KNIGHTS KNOTES — May 30, 2021
KNIGHT LIGHTS: The Charlotte Knights will conclude their first road trip of the 2021 season today at 1:05 p.m. with the finale of a rain-shortened five-game series against the Norfolk Tides from Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA. The Knights dropped five of six games in Durham, NC against the Durham Bulls to start the road trip. The Knights are 2–8 on the trip with one game left.
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY: Saturday’s game between the Charlotte Knights and Norfolk Tides originally scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA was postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday, September 1 at 5:05 p.m. in Norfolk, VA.
KNIGHTS VS. TIDES: The Knights won five of six games against Norfolk from May 11–16 at Truist Field earlier this season. After a loss in three-straight games to start this series, the Knights won last night’s game by a score of 17–5. The Knights are now 6–4 this season against the Tides.
THE LAST KNIGHTS GAME: 1B/OF Gavin Sheets and OF Mikie Mahtook launched mammoth home runs and RHP Mike Wright (1–1, 2.74) tossed seven effective innings to lead the Knights to a commanding 17–5 win over the Norfolk Tides in game four of the six-game series from Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA on Friday. Offensively, every player in the Charlotte lineup had at least one hit on the evening.
HIT PARADE: On Friday, the Knights combined to record 25 hits, their most of the season. 1B/OF Gavin Sheets launched a two-run home run in the third inning and finished the night 4-for-6 with three runs scored, the home run and two RBIs. OF Brian Goodwin also had a four-hit game and added three RBIs on the night. Additionally, OF Blake Rutherford, INF Tim Beckham and INF Marco Hernández had three hits apiece. Beckham also chipped in with three RBIs.
THE WRIGHT STUFF: RHP Mike Wright (1–1, 2.74) was solid over seven innings of work on Friday en route to his first win of the season. The seven-inning start was just the second of the season by a Knights pitcher and first since LHP Matt Tomshaw’s seven-inning start on May 23. For the season, Wright has 29 strikeouts over 23.0 innings pitched, which is tied for third in the Triple-A East.
REHABBING: Chicago White Sox LHP Jace Fry and outfielder Adam Engel are currently on MLB rehab assignments with the Charlotte Knights. Engel has appeared in three games on the assignment and is hitting .417 (5-for-12) with one home run and three RBIs. He 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. Fry struck-out two batters in a scoreless fifth inning on Thursday. He is on Chicago’s 60-day injured list.
BURGER KING: 3B Jake Burger has now hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games and currently has a six-game hitting streak. He is the team leader in home runs with six and is second behind Gavin Sheets in RBIs with 15. Ranked as the number 16 prospect in Chicago’s system by MLB.com, Burger is playing for the first time since 2017 missed 2018 & 2019 to injuries and 2020 to the cancellation of the MiLB season).
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 Jonathan Stiever (1–0, 4.15) will make his fifth start of the season in today’s finale. On May 16, Stiever fanned nine batters over five innings to earn his first career Triple-A win. He went 0–1 with a 9.95 ERA in two games out of the Chicago White Sox bullpen last season. Originally selected in the fifth round of the June 2018 First-Year Player Draft, Stiever entered the 2021 season ranked seventh in the White Sox system as rated by Baseball America. The same publication rated him as possessing the Best Curveball in the White Sox system.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Knights will have an off day on Monday before opening up a six-game series against the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) from Truist Field on Tuesday.
