South tosses All-Star one-hitter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Justin Greene knows just how good Mobile's pitchers are -- the outfielder plays behind them every game.

But if anyone else needed convincing, the evidence was on display Wednesday night at the Southern League All-Star Game.

Even minus top prospect Archie Bradley, the BayBears put on quite a show as the South Division allowed just one hit in a 6-0 blanking of the North before 9,373 on Bragan Field at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

The All-Star-record crowd got to see a smothering effort by the South, which used 11 pitchers and limited the North to five baserunners.

Greene won MVP honors, thanks to a first-inning RBI triple, but the real standouts were on the mound for the South.

"Those guy were great," said South manager Andy Barkett of the host Jacksonville Suns. "They pounded the strike zone and dominated some good hitters. It was fun to watch."

Not for the North, of course. Its only hit came in the fifth inning, when Jackson's James Jones bounced a ball over first base and down the right-field line for a double off Pensacola's Tim Crabbe.

By then, the North trailed, 3-0, and three Mobile pitchers had established the South's dominance.

David Holmberg ended a perfect first inning with a strikeout and Bradin Hagens induced an inning-ending double play after a leadoff walk in the second. Then, BayBears left-hander Andrew Chafin worked a 1-2-3 third.

Who needed Bradley, who pitched a perfect inning in Sunday's All-Star Futures Game in New York? Mobile has plenty of standouts.

"It's the best pitching staff I've played defense behind," said Greene, 27, who's in his sixth Minor League season. "They throw strikes and have a good tempo. It's definitely easy to play behind them."

Acquired by the Diamondbacks from the White Sox near the end of Spring Training, Greene was a big part of the BayBears' first-half division. He leads the league with a .318 average.

"It is an honor just to be selected for the All-Star Game," Greene said. "To be the MVP makes it even better."

The other offensive standout for the South was Mississippi Braves shortstop Jaime Pedroza, who went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, an RBI and -- like Greene -- a stolen base.

Tennessee's Kyle Hendricks leads the league with a 2.03 ERA is tied for the top spot with a 9-3 record. But the South jumped on the North starter as Jacksonville's Jake Marisnick led off the game with a single and scored one out later when Greene lined an opposite-field triple down the line in right. Mobile teammate Nick Evans followed with an RBI single.

Pedroza drove in a run with his second hit as the South went ahead, 3-0, in the fourth as Huntsville's Taylor Jungmann allowed three singles in the inning.

The South ran wild in the seventh while adding a fourth run. Backup catcher J.T. Realmuto of Jacksonville stole two bases in the inning, while Pedroza and Greene each had one. The run was unearned following a throwing error by Tennessee catcher Rafael Lopez.

The South swiped two more bases while scoring twice in the eighth. Home Run Derby winner Cameron Seitzer of Montgomery delivered an RBI single and another run scored on a wild pitch.

The South totaled 11 hits and seven stolen bases, with BayBears second baseman Mike Freeman going 2-for-4 with two steals and two runs scored.

Chattanooga's Joc Pederson and Tennessee's Arismendy Alcantara joined Bradley in standing out in the All-Star Futures Game as Pederson singled and walked and Alcantara homered. But they couldn't duplicate that success Wednesday, combining to go 0-for-4 for the North.

It was the South's second straight All-Star win after seven consecutive losses.

The Lookouts will host next year's midseason classic, which is slated to return to a mid-June date at the end of the first half.