The Jacksonville Suns are on a remarkable roll as they return to the Southern League Finals for the first time since 2005. Games One and Two will be played in Jacksonville beginning Tuesday night.
The Suns posted a 47-23 record and a remarkable 26-9 mark on the road in the second half of the season. In the first round they faced the Birmingham Barons, who owned the circuit's best overall regular season record at 92-47 -- and swept them in three straight games by a combined 24-5 score. Jacksonville has won eight games in a row going back to the regular season.
Entering the Finals having batted .330 and posted a 1.33 ERA as a team in the playoffs, the Suns are firing on all cylinders. Kevin Randel hit .462 (6-for-13) with six RBIs in the first round, with Logan Morrison (.400) and Bryan Petersen (.375) not far behind.
Jacksonville right fielder Mike Stanton, ranked 26th among MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects, led the Marlins organization with 28 homers during the regular season. He's hitting .364 in the playoffs thus far.
Graham Taylor, who ranked eighth in the league with a 3.69 ERA during the regular season, was even better in his lone start of the playoffs, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings. Nic Ungs fired seven four-hit frames in his lone outing of the playoffs after going 10-3 for the Suns during the year.
The Tennessee Smokies were not quite as impressive as the Suns during the regular season, but have generated similar momentum heading into the Finals.
After dropping Game 1 to Huntsville, the Smokies rattled off three straight victories and held the Stars to just four runs in the three games.
In their first season under manager Ryne Sandberg, the Smokies return to the Southern League Finals for the first time since 2004.
The Smokies offense was second only to Birmingham in the regular season, led by first baseman Blake Lalli, whose .314 batting average was fourth-best in the league. Former first-round pick Tyler Colvin led Tennessee with 14 homers in 84 games this year and added another in the first round of the playoffs.
On the mound, Casey Coleman held Huntsville to one run on four hits over 7 2/3 innings after going 14-6 with a 3.68 ERA in the regular season. Brian Schlitter, whose 22 saves were second-most in the league, closed out all three Smokies victories in the first round. He allowed just one hit over 3 1/3 scoreless frames.
Jacksonville took the season series, 8-7, outscoring the Smokies, 70-66, in the 15 games.
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Source: MiLB.com