Game 99: Charlotte Knights vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Here are the lineups:

Knights (40-58)

Micah Johnson 2B

Marcus Semien SS

Josh Phegley C

Jordan Danks CF

Matt Davidson 3B

Andy Wilkins 1B

Matt Tuiasosopo LF

Blake Tekotte DH

Michael Taylor RF

Pitching: RHP Erik Johnson (2-6, 6.81 ERA)

RailRiders (46-51)

Jose Pirela LF

Rob Refsynder 2B

Zoilo Almonte RF

Adonis Garcia 3B

Kyle Roller DH

Austin Romine 1B

John Ryan Murphy C

Antoan Richardson CF

Carmen Angelini SS

Pitching: RHP Bryan Mitchell (0-0, 0.00 ERA)*

* A Reidsville, N.C. native

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.tv / ESPN 730

Notes: Today the Chicago White Sox announced the signing of Chien-Ming Wang and assigned the Taiwanese right-hander to the Charlotte Knights. Wang, who recently opted out of his contract with Cincinnati, posted an 8-5 record with a 3.70 ERA in 19 games for the Triple-A Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds organization) this season. … The team also announced that right-handed pitchers Dylan Axelrod and Deunte Heath have both departed. Axelrod was traded to the Cincinnati organization and Heath has been released to pursue an opportunity to play in Japan. … Infielder Tyler Saladino, who was elected to the International League All-Star Team this season but did not play, was placed on the disabled list today. Saladino was hitting a team-high .310 with 41 runs scored, 91 hits, 16 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, seven stolen bases over 82 games with the Knights. … LHP Frank De Los Santos was activated from the Temporary Inactive List. … Dan Black has been promoted back to the Knights from Class AA Birmingham. Black hit .292 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 18 games for the Barons. … Infielder Justin Jirschele was also promoted to Charlotte from Winston-Salem (A+). ... you still with me?

Series Probables: 

Thursday: Erik Johnson (2-6, 6.81) vs. Bryan Mitchell (0-0, 0.00)

Friday: Chien-Ming Wang (8-5, 3.70 w/ LOU) vs. Chris Leroux (2-2, 4.44)

Saturday: Andre Rienzo (0-2, 4.80) vs. Nik Turley (0-1, 5.82)

Sunday: Daniel McCutchen (0-0, 7.20) vs. Matt Tracy (0-2, 3.12)

Charlotte Knights roster moves: Shawn Hill and Matt Tuiasosopo acquired, Charlie Leesman to DL, and more..

The Charlotte Knights made a flurry of roster moves before heading to Pawtucket to take on the PawSox on Thursday. 

On Wednesday, the Knights added RHP Shawn Hill from the Toronto organization, released outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, and placed LHP Charlie Leesman on the disabled list. 

The following day, Charlotte activated RHP Matt Zaleski off the disabled list and acquired outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo from the Toronto organization. The team also placed LHP Frank De Los Santos on the temporary inactive list, leaving the roster with 25 active players.

Hill, 33, is a veteran of seven Major League seasons. He's made 45 appearances with the Expos, Nationals, Padres and, most recently, the Blue Jays, posting a 10-18 record and a 4.68 ERA. In nine appearances over Class AA and AAA this season, Hill went 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA while posting a 2.89 GO/AO.

Hernandez hit .233 with eight RBIs and six stolen bases over 47 games with Charlotte while playing in both center field and right. His defensive skills in the outfield were fun to watch, but with Jordan Danks now patrolling center field and the tandem of Tyler Saladino and Marcus Semien learning to play in the outfield as well, Hernandez became expendable. He has fourth outfielder potential in the Majors and should catch on with another team quickly. 

Leesman labored in his last start on Tuesday, allowing nine hits and eight runs to Columbus. The start came five days after the left-hander turned in eight shutout innings against Rochester. No specific word yet on Leesman's injury. 

Zaleski is second all-time in Charlotte Knights franchise history in games started (70) and innings pitched (401.0). He has 19 wins in his Knights career and ranks fifth all-time in franchise history in strikeouts (263). The 32-year-old right-hander appeared in five games for Charlotte last season and posted a 1-2 record with a 5.74 ERA. He was placed on the disabled list May 1 and had season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Tuiasosopo, 28, has appeared in 152 MLB games over the last four seasons. In 59 games with Class AAA Buffalo this year, he was hitting .206 with two home runs and 18 RBIs.

