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. 

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. 

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).

Knights close seven-game home stand with 6-5 loss to RailRiders

An otherwise successful seven-game home stand came to an end with a 6-5 Charlotte Knights’ loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,349 at BB&T Ballpark on Sunday.

The Knights (14-9), who currently sit a game ahead of the Durham Bulls for first place in the International League, finished the home stand 4-3, after taking two of three from the Toledo Mud Hens and splitting a four-game set with the RailRiders (12-13).

On Sunday, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre took advantage of Brad Penny’s (1-3, 7.27 ERA) lack of pinpoint control, knocking the Knights’ 36-year-old right-hander out of that game after four innings of work.

Penny – who made his second start since his return from the disabled list – allowed five runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out five, while throwing just 62-percent strikes (59 of 93).

The Knights scored all except one of their runs in the second inning off RailRiders’ southpaw Eric Wooten (1-3, 5.16 ERA). Matt Davidson led the inning off with a walk. After a single by Trayce Thompson, Dan Black also earned a free pass, loading the bases with no outs.

An Engel Beltre fielder’s choice brought home Davidson, before Jason Coats connected on a two-run double to centerfield that bounced in and out of the glove of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre centerfielder. Jeremy Dowdy then doubled home Coats to tie the game at 4-4.

The RailRiders added a run in the fourth and Kyle Roller took Eric Surkamp deep in the seventh for the eventual game-winning run.      

  

Quote

“He’s coming off missing a couple starts, so he is still a bit of a work in progress. I think the key at this stage right now is on the physical side of things, and today he was able to throw 90 or so pitches. Obviously he wants to be more efficient, but on the flipside of that, the physical parts looked good.” – Knights’ manager Joel Skinner on Brad Penny.

Worth mentioning

With a hit and a walk on Sunday, Charlotte Knights’ designated hitter Dan Black (1 for 3, R, RBI) has now reached base in an International League-best 22-straight games (dating back to last season). Black entered Sunday leading the IL in on-base percentage (.469) and slugging percentage (.667). … Carlos Sanchez, who became the first Knight since Ray Olmedo to record five hits in a game on Friday and then knocked four more on Saturday, remained hot at the plate, finishing Sunday 2-for-5 with a double. The 22-year-old is now hitting an IL-best .407 and is just three hits away from moving into a tie for fifth place all-time on the Knights’ hits list with Josh Fields (282). The two-hit game was Sanchez' fifth in a row. ... Jose Pirela, with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on a MLB rehab assignment from the New York Yankees, finished Sunday afternoon 4 for 5 with three doubles, a RBI and three runs scored. 

What's next?

The Knights are off tomorrow before heading to Columbus for a three-game series with the Clippers beginning on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. RHP Erik Johnson (3-1, 2.04) will take the mound for the Knights against a Clippers’ starter that is still to be determined.

Hot-hitting Sanchez homers twice in Knights 10-4 win over RailRiders

Carlos Sanchez’ assault on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitching staff continued on Saturday in a 10-4 Charlotte Knights’ win over the RailRiders in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,335 at BB&T Ballpark.

Sanchez (4 for 4, 7 RBI) cracked his first two home runs of the season and finished a triple short of the cycle on the night, while reaching base in all five of his plate appearances. After a 5-for-5 showing on Friday night, the Knights’ second baseman has now reached base in his last 10 plate appearances and 12 of 15 over the course of the first three games of the Knights-RailRiders series.

Sanchez’ third-straight big night at the plate helped provide all the run support Charlotte right-hander Chris Beck (1-1, 4.78) would need to claim his first win of the season. Beck held the RailRiders to two runs on eight hits over six innings of work. He struck out four.

The Knights (14-8), who currently lead the International League South Division, jumped on Scranton/Wilkes-Barre starter Jaron Long (0-2, 7.23) for two runs in the first inning (thanks to Sanchez’ two-run home run) and three more in the second (two of which came home on a Sanchez double).

