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White Sox Minor League Update: May 8, 2021

Birmingham keeps bringing the bats!

By Brett Ballantini
Chicago White Sox v Minnesota Twins
Sure, he’s a bit old for Double-A, but sweet hell Zack Granite is pairing his awesome name with stellar play in the first week.
Box scores below courtesy of MiLB.com

Charlotte simply has not impressed this early season, and just like last night, both the offense and pitching shut down in Saturday’s 7-3 loss. It was a game that appeared closer than it was, frankly.

In a rare effort for a first season start, Matt Tomshaw pitched into the sixth inning.

That was the good news. The bad? The sixth was where it all unraveled for the Knights, as a 1-0 nail-biter blossomed into a 6-0 runaway, and the southpaw went from one earned on his tally to five.

After whiffing Riley Unroe for the first out, Ender Inciarte singled, and then Tomshaw surrendered back-to-back-to-back homers, all on two strikes.

The offense had four hits, one walk — and 12 Ks. Manager Wes Helms needs to slow-drip some Red Bull into the Gatorade tub, pronto.

Stripers Notes! Yolmer Sánchez tore it up again tonight, going 1-for-3 with a walk, and is hitting .333 with a .964 OPS through five games.

White Sox Notes! Center field hopeful Brian Goodwin went 0-for-4 with an RBI, K and 2 LOB in his first field duty in Charlotte. Meh.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP of Saturday’s 7-3 loss to the Stripers?

This poll is closed

  • 59%
    Seby Zavala: 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 2 K, LOB, GIDP, 0-for-3 CS
    (28 votes)
  • 6%
    Joel Booker: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 K, LOB
    (3 votes)
  • 34%
    Ryan Burr: IP
    (16 votes)
47 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat in Saturday’s 7-3 loss to the Stripers?

This poll is closed

  • 50%
    Blake Rutherford: 0-for-4, 2 K, LOB
    (29 votes)
  • 3%
    Tim Beckham: 0-for-3, K
    (2 votes)
  • 43%
    Matt Tomshaw: 5 1⁄3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, BB, 5 K, 3 HR, LOSS
    (25 votes)
  • 0%
    Tayron Guerrero: 2⁄3 IP, H, ER, 2 BB
    (0 votes)
  • 1%
    Nik Turley: IP, H, ER, K, HR
    (1 vote)
57 votes total Vote Now

Who is this Zack Granite (single, double, triple tonight), and how is he mashing hell outta balls in Regions Field, anyway?

Ditto Ti’quan Forbes (2-for-5), Romy González (double, two steals) and Ian Dawkins (double, two homers). Did they not get the memo that Birmingham is where batted baseballs go to die?

The Barons improved to 4-1 on the young season as all four of the above are mashing past a 1.000 OPS, with catcher Carlos Pérez just a sneeze behind. For a team expected to mostly be second and thirds in a major league trade deadline deal, the Barons are announcing their presences with authority, as the team to watch in the organization.

And Justin Jirschele is a big reason why, as he’s putting the pedal to the metal even during games in hand. In tonight’s sixth, runners on first and third, Micker Adolfo at the dish, none out, up 5-1, González (second) and Zach Remillard (home) pull off a double steal to put Birmingham up, 6-1. For good measure, González swiped third two outs later, too.

Konnor Pilkington held up his end as well, throwing five strong, pitching to contact but escaping with his first Double-A win and a 1.80 ERA. He even offset an error with a pickoff.

Poll

Who was the Birmingham MVP in Saturday’s 8-2 clubbing of the Shuckers?

This poll is closed

  • 64%
    Zack Granite: 3-for-5, 3 R, 2B, 3B, K, 2 LOB
    (52 votes)
  • 6%
    Romy González: 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K, 2 SB
    (5 votes)
  • 4%
    Ian Dawkins: 2-for-4, 3 R, RBI, 2B, HR, K, 2 LOB
    (4 votes)
  • 24%
    Konnor Pilkington: 5 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HR, E, pickoff at first, WIN
    (20 votes)
81 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Birmingham Cold Cat in Saturday’s 8-2 clubbing of the Shuckers?

