Game 50 lineups: Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

IronPigs (20-31)
Brian Bogusevic CF
Tyler Henson 2B
Domonic Brown DH
Russ Canzler LF
Jordan Danks RF
Cord Phelps 3B
Chris McGuiness 1B
Blake Forsythe C
Jayson Nix SS
Pitching: RHP Chris Leroux (0-0. 7.36)

Knights (28-21)
Micah Johnson 2B (has reached base in nine of 10 games this season with Charlotte)
Tyler Saladino SS
Jason Coats LF (hitting .295 in the month of May)
Matt Davidson DH (has hit three home runs during Charlotte's current homestand)
Matt Tuiasosopo 1B (batting .326 at BB&T BallPark this season)
Trayce Thompson CF
George Kottaras C
Tyler Colvin RF
Leury Garcia 3B (eight hits over his last three games)
Pitching: RHP Scott Carroll (1-1, 2.45)

Game time: 2:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730

Game 49 lineups: Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

IronPigs (19-31)
Chase d'Arnaud SS
Brian Bogusevic LF
Domonic Brown RF
Russ Canzler 1B
Jordan Danks CF
Cord Phelps 3B
Chris McGuiness DH
Jayson Nix 2B
Logan Moore C
Pitching: LHP Anthony Vasquez (1-1, 5.68)

Knights (28-20)
Micah Johnson 2B
Tyler Saladino DH
Neftali Soto 1B
Matt Davidson 3B
Matt Tuiasosopo RF
Trayce Thompson CF
Jason Coats LF
Kevan Smith C
Leury Garcia SS
Pitching: Erik Johnson (4-3, 4.60)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730

Roster moves: RHP Brad Penny (3-3, 4.67) was placed on the DL on Saturday after exiting Friday's game after four innings. Penny suffered a leg injury while covering first base and limped down the first-base line before walking off the field gingerly.

Birmingham Barons RHP Miguel Chalas was promoted to Charlotte on Saturday. In 14 games with the Barons this season, Chalas was 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA. The Chicago White Sox acquired Chalas from the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 30, 2014 in a trade for OF Alejandro De Aza.

LHP Sean Hagan, who was promoted to Charlotte on Friday and pitched three scoreless innings Friday night en route to earning the win, was assigned to Birmingham on Saturday.

RHP Zach Isler also made his debut with the Knights on Friday, and he pitched two innings in the team's 7-5 win. On Saturday, he was assigned to Winston-Salem, where he's appeared in 12 games this season and posted a 0-1 record with a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings of work.

After being optioned to Charlotte on Thursday from Chicago, RHP Chris Beck and RHP Scott Carroll have officially been placed on Charlotte's active roster.

Game 48 lineups: Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Jordan Danks at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

IronPigs (19-30)
Chase d'Arnaud SS
Brian Bogusevic LF
Domonic Brown RF
Russ Canzier DH
Jordan Danks CF
Tyler Henson 2B
Chris McGuiness 1B
Cord Phelps 3B
Logan Moore C
Pitching: RHP Brad Penny (3-3, 4.91)

Knights (27-20)
Leury Garcia 2B
Tyler Saladino SS
Neftali Soto 1B
Matt Davidson 3B
Matt Tuiasosopo RF
Trayce Thompson CF
Jason Coats LF
Kevan Smith C
Tyler Colvin DH
Pitching: LHP Adam Morgan (0-4, 4.78)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730

Roster moves: For the second consecutive day, the Knights have made a few changes to their roster. After being signed by the Chicago White Sox on Nov. 21, 2014, RHP Jairo Asencio was released by the organization on Friday. In 17 appearances with Charlotte this season, Asencio went 0-2 with nine saves and posted a 5.03 ERA. He allowed four runs in the top of the ninth inning in Thursday's walk-off win over the Columbus Clippers.

Winston-Salem Dash LHP Sean Hagan was promoted to the Knights on Friday. Hagan, who was drafted by the White Sox in the 31st round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, went 1-1 with two saves and posted a 4.22 ERA in 11 games — including one start — this season.

Knights catcher Kevan Smith was activated from the DL on Friday. Smith rolled his ankle sliding into home plate in Charlotte's 2-1 win over the Syracuse Chiefs on May 16. Smith was placed on the DL the next day. In 29 games with the Knights this season, Smith is batting .273 with two home runs and 12 RBIs. With Smith being activated from the DL, Charlotte catcher Jeremy Dowdy was assigned to Winston-Salem. In eight games with the Knights, Dowdy was hitting .208 with three RBIs.

After making his major-league debut on Thursday for the White Sox, RHP Chris Beck was optioned back to Charlotte after the game. Starting the second game of Chicago's doubleheader against Baltimore, Beck surrendered five runs (four earned) on 10 hits and four walks en route to receiving the loss. Beck and RHP Scott Carroll, who was also optioned on Thursday, aren't currently listed on the Knights' active roster.

Game 47 lineups: Columbus Clippers at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

Clippers (26-21)
Tyler Holt CF
James Ramsey DH
Zach Walters LF
Giovanny Urshela 3B
Adam Moore C
Carlos Moncrief RF
Audy Ciriaco 1B
Ryan Rohlinger 2B
Michael Martinez SS
Pitching: LHP Michael Roth (5-1, 2.39)

Knights (26-20)
Micah Johnson 2B
Tyler Saladino SS
Neftali Soto 1B
Matt Davidson 3B
Matt Tuiasosopo DH
Trayce Thompson LF
Jason Coats RF
George Kottaras C
Leury Garcia CF
Pitching: RHP Junior Guerra (0-3, 3.86)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730

Roster moves: On Thursday morning, the Chicago White Sox recalled Charlotte RHP Daniel Webb to serve as Chicago's 26th man for its doubleheader in Baltimore. In 15 games with the Knights this season, Webb holds a 1-1 record and a 4.01 ERA in 24 2/3 innings. His last appearance for Charlotte was on Monday against Columbus, when he pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief and was credited with the win. He appeared in 57 games for the White Sox during the 2014 season, finishing the year with a 6-5 record and a 3.99 ERA.

Upon Webb's promotion, the Knights promoted RHP Zach Isler from the Winston-Salem Dash to Charlotte. Isler, who was drafted by the White Sox in the eighth round of the 2012 First-Year Players Draft, has a 0-1 record and 2.57 ERA in 21 innings for the Dash.

Charlotte RHP Chris Beck (3-2, 3.30) was officially recalled to the big league club on Thursday to start the second game of Chicago's doubleheader in Baltimore. The White Sox have optioned RHP Scott Carroll to the Knights. Carroll has appeared in eight games for Chicago this season, posting a 1-1 record and 3.12 ERA in 17 1/3 innings.

To round off the Knights' roster moves on Thursday, first baseman Dan Black was reinstated from the Temporary Inactive List and released by Chicago. He was released to pursue a career in Korea and has reached an agreement with the South Korea KT Wiz of the Korean Baseball Organization. Black is currently first in the International League with a .457 on-base percentage as well as a .568 slugging percentage. He was batting .324 in 34 games with Charlotte and is currently tied for third in the IL with six home runs.

Game 46 preview: Charlotte Knights seek series-clinching win over Columbus Clippers

Here are the lineups:

Clippers (25-21)
Francisco Lindor SS
Tyler Holt CF
Zach Walters 1B
Giovanny Urshela DH
James Ramsey LF
Adam Moore C
Carlos Moncrief RF
Ryan Rohlinger 3B
Michael Martinez 2B
Pitching: RHP Toru Murata (2-1, 2.85)

Knights (26-19)
Micah Johnson 2B (holds a six-game hitting streak)
Tyler Saladino DH
Neftali Soto 1B
Matt Davidson 3B (has hit a home run in back-to-back games)
Matt Tuiasosopo RF
Trayce Thompson CF
Jason Coats LF (batting .304 against right-handed pitching)
Jeremy Dowdy C
Leury Garcia SS (has scored a run in eight straight games)
Pitching: Shawn Haviland (1-2, 6.14)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730

Notes: RHP Chris Beck (3-2, 3.30) was originally scheduled to start Wednesday night's game for the Knights before being called up by the Chicago White Sox. He will make his major-league debut in the second game of Chicago's Thursday doubleheader in Baltimore. ... Shawn Haviland will be making his fifth start of the season today. In his four games as a starter, Haviland has a 0-2 record and a 4.15 ERA.

Game 45 preview: Columbus Clippers at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

Clippers (25-20)

Francisco Lindor SS
Tyler Holt LF
Jesus Aguilar 1B
Zach Walters DH
Jerry Sands RF
James Ramsey CF
Giovanny Urshela 3B
Adam Moore C
Ryan Rohlinger 2B
Pitching: LHP Nick Maronde (0-5, 5.95)

Knights (25-19)

Micah Johnson 2B (holds a five-game hitting streak)
Tyler Saladino SS
Neftali Soto DH
Matt Davidson 3B (tied for IL lead with seven home runs)
Matt Tuiasosopo 1B
Trayce Thompson LF
Jason Coats RF (batting .302 in the month of May)
Jeremy Dowdy C
Leury Garcia CF (has scored a run in seven straight games)
Pitching: Kyle Drabek (0-2, 2.32)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730

Notes: The Knights enter tonight's game atop the IL South Division standings, sitting 1.5 games ahead of the Norfolk Tides and the Durham Bulls ... Charlotte has excelled at home this season, posting a 15-8 record at BB&T BallPark. The team has won seven of its last 10 home games ... During Monday's game, one of the Charlotte ball boys made this nice snag.

Chris Beck earns his third-straight win as Charlotte Knights close out seven-game home stand

Chris Beck earned his third-straight win and helped the Charlotte Knights close out their seven-game home stand with a 7-1 victory over the Syracuse Chiefs in front of 9,628 at BB&T Ballpark on Sunday. 

The Knights (21-15), who finished Sunday with 11 hits, finished their home stand 5-2 and now sit 1.5 games ahead of the Norfolk Tides for first place in the International League South Division. 

For the third-straight start, Beck -- who held the Chiefs (16-21) to one run on six hits over seven innings -- pitched into at least the sixth inning of a game, while surrendering two or less runs. 

Beck's final line read: 7IP, 6H, 1R, 3BB, 4K -- 105 pitches (69 strikes). 

Charlotte's five-six batters Dan Black (3 for 3, BB, 2R, RBI) and Trayce Thompson (2 for 3, BB, HR, R, 4 RBI) combined to go 5-for-6 with five runs knocked in and three runs scored to provide Beck with plenty of run support. 

Black's big hit came in the form of a fifth-inning triple -- his second of the season -- to dead centerfield that brought home Jason Coats and gave the Knights a 4-1 lead. 

Two innings later, the Chiefs decided to intentionally walk Black with one out and a runner on second to set up a potential double play with Thompson due up next. 

The plan backfired for Syracuse when Thompson launched his third home run of the season into the left-field bleachers to give the Knights a 7-1 lead. 

For his part, Beck -- who improved to 3-1 this season and lowered his ERA to 4.29 -- finished off his outing by striking out the International League's leading home run hitter, Ian Stewart, with a 2-2 changeup. 

Charlotte relievers Maikel Cleto and Daniel Webb tossed perfect eighth and ninth innings respectively to close out the game. 

Quote

“It's probably not going to be a smart decision to walk Dan (Black) anymore, especially with Trayce (Thompson) putting up the numbers he is behind him. He's doing his job protecting Dan. ... There's really not a break in our lineup from top to bottom.” – Knights’ starter Chris Beck 

“I have not gotten much luck over the last week and a half. But that swing (on the home run) felt good. I was just trying to attack the ball and not be so defensive. If you look at my numbers throughout my career, I've been a guy that drives the ball and I'm just trying to get back to that.” – Knights' centerfielder Trayce Thompson. 

Worth mentioning

Beck improved to 3-0 in his last three starts. Over that span, the 24-year-old second-round pick has allowed just three runs over 19 innings, while striking out 13. ... In the last two games, Knights' pitchers (Eric Surkamp 3IP, Cleto 1IP, Webb 1IP) have combined to toss five perfect innings of relief. ... The 3-for-3 performance from Black, upped his average to a Knights-leading .333 on the season. The first baseman entered the day second in the IL in on-base percentage (.437) (he was on base four times on Sunday) and first in slugging percentage (.563). The RBI was Black's 22nd of the season, which is also tops on the Knights. ... For the third time this season a team intentionally walked Black to face Thompson and for the third time Thompson came though. He's 2-for-2 with a walk, a double and a home run following a Black intentional free pass this season. ... Prior to Sunday's game, the Knights placed catcher Kevan Smith on the DL and recalled Raleigh, N.C. native Jeremy Dowdy from the Winston-Salem Dash. ... Knights' second baseman Micah Johnson was not in the lineup on Sunday after rolling his ankle on the second-base bag in yesterday's game following a ninth-inning walk-off double. He's likely just day-to-day. 

What's next?

The Knights will now hit the road for seven games, beginning with a three-game set in Scranton/Wiles-Barre against the RailRiders that kicks off on Monday at 7:05 p.m. RHP Junior Guerra (0-1, 2.45) will take the mound for the Knights across from LHP Matt Tracy (0-0, 3.50).

Emmanuel Lewis Morgan contributed to this report. 

Game 36 lineups: Syracuse Chiefs at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

Chiefs (16-20)

Emmanuel Burriss SS

Tony Gwynn Jr. LF
Darin Mastroianni CF
Ian Stewart DH
Mark Minicozzi 1B
Jason Martinson 3B

Matt den Dekker RF

Steve Lerud C
Cutter Dykstra 2B

Pitching: RHP Bruce Billings (1-2, 3.82)

Knights (20-15)

Leury Garcia 2B
Jason Coats LF

Matt Tuiasosopo RF
Matt Davidson 3B

Dan Black 1B
Trayce Thompson CF
Tyler Colvin DH

George Kottaras C
Drew Garcia SS

Pitching: RHP Chris Beck (2-1, 3.90)

Game time: 2:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.com / ESPN 730 / in spanish 

Roster Move: On Saturday, the Knights placed catcher Kevan Smith on the DL and recalled Jeremy Dowdy from Winston-Salem 

Micah Johnson bookends Charlotte Knights 2-1 walk-off win over Syracuse Chiefs

Micah Johnson hit the first pitch the Syracuse Chiefs threw over the fence for a home run and the last one down the leftfield line for a double to give the Charlotte Knights a 2-1 walk-off win on Saturday.

