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White Sox Minor League Update: May 14, 2021

Kanny: It can’t get worse than an 0-9 start, right? Fayetteville hurlers with no-hit stuff: HOLD MY BEER

By Brett Ballantini
Luis Curbelo with four homers in 10 games, is making it look easy for the Dash.
Tiffany Wintz/South Side Sox all boxes below courtesy of MiLB

Charlotte crept closer back to .500 with a decisive win on Friday, 5-1, behind a swell effort from Félix Paulino (did anyone anticipate Paulino getting stretched out to start with the Knights? I know I did not).

Paulino was pretty superb, not boasting any strikeout stuff (two) and being a bit wild (three walks), but when you hurl scoreless and give up just two hits over five, be a bit wild, bub.

Speaking of true confessions, I see Matt Reynolds’ name I for some reason I’m always thinking Mark Reynolds, so I expect a lot of Ks, a clunky game, certainly not someone who’s playing all over the field or stealing bases. Well, the lithe Reynolds swiped his third bag for Charlotte tonight, to go along with a walk and a hit leading off tonight in the DH spot. Reynolds is a crazy cat, man; a lifetime playing all over the diamond, including logging a ton of time in LF, and this year he’s pulling a Romy González and moving to middle infield exclusively so far (that, and pitcher). The 2021 season sure seems to be the year of the White Sox challenging fielders with wild mid-infield assignments; why not?

Blake Rutherford tripled out of the 2-hole on Saturday as well, flashing the gap power he needs to in order to remain in the White Sox outfield mix (currently OPSing .894).

Speaking of outfield mix, Gavin Sheets stayed hot with another nice RF-1B game.

Bully, Charlotte, you’re making us proud.

Poll

Who was the Charlotte MVP in Friday’s 5-1 win over Norfolk?

This poll is closed

  • 62%
    Félix Paulino: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K, pickoff at 1B, WIN
    (58 votes)
  • 0%
    Danny Dopico: IP, H, K
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Matt Reynolds: 1-for-3, BB, R, 2 LOB, SB
    (0 votes)
  • 25%
    Blake Rutherford: 1-for-3, R, RBI, 3B, BB, K, 2 LOB, GIDP
    (24 votes)
  • 10%
    Gavin Sheets: 1-for-2, 2 BB, K
    (10 votes)
  • 1%
    Mikie Mahtook: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, K, 3 LOB
    (1 vote)
93 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Charlotte Cold Cat in Friday’s 5-1 win over Norfolk?

This poll is closed

  • 63%
    Joe DeCarlo: 0-for-4, 2 K, 4 LOB, GIDP
    (46 votes)
  • 29%
    Jake Burger: 0-for-4, RBI, K, 3 LOB
    (21 votes)
  • 6%
    Matt Tomshaw: 2 IP, H, ER, 2 K, HR, HOLD
    (5 votes)
72 votes total Vote Now

It was bound to happen in Birmingham’s hot start, a game where the killer Barons bats cooled, and despite just two hits in the game, the darlings of Double-A nearly pulled off the upset, falling to Pensacola, 3-2.

Things started normally for Birmingham, with two quick runs in the top of the first. Blue Wahoos Jeff Lindgren didn’t have the best start to the game, chasing a leadoff K with two hit batsman and a passed ball to put ducks on the pond with one out. That’s when Carlos Pérez cashed the two runners in to put Birmingham up, 2-0.

Unfortunately, from there the Barons could muster just one more hit, and no more runs. The lineup didn’t draw a walk all game.

Birmingham pitching was led by Konnor Pilkington, who crafted a killer outing, going five innings with just one run and walk against eight Ks. By all accounts he earned the win, but the Blue Wahoos rallied for two runs against Peter Tago.

Pensacola pitching shut the red-hot Barons bats down all the game, earning the win and dropping Birmingham to 7-3.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP in Friday’s 3-2 loss at Pensacola?

This poll is closed

  • 91%
    Konnor Pilkington: 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 8 K
    (79 votes)
  • 1%
    Andrew Perez: IP, 2 K
    (1 vote)
  • 2%
    Luis Ledo: IP, 3 K
    (2 votes)
  • 3%
    Carlos Pérez: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
    (3 votes)
  • 1%
    Craig Dedelow: 1-for-3, LOB
    (1 vote)
86 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat in Friday’s 3-2 loss at Pensacola?

This poll is closed

  • 42%
    Peter Tago: IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K, BLOWN SAVE/LOSS
    (29 votes)
  • 5%
    Zack Granite: 0-for-4, 2 K, LOB
    (4 votes)
  • 1%
    Mitch Roman: 0-for-3, 2 K
    (1 vote)
  • 42%
    Micker Adolfo: 0-for-4, 2 K, 2 LOB
    (29 votes)
  • 8%
    Laz Rivera: 0-for-3, 2 K, LOB, CS
    (6 votes)
69 votes total Vote Now

Yeah, he was a Cold Cat tonight, but congrats to Zack Granite for the first Double-A weekly honor of the year!

