Drew Thorpe’s scratched start for Charlotte is the kind of development that can make a White Sox minor league update feel a lot bigger than a normal late-August box-score roundup. On its face, it could mean trouble. But the more likely read is far more interesting: Chicago may be lining Thorpe up to return when rosters expand to 28 on September 1, with a chance to work in Houston as soon as Tuesday night.
That would be a notable move for a pitcher who has barely been on the mound this season after two years away, a Tommy John recovery and an emergency appendectomy. Thorpe has logged only 26 ⅔ innings across the ACL, Winston-Salem, Birmingham and Charlotte, but he’s been effective when healthy, posting a 3.07 ERA and 1.159 WHIP. If the Sox want to ease him back in, the expanded roster gives them room to do it with a piggyback setup, maybe asking him for as few as three innings while José Urquidy or Tyler Schweitzer handles the middle bridge.
There’s also another arm on the way. Davis Martin is due to be activated for the Houston series, giving Chicago a chance to raise the level of its rotation as it heads into the stretch run.
Charlotte Knights 5, Memphis Redbirds 2
With Thorpe scratched, Shane Murphy got the call, and the lefty made the opportunity count. Murphy worked seven innings, allowed four hits and one unearned run, and helped Charlotte (71-61) pull even with Memphis in the International League.
The Knights are 29-28 in the second half and 3 ½ games out of postseason position, so October still looks like a climb. Still, this has been a successful season for Charlotte no matter where it ends.
Memphis opened the scoring in the second, but Charlotte answered with three in the bottom half and never needed more. Kyle Teel had the loudest day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a triple, but he also had a rough afternoon defensively, including an error and 0-for-3 catching runners stealing. Ryan Galanie delivered the RBI single that pushed Charlotte’s second-inning lead to the winning margin.
MVP: Shane Murphy - 7 IP, 4 H, R, BB, 5 K, WP, HB, WIN (5-3), 31.6% WPA
Runners-up: Kyle Teel, Riley Unroe, Caden Connor, Rikuu Nishida
Cold Cat: Jaden Woods
Birmingham Barons 8, Rocket City Trash Pandas 3
Birmingham did more than just beat Rocket City. The Barons (29-28 in the second half) swept the Trash Pandas out of town and moved back within a game of postseason qualification. The final score makes it sound like a comfortable night, and in the end it was, but Birmingham had already put this one away long before Rocket City got to three runs in the ninth.
Juan Carela kept the early damage off the board with five scoreless innings, working effectively wild in a performance that helped steady the whole staff. Caleb Bonemer and Alec Briley both went deep again, and Bonemer added a double for good measure. The swing that really turned the game into a runaway was Jordan Sprinkle’s two-run triple in the fourth.
MVP: Juan Carela - 5 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K, WIN (2-2), 20.6% WPA
Runners-up: Jordan Sprinkle, Samuel Zavala, Caden Connor, Alec Briley, Jacob Burke, Pierce George
Cold Cat: Tommy Vail
Bowling Green Hot Rods 5, Winston-Salem Dash 4
Winston-Salem got punched hard right away, with Bowling Green hanging five runs on the Dash in the first inning. But the Dash didn’t fold. They pushed back late, scoring in the ninth and bringing the tying run to second with one out and to third with two outs before Kyle Lodise popped out to end it.
Even in the loss, Winston-Salem has a useful cushion in the standings. The Dash are 69-56 and still sit 1 ½ games behind Bowling Green, which matters because second place gets a postseason berth in the SALLY. With the Hot Rods being what they are, that’s a real path for the Sox club.
Ely Brown led the offense with a triple and an RBI, while Nick McLain homered and drove in two. On the pitching side, Jake Curtis and Carlton Perkins gave the Dash some much-needed relief work after the rough opening from Drew McDaniel, who was charged with five runs in four innings.
MVP: Ely Brown - 2-for-4, 3B, RBI, BB, 14.1% WPA
Runners-up: Jake Curtis, Carlton Perkins, Derek Cerda, Nick McLain
Cold Cat: Drew McDaniel
Hill City Howlers 8, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 1
Kannapolis’ finale turned ugly in a hurry. The Cannon Ballers kept it close for a while, then the game unraveled in a six-run sixth that blew it open and sent Andrew Berg’s outing off the rails. Alexander Martinez took the loss and fell to 1-7, while the Kanny offense never got much traction, finishing with just four hits and going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Braden Holcomb provided the lone bright spot with a home run, but it wasn’t nearly enough to offset the rest of the afternoon.
MVP: Braden Holcomb - 1-for-3, HR, R, RBI, BB, 2 K, 13.0% WPA
Runners-up: Efren Teran, Jake Berkland, Luis Fonseca
Cold Cat: Andrew Berg
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