The White Sox affiliates picked a good week to get loud. Birmingham and Winston-Salem both stacked wins in a way that keeps their second-half playoff hopes clean, direct, and very much alive - no need to rely on a technicality if they can help it.
Birmingham made the biggest statement of the bunch, sweeping six games from Chattanooga on the road. That run lifted the Barons to 26-25 in the second half, a mark that puts them above .500 and still in third place, but now just one game behind first.
Because Knoxville took the first half, Birmingham only has to chase the Trash Pandas for a second-half playoff spot. Whether that means finishing first or second is still up in the air.
Winston-Salem kept its own path open in the South Atlantic League North. The Dash won four of six against Greenville, creating a two-game cushion over their closest challenger and trimming the gap to first to one game.
That late-series push mattered, especially with the way Sunday ended: Winston-Salem entered the seventh inning down 4-1 and then erupted for 10 runs in the frame. The Dash sent 14 batters to the plate and ran through a string of singles, doubles, walks and strikeouts on the way to turning the game on its head.
Elsewhere, Charlotte fell 9-5 to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Rikuu Nishida finished 1-for-5 with a strikeout, Junior Pérez went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts, and Edgar Quero was 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
On the mound, Shane Smith worked 4 innings and allowed 5 hits and 5 runs, all earned, with 5 walks and 2 strikeouts while throwing 44 of 82 pitches for strikes. Tanner McDougal followed with an inning that included 1 hit, 2 runs, 2 earned, 1 walk, 1 strikeout and a home run, with 11 of 22 pitches for strikes.
Birmingham’s sweep-clinching day came in a 4-2 win over Chattanooga. Caleb Bonemer went 1-for-5, Anthony DePino finished 2-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts, Colby Shelton was 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base, and Samuel Zavala reached twice with a 1-for-2 line and two walks.
Lucas Gordon gave the Barons 2.1 innings, allowing 1 hit and 1 run, earned, with 1 walk, 2 strikeouts and 1 hit by pitch. Mathias LaCombe threw one-third of an inning and was charged with 1 walk and 2 hit batsmen.
Winston-Salem’s 12-5 win over Greenville had a lot of production at the plate. Javier Mogollón went 2-for-5 with a walk, two strikeouts and two stolen bases, and Kyle Lodise matched that batting line without the steals.
George Wolkow was 1-for-6 with four strikeouts and a stolen base, and two of those strikeouts came in the seventh inning. Jeral Perez went 3-for-6 with a strikeout, while Nick McLain was 2-for-3 with his first High-A homer and two walks.
Grant Umberger worked 4.2 innings, allowing 5 hits and 4 runs, all earned, with 1 walk, 6 strikeouts and 1 home run while throwing 50 of 83 pitches for strikes.
Kannapolis joined the offensive party with a 17-4 win over Fredericksburg. Jaden Fauske went 1-for-3 with three walks and a strikeout, Matthew Boughton was 1-for-5 with two walks, two strikeouts and two stolen bases, Alexander Albertus finished 3-for-4 with two walks, and Christian Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with a double and two walks. The Cannon Ballers had been locked in a 4-3 game until the top of the eighth, when they broke it open with nine runs while sending 14 batters to the plate.
In Other News...
White Sox Deadline Haul Is Already Turning Into A Chris Getz Problem
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Joey Barts broken hand only added to the sense that this group has not given the White Sox the lift they were after. For Chris Getz, the problem is bigger than a few bad outings, because these were deadline additions meant to help now and instead have become part of the teams recent struggles. The sample is still small, but the early trend has been hard to ignore, and it leaves Chicago waiting for some sign that this haul can start paying off. [Read more 🡒]
Rikuu Nishida Just Got Another Shot To Make White Sox Notice
The White Sox gave Rikuu Nishida another opening on Friday, recalling the utility player from Triple-A after placing Andrew Benintendi on the bereavement list before their game against the Texas Rangers. Nishida has already seen big-league time this season, appearing in 12 games for Chicago, and this latest move gives him a fresh chance to show he can help in whatever role the club needs while Benintendi is away.
For now, the stay looks temporary. Benintendi is expected to miss the rest of the Rangers series, with a possible return lined up for the next stop in Minnesota, so Nishidas window is narrow and the challenge is clear: make enough of an impression in a short burst to stay on the radar when Chicago has to make another roster call. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Could Land A Proven Arm If Toronto Changes Course
The September waiver deadline is creeping closer, and that has put a familiar name back into the conversation for teams still looking for pitching help. For the White Sox, the idea is straightforward enough: if Toronto makes a different kind of decision on Shane Bieber, Chicago could have a chance to add a proven arm with the kind of track record that still carries real value even after injury setbacks.
Bieber has recently looked solid, which only adds to the intrigue around his status as the Blue Jays stay in the playoff race. For the White Sox, the appeal is less about chasing a splash and more about staying alert for an opportunity that might not last long, especially with a pitcher of Biebers caliber potentially becoming available only if Toronto changes course. [Read more 🡒]