Johnson’s bookend performance overshadowed an excellent night of work from Knights’ (20-15) pitchers Kyle Drabek and Eric Surkamp, who combined to two-hit the Chiefs (16-20).

Johnson stepped to the plate in the first inning sitting fastball, got one, and sent his first home run of the season over the leftfield wall, becoming the first Knights player to accomplish such a feat since Jared Mitchell did it on Aug. 9 of 2014. 

The score stayed 1-0 in favor of Charlotte until the sixth inning when the Chiefs managed their first hit of the night off Drabek, when Emmanel Burriss lined a sharp one-out single through the hole between first and second.

Tony Gwynn Jr. followed with a bloop double to put runners at second and third with one down and Darin Mastroianni brought home Syracuse's lone run of the game with a fielder's choice, tying things at 1-1.

The sixth was the last inning of work for Drabek, whose final line read: 5IP, 1R, 2H, 2BB, 2K – 80 pitches (47 strikes). Surkamp then came on in relief and held the Chiefs hitless over the next three frames to set the table for Johnson’s heroics.

Kevan Smith led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk, was sacrificed to second, and then came in to score on a two-strike double off lefty-specialist Rich Hill by Johnson, who has gone 2-for-7 with three RBI, two walks and two stolen bases since rejoining the Knights two games ago.

Quote

“Rich Hill is too hard to hit man. That was just luck. I’ve seen him before last year. He threw me a curveball tonight that I pretty much thought was going to hit me in the face, so (on the next pitch) I just tickled the ball down the line.” – Knights’ second baseman Micah Johnson.

Worth mentioning

On Johnson’s walk-off double, both he and Knights’ catcher Kevan Smith came up lame. Johnson rolled his ankle on second base as he watched the play at the plate, where Smith slid in safe, while also rolling his ankle. (nutty, right?) Johnson appeared to be fine after the game, while Smith is likely day-to-day. … The walk-off win was the Knight’s fourth this season, matching their total from all of 2014. … In his last three starts, Drabek has gone 0-1 despite allowing just two runs on five hits over 17 innings. In those starts, Drabek -- who was optioned to the Knights by the Chicago White Sox back on April 24 -- has walked just four and struck out 15. … According to reports, former Charlotte Knights outfielder Jared Mitchell, who was released by the White Sox last week, has signed a deal with the Angels and will be assigned to their Class AA affiliate. Mitchell was a former first-round pick by the White Sox. He was just 2-for-40 with Charlotte at the time of his release. ... Prior to Saturday's game, the Knights activated right-hander Matt Lindstrom from the Disabled List. ... In a collision of former Charlotte Knights, Carlos Sanchez went 1-for-4 in his return to the White Sox lineup on Friday in Oakland in a game that was started by Carlos Rodon and and featured a home run from Josh Phegley. ... The sellout crowd of 10,379 was the Knights' 11th in 21 openings at BB&T Ballpark this season.

What's next?

The Knights will play the final game of their three-game series with the Chiefs at BB&T Ballpark on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. RHP Chris Beck (2-1, 3.90) will take the mound for the Knights across from RHP Bruce Billings (1-2, 3.82).

Game 35 lineups: Syracuse Chiefs at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

Chiefs (16-19)

Emmanuel Burriss SS

Tony Gwynn Jr. LF
Darin Mastroianni RF
Ian Stewart DH
Jason Martinson 3B
Kila Ka'aihue 1B

Matt den Dekker CF

Dan Butler C
Cutter Dykstra SS

Pitching: RHP Scott McGregor (3-2, 3.62)

Knights (19-15)

Micah Johnson 2B
Jason Coats LF

Neftali Soto DH

Matt Davidson 3B 
Dan Black 1B
Trayce Thompson CF
Tyler Colvin RF

Kevan Smith C
Drew Garcia SS

Pitching: RHP Kyle Drabek (0-1, 1.89)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: WMYT My12 / ESPN 730 

Roster Move: On Saturday, the Knights activated RHP Matt Lindstrom from the DL. 

Knights issue Chiefs free pass, fall 9-3 in Micah Johnson's return

Don't walk the leadoff man. It's Baseball 101.

