Knights Knotes — June 27, 2018
KNIGHT LIGHTS: The Charlotte Knights (Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox) hit the road on Monday and made the trek to Durham, NC to begin a three-day, four-game road series at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park against the Durham Bulls (Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays). Today, the two teams will conclude the series with a day/night doubleheader. The Knights took game one by a score of 2–1, and lost last night by a score of 6–4. Game one is set for 1:05 p.m., with game two set for 7:05 p.m. game. After tonight’s game two of the twin bill, the Knights will return home on Thursday to open a four-game series at BB&T Ballpark against the Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves).
CHARLOTTE VS. DURHAM: The Knights and Durham Bulls have faced off 10 times this season with the Knights holding a 6–4 advantage head-to-head after losing the game 6–4 last night. The Knights enter today’s game having won four-of their last five against the Bulls and three of their last four in Durham, NC. The two teams opened the 2018 season at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park from April 5–8 with the Knights taking the series, 2–1. The four-game series became a rain-shortened three-game series when the Saturday, May 7th game was postponed due to rain. That game will be made up a part of this Wednesday’s day/night doubleheader (1:05 PM & 7:05 PM games). The two teams later met for the first time at BB&T Ballpark this season from May 11–13 with the Bulls taking two of three games.
ABOUT LAST KNIGHT: Shortstop José Rondón homered for the second consecutive night, but the Charlotte Knights dropped game two of their four-game, three-day series against the Durham Bulls by a score of 6–4 on Tuesday from Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, NC. The loss snapped Charlotte’s four-game winning streak against the Bulls this season. Still, the Knights are 6–4 against their in-state rival in 2018. Rondón, who homered in the eighth inning to lead the Knights to a 2–1 win on Monday, launched his sixth home run of the season in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game. His home run was one of Charlotte’s four runs in the fifth inning of game two. It was also one of the club’s eight total hits on the night. Left fielder Eloy Jiménez, right fielder Mason Robbins, and third baseman Jake Elmore all had two hits apiece for the Knights. Elmore doubled home second baseman Eddy Alvarez in the top of the fifth inning. Elmore has now reached base in 19-consecutive games.
TODAYS ROSTER MOVE: OF Trayce Thompson, who was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox on June 22, was recently outrighted to the Charlotte Knights. Thompson, 27, officially joins Charlotte’s active roster today. In 51 games with the White Sox this season, Thompson batted .116 (15-for-128) with three home runs and nine RBIs after being acquired from the Oakland A’s on April 19th in exchange for cash considerations. Thompson has appeared in 110 games with the Charlotte Knights over parts of two seasons (2012 & 2015) and has hit .256 (104-for-406) with 13 home runs and 39 RBIs. He entered 2018 Spring Training with the L.A. Dodgers but has since gone to the New York Yankees, A’s, and back to his original organization, the White Sox, in a series of waiver claims and minor trades over the course of 2018.
TO-KNIGHTS STARTING PITCHER (GAME 1): RHP Donny Roach(8–2, 2.79) will get the start in today’s game one matchup. Roach was Sunday’s originally scheduled starter but RHP Miguel González instead made a rehab start. Roach came in out of the bullpen and pitched two innings (allowing one run on three hits). Before this relief appearance, Roach was 4–0 with a 0.67 ERA in four June starts and now 4–0 with a 0.94 ERA in five games in June. Overall this season, Roach is among the IL leaders in a number of categories. He is first in winning percentage (.800), tied for first in wins (8), tied for second in the IL in games started (14), he is second in IP (87.0), and sixth in ERA (2.79). Roach was signed by the Chicago White Sox as a free agent this offseason. Last season, he spent the entire campaign in Korea with the KT Wiz and posted a 4–15 record with a 4.69 ERA in 28 games (all starts).
TO-KNIGHTS STARTING PITCHER (GAME 2): RHP Spencer Adams, who entered the 2018 season ranked as the number 12 prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization by Baseball America, will make his third career Triple-A start tonight for the Knights. He made his second career Triple-A start on Friday night and first at BB&T Ballpark. Adams, who was promoted to the Knights from Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday, June 12th, allowed just three earned runs on five hits over 6.1 innings but was saddled with the loss. He fanned six batters over the 6.1 innings. Adams, 22, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the second round of the June 2014 First-Year Player Draft. In 13 games (all starts) with the Barons this season, Adams compiled a 3–6 record with a 4.59 ERA (68.2 IP, 80 H, 36 R, 35 ER, 20 BB, 53 SO).
HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR: RHP Donny Roach and RHP Thyago Vieira have been named to the 2018 International League All-Star Team, as announced by the International League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc. earlier this morning. Vieira, 24, was elected to the team, while Roach, 28, was selected to the club. The right-handed duo will represent the Charlotte Knights at the 2018 Triple-A Baseball All-Star Game, which will take place in Columbus, OH on Wednesday, July 11th at Huntington Park.
LEADING THE WAY: RHP Michael Kopech has 97 strikeouts in just 73.1 innings pitched. He is tied for first in the IL in games started (15), second in the IL in strikeouts (97), and second in the IL in K/9 IP with an 11.90 ratio. For his Minor League Baseball career, he now has 441 strikeouts over 342.2 innings pitched (2014 to present)… OF Jacob May, who is currently on the team’s DL, is fourth in the IL in stolen bases with 13 — leading the Charlotte Knights. For his Knights career, May now has 63 stolen bases, which is good for third all-time in Knights franchise history. He passed Rafael Skeete for third place earlier this year. He is only behind all-time Knights leader Jerry Owens (93), and Jason Bourgeois, who is second with 71. Last season, May finished second in the International League with 31 stolen bases, which tied Justin Baughman (2002) for the eighth-best single season mark in Knights franchise history.
ELOY HAS ARRIVED: OF Eloy Jiménez, 21, had a game to remember on Sunday. Jiménez, who was promoted to the Charlotte Knights on Thursday from the Double-A Birmingham Barons, went 2-for-4 in yesterday’s game with a home run — his first career Triple-A home run — and the go-ahead, RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the Knights to a 5–4 win. Ranked as the top prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization by Baseball America and MLB.com, Jiménez compiled a .317 (65-for-205) batting average with 36 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, and 42 RBIs over 53 with the Barons this season. In his Triple-A debut on Thursday, he went 1-for-3 with a walk. At the time of his promotion to Charlotte, Jiménez ranked second in the Southern League in batting average, tied for fifth in home runs, tied for second in RBIs, and first in slugging percentage (.556). He was acquired by the White Sox from the Chicago Cubs on July 13, 2017 as part of the trade that sent LHP José Quintana to the Cubs. Originally signed as a free agent by the Cubs on August 1, 2013, he entered the 2018 season ranked by MLB.com as the number four overall prospect in baseball.
ATTENDANCE LEADERS: The Knights have welcomed 316,442 fans through the gates at BB&T Ballpark — tops in the IL this season. Their average attendance per game — 8,790 in 36 openings — is also tops in the IL this season. On Friday night, the Knights welcomed their 12th sell-out crowd of the season with a mark of 10,625 fans. Overall, the Knights have now welcomed 122 sell-out crowds at Knights games in BB&T Ballpark history (not counting college or Team USA games). In 4+ seasons for Charlotte Knights home games, BB&T Ballpark has now welcomed 2,930,254. The team is just 69,746 fans away from welcoming the 3-millionth Knights fan to BB&T Ballpark.
REHABBING: Chicago White Sox RHP Miguel González joined the Charlotte Knights Sunday on a Major League Baseball rehab assignment and started the 2:05 p.m. game at BB&T Ballpark against the Toledo Mud Hens. González allowed just one hit over three shutout innings and threw 37 pitches (26 for strikes) on the afternoon. González, 34, is currently on the Chicago White Sox 60-day DL with right rotator cuff inflammation. In three games this season with the White Sox, González is 0–3 with a 12.41 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched. He is expected to start Friday’s game at BB&T Ballpark.
FROM THE SOUTH TO THE SOUTH SIDE: For the season, the Knights have promoted 15 players to the White Sox. Those 15 players, along with the date(s) of their promotion, are as follows: RHP Bruce Rondόn (April 8), RHP Chris Volstad (April 12), RHP Gregory Infante (April 21), RHP Chris Beck (April 23), OF Daniel Palka (April 24), RHP Juan Minaya (April 28 & June 5), RHP Dylan Covey (April 28 & May 19), LHP Jace Fry (May 4), INF José Rondόn (May 5 & May 19), OF Charlie Tilson (May 24), C Alfredo González (May 24), INF Matt Skole (May 28), C Kevan Smith (June 5), LHP Xavier Cedeño (June 7), and RHP Thyago Vieira (June 22). Last season, 22 players earned a promotion from Charlotte to Chicago.
TOP WHITE SOX PITCHING PROSPECT: RHP Michael Kopech (3–5, 4.66) — the top pitching prospect in the Chicago White Sox system — started for the Knights on Monday and was outstanding over six shutout innings. The 22-year-old right-handed pitcher allowed just four hits and two walks on the night. He struck-out nine batters to run up his season total to 97, which is good for second in the International League this season. He threw 95 pitches (63 for strikes) but did not factor in the win. He left the game after the sixth inning with his team ahead by a score of 1–0.