Sanchez stepped into the batter’s box for his final at-bat in the eighth inning needing a triple for the cycle, and instead launched a three-run home run (while hitting right-handed for the first time on the night). The four hits bumped his average up to an IL-best .407 this season.

  

Quote

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a guy get nine hits in 10 (plate appearances). (Sanchez is) getting all kinds of hits. He’s got a couple broken-bat base hits, he’s sending the ball all over the field and it’s good to see. … He’s put two good nights together in a row … and is in a good little zone right now. ” – Knights’ manager Joel Skinner on Carlos Sanchez.

Worth mentioning

With a hit and a walk on Saturday, Charlotte Knights’ designated hitter Dan Black (1 for 3) has now reached base in 21-straight games (dating back to last season). Black entered Saturday leading the International League in on-base percentage (.467) and slugging percentage (.688). … With his four-hit performance on Friday night, Charlotte second baseman Carlos Sanchez (277) is now just two hits shy of tying Jerry Owens (279) for sixth all-time on the Knights’ hits list. ... White Sox reliever Javy Guerra tossed a one-two-three seventh inning with one strikeout in his third MLB rehab appearance with the Knights. In 3IP the veteran right-hander has allowed three hits, two earned runs, walked one and struck out three. …Carlos Rodon made his third appearance with the White Sox on Saturday and held the Minnesota Twins scoreless over three innings of relief. He scattered six hits and struck out two, while issuing just one walk. … Saturday marked the seventh sellout at BB&T Ballpark this season. The Knights lead the IL in average attendance (9,232) and have welcomed 129,250 through their gates in 14 openings this season.

What's next?

The Knights will play the final game of their four-game series with the RailRiders at BB&T Ballpark on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. RHP Brad Penny (1-2, 6.08) will take the mound for the Knights across from LHP Eric Wooten (0-3, 5.09).

Charlotte Knights' comeback comes up just short in 5-4 loss to RailRiders

After a week full of come-from-behind victories the Charlotte Knights’ luck rank out on Friday night in a 5-4 loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to even their current four-game series at one game apiece in front of 10,422 at BB&T Ballpark.

Once again the Knights, who already had two walk-off wins this week, looked primed for some late-game heroics.

With Scranton/Wilkes-Barre leading 5-3, Carlos Sanchez (5-for-5) led off the ninth inning with a double. Matt Davidson (who hit a walk-off home run on Thursday night) then made it a one-run game with a single up the middle and Trayce Thompson followed with a hit of his own.

For a moment, it looked as though Dan Black had won the game with a walk-off three-run home run, but the ball hooked just foul down the right field line. Black would strikeout on the next pitch and Engle Beltre would eventually do the same at the hands of RailRiders’ right-hander Nick Rumbelow, who earned his second save of the season.

After being no-hit for the game’s first three innings, the RailRiders (11-12) got to Knights’ right-hander Shawn Haviland (0-2) for four runs in the fourth inning thanks to two two-out hits from Ben Gamel and Austin Romine.

The Knights (13-8) rallied for two runs in the bottom half of the fourth after Black drew a one out walk, advanced to third on a double by Beltre, and then scored on a Kevan Smith fielder’s choice. Beltre would trot home a batter later on a Jason Coats’ single. 

Coats came through again in the eighth with his second run-scoring single to make it a 4-3 game.

The RailRiders added what turned out to be an important insurance run off Maikel Cleto in the top of the ninth inning. The run was the first allowed by the right-hander this season, bringing his scoreless-innings streak to an end at 20 1/3 innings. 

  

Quote

“It was another good ninth inning for us, regardless of whether we won or lost. We battled back, scored a run and, you know, just came up short.” – Knights’ manager Joel Skinner.

