KNIGHTS KNOTES — August 5, 2021
KNIGHT LIGHTS: The Charlotte Knights (28–51, 7th) are in the midst of playing 12 games over 13 days on the road. The road trip started on Tuesday with this six-game series against the Gwinnett Stripers (43–37, 4th) from Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, GA. After an off day scheduled for Monday, August 9, the Knights will play six games against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in Jacksonville, FL. Since July 10, the Knights are 3–20.
KNIGHTS VS. STRIPERS: Head-to-head this season, the Knights are just 1–13 against the Stripers after losses in back-to-back games to start this seris — the first between the two teams this season at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, GA. The first 12 of the head-to-head series this season all came from Truist Field in Uptown Charlotte. This six-game series at Coolray Field is the only matchup between the two teams this season there. Charlotte’s lone win of the season against Gwinnett came on May 5 at Truist Field in a 9–6 victory.
ABOUT LAST KNIGHT: The Charlotte Knights dropped game two of a six-game series against the Gwinnett Stripers by a score of 4–1 on Wednesday night from Coolray Field. INF/OF Danny Mendick drove home Charlotte’s lone run of the game in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI single. INF Matt Reynolds, who doubled to lead off the eighth inning, scored Charlotte’s first and only run of the game on Mendick’s RBI single. Gwinnett scored three of four runs on the night against RHP Mike Wright (6–5, 3.43), who started Wednesday’s game for the Knights. Wright allowed three runs on five hits over four innings of work and was saddled with the loss. He struck-out five batters.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: LHP John Parke was promoted to the Charlotte Knights today from Double-A Birmingham. This is his second promotion to the Knights this season. He was promoted to Charlotte on July 29 and started game two of that day’s doubleheader at Truist Field against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Parke, 26, allowed just two unearned runs over five innings for the Knights to earn the win on July 29, his first at the Triple-A level. He was assigned back to Birmingham on July 30. With the Barons this season, Parke has appeared in 14 games (12 starts) and owns a 3–4 record with a 4.66 ERA in 58.0 innings pitched. A native of Greenville, SC, Parke was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 21st round of the June 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina.
HOME RUN KNIGHTS: The Knights have 109 homers on the season, which is good for the fourth-best total this season in the Triple-A East. OF Mikie Mahtook is Charlotte’s leader in home runs with 15 and is tied for eighth in the Triple-A East in that category. The Knights had three players tied for the team lead in home runs in July — all with seven homers apiece. INF Zach Remillard, OF Mikie Mahtook and C/DH Yermín Mercedes all hit seven home runs last month.
ROBERT REHAB: Chicago White Sox OF Luis Robert joined the Charlotte Knights on MLB Rehab on Tuesday, July 27. In six games with the Knights, he is hitting .273 (6-for-22) with a double. He began his rehab stint with High-A Winston-Salem on Wednesday, July 21 and appeared in four games with the Dash. The Cuban native hit .250 (3-for-12) with one run scored, one double and three RBIs. The 23-year-old is currently on the Chicago White Sox 60-day Injured List with a right hip flexor strain. He won an American League Gold Glove Award during his rookie campaign in 2020.
LEADERBOARD: RHP Mike Wright (6–5, 3.43) is among the Top 10 Triple-A East leaders in a number of categories. His 3.43 ERA is third in the Triple-A East. He is also tied for third strikeouts (84), tied for fifth in wins (6), first in batting average against (.199), first in WHIP (1.04), first in IP (89.1) and tied for eighth in win percentage (.545).
TOKNIGHTS STARTER: RHP Jonathan Stiever (3–5, 6.05) gets the ball tonight for his team-high 16th start of the season. In two starts this season against the Stripers, RHP Jonathan Stiever is 0–0 with a 3.38 ERA (8.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 12 SO). Stiever, 24, entered the 2021 season ranked by Baseball America as the 7th best prospect in Chicago’s system. He was drafted by the White Sox in the fifth round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft.
