Following up on Friday's items on Sox Machine...
Charlotte: Romy Gonzalez returned to the injured list a little more than a week after returning from the IL with a hamstring strain. It's a lot easier to understand Wes Helms' reluctance to play Gonzalez if he weren't 100 percent, or even close to it.
Of course, that's not Helms' decision to make right now, as the White Sox placed him on administrative leave. The club failed to elaborate, only calling it a "personnel issue." For the time being, the Knights are now being led by Julio Mosquera, who joined the organization earlier this season as the catching instructor. Perhaps that'll give Carlos Pérez a boost.
Birmingham: When writing about players performing at unprecedented levels, there's always a risk that simple regression will make it look outdated in a hurry, so I appreciate Lenyn Sosa following up my feature about him by going 4-for-5 with a homer.
Rocket City 8, Birmingham 1 | Top 8
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) May 21, 2022
Gotta Love Sosa🎶 pic.twitter.com/0njqzZRxJE
He's now hitting .374/.440/.612 on the season, and .425/.475/.795 over 17 games in May.
Norfolk 9, Charlotte 8
- Yolbert Sánchez went 2-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
- Jake Burger was 1-for-4 with a homer, walk and strikeout.
- Carlos Pérez was 1-for-5 with a strikeout.
Highlights:
*Sánchez tied the game in the ninth with a single:
Yolbert!
— jeff cohen (@TripleAJeff) May 21, 2022
A 2-out RBI single by Sanchez, B8, ties it 8-8.
Brandon Finnegan on to pitch the 9th.
@FutureSox pic.twitter.com/mjnOaQdS9N
Rocket City 8, Birmingham 2
- José Rodríguez went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.
- Lenyn Sosa raised his average to .374 by going 4-for-5 with a homer.
- Yoelqui Céspedes had his first big game in a while: 3-for-4 with a homer and a stolen base.
- Jason Bilous in relief: 4 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 2 WP
Highlights:
*Céspedes' homer:
Rocket City 8, Birmingham 2 | Top 9
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) May 21, 2022
Cespedes makes it two solo shots on the night for the Barons! pic.twitter.com/KmSDFlu6xx
Asheville 7, Winston-Salem 5
- Oscar Colás was 1-for-5 with three strikeouts, and was caught stealing.
- Luis Mieses singled thrice and struck out twice.
- Adam Hackenberg went 0-for-5 with a K.
- Harvin Mendoza singled, walked and struck out twice.
- Matthew Thompson: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP
Fayetteville 13, Kannapolis 2
- Wes Kath wore the golden sombrero during an 0-for-5 night.
- Colson Montgomery was 2-for-5.
- Wilfred Veras went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- DJ Gladney went 1-for-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
- Brooks Gosswein: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP
