The Charlotte Knights had the hits, but not the finish.
On Sunday, Durham edged Charlotte 3-2 even though the Knights out-hit the Bulls 11-5. Charlotte finished with 11 hits and five walks, but stranded 14 runners and went just 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position as its first series back from the break slipped away.
Rikuu Nishida did his part with three hits and an RBI to tie the game in the second inning, and Dru Baker followed with an RBI single in the third to put Charlotte ahead. But the Bulls answered later, and the decisive swing came on an RBI triple that gave Durham the lead for good. Caden Connor supplied both of Charlotte’s extra-base hits with a pair of doubles, while Everson Pereira, making his second start since returning from the IL, went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts.
Shane Murphy got the start and worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits with three walks, two strikeouts and a homer surrendered to Oliver Dunn. The loss, though, went to Hagen Smith in his first appearance after coming back from the IL. Smith walked three and allowed the go-ahead RBI triple, taking his sixth loss of the season.
The day was much better for Birmingham, which kept rolling with a 7-3 win over Rocket City. The Barons were out-hit 11-7, but they made their chances count, going 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position and getting enough from the pitching staff to control the game.
Caleb Bonemer opened the scoring with an RBI single up the middle, then Boston Smith took over. He went 2-for-2 with a three-run homer in the third and two walks, giving Birmingham its biggest offensive punch of the afternoon. Brenden Dixon added a solo shot in the seventh, and the bullpen finished the job from there.
Jake Palisch started and gave up two runs on six hits over four innings, while Nick Altermatt earned his first win of the season with two solid innings in relief, allowing one run with a walk and a strikeout.
Winston-Salem’s weekend ended the wrong way, too. Bowling Green completed the sweep with a 5-4 win over the Dash, who couldn’t finish off a late push despite seven hits and a three-run ninth.
The Dash were held in check for most of the game and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine men on base. Bryce Eblin got Winston-Salem on the board in the seventh with a fielder’s choice, trimming the deficit to 5-1, and Ryan Burrowes kept the rally alive in the ninth with a three-run homer that pulled the Dash within one. That was as close as they got.
Grant Umberger took the loss after allowing five runs on five hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings, though the bullpen was sharp behind him. The relief corps didn’t allow another run, striking out three and giving up just two hits, but the offense never fully caught up.
Kannapolis, meanwhile, finished its series in style with a 10-2 win over Myrtle Beach. The Cannon Ballers completed the sweep behind a balanced attack and a bullpen game that held the Pelicans to two runs.
Billy Carlson and Stiven Flores each had two hits and drove in multiple runs, with Carlson collecting three RBIs on a double and triple. Carlson finished with five total bases and now owns a .275 batting average and .781 OPS. Flores drove in four runs, while Jaden Fauske chipped in two hits, three runs, two walks and two stolen bases.
Kannapolis used seven pitchers, and Anthony Patterson III was the only arm to allow an earned run. Ryan Schiefer handled the first two innings, and Caedmon Parker picked up his fifth win of the season with two strikeouts.
In Other News...
White Sox May Have One Last Hope In That Curtis Mead Trade
The Curtis Mead deal looked like a small spring-training move at the time, the kind of roster shuffle that barely registers once camp breaks. Chicago had designated Mead for assignment after 2026 spring training and sent him to Washington, getting catcher Boston Smith and a 2025 draft pick back in return, a package that was easy to overlook when the transaction was announced.
Mead has since turned into a real hitter for the Nationals, which only sharpens the question of what the White Sox actually got out of the swap. The answer may still be developing in the minors, where Smith has emerged as one of the more interesting names in the system and given Chicago at least one reason to believe the trade could age better than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Finally Had A Feel Good Win Then Teel Left
For a White Sox team that has spent much of the season searching for any kind of lift, Tuesdays win over Texas at least offered a little of everything they have been missing. Andrew Benintendi delivered the biggest swing, a bases-clearing double in the fifth that flipped the game and gave Chicago a cushion it could protect, while the bullpen kept the Rangers from mounting much of a push the rest of the way.
The mood around the game changed, though, when Kyle Teel left early for Texas after a non-contact injury at home plate. The White Sox will take the victory and the work from their relievers, but the final image from a much-needed feel-good night was a reminder that even on a good day, there is still plenty that can go sideways. [Read more 🡒]