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White Sox Minor League Update: June 1, 2021

Kannapolis wins and Birmingham loses — a sentence that has not been written for a long time

By Darren Black
Luis Mieses was demoted today, but homered very quickly for his new team.
Tiffany Wintz/South Side Sox

Before we get the games going, here are some roster moves:

If you think about it, the demotions are not really surprises.

A four-run fourth inning off of starter Matt Tomshaw doomed the Knights in their 6-4 loss. He was not exactly cruising through the first three, as he allowed a run in the first, but it all blew up in the fourth, along with the lead. He allowed three homers that inning to push the Nashville lead to 5-2, and the Knights couldn’t come back.

The Knights took their first and only lead off of a Luis González homer, his second of the season as he looks to get his year back on track.

As you all know, that lead evaporated but the Knights bullpen was lights-out, much like the Sox game today. Jace Fry had another scoreless inning, though his command was down today, Connor Sadzeck. Hunter Schryver, and Tayron Guerrero did not allow a run in their four innings, allowing the Knights to stay in the game and make it interesting in the ninth. With the first two runners on, Matt Reynolds came to the plate and drove them in to make it a two-run ballgame. However, Reynolds was thrown out at home on the next play, and the Knights sputtered after that to end the game.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 72%
    Gavin Sheets: 2-for-4, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K
    (45 votes)
  • 19%
    Luis González: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K
    (12 votes)
  • 8%
    Hunter Schryver: 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K
    (5 votes)
62 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 72%
    Matt Tomshaw: 5 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (37 votes)
  • 7%
    Mikie Mahtook: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 1 K
    (4 votes)
  • 19%
    Adam Engel: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 0 K
    (10 votes)
51 votes total Vote Now

This was just an average performance that led to a loss; nobody really did that well and nobody besides a couple of players, had a truly bad day.

That said, the bad days belong to Alec Hansen and Craig Dedelow. Hansen was all over with command, three walks and more balls than strikes. He still was able to get three strikeouts, though, so that’s good. Dedelow just didn’t have it tonight, as he struck out all four times at the plate.

Kade McClure got the start and he did all right. He allowed seven base runners in five innings, but he was able to keep the damage at just three. In total, the Barons kept Tennessee to 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The offense came from purely singles. they reached base nine times, on eight singles and one walk — you cannot win like that in 2021 baseball. Carlos Pérez probably had the best day at the plate, with two hits, while Romy González had the best time on base, with a stolen base and a couple of runs. Since Kannapolis did win today, it probably meant the Barons were due for a bad game.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 70%
    Carlos Pérez: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K
    (26 votes)
  • 13%
    Romy González: 1-for-3, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
    (5 votes)
  • 16%
    Kade McClure: 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K
    (6 votes)
37 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 28%
    Alec Hansen: 1 IP, 1 ER (2 R), 1 H, 3 BB, 3 K
    (12 votes)
  • 64%
    Craig Dedelow: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 4 K
    (27 votes)
  • 7%
    Jameson Fisher: 1-for-4, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K, 2 Errors
    (3 votes)
42 votes total Vote Now

A win that probably should have been by more, but it put the Dash back over .500 so it does not matter. Ian Dawkins was sent down earlier today, and took advantage of that with three hits on the day including a leadoff homer to get the Dash on the board right away. That was not all for the first inning, though. Alex Destino would homer a batter later to put the Dash up for the rest of the game. AJ Gill, who replaced Harvin Mendoza at W-S, hit the third homer of the game for the Dash in the fourth.

On the pitching end, Davis Martin got the start and set the tone early. The only runs he allowed were unearned, and he had seven strikeouts over 4 2⁄3 innings to lower his ERA to 2.81. And the bullpen no-hit Greensboro for their half of the game. Trey Jeans got it started, but Luke Shilling and Lane Ramsey were the most effective. In fact, Ramsey struck out all three batters he faced and only needed 12 pitches to do it, a truly dominant save, his second of the season to lower his ERA below 1.00.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 79%
    Ian Dawkins: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K
    (35 votes)
  • 15%
    Alex Destino: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
    (7 votes)
  • 4%
    Lane Ramsey: 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K
    (2 votes)
44 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 72%
    Lenyn Sosa: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 0 K
    (26 votes)
  • 27%
    Evan Skoug: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 0 K
    (10 votes)
36 votes total Vote Now

Yes, you read that right, the Cannon Ballers won!

They also had a starter get through a scoreless stint, as Bailey Horn didn’t walk anybody either, a true miracle. Horn did not have swing-and-miss stuff, with just two strikeouts, but he kept hitting the zone and getting outs, which is all you really need to do as a pitcher. The pitching staff did not run into trouble until the seventh with a 6-0 lead. Jesus Valles allowed the only runs, three, for the Cannon Ballers that inning, as he just got hit around. Jordan Mikel came in though to settle things down, and he did. He got the seven-out save and struck out five in a scoreless stint to close the game.

The offense was just as good, if not better. They reached based 16 times, and the demoted guys did well. Harvin Mendoza reached base twice and Luis Mieses homered, a two-run shot in the fifth. Chase Krogman also came back from his injury layoff, but had some rust with three strikeouts. The other two players to get multiple hits like Mieses were Iván González, and guess who, José Rodriguez. Rodriguez also added a couple of stolen bases to bring his total to eight on the year. Personal statistics aside, this team is just starting their road to a second-half division title.

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 13%
    Jose Rodriguez: 2-for-6, 1 R, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 SB
    (5 votes)
  • 60%
    Luis Mieses: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
    (23 votes)
  • 26%
    Bailey Horn: 3 2⁄3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (10 votes)
38 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 40%
    Jesus Valles: 3 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (13 votes)
  • 15%
    Chase Krogman: 0-for-4, 1 BB, 3 K
    (5 votes)
  • 43%
    Caberea Weaver: 0-for-5, 0 BB, 2 K
    (14 votes)
32 votes total Vote Now

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