Also, no word on why Romy González was subbed out one at-bat into the game tonight; if Jirschele strategy, I do not like it.

Just like that, Winston-Salem is .500, with another pretty strong pitching effort powering a win.

Isaiah Carranza was terrific, with one hit over five scoreless innings to pair with four Ks. Unfortunately, Dan Metzdorf flopped and surrendered four runs in the seventh inning; the good news was the Dash offense had built up a 7-0 cushion by then, so hardly any harm there.

Luis Curbelo has growed up real good, hitting his fourth home run in this young season, swelling his OPS to 1.181. Johan Cruz added a homer as well on a 3-for-3 night, with Lenyn Sosa pitching in two singles and a stolen base as well.

Is there a different save rule going on in High-A this season? Sal Biasi pitched only the eighth and was credited with the save?

Poll

Who was the Winston-Salem MVP in Friday’s 8-4 win over the Crawdads?

This poll is closed

  • 30%
    Isaiah Carranza: 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K, WIN
    (22 votes)
  • 0%
    Sal Biasi: IP, 2 BB, 3 K
    (0 votes)
  • 4%
    Lenyn Sosa: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB, E
    (3 votes)
  • 37%
    Luis Curbelo: 2-for-5, R, 3 RBI, HR, K, LOB, E
    (27 votes)
  • 27%
    Johan Cruz: 3-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, HR
    (20 votes)
72 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Winston-Salem Cold Cat in Friday’s 8-4 win over the Crawdads?

This poll is closed

  • 42%
    Duke Ellis: 0-for-4, 6 LOB, picked off of first
    (23 votes)
  • 7%
    Alex Destino: 1-for-5, R, 2 K, LOB
    (4 votes)
  • 50%
    Dan Metzdorf: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, BB, 2 K
    (27 votes)
54 votes total Vote Now

After a heartbreaking, walk-off error loss on Thursday night, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers gathered at their Fayetteville Days Inn lobby and put their heads together.

“How can we top this?” wondered José Rodríguez, the author of that walk-off error but the most prodigious slugger in the early Kanny annals.

Benyamin Bailey, the toothy teen mountain of a man, perked up: “Four-homer game?”

Laughter.

“How about a steal of home,” suggested speedster James Beard, hopefully.

Murmurs of approval.

“But we need more runs than just a steal of home,” pleaded beleaguered reliever Garvin Alston Jr. “How about a cycle?”

The room erupted in excitement, with several players alternating between pointing at likely culprits and leaping forward, chests out, claiming to be on the verge of a cycle.

After the chatter died down, a small voice emerged, modestly, solo en Español: “¿Qué tal un juego sin hits?”

It was Saturday starter Yoelvin Silven, suggesting a no-hitter.

The room remained quiet, each Baller eyeing the other, wondering if Silven had broken some rule or superstition by wishing an hitless game into existence. With no coach or parent to consult, the group decided that, si, a no-hitter would be just the thing to erase the stink of an 0-9 start to the 2021 season.

—-

Indeed, the no-hitter was wished into existence, just as Silven foretold. Only it wasn’t Yoelvin throwing it, but three Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers, whiffing 13 but walking four and hitting a batter.

If there is a gathering postgame at the Days Inn to brainstorm ways to erase an 0-10 start, let us hope no Cannon Ballers suggests, “¿Qué tal un juego perfecto?

Poll

Who was the Kannapolis MVP in Friday’s no-hit loss to Fayetteville?

This poll is closed

  • 20%
    Bryan Ramos: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K
    (10 votes)
  • 4%
    Sam Abbott: 0-for-2, BB, K, LOB
    (2 votes)
  • 12%
    José Rodríguez: 0-for-3, HBP, K, SB
    (6 votes)
  • 62%
    McKinley Moore: IP, 2 H, just entered MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 White Sox Prospects
    (30 votes)
48 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Kannapolis Cold Cat in Friday’s no-hit loss to Fayetteville?

This poll is closed

  • 13%
    Ramon Laureano: 0-for-3, 2 K, LOB
    (6 votes)
  • 6%
    Victor Torres: 0-for-3, 2 K, LOB, PB, 1-for-1 CS
    (3 votes)
  • 15%
    James Beard: 0-for-3, 2 K
    (7 votes)
  • 38%
    Yoelvin Silven: 4 1⁄3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 6 K, LOSS
    (17 votes)
  • 25%
    Garvin Alston Jr.: 2 2⁄3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, K, HR, WP
    (11 votes)
44 votes total Vote Now

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