White Sox Minor League Update: August 29, 2019
Future shock: After Thursday, Jonathan Stiever has 10 quality starts in 12 High-A outings. (Winston-Salem Dash)
Biloxi Shuckers 5, Birmingham Barons 3 (11)
Luis Gonzalez: 0-for-6, 0 BB, 4 K (.250 BA, .678 OPS)
Blake Rutherford: 2-for-3, 2 BB, 0 K (.262 BA, .673 OPS)
Gavin Sheets: 0-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K (.273 BA, .771 OPS)
Bernardo Flores: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K (3.33 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) *MVP*
The Barons tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, but they ended up losing after a two-run 11th by the Shuckers. Bernardo Flores started the game, in what should be his final game action until the AFL. He showed a pretty good out pitch, with 10 strikeouts over six innings. He left with another quality start, and a much better performance than his last start. The bullpen was great behind him, too combining for five innings and just two runs. They also added eight more strikeouts, so Birmingham pitchers had 18 on the day.
The hitting started slow, but finally got going, with a little luck, when it mattered the most. For eight innings, the Dash only scored one run, off of a Nate Nolan double. In the ninth, Zach Remillard singled to drive in two runs to send the game into extras. Unfortunately, it was the Shuckers who scored runs in extras, as the Barons fell 5-3.
Salem Red Sox 1, Winston-Salem Dash 0
Steele Walker: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 1 K (.272 BA, .779 OPS)
Andrew Vaughn: 2-for-4, 0 BB, 0 K (.247 BA, .748 OPS)
Jonathan Stiever: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (2.15 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) **MVP**
Winston-Salem pitchers did all they could to win; it was just one little mistake from Jonathan Stiever that was the difference in this 1-0 loss. Stiever allowed a solo homer in the third inning, and it was the game's lone run. He was fantastic besides that one big hit allowed, lowering his High-A ERA to 2.15 in what has been a breakout year. Unless the Dash make the playoffs, this might have been Stiever's last game of the season, and he should be the minor league pitcher of the year for the White Sox. Obviously the hitters didn't do anything, but at least Andrew Vaughn had two hits.
Kannapolis Initmidators 5, Hagerstown Suns 4
Ian Dawkins: 0-for-4, 1 BB, 1 K (.298 BA, .756 OPS)
Lenyn Sosa: 3-for-5, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K (.248 BA, .649 OPS)
Tyler Osik: 3-for-5, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K (.272 BA, .895 OPS) **MVP**
Devon Perez: 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (3.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP)
Some scoring in the first half of the game led to a close 5-4 win by the end o the night. In the first five innings, the I's scored all of their runs. Tyler Osik hit his fourth homer since his promotion, and added another RBI later. Corey Zangari accounted for an RBI as well, but it was on a bases-loaded walk, so it was more of a bad pitching thing. Cameron Simmons added the final two runs in the fifth inning: He drove in Lenyn Sosa, who had three hits on the night, as well as Osik on a double. This is was Devon Perez's second start of the season, and he was just fine. The later bullpen arms of Caleb Freeman, in his Low-A debut, and Justin O'Conner kept the lead intact.
Great Falls Voyagers 9, Idaho Falls Chukars 6
Caberea Weaver: 0-for-4, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K (.256 BA, .695 OPS)
Harvin Mendoza: 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K (.292 Ba, .866 OPS)
Lency Delgado: 1-for-5, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K (.273 BA, .712 OPS)
Sam Abbott: 1-for-2, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K (.230 BA, .798 OPS) **MVP**
Chase Solesky: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (6.75 ERA, 1.45 WHIP)
A big win for the Voyagers came after a big eighth inning put them on top for good. The first two arms out of the bullpen for Great Falls were not all that great. Solesky and then Rigo Fernandez allowed five runs in their six innings pitched. The offense was fine during that span with three runs, but they were down for the majority of the game. In the eighth inning, GFV put up six runs to take a commanding lead, but they were not conventional runs at all. Caberea Weaver opened up the scoring with a sacrifice fly, and Joshua Rivera scored on an error with the next batter. Luis Curbelo came home on a wild pitch, and then the Chuckars loaded the bases. Their pitcher proceeded to walk three straight batters for the final three runs of the inning. The new four-run lead quickly slimmed to three, but it was still enough to get the Voyagers the win.