An elbow injury washed out spring training and all of Tommy La Stella's April. But the second baseman, rated as the Braves' No. 17 prospect by MLB.com, has more than made up for lost time.
Saturday, the Braves' 8th-round draft pick in 2011, hit his first home run since joining the Class AA Missisippi Braves earlier in the week as part of the M-Braves' 11-innning, 5-4 win. The victory meant an 8-2 start for the month of May. But it's hard say which is hotter -- La Stella was first returned to the Advanced Class A roster in Lynchburg, where he promptly hit .550 (7 for 20) in a week before moving to Mississippi, where he scored four runs in his debut w=awent into Sunday play batting .375 (9 for 24).
A left-handed hitting second baseman out of Coastal Carolina, La Stella is projected a polished hitter in sore need of a position, and he is having to battle thrh his second straight season with an injury (he was beaned in 2012).
But history has shown that if a player can hit or improve in Double-A, they can hit in the majors.
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Right-hander Gus Schlosser became the second Mississippi pitcher in as many weeks to be Southern League Pitcher of the Week (following Alex Wood) for games between April 29-May 5. Schlosser, the Braves' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2012, allowed just one run in 13 innings, winning both of his starts.
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Jason Heyward, in his third game of rehab at AAA Gwinnett, finally got his bat in gear with a pair of hits good for three RBI to help bring an end to tghg
CLASS AAA
Saturday Result
Scranton/WB 4, Gwinnett 3
LP: Rasmus (1-1) 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. SP: Poveda 7 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. Mejia 2-4, 2 R, HR (9th) RBI; Heyward (DH) 0-3; Terdoslavich 0-4; Pastornicky (2B) 2-5.
Sunday Game
Gwinnett (13-25) 7, Scranton/WB 6
WP; D. Rodriguez (2-3) 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Buchter (Save, 2) 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Terdoslavich 1-4, RBI; Heyward (DH) 2-4, 3 RBI.
CLASS AA
Saturday Result
Mississippi 5, Montgomery 4 (11)
WP: Lamm (3-1) 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. SP: Northcraft 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4K. La Stella 2-4, HR (1st), RBI; Pedroza 3-4, R; Russell 1-5, 2B, RBI; Gosselin 1-4, 3 RBI (GW Sac Fly).
Sunday Game
Huntsville 2, Mississippi (23-13) 1
LP: Martin (1-2) .6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. La Stella 1-3, BB (.370); Russell 1-3, R.
ADVANCED CLASS A
Saturday Result
Lynchburg 9, Carolina 8 18 total hits.
WP: Chaffee (2-2) 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Cornely (Save, 1) 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K. Skinner 2-4, 3 R, 2B, HR (5th), 3 RBI; Hefflinger 2-4, 2 R, 2 2B, RBI; Reyes 3-4, 2 2B, R, RBI.
Sunday Game
Lynchburg (19-15) 11, Carolina 4
WP: Ross (1-0) 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Landoni 3-3, 3 RBI; Reyes 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI (.302); Heffley 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R.
CLASS A
Saturday Result
Savannah 3, Rome 2
LP: W. Perez (3-3) 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. Elander 3-4, 2B, RBI (.320); Anselment 2-4.
Sunday Game
Rome (20-14) 4, Savannah 1
WP: Scoggin (3-3) 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Wilson (Save, 1) 1 IP, 0 H. Tewell 1-3, HR (2nd), RBI; Marte 1-4, R, 3B.