With most of the affiliates idle on Monday, let's review the standings.
Charlotte Knights: 51-59, last place in the International league South.
Birmingham Barons: 23-22 in the second half, 2½ games behind Montgomery in the Southern League North.
Winston-Salem Dash: 26-16 in the second half, which is good for first place in the Carolina League Southern. They won the first half title, so they're just gilding the lily at this point. They have the Carolina League's best record at 67-45 overall.
As Luis Gonzalez observed, it's not a bad place to be.
White Sox prospect Luis González had the same observation about the Winston-Salem Dash lineup as a league scout in attendance for one of their games last month.
“This team is unbelievable,” González said. “Everyone is hitting above .280 it feels like, so it’s a fun time to be with a fun group of guys.”
To be fair, the scout said everyone was hitting .300, which, 35 games into his term in High-A Winston-Salem, is a bar González is also clearing going into Saturday night (.311/.363/.497).
Kannapolis Intimidators: 23-18 in the second half, sitting third in the Northern Division, five games behind Lakewood. The good news? Lakewood is four games up on second-half Hickory. If the BlueClaws win both halves, the Intimidators are in position to get the second playoff spot, as they have a six-game lead over West Virginia in overall record (62-46).
Great Falls Voyagers: The Voyagers understand what the Dash don't. They're 1-10 in the second half, but they already locked up a first-half title in the Pioneer League North.
AZL White Sox: They're 5-5 in the second half, tied for fourth place, but just 1½ games behind a three-way tie for first. That's very on brand, because they're 19-19 overall.
DSL White Sox: Don't ask.
Birmingham 6, Mobile 4
- Luis Basabe went 0-fr-2 with a walk, strikeout and sac bunt.
- Joel Booker, 2-for-4.
- Zack Collins had his first big game in a while: 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk.
- Alec Call went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Danny Mendick, 3-for-4 with a double. He was caught stealing.
- Bernardo Flores: 6.2 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Winston-Salem 6, Myrtle Beach 3
- Luis Gonzalez went 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.
- Laz Rivera, 2-for-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
- Nick Madrigal went 0-for-3 with a sac fly.
- Gavin Sheets, 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Tyler Johnson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
DSL White Sox 4, DSL Blue Jays 2
- Harold Diaz went 2-for-5 and a stolen base.
- Jose Rodriguez, 1-for-5 with a steal.
- Jefferson Mendoza, 1-for-3 with a double.
- Wilber Perez: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
