clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

White Sox Minor League Update: May 15, 2021

AFFILIATE SWEEP (starring: Kannapolis wins a game! Kannapolis wins a game!)

By Brett Ballantini
Drew Dalquist’s strong start in Fayetteville set the tone for the first win in Cannon Ballers history.
Tiffany Wintz/South Side Sox All box scores below courtesy of MiLB.com

Charlotte jumped out to a nice 4-0 lead early, powered by a Marco Hernández three-run homer in the second inning. When Norfolk counterpunched with three runs in the third, the Knights countered, putting the game away with another three mid-game runs, powered mostly by solo shots from Seby Zavala and Nick Williams.

The pitching settled down after that initial eruption; starter Jimmy Lambert and fireman Tanner Banks scuffled through that third inning, but otherwise the Knights hurlers were stingy, with just two hits allowed in the final four frames.

Charlotte ups its record to 5-6, and has secured its first series win of the season, on the road no less.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP of Saturday’s 8-3 win over Norfolk?

This poll is closed

  • 81%
    Marco Hernández: 4-for-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, LOB
    (61 votes)
  • 1%
    Tim Beckham: 2-for-4, 2 R, K
    (1 vote)
  • 14%
    Nick Williams: 3-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, HR
    (11 votes)
  • 2%
    Nik Turley: IP, 2 K
    (2 votes)
75 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat of Saturday’s 8-3 win over Norfolk?

This poll is closed

  • 35%
    Matt Reynolds: 0-for-5, 3 K, 4 LOB, web jem at SS
    (22 votes)
  • 40%
    Joel Booker: 0-for-4, 3 K, 4 LOB
    (25 votes)
  • 20%
    Jimmy Lambert: 2 2⁄3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
    (13 votes)
  • 3%
    Tanner Banks: 2 1⁄3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 3 K
    (2 votes)
62 votes total Vote Now

Win eight of 11 officially entered the ludicrous realm, as Birmingham fell down, 3-0, before rallying for nine runs and winning in extras over the Blue Wahoos, 9-3.

Did I mention that the game-tying run, in the seventh inning, came on a bases-loaded walk to Zack Granite? Well, it did.

And then in extras, woof, Craig Dedelow broke Pensacola’s spirit with a two-run blast with one out, putting the Barons up, 5-3. And that was just the start of the slugging, as Birmingham was putting the Gulf of Mexico in jeopardy with an eruption that saw run-scoring clubbing from Granite (triple), Zach Remillard (double) and Micker Adolfo (homer).

Holding a team to three runs over 10 means the pitching was superb, and tonight the Barons saw special efforts from John Parke (five innings of one-run ball) and Bennett Sousa (four Ks over two scoreless innings), only seeing J.B. Olson (two earned) run into trouble.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP of Saturday’s 9-3 win over the Blue Wahoos?

This poll is closed

  • 3%
    Zack Granite: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3B, SB, 2 BB, 2 LOB
    (2 votes)
  • 16%
    Micker Adolfo: 2-for-6, R, 2 RBI, HR, K, 2 LOB
    (11 votes)
  • 51%
    Craig Dedelow: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3B, HR, 2 K, 5 LOB
    (34 votes)
  • 19%
    John Parke: 5 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, WP, E
    (13 votes)
  • 9%
    Bennett Sousa: 2 IP, BB, 4 K
    (6 votes)
66 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat of Saturday’s 9-3 win over the Blue Wahoos?

This poll is closed

  • 89%
    J.B. Olson: IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K
    (43 votes)
  • 10%
    Xavier Fernández: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, K, 3 LOB, E
    (5 votes)
48 votes total Vote Now

Luis Curbelo has struggled to find his footing in recent seasons.

He’s now found his footing.

Five homers in 11 games will do that.

Curbelo upped his average to .326 and OPS to 1.126 with another two hits today, including a two-run blast that finished scoring for Winston-Salem and iced a 5-2 Dash win.

But the W-S pitching was the story on Saturday, with starter Davis Martin whiffing seven in five innings of one-run ball, and Caleb Freeman grabbing a second save of the season by striking out the Hickory side in the ninth.

The key to the Dash easing over .500 (6-5) beyond the hurlers was maximizing its offense. In spite of 15 Ks, Winston-Salem made just eight hits stand up rather well.

Incidentally, the early punch from the Dash offense hung the loss on ex-White Sox farmhand Avery Weems, who surrendered two earned in retiring just seven W-S batters.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP of Saturday’s 5-2 win over Hickory?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    Alex Destino: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB
    (0 votes)
  • 62%
    Luis Curbelo: 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, K, 3 LOB
    (35 votes)
  • 35%
    Davis Martin: 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 7 K, pickoff at 1B, WIN
    (20 votes)
  • 1%
    Caleb Freeman: IP, 3 K, SAVE
    (1 vote)
56 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat of Saturday’s 5-2 win over Hickory?

This poll is closed

  • 2%
    Lenyn Sosa: 1-for-5, R, K, GIDP, 3 LOB
    (1 vote)
  • 31%
    Samir Dueñez: 0-for-4, BB, 4 K, LOB
    (14 votes)
  • 17%
    Luis Mieses: 0-for-4, K, GIDP, 3 LOB
    (8 votes)
  • 48%
    Travis Moniot: 0-for-4, 4 K, 5 LOB, CF assist at 2B
    (22 votes)
  • 0%
    Declan Cronin: 2 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 K
    (0 votes)
45 votes total Vote Now

A win, a win! Huzzah!

After an 0-10 start, Kannapolis had enough. Barely.

José Rodríguez grounded out in the top of the first, scoring Jagger Rusconi. And a panicked Cannon Ballers pitching staff made that single run, stolen on a grounder, hold up.

So, yup, Drew Dalquist (three scoreless), Jeremiah Burke (five) and Marcus Evey (one) were the heroes today, as the Kanny O left 10 on base and went 0-for-12 with RISP.

But a win is a win. Woopeckers skipper Ray Hernández couldn’t even stand to see his Fayettevillers become the CBs’ first victim of 2021, getting ejected in the seventh inning.

It wasn’t just the first Cannon Ballers win of 2021, after 10 tries, but the first win in Cannon Ballers history.

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP of Saturday’s 1-0 breakthrough win over the Woodpeckers?

This poll is closed

  • 30%
    Drew Dalquist: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 K
    (18 votes)
  • 69%
    Jeremiah Burke: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K, WIN
    (41 votes)
  • 0%
    Jagger Rusconi: 2-for-4, 2B, R, BB, K, LOB
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    AJ Gill: 2-for-4, LOB
    (0 votes)
59 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat of Saturday’s 1-0 stunner over Fayetteville?

This poll is closed

  • 11%
    Sam Abbott: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, 2 LOB
    (5 votes)
  • 0%
    DJ Gladney: 0-for-3, BB, K, LOB
    (0 votes)
  • 11%
    Iván González: 0-for-4, 3 LOB
    (5 votes)
  • 76%
    Daniel Millwee: 0-for-4, K, 4 LOB
    (32 votes)
42 votes total Vote Now

More From South Side Sox