White Sox Minor League Update: June 28, 2019

Charlotte Knights 10, Norfolk Tides 3 — continuation of suspended game

Dylan Cease: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Zach Thompson: 3 ⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (W, 2-1)
Adam Engel (CF): 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 SB
Danny Mendick (SS): 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB
Matt Skole (1B): 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Trey Michalczewski (3B): 2-for-2, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB **MVP**
Alcides Escobar (PH-DH): 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 K
Seby Zavala (C): 1-for-3, 1 K

Charlotte Knights 4, Norfolk Tides 3

Justin Nicolino: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (W, 6-3)
Alcides Escobar (DH): 3-for-3, 2 R, 1 2B
Yermin Mercedes (C): 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 BB
Danny Mendick (LF): 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI **MVP**
Trey Michalczewski (3B): 0-for-2, 1 K, 1 HBP
Iván De Jesús Jr. (2B): 2-for-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 E

The Knights had one of those confusing days where game one of the doubleheader was a completion of a suspended game from another place and time. Dylan Cease and Colton Turner were Sirs Not Appearing in This Game. Zach Thompson took over and his hot June continues: in 14 ⅓ innings this month, he’s given up just two runs, walking six and striking out 19. Jimmy Cordero, who had not yet been claimed by the Sox when this game began, threw a scoreless 1 ⅓ innings to close it out.

Charlotte, back in the day, had scored a number of their runs prior to suspension — Charlie Tilson, batting eighth in tonight’s major league lineup, grounded a run in, and Matt Skole hit his eighth home run (by the end of the game, he had 20). After play resumed, the Knights scored five largely unnecessary but still fun runs in the ninth. Trey Michalczewski, who started this game in AA, hit his first AAA dinger in an inning featuring a single, two doubles, the home run, a balk, an intentional walk, an unintentional walk, and a stolen base.

Game two was much less confusing. Justin Nicolino has been basically a solid option in the rotation since his signing in early May, and he provided the Knights with the seven-inning complete game here. The main damage off of him came in the third, a dinger off the bat of Ryan Mountcastle, the Orioles’ first-rounder from 2015 and one of baseball’s top prospects.

At the plate, the Knights struck first, Danny Mendick hitting his 12th double in the third to score Alcides Escobar from his leadoff single. Yermin Mercedes was also on base with a single, but was thrown out at third trying to make it there from first on the double. Mercedes, incidentally, has not been stymied by his recent promotion to the Knights, batting .444/.474/.889/1.363 over his 18 at-bats so far. Mendick also hit an RBI triple in the fourth. Iván De Jesús, Jr. provided the last two Charlote runs with a sixth-inning two-run single.

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Birmingham Barons 4, Mobile BayBears 3

Matt Tomshaw: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K (W, 3-4)
Codi Heuer: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (S, 1)
Luis Robert (DH): 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Nick Madrigal (2B): 2-for-4, 1 R
Blake Rutherford (RF): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Gavin Sheets (1B): 2-for-4, 2 RBI **MVP**
Ti’Quan Forbes (3B): 1-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 K
Luis González (CF): 1-for-4, 1 E

The Barons wrapped this one up in two hours and 16 minutes, the Barons scoring all four of their runs in the first two innings and then apparently going down quickly the rest of the game. Matt Tomshaw was brilliant in his fifth start since returning to Birmingham from Charlotte; although he’s split time between starting and relieving this year, all of his appearances as a Baron since his return have been as a starter. The newly-promoted Codi Heuer picked up his first Southern League save with two scoreless innings.

Luis Robert opened up the Barons half of the first with a pop-up single to shortstop, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Nick Madrigal advanced him on a ground ball, Blake Rutherford walked, and Gavin Sheets scored Robert with a single. Rutherford was then driven in by third baseman Ti’Quan Forbes. Their next two runs, both in the second, both came with two outs. Robert walked to start things off (he’s always doing things to start things off). Madrigal singled and so did Rutherford, bumping his batting average to .256 and scoring Robert. Sheets then hit another RBI single, this one scoring Madrigal.

Luis González put in some work in center field, although he did make an error as well.

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Winston-Salem Dash 6, Salem Red Sox 2

Jorgan Cavanerio: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 E (W, 4-0)
Bennett Sousa: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Mitch Roman (DH): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K **MVP**
Steele Walker (CF): 2-for-5, 1 R
Jameson Fisher (1B): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E
Carlos Perez (C): 2-for-4, 1 RBI
Craig Dedelow (RF): 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K
Tate Blackman (2B): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K

The Dash snapped a three-game losing streak with their 6-2 victory over Salem on Friday night. An experiment that placed Zach Remillard, the Dash’s most consistently good hitter, atop the order didn’t go so well, as he took an 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. However, the two- and three-spot batters held their own, Mitch Roman and Steele Walker combining to go 4-for-9 with a double, two runs scored, two RBI, and a walk. Winston came from behind to take the lead with a five-run eighth that was started by Walker, who’s batting .348 over his last 10 games, singling to get aboard. One run scored on a Carlos Perez sac fly, another two on a Craig Dedelow single, then a Tate Blackman single, capped off with a bases-loaded two-run single from Roman.