De Los Santos has struggled mightily in June, going 0-1 with a 14.21 ERA in three appearances (6.1 IP). Over that span the left-hander allowed 16 hits, 10 runs and issued three free passes.

Erik Johnson's struggles continue in 13-4 loss to Red Wings

It’s now been two starts since Erik Johnson has been able to find any semblance of rhythm to his game.

Tabbed as the White Sox No. 3 starter and No. 2 prospect by Baseball America to begin the season, Johnson has backed up like a kid trying to climb up the down escalator.

The 6-foot-3-inch California native has shown flashes of the low-to-mid 90’s fastball and wipeout slider that gave the White Sox some much reason for optimism during a five-start audition he made in the big leagues last season; however, he’s not been able to build on those small successes.

Johnson lasted four innings in Friday’s 13-4 loss to the Rochester Red Wings in front of 10,421. He allowed seven runs on six hits and five walks, and has now issued 13 free passes in his last nine innings of work.

“It could me mechanics; it could be a number of things going on out there,” Johnson said after the game. “The things that I need to accomplish aren’t mechanical. It’s about throwing strikes; it’s about getting ahead and putting guys away.”

There are those who have speculated that there may be a physical issue holding Johnson back, but that’s not the case, says Johnson.

“Everything’s feeling good.”

Johnson (1-3) issued three free passes in the first inning that all turned into runs when Chris Colabello crushed a one-out grand slam to left.

In his second trip to the mound, Johnson walked two more and watched both score later in the frame on a single and a sacrifice fly. He allowed three more hits and a run in fourth to put an end to another long night, finishing with 97 pitches (55 for strikes). 

“In the first, I got behind, walked a few guys all on fastballs,” said Johnson, whose ERA climbed to 6.49. “Later, I threw some good curveballs and got some swing and misses on changeups. The slider was there too and fastball came as the game went on. Take away the first inning and I’m probably pitching a lot deeper into that game.”

 The Knights offense continued to utilize the long ball, getting back-to-back home runs from Jordan Danks and Matt Davidson in the second inning to make it a 6-2 game and then a two-run shot from Josh Phegley in the fifth.

The home run for Danks was his fourth in three days. The long-time Knights centerfielder now has seven on the season, despite spending 21 games while playing up with Chicago.

Southpaw Frank De Los Santos replaced Johnson in the fifth and faired equally as dreadful, allowing six runs over two innings without striking out a batter.

Johnson's next chance to right the ship comes in five days. 

“I’m just trying to get back,” he said. “This process that I’m going to go through if it’s the process I need to go through. You pitch and you learn. Tomorrow I’m going to get back to work.”

Charlotte Knights drop 5-2 decision to Rochester Red Wings

The seventh inning of the Charlotte Knight’s 5-2 loss to Rochester on Tuesday night was the kind that separates winning teams from those still learning how to put a game away.

The Knights followed the script to begin the frame when Tyler Saladino singled. Jared Mitchell kept things on track when he laid down a two-strike bunt. Gorkys Hernandez then played his part with a hard-hit groundout to second to move Saladino to third and a four-pitch walk to Marcus Semien, brought Carlos Sanchez to the plate.

Sanchez sent a 3-2 pitch back up the middle only to see it speared at the last second by the Rochester reliever to end the threat.

The play sucked most the life out of the crowd of 9,169 at BB&T BallPark and a three-run eighth by Rochester had the doctors calling the time of death with an inning and a half remaining.  

 “Our guys barreled a few balls and gave themselves a chance," Knights manager Joel Skinner said. "The next half inning, they were able to go out there and string three or four hits together and that was the game.”

The win improved the Red Wings to 32-25 on the season and dropped Charlotte to 20-38 and 3-9 in games tied in the fifth inning or later.

“Momentum, or no momentum, we just came out and made some mistakes and they got their hits in and we didn’t,” Knight catcher Josh Phegley said. “It’s deflating when they score that late, but you’ve got nine innings and nine chances. We did what we could that inning and it didn't work out.”

The first three Red Wings reached base against Knights starter Tommy Hanson to begin the game, with Eric Farris eventually scoring on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Deibinson Romero.

Three innings later, Wilkins’ team-leading 10^th home run of the season knotted the game at 1. The round-tripper broke up a string of four in a row (three by way of the K) retired by Rochester starter Logan Darnell.

