White Sox Minor League Update: June 15, 2024
Two playoff marches slowed, one by Delmarva, the other by storm clouds
Charlotte Knights 6, Durham Bulls 4 (Gameday box) (Statcast box)
It’s always a good day for a Knights win, especially as the starting rotation is in slight tatters as Chad Kuhl and Jonathan Cannon are in the big leagues and Drew Thorpe bypassed Triple-A entirely. Cory Abbott started today in that “Kuhl”-type mini-starter role, and it didn’t go well; however, Chase Plymell came on in a sort of Tanner Banks multi-inning role and was lights-out. Add in some big hits from unexpected sources and you’ve got a recipe for an easy win.
Wait, 6-4 was an easy win? Well, the Knights kept the bases clogged with traffic all game; it could have been so much worse for the Bulls, really, as Charlotte was 2-for-17 with RISP.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos at Birmingham Barons (PPD, rain)
Yes, the heavens have prevented a Noah Schultz Day in Birmingham, and you just know this was going to be the first time he went five, right?
OK, as outlined below, it’s a twinbill on Sunday and if things break right, the Barons might be REALLY close to a division title heading into the final series of the first half. Or, it could rain some more and really mess things up.
Join us tomorrow for double the Father’s Day fun
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) June 16, 2024
️: Tickets for 6/15’s game be exchanged for any other home game this season, excluding the Rickwood Classic. Tickets can be exchanged at the Joe Drake ticket office, or by contacting tickets@barons.com pic.twitter.com/GQ7MFgEFvW
But more importantly, WHERE ARE THE HAWAIIAN SHIRTS BHAM?
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) June 15, 2024
Winston-Salem Dash 6, Greensboro Grasshoppers 3 (Gameday box)
In a sense, the Dash and Knights are dance partners, as our the playoff-bound Barons and CBs. That’s unfair to W-S, which is within spitting distance of .500 and Charlotte ... is not.
But one thing that’s going to lead to a brighter second half of the season is Ryan Galanie lighting up the sky:
A 2-Run and @ryangalanie first Home Run at Truist Stadium!
— Winston-Salem Dash (@WSDashBaseball) June 16, 2024
Grasshoppers 3 | Dash 5 @AtriumHealthWFB pic.twitter.com/F7pC1izN3C
Loidel Chapelli remained hot in the 9-spot, and Calvin Harris had a sneaky-dominant game on both sides of the ball, although it didn’t show up in the WPA counts.
Perhaps best of all, no sooner did Billy Seidl make it to High-A, he scores a win for the Dash. Seidl was a preordained (premature?) presumed closer upon draft, and sort of fell out of that role in 2024. But he’s really gotten his legs under him, continuing as a high-leverage if not outright-closer guy.
Delmarva Shorebirds 7, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 4 (Gameday box)
The CBs entered play with a magic number of just two, so theoretically a Kannapolis win and loss by the Columbia Fireflies would clinch the club their first playoff appearance since 2018 and first-ever under the Cannon Ballers moniker. Well, the number stays at two, with this loss and Columbia’s 5-4 win ...
Seth Keener’s worst starts are pretty darn good ones for anyone else, but as our sneak “best” pick of the 2023 Sox draft, we demand better of the young ace. Tonight, despite some nice whiffs/Ks, he dug a bit of a hole for his team.
Kannapolis can still clinch the postseason, as early as tomorrow.
ACL White Sox 3, ACL Dodgers 2 (7 innings) (Gameday box)
Not only a bounce-back win for the floundering Complex Sox, who entered play in AZ tonight 10-20, but a win against the first-place Dodgers! Three of the most familiar bats for Chicago starred in this one, and toss in a tight Jordany Chirinos start for good measure. Sure, it was just seven innings, but a win is a win.
Don’t fret too much over Eloy’s poor game, at least no more than you were elated when he hit the ground running with a double and homer yesterday.