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White Sox Minor League Update: August 6, 2021

Acronym leagues win, full-season teams lose

By Julie Brady
Yermín Mercedes provided the lumber for Charlotte with his eighth home run of the year
Laura Wolff/Charlotte Knights
Knights/Stripers linescore
Batter box score
Pitchers box score
Misc info

Box score link

John Parke pitched five one-run innings, giving up three hits and walking none for his second straight impressive AAA start, but that was long forgotten by the time this game ended in extras. All but one of the Stripers’ runs were unearned as Zach Remillard and Yermín Mercedes both made errors and Mercedes had a passed ball as well. Two unearned runs were charged to Zack Burdi, who—courtesy of the passed ball—ended up with the highly unusual four-strikeout single inning (how about that line: 1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). Jace Fry, still rehabbing, added two perfect innings, striking out three; Lane Ramsey settled down with a scoreless inning of his own. Kyle Kubat pitched the 10th and immediately picked off Ghost Runner Terrance Gore at second base, raising the question of, why don’t pitchers just do that every time? Seems simple enough. Unfortunately, the Ghost Runner rule served its function in the next inning, and Will Carter relinquished a two-out single for the walk-off loss.

Luis Robert was hit by a pitch to start the game, and is apparently fine enough to play the entire rest of the game (hitting as a DH today); he went hitless but did draw a walk. The only offensive fireworks in this one came in the fourth, when Mercedes mashed his eighth tater of the year to score Danny Mendick; the Knights had a good chance to break it open that inning, with runners on the corners in Mikie Mahtook and Laz Rivera, but were only able to score one more on a Matt Reynolds sacrifice fly. The team was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 47%
    John Parke: 5 IP, 3 H, R, 0 BB, 2 K
    (59 votes)
  • 50%
    Yermín Mercedes: 2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, E, PB
    (63 votes)
  • 2%
    Mikie Mahtook: 2-for-4, R, BB, K, SB, CS
    (3 votes)
  • 0%
    Matt Reynolds: 1-for-4, RBI, K, SF
    (0 votes)
125 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 54%
    Zach Remillard: 0-for-4, K, E
    (56 votes)
  • 21%
    Luis Robert: 0-for-3, BB, K, HBP
    (22 votes)
  • 20%
    Zack Burdi (BS): IP, 0 H, 2 R (0 ER), BB, 4 K, HBP
    (21 votes)
  • 3%
    Will Carter (L): ⅔ IP, H, R (0 ER), 0 BB, K
    (4 votes)
103 votes total Vote Now
Braves/Barons linescore
Batter box score
Pitcher box score
Misc info

Box score link

This was a forgettable one for the Barons, who were outhit 16-6 and outscored 12-0 by the Mississippi Braves. Nobody pitched well: Jason Bilous’s AA struggles continue and he walked three en route to allowing three runs in 2 ⅔ innings. Andrew Perez inherited a bases loaded situation in the third that he was able to escape, but then gave up two runs in the fourth. Jake Elliott allowed the first four batters he faced to reach, three singles and a walk, and gave up a couple more runs in the seventh on a solo home run and a force out following a pair of singles. In the ninth, as an insult-to-injury moment, the Braves’ Trey Harris hit a grand slam off of Luis Ledo. Silver lining, though: in two innings, Ledo walked none. In fact, this is his seventh straight appearance without a walk. He had 17 in 20 ⅔ innings prior.

Although they were bad on the mound, they were also anemic at the plate, scrounging up six hits, all singles. Two apiece belonged to Romy González and Carlos Pérez; Craig Dedelow and Ian Dawkins rounded it out. Dawkins also walked and is batting .357/.413/.595 (15-for-42) in 11 games since his re-promotion to the Barons.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 29%
    Romy González: 2-for-4, 2 K
    (16 votes)
  • 66%
    Carlos Pérez: 2-for-4
    (36 votes)
  • 1%
    Craig Dedelow: 1-for-4, 2 K
    (1 vote)
  • 1%
    Ian Dawkins: 1-for-3, BB, K
    (1 vote)
54 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 33%
    Jason Bilous (L): 2 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K
    (16 votes)
  • 2%
    Andrew Perez: 1 ⅓ IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K
    (1 vote)
  • 12%
    Jake Elliott: 3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, BB, K
    (6 votes)
  • 31%
    Luis Ledo: 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 2 K
    (15 votes)
  • 20%
    JJ Muno: 0-for-4, 3 K, GIDP
    (10 votes)
48 votes total Vote Now
Dash/Tourists linescore
Batter box score
Pitcher box score
Misc info

