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White Sox Minor League Update: July 14, 2021

The Barons offense goes crazy, securing the only win on the farm

By Joe Resis
Offensive spark: Chase Krogman hit a three-run homer to give the Cannon Ballers an early lead. Krogman also drew two walks.

It was not the night for the Charlotte Knights, who fell behind early and could not catch up. The Stripers led from start to finish in tonight’s one-sided loss.

Starter Matt Tomshaw ran into trouble early, as Gwinnett put up a crooked number on the board in the top of the first. Tomshaw struck out the first batter of the game, but the Stripers rallied after that. Their next four hitters went 4-for-4 with a double and two home runs, to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Familiar face Jason Kipnis drove in the first run of the game with a double, and the Stripers led for the rest of the game.

On the bright side, Tomshaw recovered, and he ultimately lasted five innings without allowing any runs after his disastrous first. Tomshaw struck out six while only issuing one walk.

After Tomshaw was removed, Ofreidy Gómez took over on the mound, and the Stripers added a few insurance runs against him. The first four Stripers reached base safely, as Kipnis led off with a single, and a few batters later, old friend Ryan Goins added a single. By the end of the inning, the Stripers lead had grown to seven.

The Stripers poured it on late, and at the end of the eighth, their lead was 11-0. The Knights got on the board in the ninth. In that inning, Yermín Mercedes led off with a double, and two batters later, Nick Williams drove him with a ground out.

In Eloy Jiménez news, he went 1-for-4, with a single between shortstop and third.

Jiménez also hit into a force out that he struck very sharply.

In his final plate appearance, Eloy nearly beat a throw for an infield single — but getting close is not enough for a hit.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 64%
    Nick Williams: 2-for-4, RBI
    (35 votes)
  • 18%
    Yermín Mercedes: 1-for-4, 2B, R
    (10 votes)
  • 12%
    Will Carter: 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K
    (7 votes)
  • 3%
    Keyvius Sampson: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K
    (2 votes)
54 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 19%
    Matt Tomshaw: 5 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K
    (8 votes)
  • 40%
    Ofreidy Gómez: 1 2⁄3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 K
    (17 votes)
  • 38%
    Hunter Schryver: 1⁄3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 K
    (16 votes)
  • 2%
    Mikie Mahtook: 0-for-4
    (1 vote)
42 votes total Vote Now

Before the game, Birmingham outfielder Zack Granite, 28, who was slashing .226/.338/.369 (101 wRC+), announced his retirement. Granite had seen 40 games with the Minnesota Twins in 2017, but had not returned to the majors since then. The Barons certainly enjoyed Granite’s production this season, and best of luck to him in his future endeavors,

Regarding the game itself, the Barons lost an early lead but stormed back for the only win of the day for the affiliates.

Starter Kade McClure had another strong performance tonight, pitching four innings without allowing any earned runs (one unearned run scored against him). McClure also struck out four.

Meanwhile, the Barons jumped out to a lead in the first inning, when Laz Rivera got hit by a pitch to force in a run. Rocket City tied it in the third, when Orlando Martinez singled home a run, but the Barons fired back with two runs in the bottom half. Indiana Hoosier Craig Dedelow drove in Carlos Pérez and Micker Adolfo, who got back-to-back hits to open the inning.

In the fourth, Pérez got his second single in as many innings. This time, he was the one to drive in a run, and the score was 4-1.

Reliever Jake Elliott had a forgettable performance, as he struggled in the sixth inning. Elliott issued a leadoff walk, a single, and another walk to load the bases with no outs. Then, with two outs, Luis Aviles Jr. hit a grand slam to turn the game around.

Fortunately, the Barons rallied quickly. Mitch Roman drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Roman then stole both second and third base, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Joe DeCarlo.

In the seventh, the Barons took a lead that did not relinquish. After a single and two walks, the Barons had the bases loaded with one out. Then, Rivera drove in a pair with a single to make it 7-5, and the Barons led for the rest of the game. Roman tacked on an insurance run with another single before the end of that inning, as well.

