Travis d’Arnaud took another step to rejoining the Braves lineup.
The rehabbing Atlanta Braves catcher hit a hard grounder down the third-base line in Game 1 of a Gwinnett doubleheader Sunday to score Drew Waters for a 4-3 Stripers walk-off victory in Lawrenceville.
Credit: Gwinnett Stripers
Credit: Gwinnett Stripers
The Stripers (46-38) took both games of a doubleheader over Charlotte at Coolray Field. D’Arnaud finished 2-for-4 with two singles in the first game.
The Braves have struggled to replace d’Arnaud. He was hitting .220 with two homers and 11 RBIs before he injured his left thumb and required surgery in early May. During his six-game rehab with Gwinnett, which started July 30, D’Arnaud has hit .235 with two runs scored in 17 at-bats.
He is expected to rejoin the Braves lineup in the coming week, possibly as early as Tuesday against the Reds. And they’re eager to have him back.
“Once we get Travis back we’re gonna have a pretty good hitter hitting eighth,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Sunday. “So I think it’s going to be a pretty big lineup.”
Other key contributors to Gwinnett’s sweep of the Knights Sunday were: outfielder Cristian Pache, who led off game two with a solo home run — his seventh with the Stripers; reliever A.J. Minter extended his scoreless streak — since being optioned last month — to seven games; and infielder/outfielder Orlando Arcia hit .333 (8-for-24) with a double, homer, and four RBIs in his first series back with Gwinnett.
