White Sox Minor League Update: April 12, 2023

In a low-scoring ballgame, a few early Jacksonville (6-4) runs turned out to be enough to sink the Knights (5-6).

Knights starter A.J. Alexy was not as effective as he would have wanted to be, allowing two runs (both earned) in three innings. Alexy issued a leadoff walk to open the game, and after a stolen base and a wild pitch, he was suddenly in trouble. Jake Magnum hit a sacrifice fly that gave the Jumbo Shrimp a 1-0 lead. In the second, Peyton Burdick launched his fifth home run of the young season to double Jacksonville’s lead. Alexy’s third inning was smooth, as he retired all three batters he faced. However, that was his last inning, so the Knights trailed by two when he departed.

In the fourth, Sammy Peralta took over on the mound, and he was immediately greeted rather rudely by Burdick, who hit his second home run of the day. Overall, it was a decent performance for Peralta, who only allowed that run in 2 1⁄3 innings. Again, though, the offense did not have it, so the score was 3-0 when Peralta was removed.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Knights offense finally showed some life. With one out, Victor Reyes singled and stole second. Then, Yolbert Sánchez followed with one of only two extra-base hits for Charlotte. His RBI double trimmed the deficit to two.

Despite a strong performance by the bullpen and the productive sixth inning, the Knights could not make the comeback. They had eight hits to Jacksonville’s three, but it was not enough.

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They needed 10 innings to decide this one, but a pair of key extra-base hits and a timely walk proved to be enough for the Barons (2-3) to beat the Trash Pandas (2-3).

In the second, with the game still scoreless, Barons starter Chase Solesky allowed his only run in three innings. Tucker Flint led off the inning with a double, and he came around to score after two productive ground outs. In the bottom half, the Barons had an answer, with the Tylers (Neslony and Osik) hitting back-to-back doubles to tie it.

The score remained 1-1 until the bottom of the seventh, when Moisés Castillo hit his first home run of the year. Castillo picked a good time for it, as he gave the Barons the lead late in the game.

In the ninth, Gil Luna Jr. entered the game to attempt to protect Birmingham’s 2-1 lead. However, with one out and nobody on, Flint hit a triple, and after a sacrifice fly by Bryce Teodosio, the game was tied once again.

In the top of the 10th, Alejandro Mateo pitched admirably, stranding the ghost runner at second base. Mateo used two strikeouts and a ground out to work out of the inning. That put the Barons in command, and after Luis Mieses led off with a productive ground out, there was a runner on third with one out. Two intentional walks later, the bases were loaded for Osik, who popped out in foul territory. That brought up Adam Hackenberg, who drew a five-pitch, walk-off walk.

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In a chaotic game full of back-and-forth moments, the Dash (2-1) came out on top of the Cyclones (2-3).

The top of the first did not go as planned for Dash starter Norge Vera, who issued four walks. The last of those walks forced in a run to make it a 1-0 ballgame. That walk also prompted a pitching change, as Haylen Green took over on the mound. Green inherited the bases loaded and two outs, and he escaped the jam with a clutch strikeout.

In the bottom of the first, Winston-Salem responded quickly to the sloppy top of the first. Terrell Tatum drew a leadoff walk, and Loidel Chapelli Jr. went deep for the second time this season. Two batters to the plate, two runs scored, 2-1 lead. As it turned out, though, two runs would not cut it in this one, as both teams had plenty of offense.

In the second, Ben Norman hit a solo home run to make it 3-1 in favor of the Dash. That score held up until the top of the fourth, when the Cyclones used a fielding error, a single, and a wild pitch by reliever Noah Owen to put their second run on the board.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Dash distanced themselves from the Cyclones with a big inning. Alsander Womack hit a one-out triple, and with two outs, Taishi Nakawake drove him in with a single. Up to the plate stepped Tatum, who made it a 6-2 game with a home run to right.

The positive vibes ended in the fifth, when the wheels fell off for Owen. The Cyclones started the inning like this: triple, HBP, balk (6-3), double (6-4), home run (6-6). Owen finally got a batter to fly out after the homer, but after a walk and a single, his outing was over. Chase Plymell took over, and he allowed one of the runners he inherited from Owen to score, but that was all. By the end of the inning, the Cyclones had a 7-6 lead.

The sixth inning was wild but in a good way, as the Dash exploded to take control of the game. Michael Turner led off with a single, and although Womack flew out, the Dash had a huge inning. Norman was hit by a pitch, Nakawake walked, and Tatum walked to force in the tying run. Chapelli proceeded to drive in a pair with a single, and DJ Gladney drove in two with a single of his own. Gladney later stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. He would score on a sacrifice fly by Wilfred Veras that made it 12-7. That was enough offense for this game, as the bullpen took care of business down the stretch. Relievers Adisyn Coffey and Jake Palisch had great performances.

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In a game that was competitive for six innings, Delmarva (4-1) ran away with it against the Cannon Ballers (1-3) bullpen.

After a scoreless first inning, the Cannon Ballers offense had a great second frame. Chris Lanzilli drew a leadoff walk, and Logan Glass singled him over to third. More good news came when Glass advanced to second on the throw to third. That brought up Wilber Sánchez, who launched a double to give Kannapolis a 2-0 lead.

The bottom of the second was not as enjoyable. The Cannon Ballers turned a 4-6-3 double play, and as a result, there were two outs and nobody on base. Despite that, the Shorebirds put a big rally together. After a single, an error, two walks, and a ground-rule double, Delmarva suddenly had a 3-2 lead. Due to the error, starter Shane Murphy was not charged with any earned runs. Murphy lasted four innings, he struck out five, he walked two, and the three unearned runs were the only runs he allowed.

The score remained 3-2 until the seventh, when the Shorebirds were not fooled by Mark McLaughlin. While McLaughlin struck out one of the first four batters of the inning, the other three walked to load the bases. After a single that made the score 5-2, Johnny Ray took over on the mound. A sacrifice fly and a double later, it was 7-2. The situation only got worse in the eighth, when the Shorebirds put five more on the board against Ray.

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