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White Sox Minor League Update: August 20, 2021

Strong pitching performances spoiled by an offensive failure to launch is the theme of the night

By Julie Brady
Blake Rutherford #9 takes a swing and is on his follow-through, viewed from the open side
B. Ruth returns: Rutherford pretty much carried the Kn-the Traffic Cones, truly a Ruth(erford)ian feat, but it wasn’t enough
Tides/Knights linescore
Batter box score
Pitcher box score
Misc

Box score link

It was a bullpen day for the Charlotte Knights, uh, Traffic Cones, Lane Ramsey on the mound to start things off; the two runs he gave up on a single and wild pitch in the first were enough to condemn him to the (L). Tanner Banks, Jace Fry, and Bennett Sousa all went multiple innings in relief, Fry the only one not allowing a run. Banks struck out five over three innings and walked none with one pickoff. He and Sousa were both victimized by Ryan McKenna for solo home runs. Orioles top prospect Adley Rutschman was again limited to just two hits, none for extra bases tonight.

Blake Rutherford was most of the offense today, 3-for-4 with a solo shot of his own in the eighth standing as the Traffic Cones’ only run. Mikie Mahtook and Yermín Mercedes both singled, Mercedes drawing a walk as well, and Marco Hernández hit his 16th double of the year to no avail. Yasmani Grandal caught seven innings and went 0-for-3 with a passed ball; he and an 0-for-4 Burger both grounded into double plays.

They did look very good doing it though. Don’t question it, it’s the minors.

Poll

Who was the Traffic Cones MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 98%
    Blake Rutherford: 3-for-4, HR, R, RBI
    (75 votes)
  • 0%
    Marco Hernández: 1-for-3, 2B, K
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Yermín Mercedes: 1-for-3, BB, K
    (0 votes)
  • 1%
    Mikie Mahtook: 1-for-4, K
    (1 vote)
76 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Traffic Cones Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 19%
    Yasmani Grandal: 0-for-3, K, PB
    (14 votes)
  • 23%
    Jake Burger: 0-for-4, GIDP
    (17 votes)
  • 4%
    Gavin Sheets: 0-for-4
    (3 votes)
  • 51%
    Micker Adolfo: 0-for-3, 3 K
    (37 votes)
  • 1%
    Matt Reynolds: 0-for-3, 2 K
    (1 vote)
72 votes total Vote Now
Barons/Smokies linescore
Batter box score
Pitcher box score
misc

Box score link

Blake Battenfield continues to rebound from a couple of recent ugly starts, but the Barons were unable to support him, a theme in today’s games. Jake Elliott and Caleb Freeman were scoreless in relief, Freeman’s Double-A line now 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K.

It was not the sharpest game behind them, perhaps most exemplified by the top of the ninth inning, with the Barons trailing 3-2. Lenyn Sosa singled to lead off the inning, then Xavier Fernández singled him to third to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Craig Dedelow and Ian Dawkins both struck out swinging, then the pinch runner at first, Mitch Roman, was caught in a rundown during which Sosa attempted to steal home to tie it up, and, well, did not do that.

The team was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Yoelkis Céspedes made an error but also threw out Smokies third baseman Morel (batting .207... strangely familiar) at the plate. JJ Muno homered in the third for one run and Sosa grounded out with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth for the other.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 91%
    Yoelkis Céspedes: 2-for-4, R, K, E, outfield assist at home
    (61 votes)
  • 7%
    JJ Muno: 1-for-3, HR, R, RBI, 2 K
    (5 votes)
  • 1%
    Lenyn Sosa: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K, CS/PO at 3B/home to end game
    (1 vote)
67 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 74%
    Ian Dawkins: 0-for-4, 2 K
    (40 votes)
  • 0%
    Carlos Pérez: 0-for-3, BB, K
    (0 votes)
  • 25%
    Lenyn Sosa: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K, CS/PO at 3B/home to end game
    (14 votes)
54 votes total Vote Now
Dash/Crawdads linescore
Batter box score
Pitcher box score
misc

Box score link

The Dash wasted one of their best starts of the season in Chase Solesky’s five-inning, two-hit, one-run (zero earned) outing by only reaching base five times total and falling to 34-58 on the season. This was Solesky’s third start with the Dash, his first a rocky affair but his second comparable to today’s, five innings and two runs (one earned), seven strikeouts; he only struck out three tonight, but was a little more effective. The unearned run scored on a passed ball by Gunnar Troutwine, his eighth of the season. Dan Metzdorf is back to a bullpen role and one of the four runs he allowed over three innings was unearned after Jagger Rusconi’s eighth error.

They scored their one run in the fourth inning on some very timely hitting, José Rodriguez doubling for the first time with the team and Luis Curbelo singling him in two batters later. Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a stolen base; the rest of the team went 1-for-27 with a walk (Troutwine).

