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The Knights were able to stop a three-game skid with the combined efforts of another strong start from Mike Wright and four doubles from the offense, two alone off the bat of Tim Beckham. Veteran staff ace Wright came into tonight yet to give up more than two runs in any single start this season, and he left tonight the same way. He gave up nothing but extra-base hits, but only three of them total, so was able to keep the damage to exactly two runs through 6 ⅔ innings; this was no easy task, as the Durham Bulls have four of the top 10 RBI producers in the league in their lineup (Wander Franco, Josh Lowe, Vidal Bruján, Ryan Boldt). Jace Fry was finally tagged in his eighth inning of rehab work, allowing two runs to tighten the game up, but Hunter Schryver pitched a scoreless ninth that included a called strikeout of Franco.
The team chipped away at the Bulls piecemeal, scoring one in the first on a Luis González double and stolen base and Jake Burger sacrifice fly and one in the second when Beckham reached on an error and scored on Marco Hernández’s sac fly. Beckham’s first big double was in the third inning, scoring Gavin Sheets and Matt Reynolds, who had both singled. His second big double provided the crucial one-run margin of victory, an eighth-inning hit that scored Burger after a double of his own. Blake Rutherford, after a .306/.352/.447 May, is off to a sluggish start in June, entering tonight 2-for his last-21 (both doubles, at least).
Also, Burger did this:
Well done, Jake Burger. Well done! pic.twitter.com/5i6O5qHAfx
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) June 12, 2021
Poll
Who was the Knights MVP?
This poll is closed
-
40%
Mike Wright: 6 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K (W)
-
1%
Luis González: 1-for-4, 2B, R, BB, 3 K
-
17%
Jake Burger: 1-for-3, 2B, R, RBI
-
40%
Tim Beckham: 2-for-4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, K
-
0%
Nick Williams: 2-for-4, K
Poll
Who was the Knights Cold Cat?
This poll is closed
-
25%
Blake Rutherford: 0-for-4, 2 K
-
53%
Nate Nolan: 0-for-4, 3 K, PB
-
21%
Jace Fry: 1 ⅓ IP, 3 H, 2 R, BB, K (H)
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The Barons batted well, could have fielded better, and Blake Battenfield pitched another weirdly good game, allowing two runs over five innings, giving up seven hits but walking nobody (but striking out only one!). He is now 5-0 on the season with a 2.50 ERA over 36 innings, good for seventh in the league; his WHIP is 1.03 and he’s walked only four while striking out 29. Zach Muckenhirn gave up a solo home run in just under two innings of work, then JB Olson and Lane Ramsey combined to close it out, allowing zero baserunners between them. Romy González and JJ Muno both made errors, but neither ultimately harmed the team. To be fair, Joel Booker was credited with a defensive assist at second in this game.
González atoned for his error in an acceptable way, by merely hitting two dongs in consecutive innings, his seventh and eighth of the season. Micker Adolfo, not one to be left out, also hit his eighth (also in that first inning, not a fun one for Biscuit Tobias Myers). Laz Rivera also sent one out, but graciously waited until the eighth inning.
Micker Adolfo says adios!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 12, 2021
The @WhiteSox No. 6 prospect goes yard for the 8th time this season. pic.twitter.com/41mQ4Q13vF
Carlos Pérez singled in a run in between, and Rivera sacrificed him in. Adolfo also contributed to the cause a double that scored Jameson Fisher.
The Barons are 21-12.
Poll
Who was the Barons MVP?
This poll is closed
-
25%
Blake Battenfield: 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, K (W)
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61%
Romy González: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, E
-
13%
Micker Adolfo: 2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 K
-
0%
Laz Rivera: 1-for-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, K
Poll
Who was the Barons Cold Cat?
This poll is closed
-
82%
Mitch Roman: 0-for-4, 2 K
-
17%
JJ Muno: 1-for-4, R, 2 K, E
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The pitching was not great and the hitting was nowhere to be found in Winston-Salem on Friday night, as the Dash were outhit 12-3 en route to their loss to the Greenville Drive. Isaiah Carranza allowed nine baserunners over three innings but limited the damage to just two runs. Dan Metzdorf, the 4th round pick from 2019, allowed one run in the same number of innings, and Kaleb Roper gave up two in two innings. Declan Cronin pitched a scoreless ninth, but overall, Dash pitchers allowed 12 hits, walked seven, and struck out eight.
