Charlotte Knights 4, Gwinnett Stripers 1 (Statcast Box)
Not only did the Knights wrap this one up early, with four runs in the first four innings, a bullpen game squelched a tuff Stripers O, with the top of the lineup manned by Jurickson Profar and Jarred Kelenic. It was also a lucky effort, given Charlotte was out-hard hit by Gwinnett, 10-5.

Thanks, C/Koreys (Julks and Lee), for your two-run shots made the difference in this one!

Charlotte advances to 36-38.

Birmingham Barons 7, Columbus Clingstones 3
Here’s how good Shane Murphy has been in the White Sox system this year: Three runs over six innings on Saturday raised his ERA … to 1.62. Lawdy. Murphy somehow has lost three games this year while compiling a 1.29 ERA heading into this start, so he was due a win (his sixth in 2025) in a bum game — his first having given up as many as three runs in a game this season. For once, Murphy’s offense bailed him out, as he left in after the sixth down, 3-2, with late rallies delivering the southpaw a no-decision.

Otherwise, this win came courtesy of another great game at the top of the order from Rikuu Nishida and William Bergolla (a combined 4-for-8, four runs, double).

Birmingham improves to 38-30.

Winston-Salem Oat Milkers 6, Rome Emperors 5
Despite the tight win, the 26-41 Dash Oat Milkers never trailed in this one, and how often can that be said this season; a fair spot fewer times than 26, I’d guess. Every Dash hitter tapped at least one hit but catcher Jackson Appel, and in fact five of the nine hitters got on base twice today. Sure, the pitching did just enough to keep W-S out of the fire, but when you’re at 26 wins starting the second half of the season, don’t quibble.

Oh, for bonus video content, how about the power-packed Jeral Perez and his 13th homer of the season?

Charleston RiverDogs 6, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 4 (10 innings)
As this update is being prepared, Kanny starting pitcher Luis Reyes is typing a sharply-worded memo to White Sox brass asking for a better bullpen, one that will save one of his great outings rather than blow it. Too late for tonight, of course, but not for lack of Reyes’ effort: an affiliate-rarity seven innings, all of them scoreless, four hits, five Ks, a walk. AARGGHH. Connor Housely and Jonathan Clark, you better be buying dinner tonight.

Kannapolis has officially entered Can’t Win For Losing status, dropping a ninth straight game and tumbling to 32-36.

ACL Diamondbacks 6, ACL White Sox 5 (9 innings, orignally scheduled for 7)
We just have time to squeeze in one more late collapse tonight, so let’s head to steamy AZ and watch our Complex Sox kick this one away. Jeremy Gonzalez had a rough start to the game, giving up four runs in the third. However, the bullpen held up for five innings to come, keeping the Dbacks scoreless while clawing back into the game. In fact, by the top of the seventh, and Alexander Albertus double resulted in the lead run, 5-4, after Albertus was pushed to third on a Grant Smith fly out and home after a throwing error on a comebacker to ACL-D hurler Austin Pope.

Alas, a single-SB-double tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, the frame that should have marked game’s end; the damage came against Complex Sox pitcher Gray Thomas, but with two on and two outs Gray coaxed a K to move the game into extras.

In the first three half-innings, two oddities kept the game scoreless. In the bottom of the eighth, the Complex Sox scored a wild sequence on an attempted sac bunt with runners on first and second, going 3-5-4 for a third-to-first double play. Then, in the top of the ninth the White Sox saw a runner cut down at home (apparently, the play-by-play details have a gap) on an attempted first-and-third double steal.

The loss that dropped the ACL Sox to 20-16 came rather mundanely, with a single to drive in the ghost runner in the bottom of the ninth.