Last calls

Most of the excitement from Saturday’s Charlotte Knights game was drained when Tyler Flowers left the game in the second inning. He took a foul tip to his throwing hand, and after visiting the mound to buy some time, the training staff took a look at him.

Tyler Flowers gets his hand checked out. (Sox Machine)
Tyler Flowers gets his hand checked out. (Sox Machine)
He remained in the game until the end of the half-inning, and Cole Armstrong pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the second.
Fortunately, Armstrong filled in admirably, hitting a three-run homer as the Knights rallied back from a 5-0 deficit for a 7-5 win. Josh Fields’ third homer in as many days made the difference.
(It seemed like Flowers’ hand issues weren’t serious. He warmed up pitchers in the bullpen later in the game, and he didn’t have any kind of padding/splint/bandage on his throwing hand, that I (or my camera) could see, anyway.)
A few observations from the game before I pack up to head home:
*Armstrong had a poor day throwing (two throws went into center field, including one that allowed a run to score), until catching Michael Aubrey at second on a busted hit-and-run.  My dad noticed a weird hitch in his release.  It’s a distinct three-step motion — he pulls his arm back, cocks his wrist downward, and then comes forward with it all. Kinda like Gavin Floyd, and people steal on him, too.
*If Fields were an up-and-comer instead of a possible major-league washout, I probably wouldn’t have noticed his issues with the fastball over the four games I watched, and would’ve considered him a pretty exciting prospect. It’s really something, the difference between Triple-A pitchers and major-league issues.
*Jack Egbert gave up a lot of solid contact. I’m not seeing him rise above fringe Triple-A pitcher status, but at least he’s outpitched Lance Broadway this season.
*Stefan Gartrell has a really big swing, and it’s really not working for him.
*Jhonny Nunez should give the Sox some value from the Nick Swisher trade. Odd that he was wearing Octavio Dotel’s No. 26, because I can see the similarites — right down to the leadoff single allowed.
Here’s the rest of the box score.
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Minor league roundup:

  • Carolina 8, Birmingham 1
    • Dayan Viciedo (playing first!) went 1-for-3 with a walk.
    • John Shelby went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. He also stole his 26th base.
    • C.J. Retherford hit double No. 37; Christian Marrero went 0-for-4.
    • Jordan Danks had the day off.
  • Winston-Salem 1, Frederick 0
    • Miguel Socolovich (4 IP, 3 H), Wander Perez (2 IP, 2 K), Nathan Jones (2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) and Tyson Corley (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) combined for a four-hitter.
    • Seth Loman’s RBI double provided the game’s only run.
    • Justin Greene went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts; Brent Morel went 0-for-4.
  • Kannapolis 8, Asheville 1
    • Jared Mitchell smacked three doubles in five at-bats.
    • Brandon Short went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and his 11th steal.
    • Josh Phegley hit his seventh homer; Daniel Black went 1-for-3 with two walks.
    • Eduardo Escobar went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
    • Charles Leesman allowed one run on 10 hits over seven innings, striking out six to just one walk.
    • Drew O’Neil and Dan Remenowsky each threw a 1-2-3 inning.
  • Bristol 5, Elizabethton 4
    • Brady Shoemaker homered, doubled and singled.
    • Daniel Holmberg: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR.
    • Alvaro Garcia pitched three scoreless innings; Santos Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.
  • Idaho Falls 6, Great Falls 5
    • Jordan Cheatham went 3-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBI. He has seven hits over his last two games.
    • Jeff Tezak and Jesus Avila each went 2-for-5 at the top of the order.
    • Jimmy Ballinger continues to struggle: 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 7 K, 1 HR.

Larry recapped the week in the farm system at South Side Sox.

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knoxfire30

Viciedo at 1st, shocker haha