In the bottom of the fifth, Marcus Semien’s first hit since joining the Knights two days ago, gave Charlotte the lead when it came to rest several rows deep in the left-field bleachers.

Romero returned the favor in the top half of the sixth, sending a 1-1 pitch out on a line to left. It was the first hit off Hanson since the first in what wound up being a nice bounce-back performance for the right-hander, who allowed seven runs in 2.2 inning in his previous start.

Hanson went six innings on Tuesday, allowing four hits, striking out six, and walking two. He threw 98 pitches (61 for strikes).

“Hanson was using his slider a lot today and they weren’t really making the adjustment,” Phegley said. “He got a few good swing and missed on his new changeup that he’s been working on too. He threw the ball well.”

With four games remaining in the next three days against the Red Wings – including two on Wednesday – the Knights will have plenty of opportunities to come up with that crucial game-winning hit. 

Felipe Paulino's struggles continue in 15-6 loss for Charlotte Knights

The plan was for Felipe Paulino to come to Charlotte and make three rehab appearances as he recovered from right rotator cuff inflammation and then return to the Chicago rotation.

Five starts later, the 30-year-old is running out of time to convince the White Sox he’s ready. 

In Friday’s 15-6 loss to the Indianapolis Indians, Paulino was spotted a six-run lead in the second only to exit after 4 and 2/3 innings of work with the game tied at 6.

Paulino (0-3) allowed five hits, walked six and struck out five. He threw 99 pitches, 52 for strikes.

  

With a maximum of nine days remaining with the Knights before Chicago is required to activate him, Paulino has allowed 21 earned runs on 30 hits and 16 walks in 19.2 innings.

In the bottom of the second, Charlotte sent 10 to the plate against Indianapolis starter Vance Worley on its way to a season-high six run inning.

The Knights then watched as the Indians ran up 15 unanswered.

Paulino surrendered three in the third and three more on a Gregory Polanco three-run shot in the fourth. The home run for Polanco was his sixth of the season and gave the right-fielder four RBIs in two games against Charlotte.

Dylan Axelrod came on in relief and surrendered one run in 3 and 1/3 to fall to 1-5 on the season.

Things got ugly to watch for the sold-out crowd of 10,367 at BB&T BallPark in the ninth, when the combination of Donnie Veal and Frank De Los Santos allowed a season-high eight runs on four hits, three walks, a wild pitch and two hit batters.

The Knights and Indians will play game three of their four-game series on Saturday, with Tommy Hanson (2-4, 4.60 ERA) scheduled to take the mound across from Jake Brigham (1-2, 3.53).

Click HERE for the full game story. 

Charlotte Knights come from eight runs down to defeat Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 9-8

One of their Achilles heals all season had been hitting with two outs and runners in scoring position.

A quick glance at the stat book showed as much, with a team average of .169 in those key situations entering Monday night.

So when Gorkys Hernandez stepped into the batter’s box in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and the go-ahead run on second, 8,223 fans at BB&T BallPark collectively held their breath. 

The result – a line drive single to right – bucked the trend and brought home both Blake Tekotte and Tyler Saladino to give the Knights their first lead of the game on their way to a 9-8 win over the IronPigs.

“I tried to look for one pitch,” said Hernandez, who entered the game hitting .143 with two outs and runners in scoring position. “I knew their pitcher threw hard and I was looking for a fastball and all I tried to do was get a single because I knew that could win the game and that’s what I did.”

In total, Charlotte scored four runs in the eighth to take the lead for good after trailing 8-0 midway through the fifth inning. The first run came by way of a bases-loaded walk by Saladino and the second via a fielder’s choice off the bat of Jared Mitchell.

Lehigh Valley roughed up Charlotte starter Dylan Axelrod in the first inning, which resulted in a short night for the right-hander. 

Axelrod retired Clete Thomas on a fly ball to centerfield to begin game, but then saw the inning go decidedly down hill from there.

Tyler Henson, followed up Thomas' at bat with a home run and became the first of nine consecutive IronPigs (15-15) to reach base in the inning.

When the dust finally settled, the 28-year-old had allowed seven runs on seven hits, a walk, and a hit batter.

The Knights, who snapped a six-game losing streak with the win, got two runs back in the fifth inning on back-to-back home runs from Dan Black (3-for-4) and Tekotte (1-for-3, BB).

