White Sox Minor League Update (April 6): Tides 6, Knights 5

The Knights (1-1) jumped out to an early lead but could not hold on, as the Tides (1-1) walked it off to complete a sizable comeback.

Third baseman Ryder Jones, 27, who was the Giants’ second round pick in 2013, provided a major spark for the Knights early on. With two outs and nobody on base in the top of the first, Jake Burger was hit by a pitch. Then, Jones stepped up to bat and launched a two-run blast for his first homer of the young season.

The Knights were not done with their rallies with two outs and no one on base. In the third, new acquisition Adam Haseley singled, and Burger reached base for the second time with a single of his own. Then, Jones had another RBI opportunity, and he took advantage. Jones extended the Knights streak of singles to three, as his base hit drove in Haseley to make it 3-0. Then, catcher Carlos Pérez continued the rally against Tides starter Cody Sedlock with a two-run double that made the score 5-0.

On the other side, lefthander John Parke, 27, had a strong start. For the first five innings, Norfolk struggled to put together a serious rally. The Tides got close to scoring in the first, when Robert Neustrom singled with a runner on second with two outs. But, an unusual 6-5-2 putout at the plate put an end to Norfolk’s chances of scoring. In the next four innings, there was only one Tide who reached scoring position, and even that was a result of an error, which Parke pitched around.

The Tides finally got on the board in the sixth, when Jahmai Jones and Yusniel Diaz hit back-to-back doubles to open the inning against Parke. Diaz scored later in the inning on a ground out by Rylan Bannon, and that made the score 5-2.

The Knights bats got quiet in the latter portion of the game, so it was up to the relievers to protect the lead.

Unfortunately, it was not a good night for Charlotte’s bullpen.

Jhan Mariñez delivered 1 ²⁄₃ scoreless innings to keep the lead at three as the seventh inning came to a close. However, the eighth and ninth innings did not go as planned.

Righthander Tyler Johnson took over to begin the bottom of the eighth, and he allowed the first four Tides he faced to reach base. After a walk, hit-by-pitch, single, and another walk, the score was 5-3, and Norfolk still had the bases loaded with no outs. Johnson managed to strike out Rylan Bannon but was then replaced by lefty Andrew Perez, who promptly walked in a run. Fortunately, Perez managed to minimize the damage, as the Knights were still clinging to a 5-4 lead entering the ninth.

After the Knights went down in order in the top of the ninth, Perez remained on the mound for the bottom half. Perez struck out Chris Hudgins to open the inning, but everything came up in favor of the Tides from that point forward. After Terrin Vavra drew a walk, Jahmai Jones delivered his second double of the game, and this one tied the game at five. Then, with first base open and the winning run on second, Perez issued an intentional walk to Yusniel Diaz. That brought up Neustrom, who drove in the winning run with a single to complete the comeback.

The Knights will be back in action on Thursday against the Tides, and that game will start at 11:05 a.m. CST. Jimmy Lambert, the White Sox’s fifth round draft pick in 2016, is the probable starter for Charlotte.