The lower levels won and the upper levels lost. Highlights included a AAA debut and a double-header sweep…
Louisville 7, Charlotte 3
Chris Volstad posted his usual pretty, pretty good start: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 3 K, and gave way to Zack Burdi making his AAA debut. The 26th overall pick from the June draft threw a shutout frame with one strikeout, throwing 5 of 6 pitches for strikes. You can read his prospect profile to learn more about Burdi, who could be in Chicago pretty soon. Brad Goldberg gave up 4 runs (but only 2 earned) in the 9th that made the difference, as errors from usually steady defenders Jake Peter and Leury Garcia threw gas on the fire.
Jerry Sands had the best day at the plate for the Knights, going 3-for-4 with a home run. Nick Delmonico, who has struggled a bit in his first stint in AAA, also booked a 3-hit day.
David Holmberg will start for Charlotte on Friday.
Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 1
Southpaw Jordan Guerrero had a pretty strong start going for four innings, before things fell apart in the fifth. That frame included not only multiple hits and runs, but also multiple errors and even more strangely, two straight successful squeeze bunts from the Lookouts.
Birmingham managed just three hits against Stephen Gonsalves, who tossed a complete game. Eddy Alvarez‘ 1-for-3 day plus a walk was the best showing they could muster.
Blair Walters will go to the bump next.
Winston-Salem 6, Carolina 2
Winston-Salem 3, Carolina 2
The Dash swept a double-header and the three game series versus the Mudcats on Thursday. Pitching was the key, with Kelvis Valerio throwing 5 strong innings in his start and Robin Leyer skating effectively on thin ice in his 4 frames. Connor Walsh had the strongest bullpen showing on the day, striking out five batters and allowing just a hit in his two innings of work.
On Offense, Telvin Nash had the best overall day, going 2-for-3 with a home run and 3 walks across the two games. Nick Basto had one hit playing both games, but walked four times. Top White Sox prospect Zack Collins went 1-3 plus a walk in game one.
Jordan Stephens, whose stock has been on a sharp rise this year, will toe the rubber for the Dash on Friday.
Kannapolis 3, Lakewood 1
The Intimidators rode a strong start from Max Beatty in this win. Kannapolis is now 26-21 in the second half, after finishing the first half at 22 games under .500.
Alex Call just keeps hitting. In this contest he had a double and two singles, adding a stolen base just for grins. After scorching the Pioneer League to open his pro career, the 3rd round pick has a .370/.426/.570 line in his first 25 games of full season ball. He’s also stolen 8 bases in 9 attempts, and is proving tough to strike out too (13.5% K/PA). Bradley Strong contributed a triple and a base knock.
Luis Martinez goes for Kanny on Friday night.
AZL White Sox 4, AZL Brewers 3 (F/10)
Louis Silverio hit a walk-off double in the 10th as part of his 3-hit day to lead the AZL club to a win. Franklin Reyes, the second highest paid amateur signing the White Sox have made from Latin America, had a multi-hit game with a double. The 17-year old hasn’t hit much in his pro debut, but he’s still quite young and will almost assuredly repeat in Arizona in 2017 (he didn’t play in the DSL). 19-year old Felix Mercedes had three hits, and is now hitting .294 in his 2nd go-around in the Fire League.
Brandon Quintero made his first start since returning from the disabled list, tossing four scoreless innings while allowing just a hit and a walk. Louie Lechich allowed an unearned run on a pair of hits in his inning of relief. The 24-year old lefty converted this season from outfielder to pitcher, and so far in the AZL seems to be doing pretty well: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.
Great Falls was off on Thursday.
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