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White Sox Minor League Update: July 22, 2021

What new, the booming bats of Birmingham provide most of the night’s highlights

By Year of the Hamster
Carlos Pérez stands pictured from the back, wearing a Dash uniform and looking to the right with his catcher’s mask pulled back
Carlos Pérez had a monster game for Birmingham. Any chance he’d like to fill in on the South Side?
Tiffany Wintz/South Side Sox

An abysmal offensive game for the Knights, with just five hits and a walk against 12 Ks. Perhaps Charlotte could have used Yermín Mercedes in the lineup. The middle relief was very strong, but Aaron McRae’s start and Zack Burdi’s finish finished off the Knights. Charlotte pulled to within two runs with a Mikie Mahtook solo shot with one out in the top of the ninth, but the heart of the order was otherwise ineffective. Micker Adolfo remains hitless in Triple-A, while Bennett Sousa was aces in his Charlotte debut. Eloy Jiménez played left field without error in his latest rehab game, going 1-for-4 with a double and two Ks.

Poll

The Knights fell, 5-3, to Durham on Thursday. Who was their MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 20%
    Laz Rivera: 2-for-3, K
    (22 votes)
  • 9%
    Jace Fry: IP, 2 K, 2 WP
    (10 votes)
  • 12%
    Bennett Sousa: IP, K in Triple-A debut
    (13 votes)
  • 57%
    Yermín Mercedes, for not re-retiring during the game tonight after un-retiring pregame
    (60 votes)
105 votes total Vote Now

Poll

The Knights fell, 5-3, to Durham on Thursday. Who was their Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 8%
    Aaron McRae: 4 ip, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, HB, 3 K, HR, balk, LOSS
    (9 votes)
  • 27%
    Zack Burdi: IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K, 2 HR
    (30 votes)
  • 16%
    Blake Rutherford: 0-for-4, 3 K
    (18 votes)
  • 2%
    Deivy Grullón: 0-for-4, K, 2 LOB, 0-for-2 CS
    (3 votes)
  • 0%
    Matt Reynolds: 0-for-3, 2 K
    (0 votes)
  • 45%
    Yermín Mercedes. for creating a circus over the past two days
    (50 votes)
110 votes total Vote Now

Home or road, players promoted or demoted, Birmingham just keeps scoring runs. The highest-octane White Sox affiliate struck again on Thursday, again victimizing the Chattanooga Lookouts and climbing back into a virtual tie with their Double-A rivals to the north. Eleven Ks, no walks, and 23 combined left on base, but when you score 10 and club six extra-base hits, perhaps those peripherals will play for a night. Multiple-hit games by Yolbert Sánchez, Craig Dedelow, Carlos Pérez, JJ Muno, Tyler Neslony and newly-moved-back-in Ian Dawkins powered the Barons onslaught. The offense helped obscure a humdrum start from Kade McClure, who was bailed out by Emilio Vargas, trying to force his way back into the vaunted Barons rotation. To be honest, beyond Vargas, the Birmingham pitching was plenty poor tonight.

Poll

The Barons clubbed hell out of the Lookouts on Thursday. Who was the Birmingham MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 9%
    Emilio Vargas: 3 IP, 3 H, 5 K, WIN
    (9 votes)
  • 49%
    Carlos Pérez: 2-for-5, R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 LOB, 0-for-1 CS, GIDP
    (45 votes)
  • 17%
    Yolbert Sánchez: 3-for-5, 2B, RBI, 2 LOB, CS, GIDP
    (16 votes)
  • 23%
    Tyler Neslony: 3-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, K, LOB
    (21 votes)
  • 0%
    Ian Dawkins: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 2 K, LOB
    (0 votes)
91 votes total Vote Now

Poll

The Barons clubbed hell out of the Lookouts on Thursday. Who was the Birmingham Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 1%
    Peter Tago: IP, 2 H, ER, WP
    (1 vote)
  • 69%
    Luis Ledo: IP, 3 H, 2 ER
    (47 votes)
  • 20%
    Joe DeCarlo: 1-for-5, R, 2 K, 4 LOB
    (14 votes)
  • 8%
    Kade McClure: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, HB, E, WP
    (6 votes)
68 votes total Vote Now

Winston-Salem is stuck in a habit of just doing enough to win games this year. Now, for the past few weeks, it hasn’t been doing that, because there have been no wins. But tonight, 12 games below .500 heading into play, the Dash were up to their old tricks. Some shoddy execution (2-for-9 with RISP) was mostly erased by a Luis Curbelo ding-dong, his 14th on the season, with two out in the eighth inning. That clout, by the third sacker who is starting to heat back up after a scintillating start to the season, summoned ace closer Caleb Freeman for his sixth save. Freeman, true to Chris Getz’s hype before the season, has emerged as the top closer in the system. Not sure what the strategy is with Yoelqui Céspedes DHing in 22 of his first 27 Stateside games, but he put the design in designated and hit in hitter tonight with two singles and a stolen base. In his latest rehab game, Luis Robert started in center field and was 0-for-1 with a walk in two plate appearances.

