Hey, White Sox affiliates entering the night a combined 76-104, it’s OK, I’m here and ready for another one of your Saturday night specials. What’s that? Another sweep Saturday? Boy howdy, let’s get to it!
Let it be known, Charlotte is not a great base-ball team, at 18-27 after tonight’s tight victory in Music City. But don’t tell that to the Sounds, at 29-16 and the fifth-best team in Triple-A; without the nuisance Knights on the schedule, Nashville would be humming even stronger at 23-11, with a winning percentage third-best in the circuit and good for first in the Southeast Division.
The Songsmiths were again reduced to mere mortals tonight, taking a 1-0 lead but ultimately faltering in a back-and-forth-and-back-again tail end of the game.
In the top of the eighth, tied 1-1, Charlotte struck for two runs, courtesy of back-to-back doubles from Tim Beckham and Gavin Sheets, and later a sac fly by Blake Rutherford. After Nashville strummed home two runs in their half courtesy of utter wildness from Kodi Medeiros (two walks, two HBP, wild pitch for one run) and Connor Sadzeck (wild pitching home the tying run), however, Charlotte counterpunched.
Nick Williams led off with a single and stole second, and one batter later, Marco Hernández doubled him home for the eventual game-winner.
MARCO HERNÁNDEZ FOR THE LEAD!!!
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) June 27, 2021
He loops a sinking liner to left center that drops in front of the dive of the center fielder!!
Knights lead the Sounds 4-3 heading to the ninth.#FunKnight | #ArmorUp pic.twitter.com/dxjA9unmcC
In the bottom half, Sadzeck went 1-2-3, with two Ks, to steal the win.
Notable, this was a Jimmy Lambert start, but as Year of the Hamster anticipated earlier today, a Charlotte starter would be summoned as 27th man to start Sunday’s game resumption at 1 p.m. Thus short reliever Tayron Guerrero got the start, just his second since 2013, giving up a run in 2 2⁄3 innings.
Poll
Who was the MVP of Charlotte’s 4-3 win on Saturday at Nashville?
This poll is closed
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21%
Tayron Guerrero: emergency start, 2 2⁄3 innings, 2 H, ER, 4 K
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7%
Tim Beckham: 2-for-5, R, 2B, K, LOB
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39%
Nick Williams: 2-for-4, 3B, eventual game-winning run, SB, K, 3 LOB, GIDP
-
5%
Marco Hernández: 1-for-4, 2B, GWRBI, K, 3 LOB
-
1%
Zach Remillard: 1-for-3, R, 2 SB, BB, K, LOB
-
11%
Kyle Kubat: 2 1⁄3 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K
-
11%
Keyvius Sampson: 2 IP, 2 K
Poll
Who was the Cold Cat of Charlotte’s 4-3 win in Nashville on Saturday?
This poll is closed
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79%
Kodi Medeiros: 2⁄3 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 HB, 2 K, HOLD
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9%
Jake Burger: 1-for-4, 3 K, LOB
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11%
Seby Zavala: 1-for-4, 3 K, 2 LOB
A crooked number in the bottom of the sixth shot the Blue Wahoos down, as the Barons went up, 5-2, and held on for a 5-3 win to notch their 26th win of the season.
In that sixth, Birmingham jumped up and tried to beat Pensacola dead, with five straight baserunners reaching to open the inning, death by four singles and a walk (RBIs by Xavier Fernández, Laz Rivera and Mitch Roman).
The lazy susan of great Birmingham starters this season has taken another spin this week after poor starts from Jason Bilous and Blake Battenfield, and perhaps it’s Kade McClure’s turn as top dish, after five innings of two-hit, one-walk, eight-K ball. A blown save from Félix Paulino snatched away McClure’s win, but Bennett Sousa took the seventh and eighth deftly, to restore order and set up a first save for Lane Ramsey.
Poll
Birmingham beat the Blue Wahoos, 5-3, on Saturday. Who was the Barons MVP?
This poll is closed
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86%
Kade McClure: 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 8 K, HB
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3%
Bennett Sousa: 2 IP, 2 K, 27 pitches/20 strikes
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6%
Xavier Fernández: 3-for-4, R, 2B, K
-
1%
Laz Rivera: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K, LOB, CS
-
1%
Craig Dedelow: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB
Poll
Birmingham beat the Blue Wahoos, 5-3, on Saturday. Who was the Barons Cold Cat?