Box score link

The Dash lost mainly on the strength (or lack thereof) of pitching again, although the three errors they made in the field didn’t help any. Chase Solesky, selected in the 21st round in 2019, made his first start at the High-A level after putting up a 5.08 ERA over 51 ⅓ Low-A innings (20 walks, 71 strikeouts, 1.481 WHIP). He got a warm Asheville welcome to the league right away, giving up a single on his first pitch, a stolen base during the next at-bat, then balking and giving up another single to score the run. He’d go on to give up three more runs in the third and three more in the fourth, those coming on a home run from Luke Berryhill, who subjected the Dash to Berryhell by going 2-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBI.

Ryan Williamson entered in relief; the lefty was signed as a minor league free agent in May. He’s had a rocky season and that continued as he walked five and let in two runs, although he did strike out all four batters he got out. Edgar Navarro, in his first season of stateside ball, has also had a bumpy ride but fared well here, going 1 ⅔ scoreless innings and striking out three. Vince Arobio had a strong 2019 campaign but has had a very weird 2021 one, appearing in only six games between the ACL Sox and the Dash and struggling in most of them. Here, though, he pitched a scoreless ninth, walking one with no other damage.

Yoelqui Céspedes sat today after a hopefully minor ankle twist yesterday, but the lineup was able to compensate pretty well for his absence. The late-summer Alex Destino hot bat continues, and he singled in Lenyn Sosa after Sosa doubled in the first. Meanwhile, Luis Mieses’ second shot at High-A ball is going much better than his first, and he’s now 9-for-19 with five doubles in five games back, including one tonight that scored two runs. Jagger Rusconi is also still enjoying his new level and went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double, and two runs scored. Sosa, like Destino, Mieses, and Rusconi, ended up with two hits.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 54%
    Jagger Rusconi: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, E
    (24 votes)
  • 6%
    Lenyn Sosa: 2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI, GIDP
    (3 votes)
  • 4%
    Alex Destino: 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K
    (2 votes)
  • 34%
    Luis Mieses: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K
    (15 votes)
  • 0%
    Luis Curbelo: 1-for-5, 2B, R, 3 K
    (0 votes)
44 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 78%
    Chase Solesky (L): 4 IP, 8 H, 7 R (5 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, balk
    (32 votes)
  • 14%
    Ryan Williamson: 1 ⅓ IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 4 K, WP
    (6 votes)
  • 7%
    Samir Dueñez: 0-for-4, 2 K, E, GIDP
    (3 votes)
  • 0%
    Brandon Bossard: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
    (0 votes)
41 votes total Vote Now
Cannon Ballers/Mudcats linescore
Batter box score
Pitcher box score
Misc info

Box score link

The Cannon Ballers fell to 1-4 on the month and 26-56 overall, scoring late and not in quantities great enough to overcome the Mudcats. It took them until the seventh to score at all; Caberea Weaver drew a one-out walk and advanced to second when Chase Krogman was hit by a pitch (for the second time). They both stole a base, number 16 for Weaver and three for Krogman, and an error by the catcher allowed Weaver to score. Victor Torres would later double to knock in Krogman. They would score one more in the eighth when Harvin Mendoza singled to score Wilber Sanchez from his own single, but three runs was where it would end.

Matthew Thompson’s adjustment period to full-season ball continues, getting the L next to his name after 3 ⅔ innings and four runs (and four walks, and four strikeouts). The bullpen was pretty good, with the exception of Hunter Speer, who was very bad; the newly promoted righty served up a grand slam in the eighth, an inning that went HBP-walk-wild pitch-walk-force out-strikeout-slam before he was removed. Rigo Fernandez, Garvin Alston, and Tyson Messer all had scoreless outings though, although the ERAs of all three remain at 9.00 or over.