This poll is closed

  • 92%
    Craig Dedelow: 0-for-4, BB, 3 K, 4 LOB
    (47 votes)
  • 7%
    Laz Rivera: 0-for-3, K, HBP
    (4 votes)
  • 0%
    Jake Elliott: 2 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 K, HR
    (0 votes)
51 votes total Vote Now

Fifteen runs in five games is no way to start a season, Dash.

Just six hits tonight, half from Johan Cruz. Just two extra-base hits tonight, both from Johan Cruz. Can we make sure Winston-Salem serves whatever Johan ate pregame to the entire squad before tomorrow’s finale?

Isaiah Carranza was a hard-luck loser in his season and minor-league debut, throwing three innings with one run and three Ks. Yes, Isaiah Carranza is no longer a Snuffleupagus, but a real, live, human baseball thrower. And in just three innings, he threw too many, 63 pitches and just 38 strikes.

Otherwise, yeah, Johan Cruz. Feed them all the Cruz Happy Meal, pls, Dash.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Rome?

This poll is closed

  • 91%
    Johan Cruz: 3-for-4, 2 2B, all the extra-base hits
    (34 votes)
  • 5%
    Isaiah Carranza: pro debut of 3 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 3 K, 63 pitches/38 strikes, LOSS
    (2 votes)
  • 2%
    Sal Biasi: 2 IP, 3 K
    (1 vote)
  • 0%
    Declan Cronin: 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K
    (0 votes)
37 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Rome?

This poll is closed

  • 37%
    Alex Destino: 1-for-4, 2 K, 5 LOB
    (13 votes)
  • 45%
    Lenyn Sosa: 0-for-4, 2 K, LOB
    (16 votes)
  • 17%
    Pauly Milto: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K, WP
    (6 votes)
35 votes total Vote Now

If it had to be a fifth straight loss to start the season, at least this was a thrilling fall-from-ahead affair.

Let’s start with some nice, even surprising news. In contrast to a rough pro debut from 2020 second round pick Jared Kelley, fifth-rounder Bailey Horn was nails in his debut, spinning four hitless innings.

With all the scoring bunched into the final third of the game, Kannapolis rallied for four runs in the eighth (AJ Gill’s three-run clout was the killer) to go up on Down East, 4-2.

But Trey Jeans hugged the Down Easters with a single and double to open the ninth, summoning Tyson Messer in to deal with this quite literal Ducks on the pond. Messer did his job, inducing a ground ball to second that should have cashed just one run in, in exchange for the out — but Bryan Ramos (playing his first career professional game at the second sack) threw wildly, allowing two runs to score. Messer induced another ground ball, this time fielded crisply for the out by Ramos, but pushing a Duck to third. The eventual winning run was tallied on a sacrifice fly to center field.

Ramos came within inches of redeeming himself in the ninth and making his fourth hit of the game a walk-off home run, but the ball was called foul:

So yep, the winning three runs in the ninth were driven in without a hit. It’s been that kind of first week for Kannapolis.

Poll

Who was the MVP for Kannapolis, as the Cannon Ballers fell to 0-5 on Saturday?

This poll is closed

  • 4%
    José Rodríguez: 2-for-4, R, LOB, CS
    (2 votes)
  • 0%
    Benyamin Bailey: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K, 2 LOB
    (0 votes)
  • 45%
    Bryan Ramos: 3-for-5, 2B, near walk-off HR, K, LOB, E
    (19 votes)
  • 14%
    AJ Gill: 2-for-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, K, 4 LOB
    (6 votes)
  • 35%
    Bailey Horn, first pro start: 4 IP, BB, K
    (15 votes)
42 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cold Cat as Kanny dropped its fifth straight on Saturday?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    Caberea Weaver: 1-for-5, K, 2 LOB
    (0 votes)
  • 32%
    Ramon Laureano: 0-for-4, 2 K, 4 LOB
    (11 votes)
  • 5%
    Yoelvin Silven: 3 1⁄3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
    (2 votes)
  • 61%
    Trey Jeans: 2⁄3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER
    (21 votes)
34 votes total Vote Now

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