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White Sox Minor League Update: August 10, 2021

Strong bullpen performances highlight a 3-3 day on the farm

By Joe Resis
In the clutch: Ian Dawkins put the Barons ahead for good with his RBI single in the eighth inning.
Tiffany Wintz (@TiffW96)/South Side Sox

Runs were hard to come by, but the Knights scored just enough to come away with the victory Tuesday night.

Familiar face Gavin Sheets opened up the scoring in the top of the second, when he homered to right.

Meanwhile, starter Mike Wright Jr. had a nice performance on the mound. Wright cruised through the first five innings before finally running into some trouble in his sixth and final frame. An RBI single by Lewin Diaz tied the game, and Corey Bird reached on a fielder’s choice in which nobody was retired.

Despite the rough sixth inning, though, Wright did a good job limiting solid contact, and he struck out six while only issuing one walk. As a result, he earned a well-deserved quality start and win.

In the seventh, Sheets got another RBI, this time with a double that was aided by some sloppy defense from Jacksonville’s center fielder.

Mikie Mahtook put the Knights ahead with a sacrifice fly to drive in familiar face Yermín Mercedes. Thanks to three scoreless innings from Jace Fry and Zack Burdi, the Knights did not need any more runs to come away with the win.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 84%
    Gavin Sheets: 2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
    (89 votes)
  • 12%
    Mike Wright Jr: 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 6 K
    (13 votes)
  • 1%
    Jace Fry: 1 2⁄3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (2 votes)
  • 0%
    Zack Burdi: 1 1⁄3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (1 vote)
105 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 56%
    Blake Rutherford: 0-for-4, 2 K
    (48 votes)
  • 11%
    Micker Adolfo: 0-for-3, 2 K
    (10 votes)
  • 31%
    Nate Nolan: 0-for-3, 3 K
    (27 votes)
85 votes total Vote Now

Birmingham struggled with runners in scoring position throughout much of the game, but they got the big hit when it mattered in tonight’s 4-3 victory.

After a short rain delay, starting pitcher Johan Dominguez hit the ground running in his first start after a promotion to Double-A, getting through the first four innings without allowing any runs despite issuing three walks in the second.

The Barons broke through in the bottom of the third, when Jameson Fisher singled, and Carlos Pérez launched a two-run homer to make it 2-0.

Unfortunately, the Lookouts got to Dominguez in the fifth. That rally started when Indiana Hoosier Matt Lloyd led off with a double. After two singles, Dominguez was out of the game, but the Barons still had a 2-1 lead. Reliever Peter Tago took over on the mound, and he allowed one of the runners he inherited from Dominguez to score on a single.

In the sixth, the Barons retook the lead when Indiana Hoosier Craig Dedelow launched his 12th home run of the season to make it 3-2. Dedelow also singled and drew a walk, as he was on top of his game tonight.

After a scoreless inning by Alec Hansen, J.B. Olson took over on the mound and gave up a home run to Wilson García. Olson retired the next three he faced to keep the game tied and give the Barons a good opportunity to retake the lead.

The Barons took advantage of this opportunity, as Pérez and Dedelow the Hoosier both drew a walk. With two outs and runners on first and second, Ian Dawkins came through in the clutch with an RBI single to make it 4-3.

Luis Ledo got the save by retiring all three Lookouts he faced in the top of the ninth.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 51%
    Carlos Pérez: 2-for-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI
    (31 votes)
  • 48%
    Craig Dedelow: 2-for-3, HR, BB, outfield assist
    (29 votes)
  • 0%
    Luis Ledo: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Ian Dawkins: 1-for-4, RBI
    (0 votes)
60 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 5%
    J.B. Olson: 1 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (3 votes)
  • 94%
    Romy González: 0-for-4, 4 K
    (50 votes)
53 votes total Vote Now

Despite outhitting Greensboro 10-4, the Dash fell just short after their eighth-inning rally.

The Grasshoppers broke through with a huge inning in the top of the first against starter Dan Metzdorf. After a walk and two singles, the Grasshoppers had the bases loaded with no outs. Then, a sacrifice fly made it 1-0, and a three-run blast by William Matthiessen made it 4-0.

The Dash got one of those runs back on a sacrifice fly by José Rodríguez in his first plate appearance since his promotion from Low-A Kannapolis. The score remained 4-1 until the third, when Lázaro Leal launched a solo home run, as the Dash continued to cut into the deficit.

The Grasshoppers got an insurance run in the seventh, when an RBI single against reliever Sammy Peralta allowed an unearned run to cross the plate. It is worth noting, however, that the bullpen had an outstanding performance. Between Peralta, Edgar Navarro, and Declan Cronin, the bullpen pitched five innings without allowing an earned run, and the only hit was that RBI single. The relievers struck out five while issuing zero walks.

Sadly, Greensboro’s insurance run on that single turned out to be important. In the bottom of the eighth, Luis Curbelo launched a home run to drive in Yoelqui Céspedes that trimmed the deficit to one. But, it was not enough, as the Dash went down quietly in the ninth.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 85%
    Lázaro Leal: 3-for-4, HR
    (41 votes)
  • 10%
    Luis Curbelo: 1-for-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI
    (5 votes)
  • 4%
    Declan Cronin: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (2 votes)
48 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 27%
    Dan Metzdorf: 4 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K
    (14 votes)
  • 58%
    José Rodríguez: 0-for-4, RBI, 4 K
    (30 votes)
  • 13%
    Luis Mieses: 0-for-4, K
    (7 votes)
51 votes total Vote Now

The Cannon Ballers only allowed the GreenJackets to score in one inning on Tuesday night, but unfortunately, that was a five-run GreenJackets inning. Augusta did not need to score outside of that big inning to win.

This matchup got off to a great start for Kannapolis. Andrew Dalquist cruised through the first two innings on the mound, and James Beard launched a home run in the third.

After Beard’s home run, however, the offense got rather quiet. The Cannon Ballers only got three hits besides Beard’s homer, and all of them were singles (two by Bryan Ramos, one by Wilber Sánchez).

Meanwhile, Dalquist ran into trouble in the fifth, and the defense behind him failed to help him out. Dalquist was charged with five runs that inning, though only two of those runs were earned. The bullpen was strong down the stretch, but the offense just did not have it tonight.

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 14%
    Garvin Alston Jr.: 1 2⁄3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K
    (7 votes)
  • 40%
    Bryan Ramos: 2-for-4
    (20 votes)
  • 44%
    James Beard: 1-for-3, HR
    (22 votes)
49 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 32%
    Andrew Dalquist: 4 1⁄3 IP, 5 R (2 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K
    (16 votes)
  • 34%
    Samil Polanco: 0-for-4, 2 K
    (17 votes)
  • 32%
    Harvin Mendoza: 0-for-4, 3 LOB
    (16 votes)
49 votes total Vote Now

In a tight game that was scheduled to be only seven innings, the ACL White Sox prevailed in dramatic fashion, walking it off in the eighth.

Starting pitcher Brooks Gosswein had a strong performance, pitching two scoreless innings. By contrast, the bullpen ran into some trouble, though they received little help from the fielders behind them. While the bullpen allowed five runs on 11 hits in six innings, only one of those runs was earned. Back-to-back errors by Jheremy Vargas and Colson Montgomery in the fifth opened the door for a three-run inning.

After that fifth sloppy top of the fifth, the ACL White Sox trailed by a score of 4-0. However, they did not quit. A single by Edwin Peralta in the bottom of the fifth got the ACL White Sox back within three. Then, in the sixth, hits by Wes Kath and Adam Hackenberg set up Terrell Tatum with an opportunity (runners on second and third, two outs). Tatum came through with a three-run homer in the clutch to tie the game at four.

In the top of the eighth, the ACL Brewers Blue made use of the free baserunner on second base, as Luis Silva drove in that runner with a double. Reliever José Siberian did not allow any runs beyond that point to give his team a reasonable chance to come back, and they did. Kath led off the bottom of the eighth with an RBI single to tie the game. Three batters later, Tatum came through again with a huge hit. This time, it was an RBI single to drive in Kath, and the ballgame was ovah.

Poll

Who was the ACL White Sox MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 28%
    Wes Kath: 2-for-3, BB, RBI
    (19 votes)
  • 71%
    Terrell Tatum: 2-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB
    (47 votes)
66 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the ACL White Sox Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 20%
    Elijah Tatís: 0-for-3, 2 K
    (12 votes)
  • 17%
    Colson Montgomery: 0-for-3, BB, error
    (10 votes)
  • 62%
    Johnabiell Laureano: 0-for-4, 3 K
    (36 votes)
58 votes total Vote Now

In a high-scoring game of epic proportions, the DSL White Sox ultimately fell short after a roller coaster ride.

The DSL White Sox pitching staff struggled immensely, and only Manuel Veloz, who struck out the only two batters he faced, had a scoreless outing.

Starter Brian Carrion allowed two earned runs and was removed after only two-thirds of an inning. Reliever Oriel Castro, who replaced Carrion, fared no better, allowed five runs in 3 2⁄3 innings. Overall, it was a game to forget for the pitchers.

The offense, however, had a much easier time. After falling behind 5-0 early on, the DSL White Sox rallied with two in the second and five in the third to take a 7-5 lead. Arxy Hernández got them on the board with a two-run double in the second. In the third, they got their runs on singles by Carlos Jiménez, Manuel Guariman, Fernando Vargas, and Juan Mercedes.

Unfortunately, that giant rally by the offense was not enough, as the DSL Padres took a lead that did not relinquish in the sixth. Miguel Toribio was the losing pitcher, as the single he gave up in the sixth gave the DSL Padres a lead they held onto. Toribio allowed five runs (two earned) in two-thirds of an inning.

Poll

Who was the DSL White Sox MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    Juan Mercedes: 1-for-4, BB, 2 RBI
    (0 votes)
  • 2%
    Manuel Veloz: 2⁄3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (1 vote)
  • 97%
    Manuel Guariman: 3-for-3, RBI
    (36 votes)
37 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the DSL Sox Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 6%
    Brian Carrion: 2⁄3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K
    (2 votes)
  • 36%
    Oriel Castro: 3 2⁄3 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K
    (12 votes)
  • 54%
    Miguel Toribio: 2⁄3 IP, 5 R (2 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 0 K
    (18 votes)
  • 3%
    Godwin Bennett: 0-for-4, 2 K
    (1 vote)
33 votes total Vote Now

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