Blue Wahoos Surge Is Cooled By M-Braves Pitcher In Series Finale

Wahoos held to four hits in 3-1 loss, drop to 3 games back in division chase

Adam Bray started the game and worked four scoreless innings in his return to the Blue Wahoos from Triple-A, but M-Braves pitching held team in check. (Daniel Venn)

By Bill Vilona, Senior Writer

August 23, 2019

Mississippi Braves veteran pitcher Claudio Custodio put a halt on the Blue Wahoos recent surge.
The 28-year-old, well-traveled righthander, who has been with eight different minor league teams, allowed just two hits in seven innings to lead the M-Braves past the Blue Wahoos 3-1 in Thursday night's series finale at Trustmark Park.
Custodio's outing was the longest of his career and his first win as a starting pitcher. The most innings he previously worked was 4.1. He yielded just two walks against the Blue Wahoos lineup with five strikeouts.
The Blue Wahoos (71-58 overall, 33-26 2nd half), winners in eight of their previous nine games, including four wins against the M-Braves in the extended, six-game series, lost ground in the Southern League South Division chase.
The Biloxi Shuckers ended a five-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory against the Montgomery Biscuits to hold a 3-game lead on Pensacola. The Shuckers are two games up on the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, who fell 6-0 against Birmingham.
The Blue Wahoos, however, will make the playoffs as a wild card team if Biloxi wins the second-half divisional race.
Following the game, the Blue Wahoos traveled back to Pensacola, a 250-mile, four hour trek, to get ready for Friday's final homestand of the season against the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals.
The teams will play a five-game series, beginning with a 6:35 p.m. game with the first 2,000 fans on Giveaway Friday receiving a collectable of Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The Generals, Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, are in line to secure the wild card playoff spot in the Southern League North Division. The Biscuits, who won the first half division crown, are leading the Generals by 4.5 games in the second half.
Thursday night, the Blue Wahoos did not get multiple baserunners in any inning.
Their lone run occurred when Jimmy Kerrigan hit a one-out homer in the eighth inning off reliever Kurt Hoekstra.
Alex Kirilloff went 2-for-3 and walked once, boosting his batting average to .284. Travis Blankenhorn had the Blue Wahoos only other hit.
Adam Bray, who returned to the team Monday, delivered a strong start, working four innings and allowing three hits, no runs, three walks and three strikeouts.
The M-Braves got their three runs off reliever Jovani Moran in the sixth inning. Anthony Vizcaya pitched two scoreless innings (7th-8th) in following Moran.
Custodio, originally signed in 2010 by the New York Yankees out of the Dominican Republic, joined the Atlanta Braves organization in February when signed to a minor league contract. He's been with the Toronto Blue Jays organization.