The Dash didn’t score their lone run of the ballgame until the ninth, and then they were helped out by three wild pitches that promoted the recently-walked Alex Destino from first base to second, then third, then safe at home. Ian Dawkins, Luis Curbelo, and Yolbert Sánchez picked up the only three hits for the team, Dawkins’ a double, but they did collectively walk six times, half of those by DH AJ Gill. For naught!!! Well, for one. For one!!!
Poll
Who was the Dash MVP?
This poll is closed
-
68%
Ian Dawkins: 1-for-4, 2B
-
0%
Luis Curbelo: 1-for-4, 2 K
-
15%
Yolbert Sánchez: 1-for-4, 2 K
-
15%
Alex Destino: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
Poll
Who was the Dash Cold Cat?
This poll is closed
-
58%
Lázaro Leal: 0-for-4, K
-
41%
Lenyn Sosa: 0-for-3, BB, K, E
-
0%
Daniel Millwee: 0-for-3, K, HBP
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2,495 people were on hand Friday night to see the Cannon Ballers win their third straight, doubling their season win total in just the last three days. Where dingers won them the game yesterday, timely hitting and strong pitching gave them the win tonight. Chase Solesky put up one of his best starts this year, allowing two runs (one earned) over five innings. Tyler Johnson is rehabbing in Kannapolis now, because reasons, and although he walked two, he struck out four over 1 ⅔ innings. Ty Madrigal was shaky on the mound but got a hold, and McKinley Moore struck out two in a scoreless ninth.
McKinley Moore closes the door on the Carolina Mudcats, collecting his 1st career save on this punch out. #CannonBallers win their third straight! #FutureSox pic.twitter.com/ocgkU89CQq
— Michael Guariglia (@MichaelG3424) June 12, 2021
As opposed to the Knights, the Ballers scored their runs tonight in two big chunks, the first two in a very typical “The Minors!” first inning: José Rodriguez reached on an error, made it to third on Bryan Ramos’ single, then scored on Luis Mieses’ sac fly. After DJ Gladney lined out, Ramos stole second and was doubled in by Caberea Weaver. Ramos has had an interesting couple of weeks where he’s reached base in all but three games, but because they’re mostly 1-for-4s or 1-for-5s though a couple of 0-fers have kept his average low (though at .225, it’s much improved from those cold first few weeks).
The other four runs… also were scored in typical “The Minors!” fashion in the fifth inning, with two batters hit by pitches (Ramos and Weaver), two walked (Rodriguez and Lency Delgado, the latter with the bases loaded), and two safely reached via hit (Harvin Mendoza double, Victor Torres single). This all combined to give the Ballers a big enough lead to survive the late Mudcats rally.
Gladney has been showing signs of turning it around, 19 years old like Ramos, and after going 9-for his first-61 at-bats of the season, coming into tonight he was 7-for-20 (.350/.409/.600). He was the victim of an 0-fer tonight, but did reach base via walk. Similarly, Weaver has been turning it on for about the same length of time, 7-for-23 coming into tonight’s game, where he went 1-for-2 with a double.
This victory guaranteed a series split at the very least, and the Ballers are 5-4 in June.
Poll
Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP?
This poll is closed
-
91%
Chase Solesky: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), BB, 6 K (W)
-
2%
José Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, K
-
0%
Bryan Ramos: 1-for-4, 2 R
-
0%
Harvin Mendoza: 1-for-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB, K, E
-
5%
Caberea Weaver: 1-for-2, 2B, R, RBI, BB
-
0%
Victor Torres: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, pickoff
Poll
Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat?
This poll is closed
-
66%
James Beard: 0-for-4, K
-
3%
DJ Gladney: 0-for-3, BB, K
-
30%
Ty Madrigal: 1 ⅓ IP, H, 2 R, BB (H)