The Knights’ improved pitching kept the team in a lot of games on the recently-concluded two-week road trip even as the offense struggled. But the staff had no such luck tonight in a 6-2 loss against the division-leading Durham Bulls in Charlotte.
Starter Alex McRae gave up five hits and three earned runs in the first three frames, and Tanner Banks surrendered another three hits and two runs in the next three innings. Hunter Schryver was touched for two hits and a run in the ninth.
The lone bright spot was Anderson Severino. The hard-throwing lefty gave up one hit while striking out three in his two innings of work. Severino maxed out around 99 mph tonight, a tick or two lower than his debut in Charlotte three weeks ago. He now has 15 strikeouts in nine innings for the Knights, and a miniscule opponents’ batting average of .182.
At the plate, the Knights could only muster a Jake Burger two-run home run (365 feet, 93-mph exit velo), a Blake Rutherford triple, and six singles. But Burger’s blast and two of the singles were in the bottom of the ninth when the game was pretty much decided.
Two baserunning blunders didn’t help matters. One of those mistakes involved Micker Adolfo, who blasted a 112-mph liner off the centerfield wall, but was easily thrown out at second base. The other involved Rutherford, who, after his triple, was thrown out at home on a ground ball to shortstop for the first out of the inning.
A FEW RANDOM THOUGHTS
One, Danny Mendick is the best shortstop on the Knights’ roster. He’s only played a dozen games in Charlotte in 2021, but he makes the team much better, with solid defense and grinding at bats.
Two, the Durham Bulls are an elite team. It is as if the Rays mint a certain type of player in the low minor leagues — fundamentally solid guys who are good defenders and smart base runners, with strong discipline at the plate and excellent command on the mound.
Three, Vidal Brujan is among the best players that the Knights have faced this year. Brujan has primarily played second base and outfield this season, while Wander Franco and later Taylor Walls manned shortstop. But Brujan played short tonight and was outstanding, including a terrific pick on a 112-mph grounder off Mikie Mahtook’s bat. Brujan zipped into the hole for the grab, pivoted 360 degrees and fired a bullet to first for the out. He was also in the middle of three well-executed double plays by the Bulls’ infield and added his 38th stolen base on the season tonight in 44 attempts.
ROSTER MOVES
Seby Zavala was optioned to Charlotte today and Zack Collins was recalled to Chicago, essentially so that the White Sox could preserve Collins’ final option year. Danny Mendick also was optioned to Charlotte and Jace Fry recalled.
Adam Engel will rehab in Wednesday’s game in Charlotte, after which the White Sox will determine if he is ready to return to Chicago.
I also had a chance to to talk to manager Wes Helms today about the curious addition last week of MLB veteran Ruben Tejada. I was interested to know if there might be some way to finagle him onto a White Sox post-season roster, even though he was added after the deadline. Helms said Tejada was merely signed and sent to Charlotte because of a temporary shortage of middle infielders.
PLAYER MOTIVATIONS
With the team 27 games under .500 and September call-ups finalized, it would be only natural if players lost a bit of focus in these final 16 games. But Helms said the White Sox may have a taxi squad in addition to their post-season roster, and Knights’ players could be up for both.
“There are guys here who have to stay ready,” he said. “They could possibly be in that mix for the playoffs or if there is a taxi squad. Normally, if your big-league club is not in the playoffs, you start tapering off on certain things, just do what you have to do for the game. But we still have to make sure these guys do the things they need to do in practice. It is a little easier to motivate them when you know some of the guys may have a chance to be a part of something special up there this year.”
Photo credit: Clinton Cole/FutureSox
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