Of all the position players struggling in Birmingham, Luis Basabe is the only one with a documented physical excuse for a slow start. He broke his hamate at the start of spring training, and hand injuries can linger well after a player is declared healthy enough to return to action.
As of May 19, Basabe was hitting just .157/.259/.176 over his first 14 games back at Double-A, and with 18 strikeouts over 59 plate appearances.
Good news, though: Basabe has raised his average 90 points with four straight multi-hit games, including a 2-for-5 night with a double against Chattanooga on Friday. The recent surge boosted his line to .247/.330/.299. The power is still lagging -- only three of his 24 hits have gone for extra bases -- but it's probably going to be like that for a while due to the combination of a hand injury and the environment. The resumption of the improved hit tool is the more vital step at this point.
Charlotte 6, Durham 4
- Danny Mendick doubled, walked twice, struck out twice and was picked off.
- Daniel Palka had his third straight 0-for-4 night, though he did draw a walk.
- Seby Zavala homered, walked and struck out twice.
- Joel Booker struck out thrice and got plunked.
Birmingham 11, Chattanooga 7
- Luis Robert and Luis Basabe both were 2-for-5 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
- Luis Gonzalez went 1-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Gavin Sheets, 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Blake Rutherford doubled, singled, walked and struck out twice.
- Ti'Quan Forbes went 3-for-4 with a double, HBP and a strikeout.
- Kyle Kubat: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Salem 8, Winston-Salem 6
- Nick Madrigal went 1-for-4 with a sac fly.
- Carlos Perez went 2-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
- Konnor Pilkington: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
Hagerstown 3, Kannapolis 2
- Lenyn Sosa went 2-for-4 with a triple.
- Romy Gonzalez, 0-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Luis Curbelo wore the collar and silver sombrero.
- Jhoandro Alfaro went 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts.
- Jonathan Stiever: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