Worth mentioning

With two walks on Friday, Charlotte Knights’ designated hitter Dan Black (0 for 3) has now reached base in 20-straight games (dating back to last season). Despite seeing his 11-game hitting streak come to an end, Black finished the night hitting (.354). He entered Friday leading the International League in on-base percentage (.473) and slugging percentage (.733). … With his five-hit performance on Friday night, Charlotte second baseman Carlos Sanchez (273) jumped from 11^th to eighth all-time on the Knights’ hits list, passing Lou Lucca (269) and Tim Hummel (271). ... Friday’s game was the first of the season where pitchers (with a called ball) and batters (with a called strike) were penalized for pitch timer violations. Shawn Haviland was called for a violation with one out in the top of the fourth inning with Tyler Austin at the plate. The RailRiders went on to score four runs in the inning. … Since his call up to Chicago on April 20, Carlos Rodon has made two appearances with the White Sox and thrown a total of 65 pitches over 3.1 innings. The left-hander has allowed two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out two.

What's next?

The Knights will play the third game of their four-game series with the RailRiders at BB&T Ballpark on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. RHP Chris Beck (0-1, 5.31) will take the mound for the Knights across from RHP Jaron Long (0-1, 6.10).

Back-to-back home runs by Soto and Davidson lead Knights to walk-off win

The Charlotte Knights used back-to-back home runs by Neftali Soto and Matt Davidson to begin the bottom of the ninth inning to earn a 8-7 walk-off win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in the opening game of a four-game series in front of 9,089 at BB&T Ballpark on Thursday.

Soto stepped to the plate to lead off the ninth against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre left-hander Tyler Webb (0-2) and sent a 2-1 fastball rocketing into the left-field bleachers to tie the game at 7.

Two pitches later, Davidson stayed back on a curveball and launched his team-leading fifth home run of the season and was subsequently mobbed at the plate by his teammates. 

Davidson's long ball came to rest just a few rows back of Soto’s. 

After falling behind 6-0 in Kyle Drabek’s BB&T Ballpark debut, the Knights (13-7) rallied for three runs in the fourth inning, two more in the fifth, and then tied the game at 6-6 in the seventh on a double off the bat of Dan Black that brought home Trayce Thompson, who had tripled earlier in the frame.

The RailRiders (10-12) pushed home the go-ahead run on a single up the middle in the top of the ninth inning off Eric Surkamp (2-0). On the play, Cole Figueroa used a nice slide to avoid Kevan Smith's attempted tag at the plate. 

The walk-off win was the Knights’ second in four games. 

Quote

“We’re just pretty explosive. Everyone’s contributing. It’s not like it’s just one part of the lineup that’s getting all the runs. Everyone in this lineup has experience and is a good hitter, so we’re pretty lethal top to bottom.” – Knights’ third baseman Matt Davidson, when asked how the Knights have been able to stay in almost every game this season.

Worth mentioning

With two more hits on Thursday, Charlotte Knights’ designated hitter Dan Black has now reached base in 19-straight games (dating back to last season). Black has also hit in 11-straight contests. He entered Thursday leading the International League in on-base percentage (.471) and slugging percentage (.714). ... White Sox reliever Javy Guerra tossed a scoreless seventh inning with one walk and one strikeout in his second MLB rehab appearance with the Knights. … With his 2-for-4 performance on Thursday night, Charlotte second baseman Carlos Sanchez (268) is now just one hit shy of 10^th place all-time on the Knights’ hits list (Lou Lucca has 269). Despite playing with the White Sox for the first week of the season, Sanchez’ 26 hits are tied for the third-most in the IL. ... The Knights improved to 4-4 this season when trailing after five innings. ... Friday’s game will be the first of the season where pitchers (with a called ball) and batters (with a called strike) will be penalized for pitch timer violations.

What's next?

The Knights will play the second game of their four-game series with the RailRiders at BB&T Ballpark on Friday at 7:05 p.m. RHP Shawn Haviland (0-1, 3.45) will take the mound for the Knights across from LHP Matt Tracy (0-0, 6.00).

