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10/25/08 7:35 PM ET

Flowers continues power surge

Braves prospect homers for fourth time in three games

Tyler Flowers is 12-for-22 with five homers and eight RBIs during a six-game hitting streak. (Michael O'Day)
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Tyler Flowers didn't let a hitless night in the Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Showcase get in the way of his recent power surge.

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.

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