the Barons early on. Leading 3-0, the Barons squandered the lead in the bottom of the third and were aided by a Ti'Quan Forbes fielding error that brought in the tying run.
Also making mistakes for the Barons were shortstop Ramón Torres with a fielding error and catcher Mercedes with a passed ball and catcher's interference. In total, the Barons committed three errors.
A single for Mercedes in the fifth inning extended his hitting streak to seven consecutive games. Rutherford's homer also helped the Barons extend their team home run streak to four straight games.
The Barons and Shrimp will close out the series at 6:05 p.m. on Friday from the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Left-hander Sean Nolin (0-0, 6.75 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Barons.
WJOX-AM 690 will be the home of the Barons on Wednesday. Fans can tune into the Coca-Cola Pregame Show starting at 5:50 p.m.
The Birmingham Barons are the proud Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The Barons will open the home portion of their 2019 season, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of Michael Jordan's lone year in baseball, against the Tennessee Smokies at 7:05 p.m. April 10 at Regions Field. For ticket information, game schedule, promotions calendar or additional information about Regions Field, please visit barons.com or call (205) 988-3200.
Southern League Champions: 1906 • 1912 • 1914 • 1928 • 1929 • 1931 • 1958 • 1967 •1983 • 1987 • 1989 • 1993 • 2002 • 2013
33-Year Double-A Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox