The White Sox will be purchasing the contract of Ky Bush in advance of tonight's series opener against the Oakland Athletics, and we'll have a write-up of how Bush earned his chance and what to expect from him later today.
In this space, we'll discuss the undercard move: With Bush joining the 26-man roster, Mason Adams will receive a well-deserved promotion to Charlotte.
Adams has been Birmingham's steadiest starter before and after promotions dismantled the original five over the course of the 2024 season. He posted a 2.44 ERA over 103⅓ innings, and cleared five innings in every one of his 18 starts for the Barons this year. He struck out 101 batters against 19 walks (and 11 HBPs), and the Southern League hit just .236/.292/.339 against him.
He's been able to outperform his draft status (13th round in 2022, $75,000 signing bonus) thanks to prioritizing a two-seamer instead of a four-seamer, and finding a grip that allowed him to throw his slider with more power. The catch is that his fastball tops out at 93 mph, so his ability to hold up against stronger competition rests on his ability to have a majority of his five pitches working on any given night, and being able to sequence them in varying orders. That said, he's done all he can against the competition he's been asked to face over his two seasons in pro ball, so there isn't a reason to knock him until it stops working.
For more about Adams, consult your local library this post I wrote about him in mid-June.
Norfolk 4, Charlotte 2
- Bryan Ramos went 2-for-4.
- Edgar Quero, 1-for-4 with a homer.
- Oscar Colás was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Tim Elko split the difference between the two lines above: 1-for-4 with a homer and two strikeouts.
- Colson Montgomery was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- Zach DeLoach, 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
Highlights:
*Quero's blast:
Montgomery 5, Birmingham 0
- Jacob Gonzalez went 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Wilfred Veras, 0-for-4.
- Tyler Schweitzer: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 2 HR, 63 of 94 pitches for strikes.
Greensboro 6, Winston-Salem 1 (Game 1, 7 innings)
- Rikuu Nishida, Loidel Chapelli and Ryan Galanie all were 0-for-3.
- DJ Gladney went 1-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Wes Kath was 1-for-3 with a homer and a strikeout.
- Caden Connor went 1-for-3.
- Samuel Zavala, 0-for-2 with a K.
- Lucas Gordon before the delay: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 38 of 65 pitches for strikes.
Winston-Salem 3, Greensboro 2 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Loidel Chapelli was 2-for-3 with a triple.
- William Bergolla, 1-for-2 with a sac fly and a stolen base.
- Wes Kath and Ryan Galanie both were 2-for-3 with a double.
- Caden Connor was 0-for-2 with a walk.
- Eddie Park went 0-for-3 with a K.
- Samuel Zavala went 0-for-2 with a walk, and was caught stealing.
- Peyton Pallette: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 23 of 35 pitches for strikes.
Red Sox 5, Kannapolis 2 (Game 1, 7 innings)
- Jeral Perez went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
- George Wolkow walked once, struck out twice and stole a base.
- Ronny Hernandez went 1-for-3.
Red Sox 4, Kannapolis 3
- Ryan Burrowes was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Jeral Perez was 0-for-3.
- George Wolkow went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Ronny Hernandez went 1-for-3.
