LAWRENCEVILLE -- Gwinnett Braves’ left-handed starter Manny Banuelos produced one of his most dominant outings in nearly three years Wednesday, but it was not enough to spare the G-Braves a 5-3 loss to the Charlotte Knights at Coolray Field.
Banuelos struck out seven batters in 5.0 innings with one run allowed on four hits and two walks in the opener of the two-game series with the Knights. He left with the game tied 1-1, but the Gwinnett bullpen faltered, as the Knights scored twice in the seventh on runs charged to right-handed reliever Michael Kohn (L, 0-1).
Charlotte’s Leury Garcia started the seventh-inning rally with a one-out single to left field in Kohn’s second inning of work. Garcia stole second base and scored on a single to right by Tyler Saladino, who scored on the next play when Carlos Sanchez ripped a single to left.
The Knights (4-3) tacked on two runs in the ninth against G-Braves’ right-hander Kanekoa Texeira. He gave up a hit to Engel Beltre, an intentional walk to Dan Black and a bases-loaded walk to Saladino. A fielder’s choice groundout by Sanchez drove in Garcia for the Knights’ final run. The G-Braves responded with a run in the bottom of the ninth off of righty Jairo Asencio (S, 3) when Sean Kazmar hit a one-out double and scored as Eury Perezreached on a throwing error by Charlotte third baseman Neftali Soto.
Gwinnett (3-4) had cut the deficit to 3-2 in the eighth when Jose Peraza scored on a groundout to second base by Todd Cunningham. Peraza, the Atlanta Braves’ top-ranked prospect, led off the inning with a double down the left-field line for his first extra-base hit as a G-Brave. He went 2-for-4 for the game with an infield single in the fifth.
As for Banuelos, his strikeout total was his most in a single game since May 13, 2012 when he was pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the New York Yankees’ system. He had made 27 starts since that outing and missed the entire 2013 season after undergoing “Tommy John” surgery. Overall, the G-Braves finished the night with 12 strikeouts to tie their season high.
Banuelos’ only stumble came in the second inning. Trayce Thompson, who entered the game with a .429 batting average that ranked second in the International League, led off with a single. He then stole second, one of four Charlotte stole bases, and scored on a two-out double by Garcia that hit the base of the left-field wall.
While Gwinnett recorded strikeouts, Charlotte pitchers did their work by way of groundballs. Right-handed starter Chris Beck, left-handed reliever Jarrett Casey (W, 1-0) and Asencio combined to record 16 outs on the ground. They did not record a strikeout until Asencio fanned two in the ninth.
The G-Braves opened with a 1-0 lead against Beck when they scored in the first inning for the first time this season. Leadoff hitter Perez started the rally with a single to right field, stole his team-leading fourth base of the year and crossed home plate when Cedric Hunter also singled to right for his first RBI as a G-Brave.
Perez also singled in the fifth inning as part of a 2-for-5 game. He and Peraza accounted for four of the G-Braves’ nine hits and were the only two Gwinnett batters with multiple base knocks.
Gwinnett will have a chance to finish the homestand at the .500 mark with a 6:35 p.m. game against Charlotte on Thursday. Right-hander Williams Perez (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will make his second start of the season for the G-Braves. The Knights will start left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-0, 1.80 ERA), the top-ranked prospect in the White Sox’ organization according toBaseball America and MLB.com. Dave Lezotte, filling in for Tony Schiavone, has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com.
The homestand finale is also a Triple Play Thursday. Fans can purchase a four-pack of tickets with four hot dogs and four soft drinks, all for $40. To purchase tickets, call the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com/tickets.