In the seventh, Andy Wilkins (1-for-4) added a solo-shot and Carlos Sanchez (1-for-4) extended his hitting streak to eight games with Charlotte’s other big two-out two-run single of the night. 

“As an industry, everyone talks about situational hitting and advancing runners and all that type of stuff,” said Knights manager Joel Skinner. “Probably the biggest situation is hitting with two outs and with men on base and that’s something that when you see that happening, you usually see a lot of runs being scored and (more) wins.”  

A combination of Deunte Heath (4 IP, 1 R), Frank De Los Santos (2 IP, 0 R), Javy Guerra (1 IP, 0 R) and Frank Francisco (1 IP, 0 R) held the IronPigs to just one run over eight innings of relief.  

Guerra picked up his first win of the season and Francisco his first save.

“We had a lot of guys (available) today,” said Skinner. “Heath was already stretched out, so he fit in well. He did a great job, pitching four innings. He gave up a run late, but his pitching performance set up the whole game for us.”

The Knights will send Tommy Hanson (1-2, 4.73 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday night for game two of their four-game series with the IronPigs.

Notes: Playing in his second rehab game with the Knights, Chicago White Sox regular third baseman Conor Gillaspie finished the night 0-for-4, but hit the ball well in three of his four at-bats. Gillaspie, 26, had been hitting .302 over 16 games in Chicago this season before being sidelined with a hand contusion. Following the game, Skinner said that he wasn't sure how long Gillaspie would be with the Knights, "I’m not sure exactly what’s going on there," he said. "But I know that he’ll be here tomorrow."  ... Knights regular third baseman, Matt Davidson, missed his second consecutive game and "has a little injury issue" according to Skinner. The Knights coach expects him back soon though. ... As of right now, Thursday's starter is still listed as TBA, but it's likely that Felipe Paulino will make his second rehab appearance on that date.   

Charlotte Knights hold on for 4-3 win over the Durham Bulls

By Seth Lakso, Charlotte Observer Correspondent

Off the bat, the fly ball looked like it could be trouble.

Knowing there was a runner on first and one out in the inning of a one-run game in the ninth, Knights second baseman Carlos Sanchez took off.

As the ball drifted towards the Knights’ bullpen, so too did Sanchez, who made the catch right on top of one of Charlotte’s exposed pitching mounds. Without a second of hesitation, Sanchez popped to his feet and fired to second to catch the runner trying to tag-up and end the game.

The double play was the highlight of the night for Charlotte, who handed the Durham Bulls their second straight loss in front of a record crowd of 10, 449 at BB&T Ballpark on Thursday.

“I saw him make a catch on the mound, a nice kind of over-the-shoulder type of play, and then throw a strike to second,” said Knights manager Joel Skinner.

“You know, he was throwing from the mound, so he must have gotten out front and made a nice pitch,” joked Skinner. “No, it was a nice play; it really was.”

For the second night in a row the Knights had to piece together a game from a pitching standpoint, with the night’s scheduled starter, Scott Carroll, put on hold in case he’s needed with the Chicago White Sox later this week.

And for the second night in a row, the pen was up to the task, holding Durham – who entered the night first in the International League in runs scored (105) and hits (198) – to just three runs on four hits.

Ryan Kussmaul started for the first time in his professional career and tossed 40 pitches over three innings. His only blemish was a solo home run he allowed to Wilson Betemit in the second inning.

Frank De Los Santos (W, 1-0, 0.00) followed up Kussmaul with three scoreless innings of his own, striking out four. Donnie Veal then tossed a scoreless inning before losing his command in the eighth and being charged with two runs following three straight walks to start the inning.

David Purcey then came on to toss the game’s final two innings and record his second save of the season.

“They’ve done a great job,” said Skinner of his relievers, who have held Durham to just four runs on 12 hits in 18 innings over the last 48 hours. “Tonight, obviously, we ran into a strike-throwing problem there, but Purcey was able to persevere and he got through that and the play Sanchez made was a nice way to finish the game.”

The Knights took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by Andy Wilkins and added three more runs in the sixth on an error, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Wilkins (1 for 3).

Through 10 home games the Knights have drawn 95,751 fans to Uptown’s BB&T Ballpark – the most by any Minor League team this season. The next highest attendance belongs to the Louisville Bats (74,119 in 11 games).

It took the Knights 27 games last season – or until May 28^th –  to hit the 90,000 mark in Fort Mill, S.C.

Charlotte improved to 3-6 against the Bulls this season. The two teams will conclude their four-game series on Friday when former Atlanta Braves ace Tommy Hanson (0-1, 9.00) takes on Durham southpaw Enny Romero (2-2, 4.43). 

Notes: Knights manager Joel Skinner said that Scott Carroll didn't pitch because: "He’s on hold. He got bumped. At this level, sometimes you need to have guys available for the Major Leagues, so that’s how that worked tonight. Nothing has been done or anything, but again, they held him back and that’s all I can say about it." ... LHP Charlie Leesman is expected to rejoin the Knights sometime tomorrow and could be available to pitch should the game go into extras. ... Friday will be Tommy Hanson's (0-1, 9.00 ERA) BB&T Ballpark debut. He lasted just four innings in his first start with the Knights. Skinner said that he will be on a pitch count. ... Catcher Josh Phegley sat for the third straight game, but was available to pinch-hit. "He’s been available the whole time," said Skinner. "It’s not a DL situation. He’ll play (Friday). He could have played today, but holding him back one more day was my decision."     

Final: Charlotte Knights 0, Gwinnett Braves 1

By Seth Lakso, Charlotte Observer Correspondent 

Final: Knights 0, Braves 1 -- Matt Davidson K'd. Andy Wilkins popped to center. Denis Phipps K'd looking.

Top 9th: Knights 0, Braves 1 -- Ryan Kussmaul walked Tommy La Stella to begin the inning, but then K'd the Braves No. 4 and 5 batters and got a groundout to third to end the inning. Matt Davidson, Andy Wilkins and Denis Phipps due up in the bottom of the ninth.

Bottom 8th: Knights 0, Braves 1 -- RHP Wirfin Obispo retired Gorkys Hernandez, Carlos Sanchez and Josh Phegley in order. That's the fourth time tonight the Knights have gone 1-2-3. They have five hits.

Top 8th: Knights 0, Braves 1 -- RHP Ryan Kussmaul came on to start the inning in relief of Charlie Leesman and tossed a scoreless frame, despite allowing a walk and a single.

Bottom 7th: Knights 0, Braves 1 -- Twice this game the Knights have had a runner on third and one out and each time the batter at the plate has struck out. Can't win when you miss out on those kinds of opportunities.

Dan Black doubled to begin the inning and was pinch-run for by Denis Phipps. A Blake Tekotte groundout to second moved him to third. Tyler Saladino and jared Mitchell then both struck out. The Knights are now 9 for 66 with two outs and runners in scoring position this season.

Top 7th: Knights 0, Braves 1 -- It took seven innings, but Charlie Leesman finally got his one-two-three inning. It ended with a strikeout of Edward Salcedo.

Leesman is likely done for the night, here's his line: 7 IP, 4H, 1R, 0ER, 2BB, 4K (98 pitches).

Bottom 6th: Knights 0, Braves 1 --  The Braves got a solid night of work out of Mitch Atkins (4.2 IP, 0R, 3K, 2H), who was forced into action in the second after an injury to Yunesky Maya.

Atkins was pulled from the game with two outs in the inning after throwing 69 pitches and replaced by LHP Atahualpa Severino, who got Andy Wilkins to bounce to second to end the inning.

Top 6th: Knights 0, Braves 1 -- Leesman is yet to have a one-two-three inning, but he's also yet to get into significant trouble. He successfully worked around a one-out double by Todd Cunningham to retire the side. He's thrown 83 pitches tonight, 49 for strikes.

Bottom 5th: Knights 0, Braves -- Three up and three down again for Atkins. That's 11 Knights retired in a row. Over the last four games, the Braves bullpen has been the opposite of the Chicago White Sox pen, combining for a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 15.1 IP).

Top 5th: Knights 0, Braves 0 -- For the fourth time in five inning's Leesman allowed a base runner and still faced the minimum. After getting Edward Salcedo to bounce out. Leesman walked Christian Bethancourt, but for the third time today, the Knights turned a double play behind him to end the inning.

The Knights have turned 27 double plays this season to lead the International League. The next closest team is Toledo, who entered today with 12.

Bottom 4th: Knights 0, Braves 1 -- Andy Wilkins, Dan Black and Blake Tekotte go down in order. Since allowing back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out in the second, Mitchell Atkins has retired eight Knights in a row.

Top 4th: Knights 0, Braves 1 -- The Braves stole a run when what looked like a highlight throw from Gorkys Hernandez in center came out of the glove of Josh Phegley when he attempted to put the tag on the runner.

Todd Cunningham led off the inning with a double. The Braves sacrificed him to third and then with one out Tommy La Stella lined out to Hernandez in center, who fired the ball all the way home on the fly to nab Cunningham by two steps, until the ball trickled away. Phegley was charged with an error on the play.

Bottom 3rd: Knights 0, Braves 0 -- Carlos Sanchez and Josh Phegely (a rocket to third) each grounded out. Matt Davidson (broken bat) then lined out to first.

Top 3rd: Knights 0, Braves 0 -- Leesman is yet to have a one-two-three inning, but has somehow faced the minimum nine batters through three innings.

He began the inning by getting Christian Bethancourt to ground out. After a walk to Derrick Mitchell, Leesman struck out Tyler Greene and with Todd Cunningham up, Josh Phegley threw out Mitchell attempting to steal to end the inning.

Bottom 2nd: Knights 0, Braves 0 -- After allowing a single to Andy Wilkins and throwing one pitch to Dan Black, Gwinnett starter Yunesky Maya had to leave the game with what looked like a lower-body injury.

Mitch Atkins (0-2 9.00 ERA) came on to pitch and struck out Black. Back-to-back singles by Blake Tekotte and Tyler Saladino loaded the bases with one out, but Jared Mitchell K'd and Gorkys Hernandez bounced to short. The Knighs have stranded four runners (three in scoring position) through two innings.

Top 2nd: Knights 0, Braves 0 -- Leesman worked around a Matt Davidson throwing error to begin the inning by striking out Joey Terdoslavich and then getting Edward Salcedo to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Bottom 1st: Knights 0, Braves 0 -- Gorkys Hernandez led off the game with a single, advanced to second on a Carlos Sanchez sacrifice bunt, and then took third when Josh Phegley grounded out to second. But the inning came to an end when Matt Davidson hit a nubber that was fielded by the catcher.

Top 1st: Knights 0, Braves 0 -- Todd Cunningham led off the inning with an infield single, but was erased on the very next pitch when Phil Gosselin grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Charlie Leesman then got Tommy La Stella to bounce to short to end the inning.

Pregame:

Knights (6-8)

Gorkys Hernandez CF

Carlos Sanchez 2B

Josh Phegley C

Matt Davidson 3B

Andy Wilkins 1B

Dan Black DH

Blake Tekotte RF

Tyler Saladino SS

Jared Mitchell LF

Pitching: LHP Charlie Leesman (0-1 2.70)

Braves (7-6)

Todd Cunningham CF

Phil Gosselin 3B

Tommy La Stella 2B

Ernesto Majia 1B

Joey Terdoslavich RF

Edward Salcedo DH

Christian Bethancourt C

Derrick Mitchell LF

Tyler Greene SS

Pitching: RHP Yunesky Maya (0-0 2.35)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730

Stat of the Day: Through 14 games this season, Charlotte No. 3 batters have just two runs batted in. Strangely enough, it's the No. 1 batters that have led the Knights in RBIs with nine.

Zach Putnam recalled to Chicago White Sox

On Thursday, the White Sox recalled Knights' reliever Zach Putnam to Chicago. The righthander had put together four scoreless appearances this season, tossing six innings and striking out 11. Putnam is the third Knight to be promoted to Chicago this season. He joins Jake Petricka (4/4) and Jordan Danks (4/10).

Frank De Los Santos promoted to Charlott Knights 

To fill Putnam's place on the roster, the Knights have promoted Frank De Los Santos from Double-A Birmingham. The lefthander was 0-0 with a 1.04 ERA in five games with the Barons. The 26-year-old was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in September of 2013.

Frank Francisco transfered to Rookie Great Falls

To cap off a busy day, former Mets closer Frank Francisco was transferred to Rookie Great Falls. Francisco had been added to the Knights' roster on Monday, a day after signing as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox. The 34-year will likely stay in Great Falls until he's in game-shape.

Knights Walkup Song of the Day: Mitchell Boggs: Simple Man, Lynyrd Skynyrd.