This poll is closed
-
85%
Félix Paulino: IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, BLOWN SAVE, WIN
-
2%
Lane Ramsey: IP, H, ER, K, SAVE
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8%
Joel Booker: 0-for-3, LOB
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4%
Romy González: 0-for-3, BB, K
Hey, a laffer from the Dash!?! Winston-Salem seems to like to eke out their wins by one run, and if it’s a little light-headed, maybe two. But tonight, whoa, 13 runs on 14 hits, with a hat-tip to seven walks.
Lenyn Sosa was the offensive star, going 4-for-6 in the leadoff spot, with a run and an RBI. To think if he hadn’t struck out twice with a combined five runners on base! Luis Curbelo and Gunnar Troutwine added two hits, and every Dash regular notched at least one. And, hey, Yoelqui Céspedes hit his first Stateside home run!
Let’s not let the offense completely bury another great effort from Taylor Varnell, throwing five innings of scoreless, one-hit ball with a walk and nine Ks.
Let’s spread those runs out a little bit more in the future though, Winston-Salem, eh?
Poll
WHAT! A 13-2 win for Winston-Salem in Asheville tonight? Who was the Dash MVP?
This poll is closed
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53%
Taylor Varnell: 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 9 K, WIN
-
9%
Gunnar Troutwine: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, LOB, 1-for-1 CS
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27%
Lenyn Sosa: 4-for-6, R, RBI, 2 2B, GIDP, 2 K, 5 LOB
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9%
Yoelqui Céspedes: 1-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, HBP, K, 3 LOB
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0%
Travis Moniot: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K
-
0%
Luis Curbelo: 2-for-4, R, BB, 2B, 2 K, 2 LOB
Poll
OK, even in a 13-2 win for Winston-Salem in Asheville tonight, there was Cold Cat. Who?
This poll is closed
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14%
Caleb Freeman: IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K
-
2%
Kleyder Sánchez: 0-for-1, K
-
83%
13-2 and you’re calling a Cold Cat, get that crap out of here
The most precarious of variables when it comes to a system sweep resides at that new Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis, home of the roughly 20-games-under Cannon Ballers. But with wherewithal usually reserved for the major-league White Sox themselves, Kanny crafted a win in not one but two extra innings, setting back Fayetteville (and creeping to within three games of those pesky Woodpeckers! WHAT!)
This was a game the CBs could easily have dried up and blown away over. After jumping out to a 4-0 lead, the Woodys clapped back with big frames in the seventh and eighth to push ahead, 5-4.
Kannapolis came right back to tie the game in the bottom of the frame thanks to timely wheels and hitting. Bryan Ramos led off and struck out, but whoops, the ball got away and Ramos hoofed it to first on the dropped third strike. Adding insult to reliever José Betances’ injury, Ramos then swiped second and came home on Luis Mieses’ single. (With Caberea Weaver and DJ Gladney also whiffing in the inning, it was a rare one-run, three-K inning.)
The teams went scoreless in the ninth and traded two runs apiece in the gimmick 10th. In the 11th, tied 7-7, Rigo Fernández shut the door on the Woodpeckers with a high-leverage, 1-2-3 inning, and the table was set for hero time in North Carolina.
With James Beard pinch-running as the freebie runner on second, Gladney walked on four pitches, Victor Torres whiffed on three. JOSÉ RODRÍGUEZ TIME: a single brought home Beard, and it was extra ice cream for all the CBs tonight.
WALK. IT. OFF. #HaveABlast pic.twitter.com/i593JlnrvI
— Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (@Kcannonballers) June 27, 2021
OK, well, not everyone. Chase Krogman suffered his fourth error in his young season, Torres his eighth passed ball. The bullpen was by and large bad, spoiling Angel Acevedo’s stellar start.
All those guys in the above paragraph? No extra ice cream for them. Just the regular amount for a win.
Poll
What ho, Kanny stole an 8-7 win in 11 innings. Who was the MVP?
This poll is closed
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10%
José Rodríguez: 2-for-6, R, 2 RBI, GWRBI, 2B, 2 LOB
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34%
Luis Mieses: 2-for-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B, tied the game twice late with RBIs, BB, LOB
-
15%
Angel Acevedo: 5 IP, 2 H, 4 K
-
39%
Rigo Fernández: 1 1⁄3 IP, 2 K, WIN
Poll
Yes, Kanny stole an 8-7 win in 11 innings. But there was a Cold Cat. Who?
This poll is closed
-
71%
Marcus Evey: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, K, HR
-
2%
Samil Polanco: 1-for-5, R, 2B, 3 K, 3 LOB
-
25%
Victor Torres: 0-for-3, R, 2 HBP, K, 3 LOB, PB, 1-for-1 CS