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White Sox Minor League Update: May 18

At least Cristian Mena, Colson Montgomery, and Seby Zavala had big games

By Joe Resis
/ new
MLB: Chicago White Sox at Toronto Blue Jays
Providing the power: Seby Zavala hit two home runs to keep the Knights competitive against the Tides.
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Knights offense put up a good fight, but ultimately, the Tides came out on top in this matchup.

Coming off of the IL, Jimmy Lambert filled a role as the opener in this game, taking the first inning. Despite issuing two walks, Lambert got the job done, as he did not allow any runs. Meanwhile, Yolbert Sánchez hit an RBI single in the bottom of the first to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.

Although Lambert pitched a scoreless inning to open the game, Kade McClure, who covered the most innings among Knights pitchers tonight, had a rough outing. Innings two and three were a breeze for McClure, who set down the first six batters he faced. The fourth inning, however, was a different story. Adley Rutschman led off the top of the fourth with a single, and with one out, Jacob Nottingham launched a two-run homer to put Norfolk in fronts

The Knights responded in the bottom of the fifth, when Seby Zavala hit his sixth home run of the season to tie the game, 2-2.

Unfortunately, the excitement was short-lived, as McClure and the Knights ran into trouble in the sixth. After a leadoff double, McClure issued two walks to load the bases. Then, with one out, Robert Neustrom hit a grand slam to give the Tides a 6-2 lead.

Despite the sizable deficit, the Knights did not go away. In the bottom of the sixth, Jake Burger cut the deficit in half with a two-run homer.

The parade of home runs continued in the seventh, when Rutschman hit a two-run homer against Lincoln Henzman to extend Norfolk’s lead back to four. Both of those runs were unearned, as a two-out error by Burger had extended the inning and allowed Rutschman to bat.

In the bottom of the seventh, Mark Payton, Sánchez, and Burger hit three consecutive singles to make the score 8-5. Then, Carlos Pérez made it a two-run game again when he drove in a run with a ground out.

The final run of the game occurred in the bottom of the eighth, when Zavala showed off his power once again.

The Knights’ last opportunity was in the bottom of the ninth, when Yermín Mercedes batted with a runner on second and two outs. But Mercedes flew out in foul territory to end the scoring threat and the game. The Tides prevailed, despite getting outhit 14-6.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 47%
    Seby Zavala: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI
    (17 votes)
  • 22%
    Jake Burger: 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI
    (8 votes)
  • 5%
    Mark Payton: 3-for-4, 2B, BB
    (2 votes)
  • 19%
    Yolbert Sánchez: 3-for-4, BB, RBI
    (7 votes)
  • 5%
    Andrew Perez: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (2 votes)
36 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 17%
    Blake Rutherford: 0-for-5
    (5 votes)
  • 79%
    Kade McClure: 4 2⁄3 IP, 6 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K
    (23 votes)
  • 0%
    Lincoln Henzman: 1 1⁄3 IP, 2 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 3 K
    (0 votes)
  • 3%
    Zach Remillard: 0-for-4, K
    (1 vote)
29 votes total Vote Now

After the Barons scored in the first inning, the Trash Pandas dominated the rest of the way in this lopsided game at Birmingham.

José Rodríguez set the table in the bottom of the first, leading off with a single to right. With one out, Rodríguez stole two bases for his seventh and eighth steals of the season. Xavier Fernández drove him in with a sacrifice fly to make it a 1-0 game.

Barons starter Steven Moyers managed to work out of trouble in both the first and second innings. Despite allowing three hits and issuing two walks in those first two innings, the Barons entered the third inning with a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, Moyers and the Barons could not work out of trouble in the third, however. Rocket City put four singles together to take a 3-1 lead. That turned out to be as much support as Rocket City’s pitchers would need.

In the fourth, Torii Hunter Jr. added a pair of insurance runs with a two-run homer that made the score 5-1. The Trash Pandas were not nearly done scoring in the fourth, as they put up six that inning to put the game out of reach.

