Amid some ugly pitching news up top -- see the Hagen Smith update from Friday's pregame notes, and Charlotte's box score below -- there were a couple of notable developments at the very bottom of the organization.
First, Mathias LaCombe made Baseball America's list of five ACL pitchers who are impressing:
LaCombe is 22 years old, which would normally be considered old for the ACL. But he’s not your typical, freshly-drafted prospect. Originally from France, LaCombe honed his craft overseas before moving to Arizona and pitching at Cochise Community College. His fastball sits comfortably in the mid 90s, and he pairs it with a sinker-slider combo. He experimented with a sweeper during instructs last year. The results have been eye-opening, and his 21 strikeouts are currently tied for the league lead. The White Sox clearly saw something they liked, grabbing LaCombe in the 12th round and signing him for $450,000—money usually reserved for a fifth-rounder.
Then Jairo Iriarte pitched in a recorded game for the first time since April 24, as he'd spent the last month in Arizona trying to recapture his mechanics. The line in the box score doesn't stand out, but hey, neither did Colson Montgomery's, and he's looked better since returning to Charlotte.
Round Rock 22, Charlotte 13
- Brooks Baldwin went 2-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
- Kyle Teel came a triple shy of the cycle, finishing 3-for-4 with a walk. He's riding a 19-game hitting streak.
- Tim Elko struck out thrice during an 0-for-5 night.
- Korey Lee also struck out thrice, but went 1-for-5.
- Bryan Ramos, 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk.
- Tyler Schweitzer: 1.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR, 28 of 48 pitches for strikes.
- Nick Nastrini was the only Charlotte pitcher unscored upon: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 12 of 17 pitches for strikes.
Notes:
*The Knights trailed 11-2 early, and the game was tied at 13 through seven.
*The Knights threw 251 pitches to Round Rock's 190.
Birmingham 6, Pensacola 3
- Rikuu Nishida went 2-for-5 with two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Wilfred Veras was 0-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base.
- Ryan Galanie, 1-for-4.
- Jacob Gonzalez, 0-for-4.
- D.J. Gladney was 2-for-4 with a strikeout and two stolen bases.
- Grant Taylor: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 8 of 13 pitches for strikes.
Hudson Valley 10, Winston-Salem 1
- Jeral Perez and Braden Montgomery both were 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Samuel Zavala, 0-for-3 with a K.
Columbia 6, Kannapolis 4
- Caleb Bonemer went 3-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
- Lyle Miller-Green was 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Ryan Burrowes, 0-for-2 with two walks, a sac fly and a K.
- George Wolkow, 0-for-5 with a K.
- Abraham Nuñez went 2-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Pierce George: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 16 of 36 pitches for strikes.
ACL Reds 10, ACL White Sox 6 (7 innings)
- Adrian Gíl went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk.
- Jurdrick Profar singled, walked, struck out and was caught stealing.
- Jairo Iriarte sighting: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP
