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White Sox Minor League Update: August 1, 2021

Jared Kelley makes a fine start today, while Caleb Freeman and Luis Mieses play in their first games since their promotions

By Darren Black
Jared Kelley has another decent start today in three innings, with command still an issue.
Daniel Victor/South Side Sox

It took awhile for the Knights to get going, as they were no-hit for the first five innings, but Alex McRae kept them in the game for the comeback win in extras. McRae had a solid six innings, as he earned a quality start. He was definitely outdueled, but he did what was necessary to keep Charlotte in the game.

After McRae was lifted and with the Knights down 3-0, Charlotte had four runs without a response from the Jumbo Shrimp. Nate Nolan got the runs started in the sixth, with a leadoff homer. Later in the inning, Matt Reynolds would score on a passed ball. Reynolds was not done, though; he wanted to do everything himself instead of rely on a catcher’s error, so he it his third homer of the year in the eighth to tie the game. Once it came to the 10th, Marco Hernández won it with a sac fly.

Though the offense gets the credit for the walk-off win, it really deserves to be the bullpen. Four Knights bullpen arms pitched scoreless innings to help get the win. Newly-signed Kyle Crick, Ryan Burr, Matt Foster, and Bennett Sousa each pitched shutout innings. Burr had three strikeouts, while Sousa had a perfect top of the 10th to help keep the zombie runner from scoring.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 9%
    Nate Nolan: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K
    (8 votes)
  • 47%
    Matt Reynolds: 1-for-2, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K
    (41 votes)
  • 43%
    Alex McRae: 6 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K
    (37 votes)
86 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 81%
    Mikie Mahtook: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 3 K
    (76 votes)
  • 18%
    Danny Mendick: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 1 K
    (17 votes)
93 votes total Vote Now

An early lead was almost given away, but the Barons held on, and then some, for a 9-5 win. Taylor Varnell only went 2⁄3 IP today. He did not allow a run so it was not due to that, so it may be injury or, and more likely, his 32 pitches in the first inning was not something the team wanted to continue. For awhile, the bullpen was good in replacement. Peter Tago and Caleb Freeman came in for two innings each. Freeman was especially good, with two perfect innings and four strikeouts in his first Double-A game.

After that, it got tricky, Alec Hansen came in and though the two runs that he allowed were unearned, he still walked more batters (three) than he retired (two). JB Olson allowed the final three of the game but Félix Paulino kept it all together so the Barons came out with the win.

For the offense, it was a pretty fun game. Tyler Neslony keeps hitting dingers and he added one today, his fourth already. Craig Dedelow also had one today, a three-run homer in the third inning. That was not it, though, the entire lineup was great. Everybody got a hit, and six of the nine in the lineup had multiples. All of that comes out to 16 hits and nine runners came home, a fantastic offensive performance.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 3%
    Tyler Neslony: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
    (3 votes)
  • 48%
    Craig Dedelow: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K
    (39 votes)
  • 28%
    Jameson Fisher: 3-for-5, 3 R, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K
    (23 votes)
  • 19%
    Caleb Freeman: 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K
    (16 votes)
81 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 8%
    Taylor Varnell: 2⁄3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K
    (7 votes)
  • 58%
    Alec Hanson: 2⁄3 IP, 0 ER (2 R), 0 H, 3 BB, 1 K
    (49 votes)
  • 33%
    JB Olson: 1 1⁄3 IP, 2 ER (3 R), 3 H, 0 BB, 0 K
    (28 votes)
84 votes total Vote Now

It is a team game, so even if the offense gets on base 14 times, somebody else needs to drive them in, and that was not happening here with the Dash. With eight hits and six walks, the offense was actually pretty good, just not as a unit. Lenyn Sosa led the way with four hits, one of which was a double, as he nears 20 on the season. Just to illustrate the point, Sosa only scored once in those four times he reached base. Luis Mieses was the only other batter to have two hits on the day, in his return from Kannapolis to Winston-Salem.

To round out the offense, Yoelqui Cespédes had another hit today, his 11th double already this year. Alex Destino hit his 16th homer of the season, a two-run shot.

The pitching, in a word, was bad. It was really terrible start to the game, as the first three pitchers allowed six runs. It was not until McKinley Moore when a pitcher had a clean stint. His was pretty good, with three strikeouts in his inning. It settled down after that, as Cooper Bradford and Brian Glowicki kept up with the good vibes but the offense couldn’t come back from a three-run hole to win it.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 49%
    McKinley Moore: 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K
    (62 votes)
  • 4%
    Alex Destino: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
    (6 votes)
  • 45%
    Lenyn Sosa: 4-for-5, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K
    (57 votes)
125 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 74%
    Kaleb Roper: 1 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K
    (43 votes)
  • 15%
    Trey Jeans: 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 K
    (9 votes)
  • 10%
    Wilber Perez: 1 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K
    (6 votes)
58 votes total Vote Now

Another Jared Kelley start in the books, and though it was another decent start since his return from the IL, he still showed a command problem. Along with the three walks, Kelley had 28 balls to 37 strikes, not a stellar performance. But at least he has his strikeouts up. He left in the fourth inning after issuing a walk, so his second run was not all his fault, but command was the issue throughout. Jesus Valles relieved and gave up Kelley’s second earned run, and then allowed his own later in the inning to put the Cannon Ballers down, 3-1.

The first of just only two runs came in the second inning. Jeremiah Burks hit a triple into left field that scored Chase Krogman. The second came on a single from Bryan Ramos, who had two hits on the day. He has not been fantastic lately, but hopefully this is the start to a good final month for the 19-year-old. Along with Ramos, Samil Polanco had two hits as well, including a double.

How the game finished was anticlimatic, because the Kannapolis bullpen was pretty good overall. Corey Stone and Karan Patel threw three straight shutout innings to keep the game at 3-2 heading into the ninth. Unfortunately, Hunter Speer was not sharp today, as he allowed three runs without getting a single out to effectively put the game out of reach at 6-2. That is where it stayed too with the offense not threatening in the bottom of the inning.

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 60%
    Bryan Ramos: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K
    (39 votes)
  • 40%
    Karan Patel: 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K
    (26 votes)
65 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 23%
    Caberea Weaver: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 3 K
    (14 votes)
  • 76%
    Hunter Speer: 0 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 K
    (46 votes)
60 votes total Vote Now

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