In the eighth, Adolfo put the game completely out of reach with a two-run double to make it 10-5. An RBI single by Rivera wrapped up the scoring in this game.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 8%
    Kade McClure: 4 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K
    (4 votes)
  • 2%
    J.B. Olson: 2 1⁄3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K
    (1 vote)
  • 64%
    Carlos Pérez: 5-for-5, RBI, 3 R
    (29 votes)
  • 0%
    Laz Rivera: 2-for-4, 4 RBI
    (0 votes)
  • 24%
    Micker Adolfo: 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI
    (11 votes)
  • 0%
    Craig Dedelow: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI
    (0 votes)
45 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 86%
    Jake Elliott: 1 2⁄3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K
    (31 votes)
  • 13%
    Joel Booker: 0-for-4, 2 K
    (5 votes)
36 votes total Vote Now

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Dash had a tough time getting going on offense, as they only got three hits in the loss.

Taylor Varnell had a razor-thin margin for error on the mound. Although the lefty struck out seven without issuing any walks, the Hot Rods made sharp contact when they managed to put the bat on the ball. Bowling Green’s Curtis Mead opened up the scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the first.

Duke Ellis got that run back for the Dash in the third, when he answered with a solo homer of his own. That was the third home run of the season for Ellis, who had the majority of total bases for the Dash in this game.

The Ellis home run was the only time the Dash managed to score this game. Grant Witherspoon homered in the bottom of the third, giving the Hot Rods the lead for good. Mead went on to drive in a pair more with a single in the fifth to give Bowling Green two insurance runs.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP for Game 1?

This poll is closed

  • 68%
    Yolbert Sánchez: 2-for-3
    (26 votes)
  • 31%
    Duke Ellis: 1-for-2, HR
    (12 votes)
38 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat for Game 1?

This poll is closed

  • 47%
    Taylor Varnell: 5 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 7 K
    (16 votes)
  • 35%
    Alex Destino: 0-for-3, 2 K
    (12 votes)
  • 17%
    Hansen Butler: 1⁄3 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 K
    (6 votes)
34 votes total Vote Now

The offense had a tough time again in the second half of the doubleheader, and that resulted in another loss.

Once again, the Dash scored once in the third inning, and once again, that turned out to be the only run they scored. Unlike the first game, however, the Dash used three singles to score that run instead of a solo some run. Jagger Rusconi led off the inning with a single, and Lazaro Leal hit another to put runners on first and second. Ian Dawkins got the last of the singles to drive in the first run of the game.

However, the Hot Rods did not stay behind for long. With one out, Erik Ostberg singled against Dash starter Dan Metzdorf. Then, shortstop Greg Jones hit his 11th home run of the year to give Bowling Green a 2-1 lead.

The Dash bullpen was outstanding in this one, shutting out the Hot Rods in 3 1⁄3 innings of work. Declan Cronin, Trey Jeans, and Caleb Freeman were all outstanding.

As strong as the pitching was, the Dash just could not score the equalizer. With two outs and nobody on base in the seventh, Rusconi drew a walk and advanced to second on a pickoff attempt error. However, Yolbert Sánchez flew out to right field to end the game.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP in Game 2?

This poll is closed

  • 20%
    Ian Dawkins: 1-for-3, RBI
    (6 votes)
  • 46%
    Lázaro Leal: 2-for-2
    (14 votes)
  • 6%
    Declan Cronin: 1 1⁄3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (2 votes)
  • 16%
    Trey Jeans: 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K
    (5 votes)
  • 10%
    Caleb Freeman: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (3 votes)
30 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat in Game 2?

This poll is closed

  • 60%
    Yoelqui Céspedes: 0-for-3, K
    (20 votes)
  • 21%
    Dan Metzdorf: 2 2⁄3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K
    (7 votes)
  • 18%
    Kleyder Sánchez: 0-for-2, 2 K
    (6 votes)
33 votes total Vote Now

There was a ton of offense from both sides, but despite scoring the last six runs of the game, the Cannon Ballers fell short.

Matthew Thompson, who was drafted in the second round in 2019, started on the mound for the Cannon Ballers. It has been a tough season for the 20-year-old righthander, and sadly, though his outing was not great, most of the other Kannapolis pitchers struggled more. In the second inning, Thompson allowed three hits, as the Mudcats jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Those were the only runs Thompson allowed in his three innings of work, but it was still not quite a step in the right direction for him.

Fortunately, when Thompson left the game, the Cannon Ballers had a 3-2 lead thanks to a three-run homer by Chase Krogman. That was Krogman’s seventh home run of the season, and he boosted his OPS to a strong .847.

The score remained 3-2 until the sixth inning, when the Cannon Ballers’ bullpen fell apart. Ty Madrigal issued back-to-back walks to open the inning, and with one out a three-run homer gave the Mudcats a 5-3 lead. The Mudcats tacked on a pair that inning after a single, a pair of errors, and another single.

