With two recaps and a podcast, it’s just the box scores this morning.
Charlotte 10, Gwinnett 7
- Danny Mendick went 3-for-4 with a homer and a walk.
- Charlie Tilson is cooling off: 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, and he was caught stealing.
- Daniel Palka went 1-for-4 with a homer.
- Joel Booker was 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 0
- Luis Robert went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in his Double-A debut.
- Luis Basabe, 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. He was also caught stealing.
- Luis Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with a walk.
- Gavin Sheets went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Blake Rutherford was 1-for-4 with a K.
- Laz Rivera went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
Potomac 18, Winston-Salem 4
- Steele Walker went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk.
And here’s that double:
Charleston 5, Kannapolis 1
- Lenyn Sosa went 0-for-4.
- Romy Gonzalez went 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Bryce Bush, 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Corey Zangari singled twice and struck out twice.
- Luis Curbelo was 0-for-2 with a walk and a K.
- Amado Nunez went 0-for-3.
- Konnor Pilkington: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
I am really paying attention to Konnor Pilkington. Looks as though he may be moving up a notch or two before the year is over. What’s not to like in a 6’3″ lefty who throws strikes, strikes them out without walking many and goes deep into the game?
Konnor with a K. (Copyright pending)
He’s another who’s probably too good for his current level. Wouldn’t surprise me if he heads to W-S in the near future.
Nice to see Bush weather the initial storm and adjust to a new level. Really interested to see what happens going forward.
-Rotation at mlb level has been healthy and performed adequately
-Extra year of salary suppression deadline hasn’t passed
-Not one of 5 best starters in org
-Isn’t mentally mature enough
-Hasn’t been dominant at AAA like at lower levels
Of the both legitimate and maddening reasons teams don’t call up prospects, I’m struggling to figure out the actual reasoning, and company line (have not heard) the Sox are using for Cease not being in the rotation. Having a super mature kid blowing away AAA hitters with a 98 mph heater and the highest K/BB of his career while fans get to hear about either Dylan Covey or a “bullpen day” coming up doesn’t make a ton of sense, even in today’s sometimes odd thought processes.
There’s that trope about pitchers hitting a dead-arm period a few weeks into the season as they get adjusted to the grind of the regular workload. I’m not sure how true it us, but his command did loosen on him for a couple outings in a row, so I can see waiting for stabilization, rather than feeling like Ervin Santana’s failure forced the hand.
Though I don’t think it’s a good reason, Super Two cutoff maybe. For a guy without any service time banked that cutoff’s still 2 weeks away +/- to be sure.
They don’t have the win-now pressure that made it moot for Rodon.
They can afford to put him through a proper development timeline.
He has 52.1 IP at AA and 24.1 IP at AAA.
We don’t know how much he’s thrown a third pitch.
If his 3rd pitch needs work, MLB is not the place to do it.
He can get used to the MLB ball in an easier environment.
It hasn’t been total domination this year at AAA.
He isn’t even averaging 5 innings per start.
There is no 2019 savior the Sox are keeping from us.
Hurricane Luis in the outfield:
This is more exciting than Trés Garcías.
Also, that lineup looks far more interesting than most of what the Sox are trotting out, pitcher included.
Hope Vizquel flips Basabe and Robert RF/CF a fair amount. For Basabe’s sake.