Game 99 lineups: Charlotte Knights look to clinch series win against Durham Bulls

Here are the lineups:

Bulls (49-47)
Ryan Brett 2B
Taylor Motter RF
Grady Sizemore DH
J.P. Arencibia 1B
Richie Shaffer 3B
Corey Brown CF
Mikie Mahtook LF
Nick Franklin SS
Luke Maile C
Pitching: Bradin Hagens (1-1, 4.26)

Knights (56-42)
Micah Johnson 2B (second in the International League with a .326 batting average)
Leury Garcia SS (batting .368 in July)
Jason Coats LF (hitting .309 in July with four home runs, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored)
Matt Davidson 3B
Matt Tuiasosopo DH
Trayce Thompson CF (second in the IL with 38 extra-base hits)
Chris Marrero 1B (batting .300 in July)
Kevan Smith C
Tyler Colvin RF
Pitching: RHP Scott Carroll (3-2, 2.06)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV/ ESPN 730

Notes: Tyler Saladino, who was promoted from Charlotte to the Chicago White Sox on July 10, extended his hitting streak to seven games on Tuesday with a 3-for-5 effort against the St. Louis Cardinals. In Chicago's 8-5 loss, Saladino, 26, hit his second home run in as many days. Since joining the White Sox, Saladino is hitting .355 with a .968 OPS and has entrenched himself as the team's starting third baseman.

Roster moves: Charlotte right-hander Shawn Haviland was traded on Wednesday to the Colorado Rockies organization in exchange for cash considerations. In 19 games (13 starts) for the Knights this season, he went 4-5 with a 4.19 ERA. His most recent outing came on Sunday against the Norfolk Tides, when he surrendered four runs (three earned) in 4 2/3 innings. Haviland signed with the White Sox organization on Jan 12. after spending the 2014 season in the Oakland Athletics organization.

In a corresponding move, first baseman Chris Jacobs of Class AA Birmingham was promoted to the Knights. In 11 games with the Barons, Jacobs batted .229. Jacobs was signed by the White Sox organization on Dec. 20 and started the season in High A Winston-Salem, where he hit .283 with three home runs and 27 RBI in 59 games.

Game 98 lineups: Durham Bulls at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

Bulls (49-46)
Boog Powell LF
Ryan Brett 2B
Taylor Motter RF
J.P. Arencibia 1B
Richie Shaffer 3B
Corey Brown CF
Nick Franklin DH
Hak-Ju Lee SS
Bobby Wilson C
Pitching: LHP Everett Teaford (4-6, 5.58)

Knights (55-42)
Micah Johnson 2B (his .333 batting average ranks second in the International League)
Leury Garcia SS (currently third in the IL with 27 stolen bases this season)
Jason Coats LF
Matt Davidson 3B (tied for second in the IL with 15 home runs this season)
Matt Tuiasosopo RF (has hit a team-leading six home runs in July)
Trayce Thompson CF
Chris Marrero 1B
Kevan Smith C
Tyler Colvin DH
Pitching: RHP Brad Penny (4-3, 3.94)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV/ ESPN 730

Game 97 lineups: Charlotte Knights open four-game series with Durham Bulls

Here are the lineups:

Bulls (49-45)
Boog Powell LF
Taylor Motter DH
Mikie Mahtook RF
J.P. Arencibia 1B
Richie Shaffer 3B
Corey Brown CF
Nick Franklin 2B
Hak-Ju Lee SS
Luke Maile C
Pitching: LHP Scott Diamond (9-3, 3.28)

Knights (54-42)
Micah Johnson 2B
Leury Garcia CF
Jason Coats LF
Matt Davidson 3B
Matt Tuiasosopo RF
Chris Marrero 1B
Kevan Smith C
Drew Garcia SS
Ethan Wilson DH
Pitching: RHP Erik Johnson (7-5, 2.73)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV/ ESPN 730

Notes: Micah Johnson was named the International League Batter of the Week on Monday after hitting .500 with seven runs scored, one home run and four stolen bases during the four-game week. Over his past five games, he has 12 hits and has scored eight runs. ... Trayce Thompson, who was removed in the bottom of the sixth inning during Sunday's game against the Norfolk Tides, is not in the Knights' starting lineup on Monday. After Sunday's game, Charlotte manager Joel Skinner said Thompson was removed from the game for precautionary reasons after dealing with leg cramps. Thompson leads the International League in games played, having played in all 96 of the Knights' games this season. ... Tyler Saladino, who was promoted from Charlotte to the Chicago White Sox on July 10, extended his hitting streak to six games on Sunday in Chicago's 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. His lone hit during Sunday's game was his first major-league home run, which can be seen below. He is batting .308 in seven games with the White Sox.

