stay tuned ...

The schedule says it’s the last home game of the season for the Mississippi Braves. But don’t put the foam tomahawks away just yet. There may be more chopping days ahead at Trustmark Park. The M-Braves (35-28) remain very much in the chase for the Southern League South Division second-half title and a playoff berth. They enter tonight’s game against Huntsville at the TeePee a game behind first-place Jacksonville, with first-half champ Mobile sandwiched between the two. The M-Braves finish the regular season with a 5-game series at Jacksonville. Mississippi's first postseason appearance since 2008 will be there for the taking. The 2013 M-Braves (3.07 staff ERA) have had good pitching, which has been the norm since the club moved to Pearl. They’ve also become a productive offensive club, batting .252 (third in the league) and ranking fourth in runs. Christian Bethancourt (.283, 12 home runs, 44 RBIs) and Edward Salcedo (12 homers, 54 RBIs), both regarded as big league prospects, have made creditable strides this season. Tommy La Stella (.332 in 75 games) has had a breakthrough, while Jose Martinez (.288), Jaime Pedroza (.285), Christian Marrero (eight homers) and Barrett Kleinknecht (eight homers) have made significant contributions. And then there’s Mycal Jones, who rates some special notice. He first arrived in Double-A late in 2010, spent most of 2011 here after converting from infielder to center fielder and started 2012 in Pearl again. But he scuffled terribly (.141) and wound up back in A-ball. He got yet another shot with the M-Braves this spring and seems finally to have figured some things out. He is batting .261 with 29 stolen bases, 54 runs and 32 RBIs. Out with an injury since Aug. 11, he came off the disabled list on Monday and hit a key homer, his fourth, in a 2-1 victory over Huntsville. If the team, which let the first-half championship slip from its grasp, could somehow channel Jones’ perseverance over the last few days of the regular season … .