clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Glendale Desert Dogs v Surprise Saguaros
Chase Solesky had a strong, scoreless outing Saturday to lead the Charlotte Knights to victory.
Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Filed under:

White Sox Minor League Update: September 16, 2023

What! Two wins? Power hitting and strong pitching performances propel both the Knights and Barons to victory

By Kristina Airdo
/ new

A much better day for the White Sox affiliates, as both the Knights and the Barons get the W, with the offense paving the way for both teams.

It was a fantastic night all around for Charlotte, who managed to post 10 hits on the offensive end, while the pitching staff held their end of the bargain to come away with the win.

For six innings, Chase Solesky shut out the Sounds, giving up just six hits and one walk, while ringing up five batters. Solesky had all of the run support tonight, as the offense exploded to put up nine unanswered runs behind him. His season ERA still sits at a 6.28, but as the season winds down, this is a note to be going out on.

Solesky kicked off the first inning by giving up a base hit, but then promptly struck out the next three batters to end any sort of threat. The Knights struck in the bottom of the inning, with Tyler Neslony doubling to begin a rally where he would ultimately score on an Adam Hackenberg single.

It was the night of the Tylers, as Tyler Naquin smashed a solo bomb in the bottom of the second to add another insurance run to the Knights lead, 3-0. Naquin wasn’t finished there, however! He stayed hot in the bottom of the fourth to drive in the fourth run of the game on an RBI double to center field. Have a day, Tyler N.!

The fourth was truly a monster inning for the Knights, and the Naquin RBI double was only just the beginning. José Rodríguez drove in another run in the inning on a force out to second to make it 5-0, Knights.

Yolbert Sánchez and Tyler Neslony walked on the next two at-bats, setting up a bases-loaded situation against the Sounds, who were already chasing five and riding the struggle bus. The Sounds quickly made a pitching change as Nate Mondou came to the plate, but it wouldn’t matter — he launchd a grand slam on the second pitch he saw. 9-0, Knights!

The bullpen wasn’t as strong as Solesky was to open the game, but the nine-run cushion certainly helped ease some stress. Nick Padilla began the seventh inning by walking the first two Nashville batters, but he swiftly recovered, with a forced ground out and a double play to end the inning.

Jordan Holloway got into some trouble in the eighth, giving up two hits, walking two batters, leading to two runs, and also striking out ... (wait for it) two! He only lasted two outs as well, until Caleb Freeman came in to close out the inning.

Freeman closed out the game in the ninth, but not before giving up a home run for the road. Outside of two hits given up in his 1 1⁄3 innings, he struck out all four outs that he needed to make, making it a 9-3, final.

Poll

Who was the MVP in tonight’s win?

This poll is closed

  • 6%
    Tyler Naquin: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
    (3 votes)
  • 15%
    Nate Mondou: 1-for-1, Grand Slam, 4 RBI, R, BB
    (7 votes)
  • 68%
    Chase Solesky: 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
    (30 votes)
  • 0%
    Tyler Neslony: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, 2 K
    (0 votes)
  • 9%
    Adam Hackenberg: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K
    (4 votes)
44 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was tonight’s Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    Xavier Fernández: 0-for-1, BB, R
    (0 votes)
  • 74%
    Jordan Holloway: 2⁄3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
    (26 votes)
  • 25%
    Nobody!
    (9 votes)
35 votes total Vote Now

The Barons pulled out a two-run victory, defeating the Lookouts, 8-6, in a wildly offensive game where runs were scored in all but the seventh and ninth innings.

On paper, Matt Thompson had a quality start Saturday, earning the win after five innings of four-hit, four-run baseball. He walked three batters, but balanced that out nicely by striking out nine — averaging almost two K’s an inning. The kicker here is that he gave up three home runs, which accounted for all of the runs he gave up.

On the offensive side, Birmingham followed Charlotte’s lead by striking first. Thanks to a Colson Montgomery double, and Bryan Ramos home run to get things started in the first, the Barons propelled to an early two-run lead.

The second inning was jam-packed with action, with Tim Elko singling to get into scoring position for Terrell Tatum to drive the fourth run of the game!

The bats were on fire and did not stop there! Colson Montgomery had an excellent game tonight, going 3-for-4 with two doubles. The Barons would tack on their seventh run thanks to a pair of throwing errors, making it a six-run lead before the fourth inning ended.

The bullpen was also on the money on Saturday, with Jonah Scolaro, Tristan Stivors, and Haylen Green combining for two hits, one walk, five strikeouts, and two unearned runs — which made the score end up looking way closer than it should have.

Scolaro’s two innings were rather impressive, accounting for one of those hits, striking out three in the process. Green also did not give up any hits, shutting the game down to get the save for Birmingham.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    Jonah Scolaro: 2 IP, 1 H, 3 K
    (0 votes)
  • 44%
    Colson Montgomery: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 2 R, E
    (23 votes)
  • 48%
    Bryan Ramos: 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
    (25 votes)
  • 7%
    Haylen Green: 1 IP, S, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
    (4 votes)
  • 0%
    Matt Thompson: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 HR, 3 BB, 9 K
    (0 votes)
52 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cold Cat for the Barons?

This poll is closed

  • 58%
    Alsander Womack: 0-for-5, 2 K
    (18 votes)
  • 0%
    Jason Matthews: 0-for-3, R, K
    (0 votes)
  • 41%
    Matt Thompson: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 HR, 3 BB, 9 K
    (13 votes)
31 votes total Vote Now

MLB News

MLB Wild Card Day 1 Recap

Other Gamethreads

NL Wild Card Games 1 Gamethread (Diamondbacks at Brewers, Marlins at Phillies)

Today in White Sox History

Today in White Sox History: October 3

Loading comments...