KNIGHTS KNOTES — May 25, 2021
KNIGHT LIGHTS: The Charlotte Knights will continue their first road trip of the 2021 season today at 6:35 p.m. with game one of a six-game series against the Norfolk Tides from Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA. The Knights are in the midst of playing 12 games on the trip over a 13-game span.
THE LAST KNIGHTS GAME: The Charlotte Knights dropped the finale of a six-game series against the Durham Bulls by a score of 8–7 on Sunday evening from Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Bulls scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to go on for the come-from-behind victory.
KNIGHTS VS. BULLS: The 12-game road trip started on Tuesday, May 18 in Durham, NC with game one of a six-game series against the Durham Bulls from Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Knights won game two of the series on Thursday, May 20, but dropped five of six overall.
KNIGHTS VS. TIDES: The Knights won five of six games against Norfolk from May 11–16 at Truist Field earlier this season.
ROSTER MOVE: Chicago White Sox outfielder Adam Engel will begin a rehab assignment with the Charlotte Knights today. Engel hit .295 (26-for-88) with 11 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, three home runs, 12 RBIs and a stolen base in 36 games with the Chicago White Sox last season. He is currently on Chicago’s 10-day injured list.
BURGER KING: 3B Jake Burger launched his team-high sixth home run of the season on Saturday and is tied for fifth in the Triple-A East in that category. In his first season at the Triple-A level and first season since 2017 (missed 2018 & 2019 to injuries and 2020 to the cancellation of the MiLB season), Burger has excelled at the plate. He has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games, including a three-hit game on Sunday. He entered the season ranked as the number 16 prospect in Chicago’s system by MLB.com.
MIKIE LIKES IT: OF Mikie Mahtook currently has an eight-game hitting streak (May 9-present) and has scored a run in six-straight games (May 14-present). Mahtook homered twice in Durham against his former team. As far as hitting streaks go, the longest hitting streak of the season is nine games by both INF Marco Hernández and 1B/OF Gavin Sheets.
LEADING KNIGHTS”: The Charlotte Knights pitching staff has recorded 189 strikeouts this season, which is tied for fourth in the Triple-A East. The Durham Bulls are first with 205… The Knights have hit a total of 27 home runs this season, which is tied for second in the Triple-A East behind Durham (35).
TWO HOMER GAMES: 1B/OF Gavin Sheets launched two home runs on Sunday, May 16th — his first two-homer game over his professional career. On Thursday, May 20, OF Brian Goodwin connected on two solo home runs. It was his first two-homer game since August 30, 2019 against the Boston Red Sox as a member of the LA Angels and the sixth two-homer game of his career.
TO-KNIGHTS STARTING PITCHER: RHP Reynaldo López (0–2, 9.00) will make his third start of the season tonight. Making his first start with the Knights in 1,375 days (since August 6, 2017), López was solid over five innings of work on May 12th. The 27-year-old, who was activated off the team’s IL earlier in the day, fanned eight batters and allowed just two runs on the night. Despite the solid effort in his first start of the season, López was saddled with the loss.