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 67%
    José Rodriguez: 3-for-4, 2B, R, SB
    (41 votes)
  • 0%
    Luis Curbelo: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 K
    (0 votes)
  • 32%
    Chase Solesky: 5 IP, 2 H, R (0 ER), BB, 3 K
    (20 votes)
61 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 17%
    Jagger Rusconi: 0-for-4, K, E
    (7 votes)
  • 7%
    Alex Destino: 0-for-4, 2 K
    (3 votes)
  • 2%
    Luis Mieses: 0-for-4, K
    (1 vote)
  • 73%
    Dan Metzdorf (L): 3 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), BB, 3 K, WP, HBP
    (30 votes)
41 votes total Vote Now
Wood Ducks/Cannon Ballers linescore
Batter box score
Pitcher box score
misc

Box score link

Like their High-A counterparts, the Cannon Ballers failed to turn a rare excellent start into a win; Jesus Valles has had a couple of similar outings this season to his 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K performance today but they are pretty rare on the 26-68 team. Taylor Broadway has yet to give up a run in his professional career, numbering 5 ⅓ innings, and while Kohl Simas has gotten that out of the way, his outing tonight improved his season numbers between Kanny and the ACL to 7 ⅓ IP, 5 H, R, BB, 7 K. Hunter Speer, though, tends to give up a lot of runs when he does give up runs, and three runs in ⅔ an inning is a lot of runs and was the difference in this one.

Five hits was all the Ballers could muster, two doubles belonging to Adam Hackenberg and a triple to Shawn Goosenberg, both in their second games since promotion from the ACL; Hackenberg and Valles also cut down Luisangel Acuna attempting to steal home in fourth on likely a similar play to the Smokies/Barons one above.

The Ballers struck first in the first when that Goosenberg triple came in the second at-bat and he was able to score when Bryan Ramos grounded out. They struck first again in the second, Chase Krogman singling in Hackenberg. The rest of the offense had barely a whimper, Wilber Sanchez at least with a single and then steals of second and third.

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 90%
    Jesus Valles: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
    (39 votes)
  • 6%
    Adam Hackenberg: 2-for-4, 2 2B, R, 2 K
    (3 votes)
  • 2%
    Shawn Goosenberg: 1-for-4, 3B, R, K
    (1 vote)
  • 0%
    Chase Krogman: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Wilber Sanchez: 1-for-3, 2 K, 2 SB
    (0 votes)
43 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 91%
    Hunter Speer (L, BS): ⅔ IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K
    (31 votes)
  • 5%
    DJ Gladney: 0-for-4, 2 K
    (2 votes)
  • 0%
    Harvin Mendoza: 0-for-4
    (0 votes)
  • 2%
    Bryan Ramos: 0-for-4, RBI, K
    (1 vote)
  • 0%
    Misael Gonzalez: 0-for-3
    (0 votes)
34 votes total Vote Now
ACL Sox/ACL Reds
Batter box score
Pitcher box score
Misc

Box score link

Third-rounder Sean Burke impressed again in a small sample size, his second outing twice as successful as his first, in which he allowed no runs in one inning; tonight, he allowed no runs in two innings, a walk his only baserunner, striking out four and throwing a wild pitch. Fifth-rounder Tanner McDougal, 18-years-old, had a very similar experience: he struck out the side in a scoreless inning in his debut and tonight, like Burke, struck out four over two innings. McDougal’s, however, were both perfect. Ronaldo Guzman, on the other hand, has not been as good, and was not as good; turning 19 on August 23, the lefty first ran into trouble in the fifth, a single, HBP, and error combining for a run, and then much bigger trouble in the sixth, which went home run-pop out-walk-walk-swinging strikeout-walk-grand slam-pitching change. Erick Bello, 19, walked three and allowed two hits and a run in his inning of work. Homer Cruz, fully converted to the bullpen to some effect, inherited a bases-loaded situation in the seventh that he escaped with a groundout. In the eighth, he gave up a single, double, and triple in addition to a walk in the eighth to let in two runs; he did pick off a runner.

Five is an offensive motif number tonight, and it was how many hits the ACL Sox had; they did walk six times, two each belonging to Benyamin Bailey and Cameron Butler. The biggest hit was Wes Kath’s third-inning three-run dong, which had the Sox in the lead until the sixth. Edwin Peralta and the so far very impressive Terrell Tatum both hit doubles; Tatum has now played five games and is 5-for-17 with a double, home run, three walks, and five strikeouts. Johnabiell Laureano singled and walked. Colson Montgomery went 0-for-4, reaching on a force-out and later scoring.

Poll

Who was the ACL Sox MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 52%
    Wes Kath: 1-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, K
    (24 votes)
  • 0%
    Johnabiell Laureano: 1-for-3, R, BB, K
    (0 votes)
  • 2%
    Terrell Tatum: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, K, SB
    (1 vote)
  • 17%
    Sean Burke: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 4 K, WP
    (8 votes)
  • 28%
    Tanner McDougal: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
    (13 votes)
46 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the ACL Sox Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 82%
    Ronaldo Guzman (L, BS): 1 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, K, HBP
    (33 votes)
  • 10%
    Colson Montgomery: 0-for-4, R, K
    (4 votes)
  • 7%
    Elijah Tatís: 0-for-4, K
    (3 votes)
40 votes total Vote Now

The DSL game was called due to rain after three batters. Even so, there was a wild-pitch swinging strikeout that resulted in a batter reaching first. If you can’t appreciate this league, I don’t know what to tell you.

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