Norge Vera's first two starts looked like they were thrown by somebody who wasn't completely healthy, and sure enough, the Winston-Salem Dash roster shows he's now on the injured list.
Vera lasted only two-thirds of an inning in each start, including his most recent one on Wednesday in Asheville. Historic McCormick Field doesn't have cameras, much less readily available radar-gun readings, but the lines from his two starts tell you all you need to know:
If there's any silver lining, the college pitchers selected by the White Sox in last year's draft are off to encouraging starts, as you'll see in the A-ball games below.
Charlotte 6, Louisville 5
- Carlos Pérez went 2-for-4 with a walk.
Birmingham 11, Pensacola 5
- José Rodríguez walked twice and struck out thrice.
- Yoelqui Céspedes went 1-for-4 with a walk, two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Luis Mieses, 2-for-4 with a double and a sac fly.
- Adam Hackenberg went 1-for-4 with a walk and his first homer of the season.
- Luke Shilling: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 13 of 24 pitches for strikes.
Winston-Salem 8, Asheville 5
- Terrell Tatum went 1-for-4 with two walks and three strikeouts.
- Loidel Chapelli stranded eight while going 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- DJ Gladney went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Wilfred Veras, 2-for-5 with a double.
- Wes Kath avoided striking out while going 3-for-5 with a triple.
- Jonathan Cannon: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Kannapolis 3, Charleston 2
- Jordan Sprinkle went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Brooks Baldwin, 0-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases.
- Peyton Pallette: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 23 of 36 pitches for strikes.