White Sox Minor League Update: July 22, 2019

Chattanooga Lookouts 3, Birmingham Barons 2

Lincoln Henzman: 5 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (L, 2-5)
Tyler Johnson: ⅓ IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Codi Heuer: 1 ⅓ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Luis Alexander Basabe (RF): 1-for-4
Nick Madrigal (DH): 1-for-4, 1 2B
Gavin Sheets (1B): 0-for-4, 2 K
Damek Tomscha (LF): 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 K **MVP**
Laz Rivera (SS): 1-for-3, 1 K

Lincoln Henzman pitched competently up until the sixth, when he gave up a home run to Cincinnati Reds top prospect Taylor Trammell and two more singles before being removed. He was replaced by Tyler Johnson, who made his Double-A debut after striking out 15 and giving up two earned runs in 10 High-A innings. Here, though, things quickly fell apart — after issuing a walk to another Reds top prospect in Jonathan India, Johnson allowed a double that scored two runs, one of those credited to Henzman. He walked an additional batter before finally inducing a ground ball for the last out of the inning. Mauricio Cabrera struck out two, walked two, and allowed two hits in one and two thirds scoreless innings; Codi Heuer allowed no baserunners in his inning and a third.

New Baron Damek Tomscha has at times carried the team in the 11 games he’s played so far, including two walk-off hits, and he scored both runs Birmingham pushed across the plate today. He singled in the fifth inning and was grounded to second by Ramón Torres, then scored on Alfredo González’s single. Tomscha scored again in the seventh, singling and driven home by Torres’ third triple. Nick Madrigal doubled and Luis Basabe singled.

Winston Salem Dash/Down East Wood Ducks - cancelled (rain)

Billings Mustangs 3, Great Falls Voyagers 0

Jason Morgan: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP (L, 0-3)
Sammy Peralta: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Pauly Milto: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Harvin Mendoza (DH): 2-for-3, 1 BB **MVP**
Luis Mieses (RF): 0-for-4, 1 K
Sam Abbott (1B): 0-for-2, 2 BB, 1 K
Anderson Comas (CF): 1-for-4
Jakob Goldfarb (C): 1-for-4
Jonathan Allen (LF): 1-for-4, 1 K

The Voyagers fell with barely a whimper, receiving the gift of good pitching nearly all game but only eking out five hits themselves. Jason Morgan, a late draft pick from last year, looked initially as if he were going to have an ugly line, giving up three runs in the second inning, but recovered nicely and ended up with a quality start. Sammy Peralta and Pauly Milto, from this year’s 18th and 23rd rounds, respectively, threw identical baserunner-free lines. Peralta has yet to allow an earned run over 14 ⅔ professional innings while striking out 24, and Milto has given up just one earned run over 13 innings.

It was truly a tepid day at the plate for Great Falls. Harvin Mendoza, 20 years old and in his fourth year in the Sox organization (second Stateside), singled twice and walked once, boasting a season line entering the game of .311/.398/.544. Nineteen-year-old Anderson Comas, in his third year, singled; so did this year’s 24th-rounder Jakob Goldfarb and the newly-promoted 32nd-rounder Jonathan Allen. Sam Abbott walked twice, and Luis Curbelo also drew one. On the bright side, Luis Mieses, an intriguing 19-year-old prospect in his third year, threw out two runners from the outfield, one at second, one at home (it was the same guy each time, if that means anything).

DSL White Sox 11, DSL Reds 3

Homer Cruz: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Elijah Tatís (2B): 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 E
Yolbert Sánchez (SS): 2-for-6, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
Benyamin Bailey (RF): 1-for-3, 1 R 1 2B, 2 BB
Johnabiell Laureano (CF): 2-for-4, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Matthew Mercedes (DH): 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Alberto Bernal (1B): 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 2 K **MVP**
Anthony Espinoza (3B): 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 E

The 24-19 DSL Sox continue to blow last year’s 18-54 team out of the water with an 11-3 defeat of the DSL Reds. Homer Cruz’s breakout season continues, his only better start this year a July 3 one-hitter over seven innings. He’s only walked 15 in 42 innings this year, a DSL miracle, and contrary to his name, has allowed but a single dinger. Manuel Veloz pitched three innings in relief, allowing three unearned runs and striking out four.

The DSL kids had their bats working today, every member of the starting lineup gathering at least one hit and five multi-hit efforts (and each reached at least twice, thanks to eight team walks). One of these multi-hit games was from Yolbert Sánchez, whose line after a slow start has risen to .324/.375/.459. Another was off the bat of Johnabiell Laureano, whose season started off strong and has continued at about the same level. He has two hits in each of the last six games he’s gotten a hit in. Eighteen years old until October, he’s slashing .364/.444/.545 through 37 games. Benyamin Bailey, teenage superhero and almost a full year younger than Laureano, only hit a double and nothing else, but did naturally draw two walks. He now leads the entire DSL with 40 free passes over his 36 games, and is slashing an absurd .373/.531/.492.

The star of today’s show was Alberto Bernal. He’s been struggling to start his professional career, understandably, because he was 16 years old when he started this season (he turned 17 on June 13). Maybe this will be the game he needed: he drove in a run in the first on a sacrifice fly, doubled in Laureano and scored on Richard García’s single in the third, and tripled to score Laureano and Matthew Mercedes in the eighth, then scored on a wild pitch. Oh, to be young again!