On Friday, the Charlotte Knights' pitching staff chose to put the long-held theory to the test and paid for it in the win-loss column, dropping a 9-3 game to the Syracuse Chiefs in front of 10,534 at BB&T Ballpark.  

Statistically speaking, a leadoff walk will score 38-percent of the time. In Friday's loss, the Chiefs scored 100-percent of the time.

Syracuse batters earned free passes to begin the third, fifth and sixth innings, and in each occasion went on to post a crooked number on the scoreboard.

Erik Johnson (3-3) got the start for the Knights (19-15) and was perfect through two innings before walking Matt den Dekker to start the third inning. Following back-to-back groundouts handled easily by the newly-reassigned Micah Johnson, Emmanuel Burriss (3 for 5) ripped a triple to right-center to tie the game at 1-1.

Two innings later, Johnson missed wide with a 3-1 fastball to Steve Lerud. After the right-hander once again retired the next two batters (sacrifice bunt, strikeout), Tony Gwynn Jr. came up with a two-out RBI double to put Syracuse (16-19) on top for good.

It was the final inning for Johnson, whose final lane read: 5IP, 3H, 3R, 4BB, 5K -- 101 pitches (59 strikes).

An inning later, it was Jared Casey's turn to spot the Chiefs a runner on first. After a second walk, a wild pitch and a single, Burriss knocked in his third and fourth runs of the game with a single that bounced off the pitcher's mound and into centerfield.

Matthew Spann (1-0), who was promoted from the Class A+ Carolina League's Potomac Nationals earlier in the day, made the spot start for the Chiefs in place of A.J. Cole, who was promoted to the Nationals, and held the Knights to one unearned run on two hits over six innings.

Charlotte loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the seventh and made it a 6-3 game thanks to a RBI fielder's choice by Drew Garcia and a sacrifice fly by Johnson, but that's as close as the Knights would get, with the Chiefs adding three insurance runs in the ninth off Daniel Webb.

Quote:
"The (leadoff walks) pushed up (Johnson's) pitch count. You could probably take away 25-30 pitches just from that alone. Leadoff walks make it conducive for the other team to score, and even because of that, he still was able to pitch around it a little bit. But, you know, I think he threw close to 100 pitches through five innings." -- Knights' manager Joel Skinner. 

Worth mentioning

In his first appearance since being reassigned by the Chicago White Sox to the Knights, Micah Johnson batted leadoff and played second base. Johnson finished the night 0-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly. Johnson filled the roster spot vacated by Carlos Sanchez, whose promotion to Chicago was made official on Friday. ... Knights first baseman Dan Black (1-for-3, 2B) knocked in his 21st run of the season with a first-inning double to pull even with Matt Davidson for the team lead in RBI. ... The sellout crowd of 10,534 was the Knights' largest of the regular season and their 10th in 20 openings at BB&T Ballpark this year. The Knights posted a Minor-League best 31 sellouts in 2014. 

What's next?

The Knights will play the second game of their three-game series with the Chiefs on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at BB&T Ballpark. RHP Kyle Drabek (0-1, 1.89) will take the mound for the Knights against Chiefs’ RHP Scott McGregor (3-2 3.62).

Micah Johnson spoke after the game

Here's the transcript...

Q: What was the message from the White Sox when they reassigned you to Charlotte?

A: Nothing really, they don't tell you much. They just send you down. 

Q: That was it? They just walked in and...
A: Na, I got a phone call.

Q: What are you planning to work on in Charlotte?

A: I'm going to work on everything I've always done. I work every day at the same stuff. No need to change. I'll keep working in the cage, on the field defensively, stealing, base running. Nothing specific, I'm just going to keep working. That doesn't' change. 

Q: More confidence at the plate after facing Major League pitching all season?
A: No, I'm a pretty confident guy I think. My confidence was pretty good at the plate. I thought I held my own pretty decently at the plate, so my confidence has always been there. Tonight, I hit balls well and that's all I can do. You can't follow it, so all you can do is put the barrel to it -- which I did three times tonight -- and the rest will take care of itself.

Q: How do you feel defensively right now?
A: Great. I feel really good, really confident. My hands have been working really well. Me and (White Sox third base coach) Joe McEwing did early work pretty much every day for probably the last three weeks, just working on ground balls and everything has been great. The ground balls have been smooth really. Today, I got a chance to go out there and make a few plays, but, you know, defense is good man. I feel confident about it. 

Game 34 lineups: Micah Johnson leading off and playing second for Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

Chiefs (15-19)

Emmanuel Burriss SS

Tony Gwynn Jr. LF
Darin Mastroianni CF
Ian Stewart 3B
Mark Minicozzi DH
Kila Ka'aihue 1B

Matt den Dekker RF

Steve Lerud C
Josh Johnson 2B

Pitching: LHP Matthew Spann (NR)

Knights (19-14)

Micah Johnson 2B
Jason Coats LF

Neftali Soto 1B

Matt Davidson 3B 
Dan Black DH
Trayce Thompson CF
Matt Tuiasosopo RF

Kevan Smith C
Drew Garcia SS

Pitching: RHP Erik Johnson (3-2, 4.39)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730 

Charlotte Knights-Syracuse Chiefs series probables

The Charlotte Knights conducted fireworks testing at BB&T Ballpark. | Diedra Laird 

Knights vs. Chiefs @ BB&T Ballpark series probables...

Friday, 7:05 p.m.

CHA: RHP Erik Johnson (3-2, 4.39)
SYR: RHP Matthew Spann (NR)*

Saturday 7:05 p.m.

CHA: RHP Kyle Drabek (0-1, 1.89)

SYR: RHP Scott McGregor (3-2, 3.62)

Sunday 2:05 p.m.

CHA: RHP Chris Beck (2-1, 3.90)
SYR: RHP Bruce Billings (1-2, 3.82)

*Washington Nationals No. 3 prospect A.J. Cole was originally scheduled to start tonight, but was instead promoted to the majors. 

Head to head: This is the first of two series (seven games) between the Knights (19-14) and Chiefs (15-19) this season. 

Knights fall 5-4 in extras to Bats, Skinner ejected after bizarre start to game

As far as strange starts to baseball games go, the first inning of Thursday night's Charlotte Knights-Louisville Bats matchup ranks right up there.

The Knights (19-14) saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, 5-4, at the hands of the Bats (14-20) in 10 innings, but it was the unusual way in which the game began that will likely be talked about in the Minor League offices for days to come.

Three "thrown" pitches into the game, Louisville leadoff man Hernan Iribarren had walked, Charlotte manager Joel Skinner had been thrown out of the game, and Knights' starter Brad Penny had adopted an interesting new technique for avoiding "pitch timer" violations.

Unbeknownst to both Penny (3-3) and Skinner, home-plate umpire Doug Vines had charged the Knights' starting pitcher with a ball for taking too long to step on the rubber before the first pitch of the game. So when Penny threw what he thought was his third ball of the game, he was confused to see Iribarren make his way to first.

Realizing what had happened, Penny barked his displeasure at Vines, as Skinner made his way out to argue the right-hander's case. Following a short chat between Skinner and Vines, where it's safe to say the two agreed to disagree, Skinner had earned the earliest ejection of his four-year tenure as the Knights' skipper.

For the remainder of the game, Penny made a point to deliberately walk around to the back of the pitcher's mound before toeing the rubber and starting the 20-second pitch timer.

Penny ended up turning in his best start of the season, holding Louisville to one run over five innings of work, while striking out six. However, Maikel Cleto and Jairo Asencio combined to allow three runs in the ninth to squander a 4-1 lead and send the game into extras.

Asencio (0-2) was touched up for another run in the 10th to earn his second loss.

Quote:

"When I got on the mound the anthem had just ended and all I had was a minute. To me, rushing me is not... I need to take my time to, number one, make sure I don't get injured, and to rush because of what I think to be a stupid rule is dumb. I wasn't aware that I'd been given a ball. (Vines) didn't tell me. He actually told me to hurry up. I hurried up, and that was it." -- Knights' starter Brad Penny. 

Worth mentioning

Knights’ starting pitching dominated the Bats over the course of their four-game series. Kyle Drabek (5IP, 1H, 0R), Chris Beck (6IP, 1H, 0R), Junior Guerra (6IP, 5H, 2R) and Brad Penny (5IP, 7H, 1R) combined to toss 22 innings in the series, while allowing just three runs and striking out 24. … Matt Tuiasosopo (3 for 4, HR, 2B, BB) finished the game a triple short of the cycle. … While the "pitch timer" has been on all season, balls and strikes for violation only began being awarded on May 1. Penny was not penalized in his previous start this May. ... Although the pitch timer was instituted to speed up games, Thursday night's lasted a grueling three hours and 33 minutes. ... Prior to the game, the Chicago White Sox announced that second baseman Micah Johnson had been reassigned to the Knights. Johnson was hitting .270 (20-74) with two doubles, three RBI, eight runs scored, five walks and three stolen bases over 27 games with Chicago this season. ... White Sox General Manager Rick Hahn told members of the Chicago media that Knights second baseman Carlos Sanchez would be recalled by the big league club on Friday. Sanchez' .344 batting average with Charlotte was tied for fifth in the International League. 

What's next?

The Knights will play the first game of a three-game series with the Syracuse Chiefs on Friday at 7:05 p.m. at BB&T Ballpark. RHP Erik Johnson (3-2, 4.39) will take the mound for the Knights against Syracuse RHP A.J. Cole (0-1 2.67).

