It was the most exciting week of the season for the Knights, highlighted by two walk-off wins in a mid-week doubleheader and the Triple-A debut of Romy Gonzalez, the best ever start to a career in Charlotte in recent memory.
Promoted on Saturday from Birmingham, Gonzalez exploded on the scene with a two-home-run game, including a three-run, bottom-of-the-ninth walk-off blast. The 24-year-old shortstop followed that up today with three doubles and a single in a Knights’ 11-7 victory over the Norfolk Tides in Charlotte.
“After I hit the first home run, I was like, wow, this is incredible,” Gonzalez said. “Then, to finish the game the way it happened, you can’t write a better story.”
Gonzalez said he’s had two-home-run games before, but never a walk-off hit. He took us through the at bat: “His bread-and-butter is a fastball so I was dead red on the fastball and he made a mistake and left it out over the plate and I put a good swing on it.”
In a four-win week in which the Knights scored 40 runs, there were plenty of offensive stars.
Mikie Mahtook was red-hot coming into the week, but he managed to take it up another notch or two, with 13 hits in 22 at bats, including three home runs, five doubles and just two strikeouts. Mahtook is the runaway home run leader on the team with 21.
Mahtook led the way in the doubleheader sweep, with two home runs in game one, including a walk-off grand slam. He added more heroics in game two, with a clutch two-out double that sent the game into extra innings.
Micker Adolfo also shined in the doubleheader, with a home run in each game, including the hardest hit ball in Charlotte this year, at 111 mph. He finished the week six of 12 at the plate.
It was a nice week for infielder Matt Reynolds, who had seven hits in 18 at bats, including a home run and three doubles. Reynolds has quietly had an impressive year at the plate, with the highest on-base percentage of any regular, at .381.
Two White Sox players also spent time rehabbing in Charlotte this week. Yasmani Grandal, on the mend from a torn tendon behind his knee, looked healthy, locked in and ready for a return to the big leagues.
He was joined on Sunday by Billy Hamilton, who manufactured a run like only he can do. After drawing a walk, he stole second, went to third on an errant throw and scored on a wild pitch.
And Gavin Sheets continues to look in fine form, with six hits and three walks in 25 plate appearances, including several squared-up balls. But no one hammers balls like Jake Burger, and he did just that this week, with a couple of impressive barrels. Burger looked rusty early in the week, appearing in his first games in 12 days after an IL stint. But his timing improved as the week unfolded, culminating with his 12th round tripper of the season today.
Results On The Mound
Jimmy Lambert pitched four innings on Saturday, including three perfect innings. He threw 65 pitches in the start, including 41 for strikes.
“I had a good fastball, a good slider,” he said. “It has been like that most of the year and the other two pitches (change-up and curve) have kind of been up and down and that’s been part of my problem but yesterday the change-up was going and the slider was going so it worked out.”
Jonathan Stiever injured his lat in a side session and will confer with medical staff in Chicago early this week on a treatment plan. Along with the Mike Wright call-up, the Knights are suddenly a bit thin in the rotation, which now features Alex McRae, Lambert (on a tight pitch limit) and two recent promotions from Birmingham, John Parke and Kade McClure. It is very likely another starter will be promoted this week to help get the staff through the end of the season.
Aside from the Lambert game, quality innings from a starting pitcher were few and far between, as Parke, McClure and McRae combined to give up 25 hits, including six home runs, over 13.2 innings.
The bullpen results, as always, were mixed. But Kyle Crick, Jace Fry, Tanner Banks and Nik Turley stood out with strong weeks.
On The Injury Front
Laz Rivera went on the IL today, though I likely won’t find out till Tuesday at the earliest what his status is.
UP Next
The Durham Bulls make their first trip of the season to Charlotte this week for six games. The Knights are 4-14 versus the Tampa Bay affiliate, all of which have been road games in a strange scheduling quirk.
The Bulls will be a great test for a resurgent Knights’ offense. The Bulls usually pitch the Knights very tough, though the Rays’ major-league pitching staff has been hammered by injuries, thinning out the Durham staff and offering a bit more hope. But, they’ll still feature a pesky, potent offense at a time when the Knights’ rotation is a bit suspect.
Regardless how the week unfolds, it will be hard to match the high drama we saw this week.
Photo credit: Jimmy Lambert/FutureSox
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom on a mobile device) and click create subscription. Our list is completely spam free and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You can get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits.
Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with FutureSox apparel.