Jorgan Cavanerio continues to be a strong starter for the Dash, bouncing back from a five-run outing last time out. Bennett Sousa continues to dominate at every level he’s thrown at, adding two more scoreless innings today with a single single as the single baserunner.

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Kannapolis Intimidators 7, West Virginia Power 4

Johan Dominguez: 5 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K (W, 4-3)
Ian Dawkins (CF): 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Lenyn Sosa (SS): 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Alex Destino (RF): 1-for-5, 1 K
Bryce Bush (DH): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Corey Zangari (1B): 0-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 E
Johan Cruz (3B): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Michael Hickman (C): 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 E **MVP**
Amado Nuñez (2B): 1-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 K

It was a four-run sixth inning that put the Intimidators over the Power, despite a slightly-less-than-quality start from one of their strongest starters. Johan Dominguez, who recently pitched two-thirds of a scoreless inning in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game, has a 2.36 ERA over 49 ⅔ innings pitched this season. His walk totals are a little inflated from a six-walk outing two starts ago, but the four he allowed today were his second-most of the season, bringing the overall number to 23.

On the offensive side of things, Ian Dawkins hit his third home run on the second pitch of the ballgame. This gives him 27 extra-base hits for the year, most of those coming from his 23 doubles. Michael Hickman drove in a run in the second on an RBI ground out. He also hit a home run, his fifth, in the fourth inning. Bryce Bush and Corey Zangari both walked in a four-run sixth, scoring on a Johan Cruz ground ball and an Amado Nuñez single, respectively. Bush is now batting .324 over his last 10 games and has raised his average up to .220, with an OBP peeking over .300.

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Idaho Chukars 14, Great Falls Voyagers 2

Carter Love: 1 ⅔ IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (L, 1-2)
Rigo Fernandez: 1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 WP
Karan Patel: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP
Kelvin Maldonado (2B): 2-for-4, 2 K
Luis Curbelo (3B): 1-for-2, 2 BB
Luis Mieses (RF): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 CS
Lency Delgado (SS): 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 K
Sam Abbott (1B): 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K **MVP**
Anderson Comas (LF): 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 K

The Great Falls Voyagers, uh, lost on Friday night by a score of a lot to a little. Carter Love, who signed last season as an undrafted free agent, and Rigo Fernandez, last year’s 24th-round pick, both gave up seven-run innings, the details of which we shall not delve into. The rest of the bullpen did combine for five and a third scoreless, giving up four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

The Voyagers scored one in the second inning on Sam Abbott’s third double and another in the sixth when a passed ball scored Luis Mieses from a double of his own. Luis Curbelo reached base three times, and Kelvin Maldonado, Mieses, and Lency Delgado all picked up two hits. Mieses in particular, a 19-year-old from the Dominican Republic, is batting .364/.400/.424/.824 in his eight games played this season.

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AZL White Sox 4, AZL Reds 2

Jeremiah Burke: 4 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Sammy Peralta: 1 ⅓ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (S, 1)
James Beard (CF): 0-for-4, 2 K
Bryan Ramos (3B): 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 CS
DJ Gladney (DH): 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 K
Tyler Osik (1B): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Josue Guerrero (RF): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K
Tom Archer (2B): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI **MVP**
Victor Torres (C): 2-for-3, 1 RBI

The AZL Sox scored all of their runs in the second, and it was more than enough to defeat the dread AZL Reds. James Beard and Sidney Pimentel’s slow starts at the top of the lineup continue, neither getting a hit but Pimentel reaching via walk.

Jonathan Allen and Tyler Osik both walked to open the second, and Josue Guerrero’s third double and Tom Archer (39th round)’s first triple combined to score three. Victor Torres singled in Archer as the fourth and final run.

Sammy Peralta, 18th-rounder, now has 10 strikeouts in just four and a third innings pitched. He’s allowed no runs and has walked two over that span, which, again, is four and a third innings, over which he has, again, 10 strikeouts.

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DSL White Sox 10, DSL Reds 8

Ronaldo Guzman: 3 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Johnabiell Laureano (CF): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 E
Benyamin Bailey (LF): 1-for-1, 1 BB, 1 CS
Jefferson Mendoza (C): 4-for-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 K **MVP**
Edwin Peralta (3B): 1-for-4, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
Wilber Sánchez (SS): 2-for-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB

The DSL Sox staved off a five-run late-innings comeback by the DSL Reds to hold onto a 10-8 victory on Friday. Sixteen-year-old Ronald Guzman was again passably decent in a league slightly to much older than him. Jorge Ferrer pitched an inning and two thirds and gave up zero earned runs, but four unearned runs on Johnabiell Laureano’s second error.

It was a five-run seventh that saved the DSL team. Laureano, 18, started the year hot and is still hot, batting .360/.448/.547/.995 in his second year in the league. He opened the inning with his fourth double and advanced to third on a fielder’s choice that resulted in no outs (surely, that couldn’t have truly been the fielder’s choice). Juan Mercedes, who replaced teenage sensation Benyamin Bailey after a steal attempt, singled in Laureano. Jefferson Mendoza — .452/.553/.806/1.359 over 13 games, a catcher — doubled him in. He scored on a an error, and another run came in on a Wilber Sánchez single.

Mendoza hit his first two home runs and his fourth and fifth doubles of the year. He’s walked four times and struck out four times.