The Jumbo Shrimp stop the Stripers: Jacksonville takes Game 2 of the 6 game series by a 6-3 score

Pregame: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (51-43, 1 GB in the International League-East [AAA baseball]) vs Gwinnett Stripers (46-48, 10.5 GB in the International League-West [AAA baseball])

Coming into the second game of a 6-game series, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (the AAA affiliate of the Miami Marlins) look to extend their series lead after last night's 4-3 win (click HERE for our recap). The Gwinnett Stripers (the AAA affiliate of the 2021 World Series Champion Atlanta Braves) look to even the series as they host at CoolRay Field (July 27th at 7:05pm).

Jesus Luzardo (who is on his MLB rehab assignment via the Miami Marlins) looks to go longer in his second start with Jacksonville (in his first and only start/appearance, he goes 4 no-hit innings with 3 strikeouts and no walks) and build upon the solid effort of the pitching staff in last night's game. Brian Miller (.265 batting average with 21 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases), Peyton Burdick (.236 BA with 12 HR, 44 RBI's, and 8 SB's), Charles Leblanc (.299 BA with 14 HR and 45 RBI's), and last night's offensive sparkplug, Jerar Encarnacion (.260 BA with 10 HR and 25 RBI's) are among those counted on to lead the Jumbo Shrimp offense.

Gwinnett counters with Nolan Kingham (3-2 with a 3.74 ERA) to stall the Jumbo Shrimp offense. Pat Valaika (.261 BA with 8 HR and 37 RBI's), Braden Shewmake (.261 BA with 6 HR and 23 RBI's), Chadwick Tromp (.276 BA with 10 HR and 37 RBI's), and Preston Tucker (.252 BA with 7 HR and 40 RBI's) prepare to set the tone for the Stripers' offense.

Jared Shuster, a recent callup to the team from the Mississippi Braves (the Atlanta Braves' AA affilate) joins us pregame. The team's 1st round pick in the 2020 draft out of Wake Forest University shares his insight on his individual and collective growth, the importance of team chemistry, and a "shout out" to Demon Deacon Nation (view the complete interview below):

Recap: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (52-43) defeat the Gwinnett Stripers (46-49) by a 6-3 score

The Jumbo Shrimp would get an early jump on the Stripers and starter Nolan Kingham.

Picking up where he left off, Jerar Encarnacion opens the scoring with a RBI single to give Jacksonville a 1-0 lead. Designated hitter Lorenzo Quintana would follow with a 3-run home run to deep left field to expand the lead to 4-0. Santiago Chavez would add another RBI to chase Kingham and the Stripers with an early 5-0 lead.

Jacksonville's Jesus Luzardo would open with 3 borderline dominant innings before running into trouble in the bottom of the 4th. Gwinnett would work the bases loaded with one out, but Luzardo's ability to work out of trouble keeps the Stripers scoreless.

Things would change in the bottom of the 5th inning. The Stripers would get the bases loaded again and as a result, Luzardo would be lifted from the game with 2 outs in the bottom of the 5th inning. Preston Tucker would get a single off Jumbo Shrimp reliever Parker Bugg which would score 2 runs, cutting the deficit to 3 runs (5-2).

The Stripers add another run in the bottom of the 7th as Ryan Casteel's RBI groundout reduces the deficit to 5-3.

In the top of the 9th inning, Jacksonville's Peyton Burdick gets on base after being hit by a pitch (via Gwinnett reliever Michael Tonkin). He would later score on a sacrifice fly by Jerar Encarnacion to extend the lead to 6-3.

In the bottom of the 9th, the Jumbo Shrimp's George Soriano would shut the door on any comeback attempts by the Stripers per the opener of the series, notching his 4th save of the season (in 5 opportunities).

Parker Bugg (now 1-0 on the season) is credited for the win for Jacksonville. Starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo goes 4.2 innings, allowing 2 runs (earned) on 3 hits, along with 6 strikeouts and 4 walks. On offense, Lorenzo Quintana (1 for 5 with 1 HR and 3 RBI's), Jerar Encarnacion (1 for 4 with 2 RBI's), and Luis Aviles, Jr (3 for 5 with a stolen base and run scored) set the tone for the offense (who have 3 stolen bases in tonight's game).

Gwinnett's Nolan Kingham drops to 3-3 on the season (he goes 3 innings and allows 5 runs [4 earned] on 5 hits, along with 3 strikeouts and a walk). The bullpen would do another solid job to give the offense an opportunity to get back in the game as 5 pitchers (including Kirby Yates on his rehab assignment) combine to allow 1 run (earned) on 6 hits; however, the team defense commits 3 errors, and the pitching does commit 2 wild pitches along with 2 hit batters.

The Stripers' Preston Tucker (3 for 3 with 2 RBI's) and Ryan Casteel (0 for 1 with 3 walks and a sacrifice fly for a RBI) supply the offense (click HERE for the box score).

The series continues tomorrow (July 28th at 7:05pm EST) and concludes this Sunday, July 31st.

Notes: All video and photos are recorded by Andrew Snorton

Video: The first video is the pregame interview with Jared Shuster. The other videos includes pregame action and in-game action featuring both teams during the first 5 innings of play.

Photo grid (from left to right for all rows): The top row features individual and groups of players from the Gwinnett Stripers getting ready for the game, along with a post-interview photo with Wake Forest alums (our reporter as well as pitcher Jared Shuster). The first row from the top includes pregame photos of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and the managers of Jacksonville and Gwinnett exchanging lineup cards. The middle row features snapshots of members of the Stripers during the National Anthem, Stripers' starting pitcher Nolan Kingham, and Jumbo Shrimp outfielder Jerar Encarnacion (who gets a RBI during the pictured at-bat and gets the scoring started for Jacksonville).

The first row from the bottom showcases Jacksonville players celebrating with Lorenzo Quintana after hitting his 3-run home run (which gives them a 4-0 lead at the time), Jacksonville starter Jesus Luzardo (who is on a rehab assignment via the Miami Marlins), and Gwinnett reliever Kirby Yates (who is on a rehab assignment via the Atlanta Braves). The bottom row includes a Gwinnett player at bat, the bases loaded scoreboard graphic (as Gwinnett would have bases loaded and 1 out opportunities in the 4th and 5th inning, but are held scoreless in the 4th and score 2 runs in the 5th), and the Stripers staying focused during game play.