Making memories: Watch @SaladinoTyler collect his 1st MLB HR in the 9th. http://t.co/NwL40jCIGT pic.twitter.com/YhCwe5Tv2u

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 19, 2015

Roster move: Right-handed pitcher Nate Jones was placed on the Knights' active roster on Monday as a part of his major-league rehab assignment. Jones, who had Tommy John surgery in July 2014, opened his rehab assignment with Advanced-A Winston-Salem. In three games with the Dash, he went 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA.  

Game 96 lineups: Knights look to split four-game series with Tides

Here are the lineups:

Tides (52-40)
Henry Urrutia DH
Rey Navarro SS
Christian Walker 1B
Dariel Alvarez RF
Steve Clevenger C
Sean Halton LF
Michael Almanzar 3B
Julio Borbon CF
Derrik Gibson 2B
Pitching: RHP Zach Davies (3-5, 2.70)

Knights (53-42)
Micah Johnson 2B (has nine hits over his past four games)
Leury Garcia SS (hitting .348 in July)
Jason Coats LF
Matt Davidson 3B (leads International League third basemen with a .965 fielding percentage)
Matt Tuiasosopo RF
Trayce Thompson CF (one home run away from 100 in his minor-league career)
Chris Marrero 1B
Kevan Smith C
Tyler Colvin DH
Pitching: RHP Shawn Haviland (4-5, 4.09)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV/ ESPN 730

Game 95 lineups: Norfolk Tides at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

Tides (51-40) 
Henry Urrutia RF
Rey Navarro 2B
Christian Walker 1B
Dariel Alvarez CF
Steve Clevenger DH
Sean Halton LF
Michael Almanzar 3B
Audry Perez C
Paul Janish SS
Pitching: RHP Tyler Wilson (3-5, 3.06)

Knights (53-41)
Micah Johnson 2B
Leury Garcia SS
Jason Coats LF
Matt Davidson 3B
Matt Tuiasosopo RF
Trayce Thompson CF
George Kottaras C
Chris Marrero 1B
Tyler Colvin DH
Pitching: RHP Hector Noesi (0-0, 0.00)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: WMYT/ MiLB.TV/ ESPN 730

Roster moves: Right-handed pitcher Kyle Drabek (5-5, 2.86) was placed on the disabled list on Saturday. The move is retroactive to July 15. Drabek's 2.86 ERA is the third lowest in the International League, and his .211 batting average against is the second lowest in the IL among starters. He was named the IL Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 6-12 after going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two starts.

Taking Drabek's spot on the Knights' roster is right-hander Shawn Haviland, who was activated off the DL on Saturday. He is 4-5 with a 4.09 ERA in 12 starts this season. His most recent start was on July 9 against the Durham Bulls, when he surrendered three runs (two earned) in a 10-8 loss. Haviland will take Drabek's spot in the rotation and start Sunday's game against Norfolk.

Game 94 lineups: Norfolk Tides at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

Tides (51-39)
Henry Urrutia RF
Rey Navarro 2B
Christian Walker 1B
Dariel Alvarez DH
Steve Clevenger C
Sean Halton LF
Michael Almanzar 3B
Julio Borbon CF
Paul Janish SS
Pitching: RHP Kevin Gausman (0-1, 0.00)

Knights (52-41)
Micah Johnson 2B (hitting .383 in July with 16 runs scored)
Leury Garcia SS (batting .314 in July)
Jason Coats LF (hitting .326 in July with nine RBI and seven runs scored)
Matt Davidson 3B (tied for third in the International League with 14 home runs this season)
Matt Tuiasosopo RF
Trayce Thompson CF (one home run away from 100 for his minor-league career)
Chris Marrero 1B (his .375 batting average since July 2 is the seventh highest in the IL)
Kevan Smith C
Tyler Colvin DH
Pitching: RHP Scott Carroll (3-2, 2.10)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730

Charlotte Knights-Norfolk Tides series probables

Knights vs. Tides
At BB&T BallPark

Series probables

Thursday, 7:05 p.m.
CHA: RHP Brad Penny (4-3, 3.89)
NOR: RHP Mike Wright (5-0, 3.00)

Friday, 7:05 p.m.

CHA: RHP Scott Carroll (3-2, 2.10) 

NOR: RHP Kevin Gausman (0-1, 0.00)

Saturday, 7:05 p.m.

CHA: TBD 

NOR: RHP Tyler Wilson (3-5, 3.06)

Sunday, 5:05 p.m.

CHA: TBD 

NOR: RHP Zach Davies (3-5, 2.70)

Head to head: This is the sixth series between Charlotte (52-40) and Norfolk (50-39) this season. The Knights have won nine of the 16 games. The most recent series between the teams was in Norfolk this past weekend, and Charlotte took three of four games to enter the All-Star break with a half-game lead over the Tides in the International League South Division.

