10/25/08 7:35 PM ET
Flowers continues power surge
Braves prospect homers for fourth time in three games
By John Torenli / Special to MLB.com

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The Braves prospect homered for the third straight game Saturday as the streaking Mesa Solar Sox won their seventh in a row with a 13-6 victory over the Surprise Rafters.
Flowers, who hit .288 with 17 homers and 88 RBIs in 122 games at Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach this season, went 0-for-2 with a run scored for the American Rising Stars in Friday's 7-6 loss to the National Division in the third annual fall event.
"Everyone was into it," Flowers said of the Showcase. "It felt like what I imagine a real All-Star Game in the Majors would feel like. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it."
Atlanta's 33rd-round selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft had gone 5-for-8 with three homers, three RBIs and four runs scored in his previous two AFL contests. The 22-year-old catcher picked up where he left off on Saturday, striking out in the second before launching a two-run shot in the fourth.
"I've always had pretty good power," Flowers said. "I was just never able to elevate balls. They've been kind of line-drive home runs. I don't try to hit home runs. I just try to hit through the ball."
Flowers doubled during Mesa's three-run fifth and drew a walk in the middle of a six-run outburst in the sixth before being lifted for defensive replacement Tuffy Gosewisch (Phillies) in the seventh.
The Roswell, Ga., native is hitting a sizzling .467 with five homers and eight RBIs this fall.
"It's not much of a secret," Flowers said of his hot hitting. "I'm just hitting the pitches that look good. I guess it's pitch selection as well. I try to allow the pitcher to make a mistake. You see a lot of guys overly aggressive on the first pitch. Sometimes that's not the best pitch to hit in that at-bat."
Flowers was far from the only big contributor to the Solar Sox's 18-hit attack. Phillies outfield prospect Quintin Berry fell a triple shy of the cycle, drove in four runs and scored three times and Tigers farmhand Jeff Larish also missed the cycle by a triple, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
Casper Wells (Tigers) went 3-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored and Matt Young (Braves) added two hits, an RBI and scored three times for the Solar Sox (11-5), who remained in a first-place tie with the Peoria Saguaros in the American Division.
Esmailin Caridad (1-0) struck out one in 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief to pick up the win. Fellow Cubs prospect Jesse Estrada surrendered three runs on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts over the first 2 2/3 frames.
Wes Hodges went 3-for-5 with two homers and three RBIs and fellow Indians farmhand Beau Mills added a solo blast for the Rafters (4-12), who have dropped five in a row.
Indians Minor Leaguer Josh Tomlin (1-2) was pounded for seven runs -- four earned -- on eight hits with a strikeout in one inning. Surprise starter Willie Eyre (Rangers) gave up two runs on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in four frames.
John Torenli is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.










