White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 25, 2021

After seeing Kannapolis walk themselves off a cliff in a 13-1 loss to Lynchburg on Tuesday, I got to see just the second Cannon Ballers victory over their last 19 games. A Wilber Sanchez three-run homer gave Kannapolis all the runs they needed to beat the Hillcats, 3-2.

Offensive highlights were few and far between, as the Cannon Ballers tallied just four hits and a walk while striking out 19 times over eight innings.

The pitching improved drastically, with Matthew Thompson, the White Sox’s second-round pick of the 2019 draft, spearheading the effort.

Thompson got the game past the halfway point with a decent effort, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk over 4⅔ innings, striking out four. He threw 53 of 85 pitches for strikes, and I would’ve guessed a higher percentage from watching him.

Then again, he could only throw his fastball for reliable strikes. He threw a few strong breaking balls early, but he lost the release point for the middle ground between spinning a hanger and spiking a jart. He tried a changeup here and there, but it didn’t seem to have much softness to it.

He gave up both of his runs in the third, which is when the lack of other pitches started becoming apparent. That said, one of the two runs scored on the balk. It’s unclear what triggered it; the only thing I saw was Thompson reverting to the windup with runners on second and third.

The good news is that Thompson held his velocity for the entirety of his outing. He sat 94-96, and touched 97 during the back half. It was enough to pound the bottom of the Lynchburg lineup without a literal and figurative change of pace. When the top of the order came up for a third time and leadoff man Petey Halpin tripled to the base of the center field wall, Guillermo Quiroz came out to go to the bullpen. Three relievers froze the score to get the Cannon Ballers across the finish line.

It’s a mixed report to be sure, although given that Thompson lost some steam on draft day due to inconsistent velocity, it was nice to see mid-90s showing no signs of relenting in late August.

Durham 9, Charlotte 2

• Blake Rutherford went 0-for-4.
• Yasmani Grandal was 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
• Jake Burger went 1-for-4 with his 15th homer and two strikeouts.
• Gavin Sheets wore the golden sombrero.
• Romy Gonzalez was 0-for-3.

Montgomery 9, Birmingham 2

• Yoelqui Céspedes went 0-for-4.
• Yolbert Sanchez was 1-for-4.
• Carlos Pérez, 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
• Lenyn Sosa went 1-for-3 with a double, HBP and strikeout.

Hudson Valley 4, Winston-Salem 0

• Jose Rodriguez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
• Luis Mieses, 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
• Luis Curbelo went 0-for-4 with a K.
• Harvin Mendoza had two-thirds of the Dash’s hit with a 2-for-3 night, including a double.
• Caberea Weaver was 0-for-3 with a K.

Kannapolis 3, Lynchburg 2

• Shawn Goosenberg and Bryan Ramos both wore collars and silver sombreros.
• Chase Krogman was the only Cannon Baller to avoid striking out during his 0-for-3 night.
• Misael Gonzalez went 0-for-2 with a K and an HBP.
• James Beard had an infield single and struck out twice.
• Wilber Sanchez had a three-run homer and struck out twice.
• Matthew Thompson: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 WP

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