The Charlotte Knights opened up a six-game series in Nashville against the Sounds, so I made the 15-minute drive to see them in action. I'll be in and out of First Horizon Park throughout the week, depending on lineups and whether the White Sox ever play again.
A couple of Knights notes on the pitching front:
No. 1: Tuesday afternoon, Mike Rodriguez of Univision Sports tweeted that Johnny Cueto pitched a couple of innings in extended spring training on Monday before heading off to join the Charlotte Knights.
Tuesday night, Cueto was in Charlotte's dugout.
If his schedule holds, he'll pitch Saturday night. Assuming he pitches at some point during this Nashville trip, I'll be there regardless.
No. 2: The last time I saw Tyler Johnson pitch in person, it was an inning for the Kannapolis Intimidators during a trip to Asheville, N.C. He struck out two over a scoreless frame in one of many dominant outings in Low-A, and after finishing the season dominating High-A, it seemed like we'd see him in Chicago the following year.
Well, it's 2022, and thanks to multiple injuries and a knee surgery, Johnson's career is still trying to get over the hump in Charlotte. He entered tonight's game with a 13.21 ERA with 21 walks over 15⅔ innings scattered over the last two seasons, interrupted by the aforementioned procedure.
Tonight marked his best-ever outing with the Knights -- two scoreless innings, allowing just a walk while striking out two. He sat 95-96 with his fastball, so it seems like the arm strength is all the way back. He also had some sizable misses at times, so the control remains suspect, but he's tied together three consecutive scoreless outings, in the event you're looking for any kind of positive story from the Charlotte bullpen.
Nashville 7, Charlotte 0
- Romy Gonzalez went 0-for-2 and was lifted after Charlotte fell behind by the final score. He ended the previous inning by completing a 6-3, and nothing appeared to be wrong then.
- Carlos Pérez went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- Micker Adolfo was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Tyler Johnson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Birmingham 2, Biloxi 1
- Yolbert Sánchez went 1-for-4.
- Lenyn Sosa, 0-for-4.
- Yoelqui Céspedes homered for the third time, his only hit in four trips.
- Jose Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- Davis Martin: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 7 K
Notes:
*Céspedes' homer was quite a poke to the opposite gap.
Greenville 5, Winston-Salem 4
- Oscar Colás went 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Bryan Ramos was 2-for-4 with a K.
- Luis Mieses made his 1-for-4 count, as the hit was a grand slam. He also struck out once.
- Adam Hackenberg was 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Harvin Mendoza, 0-for-4 with a K.
Highlights:
*Here's the Mieses slam:
Kannapolis 14, Fredericksburg 2
- James Beard went 1-for-3 with three walks and two stolen bases.
- Colson Montgomery drove in five by going 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and a sac fly.
- Wilfred Veras went 1-for-3 with a walk, strikeout and two HBPs.
- DJ Gladney was 2-for-6 with two doubles and two strikeouts.
- Wes Kath struck out three times during his 2-for-6 night.
Highlights:
*Baseball Prospectus' Ben Spanier was at the game and shared footage of Montgomery and Kath:
