The Charlotte Knights never found their footing in a rain-shortened 2-0 loss to the Memphis Redbirds, and the offense’s quiet night matched the weather in a game that lasted just six innings. The Knights finished with five hits, including a pair of doubles, but went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Noah Schultz did his part to keep Charlotte in it. The 23-year-old right-hander worked five innings and gave up two runs on five hits, needing just 65 pitches to get through his outing.
Tyler Davis handled the top of the sixth with a scoreless relief frame, but the Knights couldn’t generate anything after that. Korey Lee was the lone Knight to really stand out at the plate, going 2-for-2, while Joey Wiemer and Andy Weber each chipped in a double.
Jeral Perez had the roughest night among the regulars, finishing 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Birmingham had an even tougher time in an 8-0 loss to Rocket City, and this one was over fast. The Trash Pandas jumped on Dylan Cumming for three runs in the first inning, then added four more in the third to put the Barons in a deep hole. Cumming was tagged for seven earned runs in four innings, and Birmingham’s offense never got close to answering.
There was one bright spot on the mound for the Barons. The bullpen allowed only one run over five innings and racked up nine strikeouts.
At the plate, though, the night belonged almost entirely to Rocket City starter Austin Gordon, who was perfect through six innings. Dylan Campbell finally ended that bid with a leadoff single in the seventh, and Samuel Zavala drew a walk in the ninth, but that was the extent of the traffic.
Zavala has been scorching lately, and his August line sits at .327/.476/.531.
Winston-Salem also ran into a hot opponent, falling 8-3 to Bowling Green. The Dash opened the game with trouble when Mason Moore walked the first batter, then watched the Hot Rods turn that into an early run after a stolen base and a single. Winston-Salem answered in the second with back-to-back singles from George Wolkow and Jeral Perez, and Kaleb Freeman’s double-play grounder brought Wolkow home to tie it.
The game stayed level at 2-2 after three innings thanks to solo homers from Bowling Green’s Jhon Diaz and Winston-Salem’s Kyle Lodise. From there, the Hot Rods took over.
Nicandro Aybar delivered the go-ahead RBI single off Moore, and Bowling Green kept adding on while the Dash bullpen gave up five runs over 5 1/3 innings. Winston-Salem did not score again until the ninth, when James Taussig singled in Lodise after Lodise had doubled.
Lodise was the clear offensive highlight for the Dash, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles and a homer. Moore was charged with three runs in 3 2/3 innings, and Jack Young’s two-thirds of an inning went poorly as well.
Kannapolis had the cleanest night of the group, rolling past Hill City 5-0 behind a sharp start from Truman Pauley. The 22-year-old right-hander was in complete control, allowing just two singles over six shutout innings without issuing a walk and needing only 74 pitches to get through his work. Hill City never seriously threatened him.
The Cannon Ballers gave Pauley support early. Stiven Flores opened the second with a single, Clay Burdette followed with an RBI triple, and Steven Lancia added a run on a productive groundout.
Kannapolis padded the lead in the sixth when Jake Berkland and Jaden Fauske drew back-to-back walks, Matthew Boughton singled in a run, and Flores followed with another RBI single. Christian Gonzalez capped the scoring with an RBI triple in the eighth.
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White Sox Suddenly Have An October Rotation Debate Fans Can't Ignore
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Behind Burke, the rest of the hierarchy is far less settled, with Anthony Kay, Luis Castillo, Erick Fedde and Davis Martin all part of the discussion based on recent form, experience and health. It is the kind of debate a team would rather have than not, but it also underlines how much the White Sox still have to balance reliability against upside when they think about who they would trust on the biggest stage. [Read more 🡒]