White Sox Minor League Update: May 28, 2019

Charlotte Knights 9, Indianapolis Indians 4

Colton Turner: 6 ⅔ IP, 5 H, 3 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (W, 3-2)
Tanner Banks: 1 ⅓ IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Paulo Orlando (LF): 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Danny Mendick (SS): 1-for-5
Daniel Palka (RF): 3-for-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Alcides Escobar (3B): 2-for-5, 1 R
Zack Collins (C): 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Adam Engel (CF): 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Ryan Goins (2B): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI **MVP**

The Knights improved their record to 28-21 behind veteran and young’n hitting alike. Paulo Orlando hit his fifth home run in 14 games with the team, and Alcides Escobar added two hits to nudge his average closer to .400 (and by that I mean, he’s hitting .311). Ryan Goins, who has 489 major league games under his belt between the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals, hit a two-run double and later drove in Adam Engel with a sacrifice fly. Our Big Right Field Boy mashed what surely was a prodigious tater, his 10th in 32 Triple-A games, and added his fifth double of the season. His slash line is .280/.418/.576. Zack Collins contributed his 25th and 26th walks, and those with a single bumped his OBP to .386.

Colton Turner, whom the Sox acquired for Dioner Navarro, a player I can almost remember, pitched well enough for the win in his fourth straight start. Before that, he had been throwing out of the bullpen. Tanner Banks, who was promoted from Birmingham today, made his Triple-A debut and we are very proud of him. Matt Foster, who went through a recent rough patch, appeared in his third straight scoreless outing.

Birmingham Barons 5, Montgomery Biscuits 4

Bernardo Flores: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (removed with injury)
Luis Robert (CF): 4-for-5, 1 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 1 CS **MVP**
Luis Alexander Basabe (LF): 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Luis González (RF): 0-for-1, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Yermin Mercedes (C): 1-for-4, 1 2B
Trey Michalczewski (DH): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 K
Ti’Quan Forbes (3B): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 K
Mitch Roman (2B): 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Every time I’ve been able to see Luis Robert play during those bygone days with the Dash, part of me can’t believe he signed with the White Sox. We’re not allowed to have good things. It’s our station. But I am here, my friends, to let you know for the first time ever that Luis Robert is a Good Thing. The 21-year-old outfielder, who, I will remind you, is in the White Sox organization, had four hits to raise his Birmingham numbers to .303/.357/.538. He has as many doubles with the team as he has singles, including two tonight, including one bases-clearing, walk-off double to win it, 5-3, for the Barons. He leads the team, in fact, in doubles, with 12, and is tied for third in the league despite having spent half the season so far with the Dash. He’s spent the entire season with the White Sox in general, being a White Sox minor leaguer.

This is very exciting. You should be very excited. I’m very excited and my heart hardened long ago.

In non-Robert-but-still-Luis news, Basabe brought his 10-game average up to .341 with five multi-hit games in that span. González went hitless in his one official at-bat, but walked twice and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Martinez — that’s right, it was a four-Luis day — gave up two runs in his three innings of work in relief of Bernardo Flores. Flores left with some kind of injury, the details of which are yet to be disclosed.

In non-Luis-altogether news, Yermin Mercedes hit a double and caught a runner stealing (and allowed two stolen bases). Ti’Quan Forbes keeps showing flashes of breaking out. Mitch Roman reached twice and scored the winning run. Danny Dopico got the win, picked a guy off, and gave up just a walk over his two innings.

Winston-Salem Dash: off-day

Kannapolis Intimidators 7, Lakewood BlueClaws 1

Kade McClure: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP (W, 2-3)
Sam Long: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Ian Dawkins (CF): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Lenyn Sosa (SS): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI **MVP**
Alex Destino (RF): 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB
Johan Cruz (3B): 2-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Corey Zangari (1B): 1-for-4, 1 BB, 2 K
Jhoandro Alfaro (C): 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Kade McClure has his eyes on bigger things, like nearby Winston-Salem. The righty doesn’t seem to be feeling any lingering effects from last season’s knee injury, lowering his ERA to 3.09 in his 10th start. Kade McClure is 6´7´´ and 230 pounds. Sam Long contributed three lights-out innings, his longest outing of the year. Long, who signed with the Sox as a minor league free agent during spring training, has struck out 35 over 26 innings, giving up just 20 hits and walking five for a WHIP of 0.96. This … is good.

Command+C, command+V “Ian Dawkins reached twice.” He has a 12-game hitting streak.

Johan Cruz, who started the season with the Dash before an injury forced him out, doubled in two runs with two outs in the first inning. Alfaro, Ramon Beltre, and Dawkins all walked with one out in the third; Sosa’s sac fly drove in Alfaro, and Romy González’s single scored Beltre. Dawkins was stranded, but he’s on base a lot (40.1% of the time!), so weep not for him. Sosa, who, in case anyone forgot, turned 19 in JANUARY, hit his second home run of the season.