KNIGHTS KNOTES — July 26, 2019
KNIGHT LIGHTS: The Charlotte Knights returned home to BB&T Ballpark on Tuesday to open a six-game homestand in Uptown Charlotte. The Knights, who went 3–4 on their recent road trip, dropped the first two games of that series, before adding a win last night in the finale, 8–3. So far, the Knights are 1–2 on the homestand. Tonight, the Knights will host the Pawtucket Red Sox in game one of a three-game series.
JIM RICE APPEARANCE: National Baseball Hall-of-Famer, Jim Rice, will meet fans and sign autographs tonight at BB&T Ballpark starting at 6:00 p.m. Rice, a Boston Red Sox legend, will also throw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch. He was an eight-time American League All-Star, the 1978 AL MVP, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
ABOUT LAST KNIGHT: With help from two four-run innings, the Charlotte Knights beat the Buffalo Bisons last night by a score of 8–3 in the finale of their three-game series from BB&T Ballpark in Uptown Charlotte. The win was Charlotte’s first of the series and snapped a three-game losing streak. It was the final game of the season between the two teams. The Knights finished the season series 3–4 against Buffalo in 2019. LHP Kyle Kubat (2–1, 5.67) earned the win last night after he tossed five good innings (W, 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO).
REHABBING: Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, who is currently on the team’s 10-day injured list with a sprained right ankle, began a Major League Baseball Rehab Assignment at BB&T Ballpark on Wednesday. Anderson, 26, went 3-for-4 with an RBI at the plate and played all nine innings as the team’s DH in his first game. Last night, as the starting shortstop, he went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and two RBIs. For the season, he is batting .317 (86-for-271) with 39 runs scored, 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases over 70 games this year with the White Sox. He was placed on the team’s IL on June 28 (retroactive to June 26). Originally drafted in the first round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft (17th overall pick), Anderson appeared in 55 games with the Charlotte Knights in 2016 and hit .304 (75-for-247) with 39 runs scored, 10 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 20 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. He was promoted from Charlotte to Chicago on June 10, 2016. At the time of that promotion, Anderson was leading the International League in hits (75) and was second in runs scored (39).
HOME RUN KNIGHTS: As a team, the Knights have combined to hit 144 home runs this season, which is good for fourth-best in the International League in 2019–40 more than they hit all of last year (103). The most home runs in a season combined for the Knights in their history is 185, which was set back in 1993 — their first as a Triple-A franchise.
TO-KNIGHTS STARTING PITCHER: LHP Héctor Santiago (3–4 4.30), who was signed by the Chicago White Sox organization and was officially added to Charlotte’s active roster on Monday, June 24, will make his sixth start of the season with the Knights today. In his debut, he was sharp over five innings on June 25, but did not factor in the decision (ND, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 72 pitches). It was his first start with the Knights since August 13, 2012 when he earned a win over the Norfolk Tides at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, SC (W, 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO). He made three starts that season with the Knights (1–0, 0.00 ERA in 14.2 IP). Earlier this season, he posted a 3–1 record with a 3.35 ERA in eight games (seven starts) with the Syracuse Mets (43.0 IP).
TOP PROSPECT: OF Luis Robert, who is ranked as the fifth-best prospect in all of Major League Baseball by MLB Pipeline, is now batting .340 (17-for-50) with five home runs, 11 RBIs, and four stolen bases since his promotion from Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday, July 9. He made his Triple-A debut on Thursday, July 11 and hit two home runs, including his first career Triple-A hit — a grand slam. Robert began the 2019 campaign with the Winston-Salem Dash (High-A) and hit .453 (34-for-75) with 21 runs scored, five doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 24 RBIs, and eight stolen bases over 19 games. He was promoted to Double-A Birmingham on April 30th and hit .314 (71-for-226) with 43 runs scored, 16 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 29 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases over 56 games with the Barons.
