I could only catch three innings of the Birmingham Barons before driving back to Nashville, which covered plenty of action but only half of their eventual scoring. They took a 4-2 lead through three, and coasted to an 8-2 victory and a weekend sweep of the Chattanooga Lookouts.
Some notes about what (and who) I did see:
Jake Eder: The line isn't impressive -- 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K -- but it still counts as his most successful start for a White Sox minor-league affiliate due the massive control problems he experienced after joining the team from the Marlins.
The strike-throwing wasn't an issue, at least after the first inning. That's when he issued both walks, although one of those free passes was earned, when James Free won a 10-pitch battle. He issued a five-pitch walk later, and it looked like he could be in for another rocky afternoon.
But after the 24-pitch first, he threw just 45 pitches over the remaining three innings. The fastball was around 93-94, with a slider humming it at 87. He wasn't quite executing that pitch, giving up a multiple two-strike hits against lefties, and that contributed the fourth-inning run he allowed on three straight two-out singles.
Unlike Drew Thorpe's start on Friday, if you're looking for evidence of top-100 prospect standing, Eder didn't quite show it. However, if you're looking for simple strike-throwing, this was a step in the right direction.
Brooks Baldwin: He hit his first Double-A homer, and off quality competition. He sent a low-90s Chase Petty cutter over the wall in dead center, 106 mph off the bat. He then added an RBI single to right on a 97-mph Petty fastball, so he further bolstered his place on my watch list.
He did show some inexperience at shortstop, as he twice couldn't complete plays on bouncers that got past Bryan Ramos cutting in front of him. Perhaps that means he's not used to that sort of traffic on grounders, but he did make a nice ranging play to his left.
Duke Ellis: After posting a .157/.318/.216 line over 16 games at age 25 with the Barons last year, it wouldn't have surprised me that marked the end of his run with the White Sox. But he's providing an early reminder of why he's fun to have on a minor-league roster if at all possible, going 4-for-8 with five stolen bases in two games. Once he's on, he might score himself.
Charlotte 6, Norfolk 2
- Colson Montgomery went 3-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
- Max Stassi was 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Oscar Colás, 1-for-4 with a K.
- Adam Hackenberg wore the golden sombrero.
- Zach DeLoach singled, walked, struck out twice and stole a base.
Notes:
*The Chad Kuhl/Johan Dominguez-led pitching performance helped lower Charlotte's team ERA back into the single digits (9.68).
Birmingham 8, Chattanooga 2
- Terrell Tatum singled, walked twice and struck out twice.
- Brooks Baldwin was 2-for-4 with a homer, bases-loaded walk and strikeout.
- Bryan Ramos was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Edgar Quero, 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Tim Elko went 1-for-4 with a double off the center-field wall and a strikeout.
- Wilfred Veras went 2-for-4 with a homer.
- Jake Eder: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
- Connor McCullough: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Notes:
*I missed Veras' second homer of the weekend, as he got on top of a 95 mph fastball.
Asheville 12, Winston-Salem 5
- Samuel Zavala went 2-for-4 with a homer, walk, strikeout and stolen base.
- Jacob Gonzalez was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- DJ Gladney struck out four times during an 0-for-5 day.
- Loidel Chapelli went 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Riley Gowens: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Notes:
*Zavala's first homer went over McCormick Field's right field wall, but while McCormick only runs 297 feet to the pole and 320 feet to right-center, it didn't appear to be a cheapie.
Charleston 6, Kannapolis 2
- Rikuu Nishida went 1-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Edrick Felix was back in the lineup after getting hit in the hand, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Ronny Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Jake Bockenstedt got the start, so one of my starting pitcher predictions was wrong.
