White Sox Minor League Update: May 27, 2019

Knights flail, Dash crush, Intimidators do pretty OK actually

Durham Bulls 10, Charlotte Knights 0

Jordan Guerrero: 5 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 WP (L, 2-5)
Zach Thompson: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Danny Mendick (3B): 1-for-4
Alcides Escobar (SS): 1-for-2, 2 BB **MVP**
Zack Collins (C): 0-for-4, 2 K
Adam Engel (CF): 1-for-4, 1 K

Jordan Guerrero gave up eight runs including a grand slam, the Knights committed more errors than they gathered hits, and the team got stomped by the Bulls 10-0 on Memorial Day. Guerrero was one of the organization’s top pitching prospects entering the season after throwing very well with the Knights after a mid-2018 promotion. He hasn’t been able to find a groove in his first full season at the level, though, and only has two starts where he’s given up fewer than three runs. Today was a season high for him in that regard, both unearned and earned. Big righty Zach Thompson, who has a similar but more bullpen-oriented backstory, had a better result: he threw a season-high three innings and gave up nothing but a hit and a walk.

It’s hard to award an MVP for the day when the best relief effort kept the Knights within a mere eight runs and they were shut out anyway. Alcides Escobar did his best, though, reaching base three times, including his 10th and 11th walks of the year. The veteran shortstop is batting .308/.347/.478 overall. Danny Mendick and Adam Engel contributed the rest of the Knights’ offensive production of the day and were obviously both stranded. Ryan Goins made three errors at second base, including two in one inning, and Paulo Orlando made one in right field.

Birmingham Barons: off day

Winston-Salem Dash 6, Salem Red Sox 1

Lincoln Henzman: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K; 1 PO, 1 WP (W, 3-2)
Jake Elliott: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, (Hold, 1)
Jose Nin: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K
Will Kincanon: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Tyler Frost (RF): 3-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 K **MVP**
Nick Madrigal (2B): 2-for-5
Steele Walker (CF): 2-for-5
Zach Remillard (DH): 3-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Craig Dedelow (LF): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K

This was a disappointing day for the Dash as they followed up two straight 19-hit performances by being merely 13-hit. They’ve had some trouble this season syncing up good hitting with good pitching, but they got plenty of both here, although just three of those 13 hits went for extra bases (two of those XBH by Tyler Frost).

Starter Lincoln Henzman, born on the Fourth of July, has the interesting no-strikeout, multiple-walk, unearned-run-but-no-earned-run line. He gave up six earned runs in back-to-back starts in early May, but other than that, has turned in a solid season much like this start. In his 41 innings, he has walked 10 and struck out 18, but rarely gives up more than two runs per start. The Dash bullpen was also lights-out, with three scoreless innings and just one walk between them.

Frost is hitting a hot 8-for-16 in his last three games and has brought his season average up almost 30 points in that span. He hit a third-inning homer that would have been enough to decide the game, but still cleared the bases with a two-out double in the eighth just to be sure. Nick Madrigal and Steele Walker collected a couple of hits apiece to continue their respective hot streaks — Madge is hitting .333 over his last 10 and Walker has three straight multi-hit games. Zach Remillard, age 25 and clearly itching for a shot at Double-A, reached base four times to push his OBP over .400 (slash line: .318/.403/.432).

Kannapolis Intimidators 4, Lakewood BlueClaws 1

Johan Dominguez: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP (W, 2-2) **Co-MVP**
Ian Dawkins (CF): 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 K
Lenyn Sosa (SS): 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B
Romy González (LF): 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K
Alex Destino (RF): 3-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI **Co-MVP**
Corey Zangari (DH): 0-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K
Gunnar Troutwine (C): 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 K; 1 PB
Ramon Beltre (2B): 2-for-4, 1 3B, 1 K

Kannapolis picked up its first win since May 22, thanks to a clutch, late-innings home run by Alex Destino and a gem of six innings by Johan Dominguez. The 6’4” pitcher came over to the Sox system last August as part of the Xavier Cedeño trade to the Brewers and has been both starting and relieving this season. He’s given up runs in just one of his 10 appearances (that one coming in spectacular fashion, as he gave up five runs in ⅔ IP), even with a WHIP of 1.36. That didn’t matter here, as he allowed only four baserunners total through six strong innings.

The Intimidators led 1-0 for much of the ballgame. Ian Dawkins (two hits, etc etc) doubled to open the game, was advanced to third by a Lenyn Sosa groundout, then scored on a sac fly from the bat of Romy González. That was it for scoring until the eighth, when Sosa doubled with one out, González singled him in, and Alex Destino added some insurance with a bomb, his fourth of the year. Destino has recently had one of the hottest bats in the system, with a 10-game average of .405 and multi-hit games in six of those. Overall, though, they went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. We can’t be happy about anything!! Gunnar Troutwine had his 12th passed ball of the season!

No, I can’t leave it like that. Gunnar Troutwine had two hits, including a double. Speaking of doubles, Dawkins’ was his 18th of the year and Sosa’s was his 16th, good for second and tied for third in the South Atlantic League, respectively. Meanwhile, Ramon Beltre’s fifth triple of the season launched him into a tie for the league lead with Lolo Sanchez of the Pirates system.