Game 33: Carlos Sanchez promoted, Micah Johnson returns to Charlotte

Here are the lineups:

Bats (13-20)

Hernan Iribarren 2B

Irving Falu DH
Ivan De Jesus 3B
Chris Dominguez 1B
Roman Cabrera C
Ryan LaMarre CF

Yorman Rodriguez RF

Eugenio Suarez SS
Jose Constanza LF

Pitching: LHP David Holmberg (1-3, 6.44)

Knights (19-13)

Leury Garcia 2B
Jason Coats LF

Neftali Soto 1B

Matt Davidson 3B 
Dan Black DH
Trayce Thompson CF
Matt Tuiasosopo RF

Kevan Smith C
Drew Garcia SS

Pitching: RHP Brad Penny (2-3, 6.17)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730 

Roster moves: The Chicago White Sox have optioned second baseman Micah Johnson to Class AAA Charlotte. Johnson, 24, is hitting .270 (20-74) with two doubles, three RBI, eight runs scored, five walks and three stolen bases over 27 games this season, his first in the major leagues. Johnson entered the season rated by Baseball America as the No. 4 Prospect and Fastest Baserunner in the White Sox organization. The White Sox will make a corresponding roster move prior to tomorrow night’s series opener at Oakland.

While not yet official, word is that Carlos Sanchez will join the White Sox in Oakland tomorrow. 

Per Rick Hahn, @CarlosSan29 will join the team tomorrow in Oakland.

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 14, 2015

Sanchez entered today fifth in the International League in batting average (.344) and second in hits (45) despite spending the first week of the season in Chicago. 

Johnson is not in tonight's Knights' lineup and it likely to report to the team sometime on Friday. 

Notes: Earlier today, Baseball America named BB&T Ballpark the "Best Ballpark in Minor League Baseball". ... A win today would be the Knights' sixth in a row. The last time they won that many in a row was back in 2012 (8/11-18). ...  The Knights entered today tied atop the IL South Division standings with the Durham Bulls. ... Tonight's Bats' starter David Holmberg was originally drafted by the White Sox in the second round in 2009. He was then moved to Arizona (when he was the White Sox No. 8 prospect) along with Daniel Hudson in exchange for Edwin Jackson. The Diamondbacks then flipped Holmberg to Cincinnati in 2013 in a three-team trade that also sent Heath Bell to Tampa Bay, Justin Choate to Arizona and Ryan Hanigan to Tampa. Holmberg, 23, who stands 6-3 225, entered 2015 as the Red No. 21 prospect according to Baseball America. 

White Sox top catching prospect Kevan Smith gives Knights walk-off win

Kevan Smith is his own biggest critic. 

After leading the Knights to their third walk-off win of the season with a bases-loaded RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning that gave Charlotte a 5-4 win over the Louisville Bats in front of 9,601 at BB&T Ballpark on Wednesday, the Knights' catcher was still steaming over a failed attempt at a sacrifice bunt the inning before. 

"Smitty" as he's referred to by his teammates, tried and failed on three straight attempts (he fouled off an attempt with two strikes) to sacrifice runners to second and third with no outs and the Knights trailing by two in the bottom of the ninth inning. 

Thankfully, the former University of Pittsburg quarterback was picked up by a Jason Coats game-tying two-run single later in the inning to force extra innings. 

An inning later, Smith watched from the on-deck circle as Matt Tuiasosopo was intentionally walked with runners on first and third and none out to load the bases. 

The first pitch from Bats' reliever Sam LeCure (0-2) was a slow curve that Smith -- who was looking for something he could get up in the air to score the run -- took for a strike. LeCure followed that with two straight fastballs out of the zone before running the count to 2-and-2. 

Again LeCure came with the hook in hopes of the strikeout, but Smith laid off to run the count full. 

"I knew he obviously had to throw a strike and I was just thinking about getting the barrel on something and hitting the ball hard somewhere," said Smith. "Luckily, I won that battle." 

The ringing single down the left-field line secured the Knights' season-best fifth win in a row and moved them back into sole possession of first place in the International League for the moment, with the Durham Bulls scheduled to play later on Wednesday. 

Quote:

"Oh man, I've been good with my sacrifice bunts (before today). That's one of the biggest things to me at this point, just because that's a team at-bat right there and that's something that I need to get down. No excuses, but (Nate Adcock) was throwing 96 (mph) with really good sink and cut. I just tried to bear down when I got two strikes, but ended up fouling it off. Thankfully, we have guys in this lineup that you can rely on hitting behind you and they picked me up like I did get that bunt down. It takes stress off me, but that's the funny thing about baseball, you can fail one time, but you just have to keep your head on straight because look at the situation I was put in that next inning. You know, things worked out." -- Knights' catcher Kevan Smith.  