Game 79 lineups: Gwinnett Braves at Charlotte Knights

Here are the lineups:

Braves (40-38)
Mallex Smith CF
Jose Peraza 2B
Eric Young Jr. LF
Cedric Hunter DH
Sean Kazmar 3B
Todd Cunningham RF
Daniel Castro SS
Barrett Kleinknecht 1B
Jose Yepez C
Pitching: RHP Kanekoa Texeira (0-2, 4.20)

Knights (44-35)
Micah Johnson 2B (hit .295 in the month of June)
Tyler Saladino SS
Matt Tuiasosopo LF
Matt Davidson 3B (tied for the International League-lead in home runs with 13)
Tyler Colvin RF
Trayce Thompson CF (second in the IL with 43 runs scored)
Chris Marrero DH
Kevan Smith C
Chris Curley 1B (batting .381 in seven games with Charlotte)
Pitching: RHP Junior Guerra (0-3, 3.00)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV/ ESPN 730

Notes: The Knights enter Thursday's game 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Norfolk Tides in the IL South Division standings. ... Four Knights will represent Charlotte in the Triple-A All-Star game on July 15. Read more here.

Roster moves: RHP Hector Noesi was placed on the temporary inactive list on Thursday. After going 0-4 with a 6.89 ERA in 10 games (five starts) with the Chicago White Sox, Noesi was outrighted to Charlotte from Chicago on June 26. Noesi hasn't pitched for the Knights this season.

RHP Junior Guerra was optioned to Charlotte  on Wednesday and was placed on the Knights' active roster on Thursday. After being promoted to Chicago on June 7, Guerra went 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in three relief appearances for the White Sox. Guerra opened the season with Double-A Birmingham, and in seven games for the Knights, he went 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA in seven games (five starts) and struck out 30 batters.

Game 54 lineups: Norfolk Tides visit Charlotte Knights in battle for first place

Here are the lineups:

Tides (30-23)
Henry Urrutia DH
Dariel Alvarez CF
Chris Parmelee RF
Nolan Reimold LF
Christian Walker 1B
Audry Perez C
Michael Almanzar 3B
Derrick Gibson 2B
Paul Janish SS
Pitching: LHP Eddie Gamboa (3-3, 3.98)

Knights (30-23)
Micah Johnson 2B
Leury Garcia CF
Jason Coats RF
Matt Davidson 3B
Trayce Thompson LF
Tyler Colvin DH
Neftali Soto 1B
Kevan Smith C
Drew Garcia SS
Pitching: RHP Erik Johnson (4-4, 4.14)

Game time: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MiLB.TV / ESPN 730

Notes: Charlotte and Norfolk enter tonight's game in a three-way tie with the Durham Bulls (31-24) for first place in the International League South Division standings. ... The Knights and Tides are almost complete opposites. Charlotte is currently first in the International League with 236 runs scored this season, while Norfolk's 188 runs scored rank the team 13th out of 14 IL teams. The Tides, however, boast one of the IL's top pitching staffs. Norfolk's 2.81 ERA is the second best in the IL, while Charlotte's 3.87 ERA is 10th in the league.

Roster moves: The Knights added RHP Terance Marin to the team's active roster today. He was on loan by the Chicago White Sox to the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League before being reinstated on Friday. In 10 games with the Toros, he posted a 2-5 record with a 4.94 ERA. After being signed by the White Sox on July 12, 2010, he split time between the Winston-Salem Dash and the Double-A Birmingham Barons in 2014. He posted a 4-3 record along with a 4.22 ERA in 14 games with the Dash. In two starts for the Barons, he went 0-2 with a 4.97 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.

Andy Wilkins named International League's Player of the Month

Here's the release from the International League...

The International League announced today that Charlotte first baseman/designated hitter Andy Wilkins has been named the Leagueʹs Player of the Month for July. Along with winners from other leagues, Wilkins will receive an award from Minor League Baseball in recognition of his performance last month.

For the month of July, Wilkins led the International League with 12 home runs, 31 RBI, 44 hits, 21 extra‐base hits, and a .857 slugging percentage while finishing 2nd in the circuit with a .419 batting average and 24 runs scored.  Remarkably, Wilkins collected multiple hits in 14 games, including a streak of eight in a row beginning July 13. In his first nine games following the All‐Star Break, Wilkins hit .564 with ten homers and 24 RBI while leading the Knights to an 8‐1 record.  On Monday he became the first player in franchise history to win consecutive IL Player of the Week awards, and the first in the League to do so since Gwinnettʹs Mauro Gomez in 2011. Wilkins entered July with a .236 batting average; heʹs now hitting .285 for the season. He is the International League leader with 26 home runs, 70 RBI, and 53 extra‐base hits.

Wilkins, 25, is in his fifth season as a professional player. He was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2010 draft out of the University of Arkansas. He first reached the Triple‐A level last season, hitting .265 with seven homers in 58 games with Charlotte.  He has yet to make his Major League debut. Wilkins is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma.