White Sox Minor League Update: August 16, 2023
Stellar all-around performances in Birmingham and Winston-Salem allowed the system to go .500 on Wednesday
The Knights got off to a slow start before rallying to take the lead. However, the Knights let the lead slip away, as they lost a heartbreaker to the Sounds.
Knights starter Luis Patiño's first inning did not go as he would have preferred. Jahmai Jones drew a leadoff walk, and Tyler Black launched a two-run homer to give Nashville a 2-0 lead. Despite those first two hitters, though, Patiño managed to salvage his outing, as he got through three innings without allowing any further damage.
In the fourth, Nate Fisher entered the game for Patiño and retired three out of four batters he faced. However, the one unsuccessful outcome was a solo home run to Keston Hiura that made it 3-0.
The Knights remained off the board until the top of the sixth when Tyler Neslony started a rally with a two-out single. That extended the inning for Yolbert Sánchez, who launched a two-run homer to pull the Knights within one. Then, in the seventh, Nate Mondou, Erik González, and Adam Haseley hit three consecutive singles, resulting in the Knights taking a 4-3 lead.
In the eighth, Neslony hit another single, and this time, he stole second before advancing to third on an errant throw. That set up Adam Hackenberg with an RBI opportunity, and he took advantage with a sacrifice fly.
Now ahead by a pair, the Knights had some insurance. However, reliever Chris Muller allowed Hiura to homer for the second time in the game. Muller kept the Sounds off the board for the rest of the eighth, but the lead was down to one.
Still leading by a score of 5-4, Edgar Navarro entered the game and tried to pick up the save for Charlotte. Navarro retired the first two batters he faced, but the top of the order gave him a much harder time. Jones and Black drew back-to-back walks to extend the game for Rowdy Tellez, who launched a 378-footer that cleared the wall in right. Just like that, the Knights dropped a nail-biter to the Sounds.
The Barons ran away from the Lookouts during this lopsided victory in Birmingham.
The Birmingham offense made sharp contact early and often. Wilfred Veras singled at the bottom of the second, and Edgar Quero walked. Two batters later, Luis Mieses stepped up to the plate and crushed a three-run blast to give the Barons a lead that they would not relinquish.
The Lookouts got one run back in the top of the third against Barons starter Nick Nastrini. However, Nastrini had a terrific game, only allowing one run in six innings. Plus, Nastrini had plenty of room for error, as the Barons' offense added quite a bit of insurance. Birmingham added a pair in the sixth, and they broke the game wide open with five more in the eighth. Mieses, Alsander Womack, Moisés Castillo, Terrell Tatum, Bryan Ramos, and Veras all reached base safely during that massive eighth frame.
Dash starting pitcher Connor McCullough paved the way for Winston-Salem's easy victory.
The Dash got off to a good start on offense, scoring a pair to take an early lead in the bottom of the second. Michael Turner led off with a single, and Shawn Goosenberg put a pair in scoring position with a double to right. Loidel Chapelli Jr. drove in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly, and Taishi Nakawake proceeded to add a sacrifice fly of his own.
In the fifth, the Dash offense went back to business. With one out, Brooks Baldwin and Bryce Willits drew back-to-back walks to start the big inning. That brought up DJ Gladney, who crushed a three-run homer to pad the lead. For good measure, Turner made it back-to-back jacks with a home run to extend Winston-Salem's lead to six. Turner finished 4-for-4, impressively, providing a significant spark to Winston-Salem's offense.
Meanwhile, McCullough was fantastic on the mound for the Dash. McCullough delivered seven shutout innings, so the outcome was never in question down the stretch. On top of that, Jordan Mikel threw two scoreless innings to finish the game.
The Cannon Ballers' offense just did not have it on Wednesday, so Carolina came out on top of Kannapolis.
Cannon Ballers starter Aldrin Bautista had an excellent evening, pitching five shutout innings. Bautista scattered three hits throughout those five frames and struck out four. However, when Bautista left the game, he was not in line for the win, as the Cannon Ballers did not score, either.
Relievers Horacio Andujar and Logan Lyle each pitched two innings, and they had decent appearances. However, there was no margin for error, and they allowed one run apiece, although Lyle's run was unearned. Ultimately, that was not good enough.
Meanwhile, the Cannon Ballers only collected five hits, all of which were singles. In the bottom of the ninth, Jordan Sprinkle got hit by a pitch to open the frame, and Eddie Park drew a walk. Suddenly, the Cannon Ballers had life. However, Chris Lanzilli struck out, and Jhoneiker Betancourt lined into a double play to end the game.