On Friday, the Gwinnett Stripers fell to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 5-3 despite a strong performance from AJ Smith-Shawver, who struck out eight batters in his first triple-A start. Although he allowed three runs over 5.2 innings, his performance was hampered by run support and a lack of effective offensive plays from Gwinnett. Eddys Leonard contributed with a two-run homer, but overall, the Stripers could not capitalize on their nine hits while faltering in crucial moments during the game.
Smith-Shawver topped out at 97.2 miles per hour and induced 11 swings and misses on the night despite his breaking pitches not being as sharp as they have been at the big league level.
Overall, Smith-Shawver's numbers were much better than his final line. Of the five hits, three of them came on good pitches out of the zone that batters were able to put a solid swing on.
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