Another week, another round of encouraging reports on Jake Burger, Gavin Sheets and Jonathan Stiever. Each continued to show signs of consistency and growth during the team’s six-game road trip to Nashville, which ended Sunday with a 5-4 loss after the bullpen’s third meltdown of the six-game series.
Then, today, Sheets was added to the White Sox roster and Luis Gonzalez was returned to Charlotte. Sheets will likely spell Jose Abreu, who was hit on the knee on Sunday and could benefit from some time off. Sheets’ hot bat and a struggling White Sox offense probably also prompted the promotion.
After getting shellacked on Tuesday, Reynaldo Lopez bounced back Sunday with 11 strikeouts and just one walk over six innings. Also in Sunday’s game, Burger capped a sensational week with two more hits, making him 11-26 (.423) in the six contests. He also scored four runs, knocked in six, walked twice, and added two doubles and his ninth home run of the season.
Burger’s two hits today raised his average to .301 this season. He has struck out 45 times in 175 plate appearances, for a 25% clip. Burger played all six games in this week’s series, including three games at third base, two at second and one at DH. He had a nine-game hit streak end in Friday’s game.
Among other stats of note, Burger is hitting .302 with runners in scoring position. And he is feasting on lefties, hitting .365 with six of his home runs (versus .270 against righties).
Sheets also had a strong week, going 7-22, with two doubles, four runs scored, four RBIs, two walks and six strikeouts. He played in every game except Sunday and hit safely in all of them. His season average stands at .292, with eight doubles and seven homers in 176 plate appearances. He is tied with Burger for the team lead in RBIs with 33.
While his extra-base hit total may be a tad low, he continues to make solid and frequent contact, as evidenced by just a 20% strikeout rate. Sheets is hitting .300 with runners in scoring position and .324 versus righties and .220 against lefties.
Stiever had a somewhat unusual but overall strong start this past week. In his first inning of work, he surrendered three doubles, a single and three earned runs, along with two strikeouts. Then, he was almost untouchable over the next four frames, yielding one hit and no runs or walks while striking out four more.
His stats for the season are still mediocre, including a 5.94 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and .259 opponents’ batting average, but fans should disregard those — his last few starts suggest he has begun to tap his vast potential and is tantalizingly close to being the dominating starting pitcher that has earned him the FutureSox #6 prospect ranking.
Jimmy Lambert, meanwhile, was called up to Chicago for a doubleheader on Sunday and did not start in the Nashville series.
The Rest of the Team
After his six-home run week in the previous series, Tim Beckham did not hit any dingers in Nashville. But the veteran infielder remained hot, hitting 7-22 with three doubles. Matt Reynolds’ bat also sizzled, going 8-21 with five RBIs and six runs scored. Among others, Marco Hernandez added three doubles, a triple and a home run; Nick Williams had a double, triple and home run; and Blake Rutherford managed just two hits in 20 at bats.
On the mound, Mike Wright posted yet another strong start, as did surprise starter Alex McRae, who threw five innings of shutout ball.
Excluding a three-homer outing by Matt Tomshaw, the rest of the staff gave up just four long balls in the six-game series, along with just 12 walks. Those are excellent results for any Triple-A staff. Despite these positive developments, the bullpen blew leads late in games on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Each loss was uglier than the next, featuring a combination of hit batsmen, wild pitches and errant pickoff throws along with poor infield defense behind the relievers. The Sounds actually scored two runs in the bottom of the 10th to walk-off Friday’s game without a hit.
Overall Results
As the team passed the one-third point of the season, the offense looks much improved, hitting .262 in Nashville, including 16 extra-base hits. The team is now hitting .248 on the season, eighth best in the 20-team Triple-A East. It is seventh in home runs, but 19th in walks and third in strikeouts.
The pitching staff, meanwhile, remains a mixed bag. It has the second-highest WHIP in the league, is fifth in home runs allowed and second in walks allowed. However, the staff has recorded the fourth-most strikeouts in the league and is 10th in total hits allowed.
The team won two of six games in Nashville and stands 18-28 on the season, in sixth place in the seven-team Triple-A East.
Up Next
The Norfolk Tides (Orioles) come to Charlotte this week for six games. The Tides have a so-so offense, ranking 14th in batting average and 12th in home runs in the 20-team Triple-A East. The pitching staff is not much better — it is 13th worst in WHIP and last in strikeouts.
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