Michalczewski's late blast downs Generals, 4-3

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, played another tight game with the Birmingham Barons on Friday, this time succumbing to a 4-3 defeat at Regions Field.

The loss puts Jackson (52-45, 13-15 Second Half) down a game to the Barons (48-48, 16-12 Second Half) in their current five-game series. All three contests have been decided by one run.
Joel Payamps started for Jackson and dominated the Barons as he had in two prior starts at Regions Field. After an infield error in the third, Payamps allowed a two-run double to Luis Alexander Basabe, but he kept the Birmingham lineup in check for three frames thereafter, entering the seventh with a 3-2 lead. A sacrifice fly from Birmingham's Alex Call scored Bryant Flete to tie the game, but Payamps finished the inning, totaling 91 pitches while striking out six and walking one. In three starts against the Barons at Regions Field this season, Payamps sports a 1.40 ERA over 19.2 innings, recording 29 strikeouts against one walk.
In Payamps' place, Generals southpaw Daniel Gibson (2-2, 4.70 ERA) entered to work the eighth inning. Gibson retired Basabe and Zack Collins on strikes before facing Trey Michalczewski. The switch-hitting second baseman lined a home run into the home bullpen just beyond right-center field, sending the Barons in front for the first time all night. The loss pushed Jackson's record to 7-4 when tied after seven innings.
Offensively, the Generals' only volley came on a three-run smash off the bat of Rudy Flores in the first inning. The All-Star first baseman pulverized a 96-mph heater from Birmingham's Dylan Cease with a 106-mph exit speed, giving the Generals the early lead and cracking a glass pane in one of the garage doors protecting the batting cages beyond right field. Alas, Flores' impressive damage was all that was done on Friday night, as the Generals went 1-for-6 with men in scoring position. Cease finished five innings with seven strikeouts, and Zach Thompson and Colton Turner (6-2, 0.61 ERA) propped him up with four scoreless innings of relief combined.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:30 pm CT Saturday (7/21) vs. Birmingham Barons
Regions Field - Birmingham, Ala.
RHP Bo Takahashi (1-3, 6.75 ERA) vs. LHP Bernardo Flores (2-2, 2.59 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
July 23-27 vs. Biloxi Shuckers (AA, Milwaukee Brewers)
…featuring Belly Buster Monday (July 23) and Generals Baseball Camp (July 26)!
August 2-6 vs. Tennessee Smokies (AA, Chicago Cubs)
…featuring Disney Night (August 4) and Belly Buster Monday (August 6)!
The Jackson Generals, a West Tennessee franchise since 1998, are the Double-A minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2017, The Ballpark at Jackson was named the Professional Sports Field of the Year by the Tennessee Turfgrass Association. In 2018, the Generals and manager Shelley Duncan won the First Half North Division title, assuring them of a bid to the Southern League playoffs in September. For tickets and more information about the Generals,
dial 731.988.5299 or log on to our ticket page at JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!