KNIGHTS KNOTES — July 21, 2021
KNIGHT LIGHTS: The Charlotte Knights (25–40, 7th) will continue a six-game road series from Durham Bulls Athletic Park against the Durham Bulls (45–20) tonight. Game two of the six-game set takes place tonight with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. from Durham, NC. The Knights enter tonight’s game with a season-long losing streak of nine consecutive games. Charlotte’s last win came on July 9 at Jacksonville by a score of 11–6.
KNIGHTS VS. BULLS: The Knights will face the Bulls tonight for the 14th time this season — all coming in Durham, NC. The two teams have yet to meet this season in Uptown Charlotte. The Bulls, who have the best record in all of Triple-A Baseball (45–20), are now 10–3 against the Knights so far this season after winning last night’s game, 4–3.
ABOUT LAST KNIGHT: The Charlotte Knights rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth inning, but fell just short in the opening game of a six-game series against the Durham Bulls from Durham Bulls Athletic Park by a score of 4–3 on Tuesday night. With two outs and runners on second and third base, designated hitter Blake Rutherford grounded out to first base to end the game. Catcher Deivy Grullón led the Knights with three hits.
ROSTER MOVES: OF Micker (myker) Adolfo was promoted to the Charlotte Knights from Double-A Birmingham today. In 57 games this season with the Barons, Adolfo was hitting .249 (54-for-217) with 33 runs scored, 15 doubles, 15 home runs, 46 RBIs and one stolen base. His 15 home runs are tied for the most this season in the Double-A South. He also leads the league in RBIs, slugging percentage (.525), extra-base hits (30) and total bases (114).
Adolfo, 24, entered the 2021 season ranked by MLB.com as the number 10 prospect in the White Sox system and ranked 16th by Baseball America. A native of San Pedro De Macoris, DR, Adolfo was originally signed by the Chicago White Sox as a free agent on July 2, 2013.
OF Luis González was placed on Charlotte’s Injured List today (retroactive to July 20). He has appeared in 40 games this season with the Knights and has compiled a .241 batting average with 24 runs scored, four doubles, seven home runs, 20 RBIs and nine stolen bases. The 25-year-old entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the number 9 prospect in the White Sox system as rated by Baseball America.
REHABBING: Chicago White Sox outfielders Eloy Jiménez and Jake Lamb continued their MLB Rehab Assignments last night. Jiménez, who is on Chicago’s 60-day Injured List, is hitting .261 (6-for-23) with one homer and one RBI in six games on rehab with the Knights. He had surgery to repair a ruptured left pectoral tendon two days before the start of the 2021 regular season. In four games on rehab, Lamb is hitting .313 with one homer and two RBIs. He was placed on Chicago’s 10-day Injured List on June 29 with a strained right quadriceps.
BE LIKE MIKIE: OF Mikie Mahtook provided two of Charlotte’s three runs in Tuesday’s opener. Mahtook’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning scored Rutherford from third base. In the ninth, Mahtook launched his team-high 13th home run of the season to pull the Knights to within two runs, down 4–2. For the season, Mahtook — a former Durham Bulls slugger — is Charlotte’s leader in home runs and is fifth in RBIs (28) and fifth in runs scored (28).
THE YERMÍNATOR: C/DH Yermín Mercedes extended his hit streak to 10 consecutive games (7/9-present) last night. Over that stretch, he has four multi-hit games and homered in back-to-back games (7/17–7/18). In 14 games since being optioned to Charlotte from Chicago, Mercedes is hitting .309 (17-for-55) with four homers and 10 RBIs.
TOKNIGHTS STARTING PITCHER: RHP Jimmy Lambert (3–1, 3.89) will make his 12th start of the season tonight and first since July 13 against Gwinnett. In the month of July, he is 2–1 with a 3.09 ERA (11.2 IP/13 SO). Against the Bulls this season, Lambert is 1–0 with a 1.13 ERA in two starts (8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO). He tossed five shutout innings to beat the Bulls on June 13 in Durham.
THE WRIGHT STUFF: RHP Mike Wright (5–3, 3.33), the Triple-A East Pitcher of the Month for June, is currently among the Top 10 Triple-A East leaders in a number of categories. His 3.33 ERA is second in the Triple-A East. He is also ninth in strikeouts (66), tied for eighth in wins (5), second in batting average against (.195), second in WHIP (1.01), second in IP (73.0) and eighth in win percentage (.625).
FROM THE SOUTH TO THE SOUTH SIDE: The Knights have sent 13 players to the Chicago White Sox. Those players in order are: INF Danny Mendick (May 4), RHP Alex McRae (May 14), RHP Ryan Burr (May 27), RHP Zack Burdi (May 29 & June 17 ), RHP Jimmy Lambert (May 31 & June 27), 1B/OF Gavin Sheets (June 3 & June 29), OF Brian Goodwin (June 10), OF Luis González (June 22), LHP Jace Fry (June 30), INF Jake Burger (July 2) and C Seby Zavala (July 6), RHP Reynaldo López (July 16) and RHP Matt Foster (July 19).