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 13%
    Bryan Ramos: 2-for-5, 2B, K
    (5 votes)
  • 21%
    Harvin Mendoza: 2-for-5, RBI, K
    (8 votes)
  • 60%
    Victor Torres: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K
    (23 votes)
  • 2%
    Chase Krogman: 0-for-1, R, BB, 2 HBP, SB
    (1 vote)
  • 2%
    Caberea Weaver: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, K, 2 SB
    (1 vote)
38 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 33%
    Matt Thompson (L): 3 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 WP, 2 HBP
    (14 votes)
  • 57%
    Hunter Speer: ⅔ IP, H, 4 ER, 2 BB, K, WP, HBP
    (24 votes)
  • 0%
    Anderson Comas: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
    (0 votes)
  • 9%
    Samil Polanco: 0-for-5, K, E
    (4 votes)
42 votes total Vote Now
ACL Sox/Padres linescore
Batters box score
Pitcher box score
Misc info

Box score link

The ACL Sox were victorious over their blood-sworn enemies the ACL Padres in seven innings, both teams now sitting at 8-18 on the season. Starting pitcher Dilmer Mejia has had an inconsistent year, and the three-run shot he gave up in the third didn’t make it any easier for him. Fraser Ellard, a tall lefty picked in the 8th round of the 2021 draft, appeared in his third game, striking out four and walking none over two scoreless innings. Garrett Schoenle, a recent free agent signing, also made his third appearance and also pitched well, striking out two in a scoreless seventh (an ACL ninth).

Colson Montgomery and Wes Kath, White Sox draft picks number one and two this year, made their professional debuts batting in draft order at the top of the lineup. Montgomery went hitless but did draw a walk, and Kath went 1-for-4, that one an RBI single in the third. The team added three more decisive runs in the fourth, when Jefferson Mendoza and Misael Gonzalez both singled and Logan Glass donged them in; it was his third homer of the year, all three coming in his last seven games played.

Poll

Who was the ACL Sox MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 93%
    Logan Glass: 2-for-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, K
    (41 votes)
  • 6%
    Wes Kath: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
    (3 votes)
  • 0%
    Edwin Peralta: 1-for-2, 2B, R, BB
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Jefferson Mendoza: 1-for-3, R, K
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Misael Gonzalez: 1-for-3, R, 2 K
    (0 votes)
44 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the ACL Sox Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 18%
    Dilmer Mejia: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K, WP
    (9 votes)
  • 71%
    Elijah Tatis: 0-for-3, 2 K, GIDP
    (35 votes)
  • 6%
    Johnabiell Laureano: 0-for-3, 2 K
    (3 votes)
  • 4%
    Colson Montgomery: 0-for-3, BB
    (2 votes)
49 votes total Vote Now
DSL Reds/Sox linescore
Batter box score
Pitcher box score
Misc info

Box score link

The DSL Sox were their own worst enemies but managed to overcome six errors by five different players to down the DSL Reds 7-4 in seven innings. Starter Oriel Castro was removed after getting two outs and allowing one run in the first; he was replaced by Emerson Talavera, 18 years old and in his first professional season. Talavera earned the win with 4 ⅓ strong innings, both of the runs he allowed unearned (six errors, remember). He is up to 19 innings pitched on the season, in which he’s allowed three earned runs, walked eight, and struck out 17. Gabriel Rodriguez, 18 years old, threw a wild pitch and made two pickoff errors within three batters, one actually leading to an out and the other not doing any damage. Carlos Hinestroza completed both the game and the 18-year-old-relief-corp hat trick. He has 12 ⅔ innings on the year with just one earned run given up, walking two and striking out 10.

The scoring started early in this one, Cesar Jiménez reaching on a wild pitch strikeout, advancing to third on Manuel Guariman’s single, then scoring when Carlos Jiménez grounded into a force out. They picked up where they left off in the second, very nearly hitting for a natural cycle—going single, double, triple—and getting four runs across the plate, Alvaro Aguero, Cesar Jiménez, and Guariman the heroes. They picked up an insurance run on another force-out in the fifth and scored a final nail in the coffin on a passed ball in the sixth.

Poll

Who was the DSL White Sox MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 91%
    Cesar Jiménez: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, K
    (34 votes)
  • 2%
    Manuel Guariman: 2-for-3, R, RBI, K
    (1 vote)
  • 5%
    Fernando Vargas: 2-for-3, 2B, R
    (2 votes)
  • 0%
    Alvaro Aguero: 1-for-4, R, RBI, K, E
    (0 votes)
37 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the DSL Sox Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 50%
    Carlos Jiménez: 0-for-3, R, RBI, BB, E
    (17 votes)
  • 41%
    Arxy Hernandez: 0-for-2, BB, K
    (14 votes)
  • 5%
    Victor Quezada: 0-for-3, R, RBI
    (2 votes)
  • 2%
    Randel Mondesi: 0-for-1, 3 BB, E
    (1 vote)
34 votes total Vote Now

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