Poll

The Dash squeaked by Jersey Shore on Thursday. Who was the W-S MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 21%
    Yoelqui Céspedes: 2-for-4, R, SB, K, 2 LOB
    (17 votes)
  • 1%
    Alex Destino: 2 for-4, R, 2B, RBI, K, 2 LOB
    (1 vote)
  • 55%
    Luis Curbelo: 3-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 LOB, picked off of 1B
    (44 votes)
  • 11%
    Davis Martin: 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 K
    (9 votes)
  • 10%
    Caleb Freeman: IP, K, nine-pitch save (seven strikes)
    (8 votes)
79 votes total Vote Now

Poll

The Dash beat Jersey Shore on Thursday. Who fell short as the W-S Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 7%
    Edgar Navarro: 2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB
    (4 votes)
  • 1%
    Jagger Rusconi: 1-for-4, 2 K, 2 LOB
    (1 vote)
  • 90%
    Ed Skoug: 0-for-4, 3 LOB
    (50 votes)
55 votes total Vote Now

After a doubleheader sweep (!) on Wednesday, the CBs were back to their old ways on Thursday, falling behind early, rallying to tie, then getting walked off with a five-pitch walk with the bases full. Jordan Mikel’s ninth-inning meltdown (a triple, two IBBs and then losing the plate for the game-winner) wasted a mostly terrific effort from Drew Dalquist. But Kanny had just five hits on the night, so this one was ripe for tragedy.

Poll

Another heartbreaker for the Cannon Ballers on Thursday. Who was the Kannapolis MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 33%
    Drew Dalquist: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R/1 ER, 3 BB, HB, 2 K
    (20 votes)
  • 10%
    Martin Carrasco: 3 IP, BB, K
    (6 votes)
  • 5%
    José Rodríguez: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
    (3 votes)
  • 51%
    James Beard: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 R, BB, SB
    (31 votes)
60 votes total Vote Now

Poll

The CBs lost again on Thursday. Who was their Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 58%
    Jordan Mikel: 1⁄3 IP, H, ER, 3 BB, K, LOSS
    (27 votes)
  • 21%
    Caberea Weaver: 0-for-4, 3 K, 2 LOB
    (10 votes)
  • 19%
    Lency Delgado: 0-for-4, 3 K, 2 LOB
    (9 votes)
46 votes total Vote Now

And speaking of ripe for tragedy, the ACL White Sox did Kannapolis one better, taking a lead into Cleveland’s final ups and punting the game away. Deivi Diaz entered the seventh to close the game out with the Good Guys up, 6-5, and punched out his first hitter. Then, José Pastrano coaxed his fourth walk in four PAs today, and things started to tumble for Diaz: single, wild pitch to put ducks on the pond, and a 1-0 single to right to walk the White Sox off. This was another game where the pitching was mostly awful, although prize chucker Ronaldo Guzman whittled his ERA down to 6.60 with a two-earned effort today. Jefferson Mendoza had his head screwed on straight today, punching out the only runner who tried to thieve on him and adding three hits, including a homer.

Poll

It was a painful loss on Thursday for the ACL White Sox. Who prevailed, as their MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 100%
    Jefferson Mendoza: 3-for-3, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, 1-for-1 CS
    (47 votes)
  • 0%
    Sam Abbott: 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI, K, LOB
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Wilber Sánchez: 1-for-3, R, BB, 2 LOB, 2 SB
    (0 votes)
47 votes total Vote Now

Poll

It was a painful loss on Thursday for the ACL White Sox. Who failed, as their Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 87%
    Deivi Diaz: 1⁄3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, K, WP, BLOWN SAVE, LOSS
    (35 votes)
  • 7%
    Ronaldo Guzman: 3 1⁄3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 2 HR, WP, HB
    (3 votes)
  • 0%
    Logan Glass: 0-for-3, 2 K, 2 LOB
    (0 votes)
  • 5%
    Misael González: 0-for-4, 2 K, 2 LOB
    (2 votes)
40 votes total Vote Now

It is a bad sign in rookie ball when a team fails to walk even one time, given how the plate can jump around for young pitchers. The DSL White Sox fell to .500 on the season with such a game, and against 11 Ks, it makes for an unwinnable game. Shame, too, because Guillermo Cuevas made his professional debut today with a gem of a start, five frames with just a run, and nine Ks (simmer down, the kid is 22 so he’s not likely to crack our Top 50 prospects in 2022). It was a good day on offense for rookie-ball catchers, as Luis Pineda tallied two hits and gunned down the only runner trying to steal.

Poll

The DSL White Sox lost on Thursday. Who was their MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 33%
    Luis Pineda: 2-for-3, R, K, 1-for-1 CS, stole home, PB
    (15 votes)
  • 66%
    Guillermo Cuevas: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R/1 ER, BB, 9 K
    (30 votes)
45 votes total Vote Now

Poll

The DSL White Sox lost on Thursday. Who was their Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 45%
    Roberth Gutierrez: 0-for-4, 2 K, 3 LOB
    (17 votes)
  • 8%
    Carlos Gomez: 0-for-3, 3 K, SB, CF assist at home
    (3 votes)
  • 5%
    Fernando Vargas: 0-for-3, 2 K, LOB
    (2 votes)
  • 40%
    Brian Carrion: IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 K, HB, LOSS
    (15 votes)
37 votes total Vote Now

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