Wednesday afternoon’s game did not go as planned for starter Johan Dominguez and the Knights. The Redbirds put a pair of crooked numbers on the board early on, and most Charlotte hitters struggled to reach base.
The Knights found themselves in an early hole after a disastrous first inning. Romy González hit a one-out single, but Mikie Mahtook grounded into a double play to retire the side. In the bottom half, Dominguez ran into all kinds of trouble. Dominguez hit the first two batters he faced, and after a fly out, and Redbirds had runners on the corners with one out. Then, an RBI double by Juan Yepez was followed by a three-run homer by Justin Williams, and just like that, Memphis led by four.
In the bottom of the third, Memphis went back to business. Yepez led off with a double, and Williams drove him in with a single to make it 5-0. Then, a double by Dennis Ortega put two in scoring position, and Connor Capel hit the Redbirds’ second three-run homer of the day. Dominguez got through the third without allowing any more runs, but the damage was done. When he left the game, Memphis led by a score of 8-0.
Kyle Kubat had a forgettable day in relief, allowing three runs (all earned) in one and two-thirds innings, though he did strike out three. Regardless, by the end of the fifth inning, the Redbirds’ lead had ballooned to 11.
The Knights got on the board in the top of the eighth, long after the game was out of reach. Blake Rutherford hit a one-out double, and later, with two outs, Matt Reynolds drove him in with a single. Reynolds went on to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning in mop-up duty. He allowed one run, which happened to be the last run of the game.
There are a few silver linings from today’s loss. On the bright side, relievers Will Carter and Kodi Medeiros each delivered a scoreless appearance. The two of them combined for two and one-third scoreless innings. In addition, Jake Burger reached base safely three times (one single and two walks). Also, Romy González is 7-for-16 with a double and a walk in four games since returning to Charlotte, as he is handling Triple-A pitching nicely.
With the loss, the Knights fell to 47-79, which is last in Triple-A East by 2.5 games. In the Final Stretch of games (the 10-game schedule following the originally scheduled season), the Knights are now 2-4.
Poll
Who was the Knights MVP?
This poll is closed
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63%
Matt Reynolds: 2-for-3, RBI, 1 IP, 1 ER
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5%
Blake Rutherford: 1-for-3, 2B, R
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2%
Will Carter: 1 1⁄3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K
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8%
Kodi Medeiros: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K
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19%
Jake Burger: 1-for-2, 2 BB
Poll
Who was the Knights Cold Cat?
This poll is closed
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70%
Johan Dominguez: 3 IP, 8 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 1 K
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9%
Kyle Kubat: 1 2⁄3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K
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19%
Mikie Mahtook: 0-for-4, 2 K, GIDP