Danville Braves lose 8-5 to Kingsport; Jones triple play still big talker

Danville Braves fans were still talking about the assisted triple play rookie shortstop Mycal Jones turned to help win the team’s season home opener the previous day during Danville’s 8-5 loss to the Kingsport Mets on Tuesday at Dan Daniel Park in Danville.

The rare play, completed when Jones snagged a line drive with runners headed toward second and third, outraced a runner back to second for a force out and fired to first for the third out of the inning, was originally thought to be the first recorded triple play in the team’s 16-year history. But according to a 1998 article in the Danville Register & Bee, the feat was first performed by current Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal, who was playing second base for Danville at the time.

Furcal also turned one of 14 recorded unassisted triple plays in Major League Baseball history when, while playing for the Atlanta Braves, he caught a liner, touched second and tagged a runner going back to first in the fifth inning of an August 5, 2003 game at the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Society for American Baseball Research counts 674 triple plays in the majors from 1876 to the most recent one on May 20, 2009, when Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler caught a line drive against the Detroit Tigers and flipped the ball to shortstop Elvis Andrus, who stepped on second for a force out and tagged a runner headed toward him from first base for the third out of the inning.

“The assisted triple play in the eighth by Jones was a big play in the game, especially after having a three-run lead going into the eighth,” D-Braves manager Paul Runge said. “That was a big break on our part and a nice, athletic play by Jones.”

The Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves organization has accounted for 78 triples plays — 39 for and 39 against — since 1876, the most in major league history, and the Minnesota Twins are the only team to have turned two triple plays in the same game when they faced the Boston Red Sox on July 17, 1990.

“It was just a matter of being in the right spot at the right time,” Jones said. “It was a hard line drive. The guy on second took off so I knew I had him easy. It was just a matter of getting there and getting the ball over to Riaan (Spanjer-Furstenburg) at first base to get another guy.”

Jones said it was his first triple play “since T-ball.”

Turning point

Kingsport (2-6) scored three times in the first inning to take command of the game from the start. With two outs, Ronald Harris ripped a standup triple down the right field line, Joseph Bonfe was hit by a pitch and Jeff Flagg hit a single to right-center field to score Harris. Michael Moras belted a two-RBI single to the right of second base to score Bonfe and Flagg.

The Mets added two more runs in the third to take a 5-0 lead before Danville (5-3) was able to get on the board. Moras and Cesar Puello each connected for RBI doubles in the inning.

Shaky debut

Left-handed pitcher Dennis Accomando, who signed with the Braves as a free agent out of the University of Connecticut on Friday, made his first professional appearance in a relief role, taking over with the D-Braves trailing 5-3 in the top of the fifth inning.

Joseph Bonfe smacked Accomando’s first pitch for a single into right field and Jeff Flagg followed by lifting an RBI double to left. Flagg scored on one of two wild pitches before a deep fly ball to left field ended the inning.

Accomando was charged with two earned runs on two hits and a walk in one inning.

Not so fast

The D-Braves had at least 10 hits in every game and outfielder L.V. Ware had multiple hits in each of his six appearances this season before Tuesday’s loss to the Kingsport Mets. Both streaks ended as Danville mustered only three hits and Ware went 1-for-3 with an RBI double.

Out of a jam

D-Braves third baseman Jordan Kreke was charged with errors on back-to-back plays for the second time this season when he twice threw the ball away in the ninth inning, but no runs scored.

Relief pitcher Cory Rasmus induced a fly ball, a strikeout and a groundout to second to end the inning.

On tap

Danville left-handed pitcher Tyler Stovall (0-0, 5.40 ERA) faces Kingsport lefty Chris Hilliard (0-1, 7.20 ERA) in the rubber match of the D-Braves’ season home-opening series at 7 p.m. today at Dan Daniel Park.

- Contact Wolf at (434) 791-7996.

BOX SCORE

Kingsport 302 020 100 - 8 9 1
Danville 001 200 020 - 5 6 2

W: Aldama (1-0, 0.90); L: Avilan (0-1, 7.88); S: Babin (1, 11.57).
HR: None. 3B: KNG: Harris, DAN: Milligan.
2B: KNG: Puello, Moras, Flagg, DAN: Ware, Marval.
A: 829