The Barons scored their second of two runs in the fifth, when D.J. Burt hit a solo home run. That got Birmingham’s deficit back to single digits for the time being, as the score was then 11-2. On the bright side, JJ Muno, an infielder who did not appear in this game as a hitter, pitched a one-two-three ninth inning.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 15%
    J.J. Muno: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K
    (4 votes)
  • 46%
    D.J. Burt: 1-for-3, HR, BB
    (12 votes)
  • 3%
    Craig Dedelow: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
    (1 vote)
  • 34%
    José Rodríguez: 1-for-4, BB, 2 stolen bases (0 caught stealing)
    (9 votes)
26 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 100%
    Steven Moyers: 3 2⁄3 IP, 9 R (8 ER), 13 H, 3 BB, 2 K
    (27 votes)
  • 0%
    Alex Destino: 0-for-4, 3 K
    (0 votes)
27 votes total Vote Now

The Tourists used a big fifth inning to pull away from the Dash in this one.

The Dash scored about as early as they could have, as Bryan Ramos drove in Duke Ellis with a single in the first. Ellis had put himself in scoring position by leading off with a single and stealing his 16th base of the season.

However, despite scoring early on, the Dash struggled to build on their early momentum. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth, when Dash starter Jordan Mikel finally met some resistance. Luis Santana opened that inning with a solo home run, and Mikel issued back-to-back walks after that. After a single, Ty Madrigal replaced Mikel on the mound. The bases were loaded, and there was only one out, so Madrigal had a tough job. After another walk, a sacrifice fly, and another single, Asheville had a 4-1 lead, and all four runs were charged to Mikel.

Ellis put himself in scoring position again in the fifth, drawing a two-out walk before stealing another base. Then, Moises Castillo drove him in with a single, and it was 4-2. Then, in the sixth, Luis Mieses doubled, and Adam Hackenberg singled. Tyler Osik pulled the Dash within one with a sacrifice fly, but that was as close as Winston-Salem got the rest of the game.

It was a forgettable day for the bullpen, and as a result, the Dash trailed by a score of 7-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Before the game was over, though, Oscar Colás launched a solo home run with two outs in the ninth.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 33%
    Duke Ellis: 2-for-4, BB, 2 stolen bases (0 caught stealing)
    (9 votes)
  • 62%
    Adam Hackenberg: 3-for-3, 2B
    (17 votes)
  • 3%
    Luis Mieses: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
    (1 vote)
  • 0%
    Oscar Colás: 1-for-5, HR
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Karan Patel: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K
    (0 votes)
27 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 84%
    Jordan Mikel: 4 1⁄3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K
    (22 votes)
  • 11%
    Harvin Mendoza: 0-for-4, 2 K
    (3 votes)
  • 3%
    Vince Vannelle: 1 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 0 BB, 1 K
    (1 vote)
26 votes total Vote Now

Despite an early spark, the Cannon Ballers fell short in this low-scoring matchup in Kannapolis.

The Cannon Ballers got on the board in the bottom of the first. With two outs and nobody on base, Colson Montgomery stepped up to the plate and continued his excellent season at the plate by launching a home run.

Unfortunately, that was the only extra-base hit of the day for the Cannon Ballers. Though Kannapolis did collect six singles, they could not get any timely hits, as they finished 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

It appeared that one run might be enough to win this game because starter Cristian Mena was terrific. Mena delivered six scoreless innings, striking out eight and not issuing any walks. Fayetteville struggled to make sharp contact against him, as the Woodpeckers only managed one extra-base hit (a double) against him.

But, reliever Ángel Acevedo allowed a game-tying solo home run in the top of the seventh and a go-ahead RBI double in the eighth. Offense was hard to come by in this matchup, so the Woodpeckers held on to win by a score of 2-1.

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 81%
    Cristian Mena: 6 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K
    (26 votes)
  • 18%
    Colson Montgomery: 2-for-4, HR
    (6 votes)
32 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 16%
    Ángel Acevedo: 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 K
    (4 votes)
  • 84%
    James Beard: 0-for-5, 5 K
    (21 votes)
25 votes total Vote Now

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