Shane Smith’s return to Charlotte came with the same fastball life, and the same encouraging signs, that have followed him through this rehab stretch.
After finishing his assignment at Winston-Salem, Smith was back in a Statcast ballpark on Sunday and kept the strike-throwing improvement he showed in his last start with the Dash. He sat 95-96 mph across four innings and 51 pitches, and the only damage came in the third when an infield single was followed by a hard-hit double on a center-cut four-seam fastball. That sequence produced the lone run charged to him, but otherwise he didn’t really get burned for leaning on the heater.
The numbers were solid enough on their own: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, with 37 of 54 pitches for strikes. And while it’s still just four innings, the available data points in the same direction - he looks good. The way he laid into Michael Turner’s backside on the way back to the dugout seemed to say the same thing.
Charlotte beat Nashville 12-4, with Edgar Quero turning in the loudest line among the hitters, going 3-for-5 with a strikeout. Ryan Galanie was 2-for-5 with a strikeout, and Rikuu Nishida reached three times on walks, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
Tanner McDougal worked one inning for Charlotte, allowing no hits and no runs while walking two and striking out two. He threw 15 of 29 pitches for strikes.
Birmingham fell 7-4 to Columbus, and the White Sox bats there had a quieter night. Anthony DePino and Boston Smith each went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, while Colby Shelton was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Samuel Zavala added a 1-for-3 night with a double. On the mound, Lucas Gordon went 4.1 innings and gave up six hits, four runs, all earned, with one walk, four strikeouts and one homer.
He threw 52 of 73 pitches for strikes.
Winston-Salem handled Asheville 10-4, and George Wolkow kept doing George Wolkow things. He went 1-for-3 with a homer, two walks, a strikeout and three stolen bases.
Jeral Perez was even busier, finishing 3-for-5 with a homer and two doubles. Kyle Lodise went 0-for-4 with two walks and a strikeout, while Tim Elko took the golden sombrero in an 0-for-5 outing.
Mathias LaCombe threw one scoreless inning with one walk and no strikeouts, getting 10 of 23 pitches for strikes.
LaCombe’s outing also appears to have been his last one in Winston-Salem for the time being. The White Sox are promoting the right-hander to Birmingham. He posted a 2.88 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 25.0 innings for the Dash.
In Delmarva’s 6-5 win over Kannapolis, Jaden Fauske went 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout. Matthew Boughton was 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout, Nick McLain went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, Alexander Albertus was 1-for-4 with a strikeout, and Christian Gonzalez finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
In Other News...
White Sox Just Took Another Intriguing Bat Fans Will Worry About
The White Sox added another interesting bat to the pipeline with their No. 345 pick, taking Vanderbilt junior Braden Holcomb as part of a draft class that continues to lean into upside. Holcomb brings speed and the kind of versatility teams like to dream on, with experience at multiple positions and enough athleticism to keep evaluators engaged even if the profile is still very much in progress.
What makes him a tougher read is the hit tool, which has been the main reason he slid to this point. Chicago will have to sort through the swing and decide where he fits defensively, and the early plan could include a stop in Kannapolis as the organization works through both sides of his development. For a White Sox system that can afford to bet on tools, Holcomb is exactly the sort of player who can look intriguing now and still leave fans wondering how the whole package comes together. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Draft Pick Carries A Franchise Connection Fans Will Feel
The White Sox added another notable name to their draft class when they took shortstop Landon Thome with the No. 33 overall pick in Competitive Balance Round A. He joined a group that also included UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky at No. 1 overall and second baseman Cole Prosek in the second round, giving Chicago a mix of high-end talent and infield depth as it worked through the early part of the draft.
Thomes selection carried an extra layer of familiarity for White Sox fans, even before the front office got to the rest of its board. Chicago had just picked up that selection in a Friday trade, and the club moved on Thome before its next slot came around, a sign it did not want to leave the board to chance with a player it clearly valued. [Read more 🡒]
First-Place White Sox Just Changed The Conversation Around This Season
The conversation around the White Sox looks a lot different now than it did when they reached the All-Star break at 32-65. A 9-1 win over the Athletics pushed Chicago to 50-45 and into first place in the American League Central, a stunning turnaround for a club that spent the first half buried in the standings and now has 67 games left to prove this surge is real.
There is still plenty to sort out, but the mood around the team and manager has clearly shifted from survival mode to something more ambitious. Noah Schultz also gave the White Sox a lift by earning his first win since May 1, ending a six-start winless streak, and Chicago will keep trying to turn a hot stretch into a position it has not had in a while: a lead worth protecting. [Read more 🡒]