White Sox Minor League Update: July 2, 2018

The affiliates didn’t do too badly today, but let me tell you, this update starts with some gut punches.

Don’t wanna Henny Penny this news, but Jiménez is on his third “minor” injury of the season: He had a knee that kept him out of a couple of weeks of spring training, a pectoral that delayed the start of his season at Birmingham for a couple of weeks, and now this hip thing that’s going to keep him out two weeks.

Worse is Robert, who has five-tool potential that could possibly eclipse the long-term fortunes of even Jiménez — but who simply doesn’t get enough field time to prove it. Robert is a player who had scrapes with injury even before this season, in which he’s now played about two weeks, total. If you take the over on Robert’s prognosis, he won’t be back at Winston-Salem before season’s end. Here’s more information about this aggravating development.

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In brighter news:

Shortstop Anthony Espinoza hasn’t been officially announced by the White Sox, but it’s been tweeted out by various sources that the team inked five international players. Diaz will report immediately to the DSL White Sox, while the three Cuban players will join the White Sox organization in 2019.

Miguel Tejada Jr., relentlessly linked to the White Sox, apparently will not be signing with Chicago.

There’s one advantage to not spending the full pool amount:

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And, well, it’s not the South Side Sox Monthly MVP award, but the White Sox cited a couple of their minor leaguers today:

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Norfolk Tides 3, Charlotte Knights 2

Jake Elmore (.277): 1-for-3, R, BB, K

Ryan Brett (.000): 0-for-4

Matt Skole (.255): 0-for-4, 2 K

Trayce Thompson (.130): 1-for-4, 2 K

Seby Zavala (.158): 1-for-4, 2 RBI, K

Spencer Adams (3.76): 6 IP, 6H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 61 GS, 82 pitches/52 strikes **MVP**

L: Gregory Infante (2-4, BS [4], 5.33): 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R/1 ER

The Knights could muster just five hits, all singles, as well as one walk (against nine Ks) in support of Adams tonight. Still, the righthander left the contest after six with a 2-1 lead. Enter Infante. The game-tying run in the seventh was only partially Infante’s fault, as the inning was kicked off by an error at third by Patrick Leonard. In the eighth, though, it was all Infante, losing the lead after a double and single. In old friend news, Jhan Marinez, who traded to the White Sox in 2011 for manager Ozzie Guillen, earned his 10th save of the season for the Tides, throwing 11 of 12 pitches for strikes and lowering his ERA to 2.91.

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Birmingham Barons 2, Jackson Generals 0

Joel Booker (.298): 1-for-4, 2B (1), R, 2K

Danny Mendick (.245): 2-for-3, 2B (16), 2 RBI, K

Matt Rose (.199): 0-for-4, 3 K

Zack Collins (.257): 0-for-3, BB, SB (4)

Luis Basabe (.200): 0-for-3, R, BB, K, SB (2), threw out Domingo Leyba at third base from CF

W: Matt Tomshaw (4-4, 5.32): 7 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K, 78 GS, 111 pitches/79 strikes **MVP**

SV: Zach Thompson (1, 5.68): 2 IP, 2 H, K, 20 pitches/16 strikes

Mendick doubled in a run to break a scoreless tie in the sixth, and it was all Birmingham would need, in spite of adding another run in the eighth. Tomshaw was butter, and Thompson was tasty, too; Barons pitching held the Gens to just one extra-base hit. The two teams combined to go 1-for-17 with RISP in the game.

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Winston-Salem Dash 5, Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

Laz Rivera (.298): 1-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI

Blake Rutherford (.291): 2-for-3, R, BB, K

Micker Adolfo (.287): 2-for-4, R, 2B (18)

Yeyson Yrizarri (.245): 1-for-4, R, HR (5), 2 RBI, K

W: John Parke (1-1, 3.27): 5 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 55 GS, 92 pitches/54 strikes **MVP**

Connor Walsh (6.00): 1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K

S: Donny Dopico (3, 4.19): 1 IP, H, K

You can get outhit in a game and tally just six total and still win, when the long ball is involved. The Dash had two in the win. Nothing super notable here, some good performances overall. Parke’s curious 92 pitches to get through just five innings is odd. But despite running up a lot of three-ball counts, he walked just two hitters and takes tonight’s MVP by default.

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Kannapolis Intimidators 2, Rome Braves 1

Nolan Brown (.291): 0-for-3, 2 BB

Luis Curbelo (.277): 1-for-4, R, 2B (10)

Michael Hickman (.238): 2-for-4, RBI, K, CS (2)

Carlos Perez (.250): 3-for-4, R, throwing error (1)

W: Parker Rigler (6-3, 4.03): 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 67 GS, 92 pitches/52 strikes **MVP**

H: Andrew Perez (1, 0.00): 2 IP, H, 2 K

S: Will Kincannon (2, 4.50): IP, 2 K

Another great pitching performance in the system, as Rome was held to just four hits. The Braves took a one-run lead in the second, but Kanny tied it in the sixth and took the lead for good in the seventh. Rigler was tough, taking 92 pitches to get through six but coming away with a 67 game score. Andrew Perez, yep, a 2018 draft choice, got a quick promotion to the I’s and threw two scoreless in his debut.

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Helena Brewers 5, Great Falls Voyagers 4

Ian Dawkins (.277): 1-for-5, 2 R

Lenyn Sosa (.349): 2-for-4, 2B (4), HR (2), 3 RBI, E (2) **MVP**

Codi Heuer (6.52): 2 ¹⁄₃ IP, 4 H, ER, 2 K, 45 GS

BS: Michael McCormick (1, 4.00): 1 ²⁄₃ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 K

Sosa had the only two extra-base hits for the Voyagers tonight, and was a one-man wrecking crew. Helena stormed back to take a 4-3 lead going into the ninth, but Great Falls tied it on an RBI single from shortstop Ramon Beltre. Unfortunately, Jack Maynard couldn’t get the third out in the ninth, surrendering a double and single in a walk-off loss.

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AZL Royals 6, AZL White Sox 5 (10)

Luis Mieses (.291): 2-for-5, R, 2B (5), 3B (2), 2 RBI **MVP**

Harvin Mendoza (.435): 3-for-4, R, 2B (3), RBI, BB, CS (2)

Ty Greene (.333): 2-for-5, K

Anderson Comas (.333): 3-for-4, R, RBI, SB (2)

Sean Thompson (1.86): 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R/1 ER, 46 GS

It was a dry heat in Glendale: 105° at 7 p.m. for first pitch. The Sox offense was hot, for sure. The first inning ended 3-3, the White Sox pushed for a lead, but the AZL Royals scored two runs in the eighth to send the game into eventual extras, where K.C. West won the game in the 10th.

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DSL White Sox 3, DSL Blue Jays 2

Samil Polanco (.302): 1-for-3, R, 2 BB, SB (1), CS (1)

Jorgen Rosas (.214): 2-for-5, BB, K **MVP**

Jhoneiker Betancourt (.263): 2-for-4, R

Dionicio Jimenez (7.50): 4 ²⁄₃ IP, 5 H, R, 2 BB, 4 K, 55 GS

Whoa! Not only a win for the DSL White Sox, but a walk-off! Yep, the DSL Sox improved to 4-22 with a comeback victory. Down 2-1 in the eighth, the Sox tied it when Polanco walked, advanced to third on Rosas’ bunt single, then scored on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the ninth, Rosas won the game with an infield single.