In an otherwise disappointing day for the White Sox organization, Christian Oppor's A-ball debut bucked the trend.
Oppor's first start for Kannapolis went about as well as anybody could've reasonably expected, as he struck out 10 batters over 4⅔ hitless innings in the Cannon Ballers' 5-1 win over Lynchburg.
He opened his evening by retiring the first eight batters he faced, six of them by strikeout. The control problems that have defined Oppor's young professional career eventually surfaced in the form of three walks and a hit batter, but he rebounded to blast past his previous career high in strikeouts (seven) for his most overpowering start to date.
Oppor might've benefited from a Lynchburg lineup that featured five lefties, who figure to have their hands full against a lefty who runs his fastball up to 97 mph and pairs it with a sweeper from a low slot. But even taking advantage of a favorable matchup would reflect improvement, as Oppor had no special success getting lefties out in the Arizona Complex League last season.
Jacksonville 2, Charlotte 1
- Chase Meidroth was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Edgar Quero singled twice, walked once and struck out once.
- Kyle Teel was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Tim Elko, 1-for-3 with a double and a strikeout.
- Colson Montgomery went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Chattanooga 6, Birmingham 2
- William Bergolla singled twice, walked twice and struck out once.
- Jacob Gonzalez went 1-for-5 with a strikeout.
- DJ Gladney singled thrice and struck out twice.
- Wilfred Veras wore the golden sombrero during an 0-for-5 night.
- Rikuu Nishida went 0-for-4 with a K.
- Wikelman Gonzalez's org debut: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 46 of 81 pitches for strikes.
- Peyton Pallette: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 5 of 13 pitches for strikes.
Greensboro 8, Winston-Salem 6
- Sam Antonacci was 0-for-3 with a walk and an HBP, and he was caught stealing.
- Jackson Appel went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Jeral Perez was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.
- Samuel Zavala, 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Seth Keener: 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 45 of 72 pitches for strikes.
Bullet points:
*Aldrin Batista was placed on the injured list. The White Sox didn't specify the issue, saying, "He was placed on the IL for precautionary reasons. We will have more information later this week."
*Antonacci successfully ducked a punch from first baseman Maikol Escotto, who was ejected.
Kannapolis 5, Lynchburg 1
- Caleb Bonemer went 2-for-5 with a double, two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Javier Mogollon, 1-for-4 with a triple, walk, strikeout and stolen base.
- Braden Montgomery was 0-for-3 with an HBP and two strikeouts.
- Lyle Miller-Green, 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Nick McLain went 0-for-4 with a K.
- Casey Saucke was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Ryan Burrowes, 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Christian Oppor's A-ball debut: 4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP, 50 of 81 pitches for strikes.