Worth mentioning

Knights’ starting pitching has dominated the Bats over the teams' first three meetings this season. Kyle Drabek (5IP, 1H, 0R), Chris Beck (6IP, 1H, 0R) and Junior Guerra (6IP, 5H, 2R) have combined to toss 17 innings in the series, while allowing just two runs and striking out 18. … The win extended the Knights' winning streak to a season-best five games, passing a four-game run they put together from April 15-18. The Knights last won five-straight back on July 21-25 in 2014. … The walk-off win improved Charlotte to 12-6 at BB&T Ballpark this season and was the third of their young season. Charlotte had just four total walk-offs in all 2014. 

What's next?

The Knights (19-13) will play the final game of their four-game series with the Bats (13-20) on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. at BB&T Ballpark. RHP Brad Penny (2-3, 6.17) will take the mound for the Knights against Bats’ LHP David Holmberg (1-3 6.44).

Game 32 preview: Knights look to win fifth straight

Here are the lineups:

Bats (13-19)

Hernan Iribarren LF

Irving Falu 2B
Jermaine Curtis 3B
Chris Dominguez 1B
Chris Berset C

Yorman Rodriguez RF
Ryan LaMarre DH

Eugenio Suarez SS
Jose Constanza CF

Pitching: RHP Josh Smith (0-0, 8.31)

Knights (18-13)

Jason Coats CF 

Carlos Sanchez 2B 

Neftali Soto DH

Matt Davidson 3B 
Dan Black 1B
Tyler Colvin RF
Matt Tuiasosopo LF

Kevan Smith C
Drew Garcia SS

Pitching: RHP Junior Guerra (0-1, 1.80)

Game time: 12:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730 

White Sox No. 13 prospect Chris Beck dominant in Knights' 4-0 win

Charlotte Knights’ right-hander Chris Beck served as the Chicago White Sox 26^th man for this Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds.

As it turned out, the White Sox made it through their two games without needing Beck’s services and the 24-year-old second-round pick (No. 76 overall in 2012) was returned to Charlotte the following day.

Had things worked out differently and Beck entered the game on Saturday and pitched liked he did in the Knights’ 4-0 win over the Louisville Bats on Tuesday in front of 9,125 at BB&T Ballpark, the right-hander might still be in Chicago right now.

Beck mowed down the Bats for six innings on Tuesday, holding the Reds’ minor league affiliate to a single hit, while striking out five, walking two, and posting a 10/1 groundout-to-flyout ratio.

In six starts this year, Beck has gone 2-1 with a 3.90 ERA and a 23:6 K:BB ratio in 32 1/3 innings.

After taking a 1-0 lead in the third inning that they would never relinquish, Knights’ first baseman Dan Black stepped to the plate in the following frame and launched a three-run home run to give Charlotte a four-run lead.

The home run, which came on the first pitch of the at-bat from Donovan Hand (0-1), was Black's sixth of the season and tied him with teammate Matt Davidson and one other for the most in the International League this season. 

The win was the fourth in a row for the Knights (18-13), who clinched at least a series split with the Bats (13-19).

Quotes
"The command I think, just down in the zone. I got to build a good relationship with George (Kottaras) in Spring Training and we were on the same page tonight. There was a couple times where I had the grip in my glove and then he would put it down. " -- Knights’ starter Chris Beck, on what clicked tonight. 

"Yeah, It’s huge actually. I guess it throws the idea into the back of your head that (the White Sox are) thinking about you possibly being a big leaguer. I think with that, if they think you are, then you should have the confidence in yourself." -- Beck, on if it was a confidence boost to have been the White Sox' 26th man on Saturday.

Worth mentioning

Knights’ starting pitching has dominated the Bats over the teams' first two meetings this season. Kyle Drabek (5IP, 1H, 0R) and Chris Beck (6IP, 1H, 0R) have combined to toss 11 scoreless innings in the series, while striking out 10 and surrendering just two hits. … The four-game winning streak is tied for the Knights’ longest of the season (April 15-18). … The win also improved the Knights to 11-6 at BB&T Ballpark this season. … Prior to the game, the Chicago White Sox released outfielder Engle Beltre and activated Matt Tuiasosopo from the Temporarily Inactive list. Beltre, who was signed by the White Sox and assigned to Charlotte this offseason, was hitting .234 in 21 games with one home run. He had struck out in 27-percent of his at-bats and posted just a .268 on-base percentage.  

What's next?

The Knights will play Game 3 of their four-game series with the Bats on Wednesday at 12:05 p.m. at BB&T Ballpark. RHP Junior Guerra (0-1, 1.80) will take the mound for the Knights against Bats’ RHP Josh Smith (0-0 8.31).