M-Braves' Gamble grabs elusive win

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M-Braves' Gamble grabs elusive win
07/30/2008 11:45 PM ET
By Daren Smith / MLB.com

Jerome Gamble had been down this road before. This time, he came away with a win.
The 28-year-old right-hander struck out eight over six nearly flawless innings and combined with three relievers on a one-hitter Wednesday as the Mississippi Braves beat the Chattanooga Lookouts, 3-1, at Trustmark Park.
Gamble (2-5) yielded one hit in his first start for the Braves since a six-week stint at Triple-A. After retiring the first 12 batters, he gave up a leadoff double in the fifth to Tonys Gutierrez, who scored on a two-out wild pitch.
"I just pounded my fastball," Gamble said. "I felt really good today, better than I had all year. I had a good breaking ball and I was able to get the guys out."
Getting batters out usually isn't a problem for the Alabama native. Getting wins has been.
Gamble began the season in the bullpen and made 12 relief appearances before giving up one hit over five shutout innings in his first start on May 14. He left that game with a 10-0 lead, only to watch Montgomery rally for an 11-10 win.
On May 24, Gamble took a no-hitter into the seventh at Tennessee before giving up a two-run homer in a 3-2 loss to the Smokies.
"Every time you go out, you try to put your team in a winning situation. Those [other] times, I did," he said. "Early this year, I spent most of the season in the bullpen. They put me in a starter's role and I was doing real good. But I was having one inning a start that was hurting me, giving up three runs or four runs, and I was losing.
"It's kind of been an up-and-down season. I just got back from Triple-A. I went up 0-5 up there as a starter and it was basically the same thing -- I was pitching good for four innings and was giving up three or four runs in the fifth inning."
What made the difference against the Lookouts?
"I just beared down and said to myself, 'Get that out of your head and compete,'" he said.
The bullpen picked Gamble up as Kevin Gunderson, newly acquired Stephen Marek and Luis Valdez combined on three hitless innings. Valdez struck out the side in the ninth for his 21st save, nailing down Mississippi's sixth straight win.
"The bullpen came in, I think they had one walk. Other than that, the guys were three up and three down," said Gamble, who missed the entire 2006 season due to injury and pitched last season in the independent South Coast League.
The Braves offered him a contract after he pitched Winter Ball in Colombia.
"I just wanted to get my foot back in the door and prove myself again," Gamble said. "Hopefully, the Braves notice this and the team has faith in me."
Mississippi (26-13) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second on a two-RBI double by Jose Camarena. Van Pope singled home Kala Ka'aihue with an insurance run in the fourth.
Chattanooga's Jordan Smith (2-6) lost his second straight start after allowing three runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk.
Gutierrez, who also walked in the seventh, was the only baserunner all night for the Lookouts (15-24), who have lost four straight.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.