The Mudcats added four in the seventh and four in the eighth to put the game out of reach. In total, the Cannon Ballers bullpen allowed 12 runs (10 earned) in six innings. The bright spots were Indiana Hoosier Pauly Milto, who pitched a scoreless inning while striking out two, and Brandon Bossard, who retired the only batter he faced.

Though this happened after the game was out of reach, the Cannon Ballers offense was on fire in the final few innings. In the seventh Caberea Weaver tripled and came around to score. In the eighth, Kannapolis scored two more on three consecutive hits by Luis Mieses, DJ Gladney, and Harvin Mendoza. Finally, in the ninth, after three straight walks to open the inning, José Rodríguez drove in a pair with a double, and so did Samil Polanco.

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    Pauly Milto: 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (0 votes)
  • 100%
    Chase Krogman: 1-for-3, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI
    (31 votes)
  • 0%
    Luis Mieses: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 R
    (0 votes)
31 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 10%
    Ty Madrigal: 2 1⁄3 IP, 3 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K
    (3 votes)
  • 86%
    Tyson Messer: 2⁄3 IP, 6 R (4 ER), 4 H, 1 BB, 0 K
    (26 votes)
  • 3%
    Frander Veras: 1 2⁄3 IP, 4 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 1 K
    (1 vote)
30 votes total Vote Now

While we had our eye on the draft, the Dominican Summer League season crept right up on us, and we’re behind a couple of games. Here are the boxes for the first two games, with quickie writeups.

July 12

We’ve had an extraordinarily bad season (2018) in the DSL and then a really great one (2019) since we’ve been doing these detailed nightly updates at SSS, and the 2021 season (2020 was not played due to the pandemic) got off to a promising start, as this seven-inning win was largely due to a great start from Jorge Ferrer (in his third season, ninth game and second career start for the DSL White Sox) and Carlos Hinestroza (the 18-year-old Panamanian righty had a killer professional debut).

Poll

In Monday’s DSL season debut, the White Sox won, 4-3. Who was their MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 46%
    Carlos Hinestroza: 1 2⁄3 IP, H, 2 K, SAVE, professional debut
    (13 votes)
  • 10%
    Jorge Ferrer: 4 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 4 K, HR
    (3 votes)
  • 42%
    Layant Tapia: 1-for-3, 3B, 3 RBI, R, 2 K, 2 LOB
    (12 votes)
28 votes total Vote Now

Poll

In Monday’s DSL season debut, the White Sox won, 4-3. Who was their Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 80%
    Victor Quezada: 0-for-4, 3 K, 2 LOB
    (21 votes)
  • 7%
    Luis Pineda: 0-for-3, K, LOB, 1-for-2 CS
    (2 votes)
  • 0%
    Alvaro Aguero: 0-for-3, K
    (0 votes)
  • 11%
    Brian Carrion: 1 1⁄3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K, error, WIN
    (3 votes)
26 votes total Vote Now

July 13

Not as good a result on the second day, at “home,” in a rematch with Baltimore’s DSL 1 squad. (Is there a reason why the White Sox can’t field multiple ACL or DSL leagues?) The pitching staff turned around and lost Tuesday’s game for the club, issuing 11 walks against just five Ks, as none of four pitchers had a clean game — in seven innings, no less. The DSL hitters laid down as well, with just six singles in the the game.

Through two games and 14 innings, there has been just one extra-base hit for Chicago’s DSL squad.

Poll

In Tuesday’s 8-5 loss in the rematch with Baltimore’s DSL 1 team, who was the White Sox MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 76%
    Carlos Gomez: 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, LOB, SB
    (19 votes)
  • 24%
    Arxy Hernandez: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, SB, LOB
    (6 votes)
25 votes total Vote Now

Poll

In Tuesday’s 8-5 loss in the rematch with Baltimore’s DSL 1 team, who was the White Sox Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 29%
    Dionicio Jimenez: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R/1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, LOSS
    (7 votes)
  • 25%
    Oriel Castro: 0 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB
    (6 votes)
  • 4%
    Godwin Bennett: 0-for-3, BB, RF assist to 2B, 3 K, 4 LOB
    (1 vote)
  • 29%
    Cesar Jiménez: 0-for-3, 5 LOB
    (7 votes)
  • 12%
    Ricardo Aguilar: 1-for-4, RBI, K, 6 LOB, 0-for-3 CS, 2 PB
    (3 votes)
24 votes total Vote Now

July 14: Off-day

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