No comeback on Tuesday for Charlotte Knights, who fall 6-2 to Toledo

The Charlotte Knights fell 6-2 to the Toledo Mud Hens in front of 9,047 at BB&T Ballpark on Tuesday night to even their three-game series at one-game apiece.

Mud Hens’ starter Tim Melville (1-2) held the Knights offense scoreless on one hit over six innings of work to record his first-career Class AAA win. The right-hander walked four and struck out five.

The Knights, who went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, finished the game with a season-low four hits.

Veteran right-hander Brad Penny (1-2) returned from the disabled list to make his third start of the season for the Knights. He allowed an unearned run and four hits over four innings of work.

Penny -- who induced seven ground-ball outs on Tuesday -- was placed on the DL back on April 15 with an undisclosed injury.

Toledo, which carried a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning – broke the game open against Knights’ reliever Arcenio Leon, scoring three runs over his 1 2/3 innings of work to take a 6-0 edge into the bottom of the seventh.

Dan Black, who tied Monday's game (that was later won in the 10th inning thanks to a Jason Coats walk-off single) with a ninth-inning home run, continued to swing a hot bat when he knocked in Trayce Thompson from first base with a double to right with no outs in the seventh off Mud Hens’ reliever Rafael Dolis.

Black would take third on a Kevan Smith ground out and, following a Jared Mitchell walk, come in to score on a Leury Garcia single.

After failing to score in the eighth, the Knights brought the tying run to the on-deck circle in the bottom of the ninth, but ultimately came up short in their third comeback attempt in as many games.

With his 2-for-3 performance on Tuesday night, Black has now reached base in 17-straight games (dating back to last season) with the Knights. He is now batting a team-leading .368 on the season despite limited playing time early in the year.

Worth mentioning

White Sox right-hander Javy Guerra (with Knights on a MLB rehab assignment) allowed two runs on three hits in an inning of relief. He threw 24 pitches (14 for strikes) and struck out one. ... Maikel Cleto turned in a scoreless 2 1/3 innings of relief and has now not allowed a run in his last 19 2/3 innings of work dating back to last season. … The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Knights. Their season-long winning streak is four games (April 15-18). … Three members of the AHL Charlotte Checkers -- John Muse, Zach Boychuk and Dennis Robertson -- took batting practice at BB&T Ballpark prior to Tuesday’s game. …Continued protests over the death of Freddie Gray caused the postponement of the White Sox (the parent club of the Knights) – Orioles game in Baltimore on Tuesday. The White Sox and Orioles will resume their disrupted series Wednesday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. in a contest that is closed to the public.

Quotes

“(Melville) was just mixing his pitches well and he had us off balance and found a way to get the ball passed us at the plate. We’ll come back out here tomorrow and get some hits.” – Knights first baseman Dan Black.

"Everything about (Cleto's) game. He’s repeating his delivery. He’s staying compact, and as a result of that he’s commanding the baseball and he’s mixing up all his pitches. He’s got a great arm to go with all that, so he’s just kind of harnessed his game.” – Knights' manager Joel Skinner on the difference he’s seen in RHP Maikel Cleto this season.

“(Black’s) doing a great job. Like we tell all our guys, you need to take advantage of your opportunities and he’s getting an opportunity because of some injuries that have opened some things up and he’s taking advantage. It’s good to see.” – Skinner on Dan Black’s recent performance.

“He hasn’t pitched in two weeks and was able to get a couple good side (sessions) in. The biggest thing tonight was that (Penny) felt fine physically.” – Skinner on Brad Penny’s first start since April 14.

What's next?

The Knights and Mud Hens will play the final game of their three-game series at BB&T Ballpark on Wednesday at 11:05 a.m. Erik Johnson (2-1, 0.75) will look to continue his stellar stat this season for the Knights across from Thad Weber (2-1, 5.63).