Louisville 3, Charlotte 2
Starter Kyle Drabek was cruising until he gave up three runs in the 6th which ultimately proved to be the difference. Despite the hiccup, Drabek is still pitching very well, and ends the month of July with a 2.40 ERA over 30 innings. Shortstop Justin Sellers, who was acquired from the Pirates earlier Thursday to fill in when Micah Johnson hit the DL, went 1-4 with a double in his White Sox debut. Jason Coats stayed hot with a 2-3 night and is 7 for 11 over his past three games. Outfielder Trayce Thompson hit his 13th home run of the season and walked. Rehabbing reliever Nate Jones pitched a perfect inning and has not been scored upon in five innings with the Knights.
Birmingham 3, Mississippi 2
On a night where shortstop Tim Anderson‘s name was being floated in trade rumors, the top prospect showed off why he is such a valuable asset. Anderson flashed his power by blasting a 1st inning home run then flaunted his speed with a 3rd inning triple and a 4th inning stolen base. Anderson leads the Southern League in stolen bases with 37 bags and is 4th in the league with 8 triples. Nick Delmonico and Joey DeMichele also added two hits respectively to give the Barons enough offense for the win.
Starter Mark Blackmar pitched seven strong innings to pick up the win and reliever Raul Fernandez pitched two scoreless innings for the save. Quick note: Courtney Hawkins departed the game early with a foot injury, possibly re-aggravating his previous foot issue that kept him out of a few games earlier this month.
Winston-Salem 7, Wilmington 3
The loaded Winston-Salem offense flexed their muscle in an impressive win over the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The Dash recently received Eddy Alvarez via promotion and he had a huge game, going 2-4 with a home run and four RBI’s. Alvarez did not steal a base, but his teammate Adam Engel stole his 47th of the year as he went 1-3 with two walks. Engel and Alvarez form a intimidating 1-2 punch at the top of the Dash lineup as Alvarez has 45 stolen bases on the year himself. First baseman Keon Barnum has struggled most of the year but has been on fire recently. Barnum went 3-4 with his 6th home run of the season and is hitting .298/.360/.462 for the month of July and has monster power despite the relative low home run total.
Starter Brandon Brennan struck out seven over six innings and Michael Ynoa struck out four while tossing three scoreless innings to earn his fifth save of the season.
Greensboro 10, Kannapolis 2
Starter Zach Thompson could not escape the 3rd inning as he gave up seven runs over 2.1 innings as the Intimidators were soundly defeated by the Greensboro Grasshoppers. On the bright side, Thompson and relievers Jacob Morris and Connor Walsh combined to strike out fifteen batters. Outfielder Louie Lechich collected two hits in a mostly forgettable day for the Intimidators.
Great Falls 4, Helena 1
The Great Falls lineup pounded out thirteen hits and starter Matt Ball and two relievers combined to throw a three-hitter as the Voyagers romped. Matt Ball, who entered the game with a 7.04 ERA, absolutely dominated over his six innings, striking out eight batter while only allowing one hit and no walks. Outfielder Jackson Glines and infielder Victor Valasquez both had three hits while Johan Cruz went 2-4 with two doubles.
*The Arizona League White Sox had the day off and will face off against the AZL Mariners on Friday night*
DSL Orioles 5, DSL White Sox 1
Third baseman Maiker Feliz went 2-4 to raise his average to .362 but the White Sox fell to the Orioles.
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