White Sox Minor League Update: April 8, 2018

The Chicago White Sox organization played eight, count them, EIGHT games today. Unfortunately, the big club lost, but the farm system went a combined 5-2, including stellar pitching performances from Ian Clarkin, Jordan Guerrero and John Parke. And Dylan Cease ran out of gas in his game, but struck out seven in 4 ²⁄₃ innings.

The Charlotte Knights Twitter feed understands how great the day on the farm was.

Remember, in the minor leagues, doubleheader games go only seven innings instead of nine.

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Charlotte Knights (5) at Durham Bulls (0)

Charlie Tilson: 1-for-5, 2 K

Jose Rondon: 0-for-5, 2 K

Ryan Cordell: 1-for-5, 3 K

Casey Gillaspie: 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, K

Donn Roach: 6 IP, 0 runs, 2 H, BB, 4 K ***MVP***

Charlotte was the only White Sox minor league team to play just one game today, and they did not disappoint. The Knights won 5-0, thanks to six shutout innings from Roach and 10 hits from the offense. The team strikeouts were high today (12), with Cordell getting his second hat trick of the season. Gillaspie continues his strong start.

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Game 1: Birmingham Barons (4) at Chattanooga Lookouts (0)

Tito Polo: 1-for-4, R, 2 K

Jameson Fisher: 1-for-4, R, K

Matt Rose: 1-for-1, R, 2 BB

Zack Collins: 0-for-1, R, RBI on a sacrifice fly, BB

Bryant Flete: 1-for3

Ian Clarkin: 5 ¹⁄₃ IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K ***MVP***

Ryan Burr: 1 ²⁄₃ IP, 0 ER, 0 H

Ian Clarkin did what Ian Clarkin does best, pitch to contact and get outs. The defense behind Clarkin performed well, including a caught stealing for Collins (who, on the offensive side, is still without a hit). The Barons opened up the game with two first-inning runs and never looked back. Burr took over for Clarkin in the sixth, and went the final 1 ²⁄₃ innings for a save to complete the 4-0 victory.

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Game 2: Birmingham Barons (4) at Chattanooga Lookouts (2)

Tito Polo: 1-for-4, R, K

Jameson Fisher: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K

Matt Rose: 1-for-4

Seby Zavala: 2-for-3, HR, BB, K ***MVP***

Bryant Flete: 1-for-2

Jordan Guerrero: 5 IP, 0 Runs, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Connor Walsh: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, save

The Barons completed the sweep with a 4-2 win over the Lookouts. Guerrero threw five strong innings of shutout baseball. He did not allow a walk, as the three Barons pitchers in the game only walked one batter total. Zavala hit a solo shot in the second inning to give Birmingham the lead. Fisher added a two-run blast in the fifth inning. Walsh closed out the game, giving the Barons a 3-1 start to the season.

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Game 1: Winston-Salem Dash (2) at Carolina Mudcats (5)

Luis Basabe: 0-for-3, BB, K

Alex Call: 0-for-3, R, BB

Micker Adolfo: 0-for-2, 2 K

Yeyson Yrizarri: 1-for-3, K

Mitch Roman: 2-for-3, HR ***MVP***

Dylan Cease: 4 ²⁄₃ IP, 5 R (2 ER), 2 H, 2 BB, HBP, 7 K

Matt Foster: 1 ¹⁄₃ IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 K

Cease was cruising through the first four innings, but like many times last season the third time through the order took a turn for the worse. In the fifth, five runs crossed the plate for the Mudcats, with two charged to Cease, who could not get out of the inning. Before the fourth, Cease was using his upper-90s fastball and breaking ball together effectively. Roman provided the only excitement offensively, with a solo home run in the third in a 5-2 loss.

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Game 2: Winston-Salem Dash (0) at Carolina Mudcats (2)

Joel Booker: 2-for-3 ***MVP***

Gavin Sheets: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K

Blake Rutherford: 0-for-3, BB, K

Micker Adolfo: 1-for-3

Yeyson Yrizarri: 1-for-3, 2 E

Blake Hickman: 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K

The bats did not wake up in Game 2 for Winston-Salem. The Dash only collected five safeties, and they were all singles. Booker singled twice, but nobody could drive him home. The Dash used the second game of the doubleheader as a bullpen game: Danny Dopico, Blake Hickman, and Zach Thompson each went two innings and did not allow an earned run in the 2-0 loss.

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Game 1: Kannapolis Intimidators (5) vs Lakewood BlueClaws (1)

Luis Gonzalez: 1-for-4, HR, 2 K

Justin Yurchak: 0-for-3, 2 K

Craig Dedelow: 1-for-3, K

Evan Skoug: 1-for-3, R, RBI, 2 K

Tate Blackman: 2-for-3

John Parke: CG, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 K ***MVP***

In Parke’s first start above the Arizona League, he threw a seven-inning complete game for the Game 1 win. The bats showed up as well, as the team accounted for nine hits (three for extra bases), and five runs. Gonzalez added a home run, as he was one of the seven batters in the lineup to get at least one hit, helping the Intimidators to a 5-1 win.

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Game 2: Kannapolis Intimidators (4) vs Lakewood BlueClaws (3)

Luis Gonzalez: 0-for-3, K

Tate Blackman: 1-for-3, R, RBI, K

Tyler Frost: 2-for-2, R, SB ***MVP***

Tyler Johnson: 1 IP, 0 Runs, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Kannapolis also swept the day, beating Lakewood for a second time, 4-3. Kyle Von Ruden was supposed to start in one of the two games today, but the former independent league pitcher instead retired (per FutureSox). The bullpen was called upon to start and finish the game, and did just that. Blake Battenfield pitched the first three innings, and Top 30 Sox prospect Johnson finished up to get the save. The Intimidators had only six hits in the contest, two of them from Tyler Frost, who was also knocked in by Anthony Villa for the go-ahead run in the fifth.