Charlotte Knights Expansion Franchise (2023)

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The Knights return home to face the San Diego Padres (17-16). The pitching matchups:
Carlos Martinez (1-2, 7.33) vs. Braxton Garrett (2-0, 2.95)
Nick Martinez (1-3, 4.59) vs. John Means (2-1, 5.45)
Mackenzie Gore (2-4, 5.49) vs. Mike Clevinger (2-2, 3.60)

Game #34 – May 4 – Knights Field

The game remained scoreless until Danny Santana singled home Miguel Vargas to give Charlotte the lead. The Padres tied it in the top of the 6th on Trent Grisham's home run. San Diego loaded the bases with 3 straight hits. Luis Campusano hits into a 6-2 force play, but Jurickson Profar was safe on an infield single that gave San Diego the lead. Braxton Garrett came back to strike out Mitch Haniger before Jorge Alcala relieved him. Alcala walked Jake Cronenworth to make it 3-1, then threw a wild pitch which allowed another run to score. Ha-Seong Kim followed with a single to right field, scoring 2 more runs and giving the Padres a 5-1 lead.

The Padres scored another run off of Ricky DiVito on the 7th. The Knights went quietly after that as Sam Diego won their 4th straight game.

Final Score: San Diego 6, Charlotte 1
WP: C. Martinez (2-2)
LP: B. Garrett (2-1)
Record: 18-16
Player of the Game: Carlos Martinez

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Game #35 – May 5 – Knights Field

Charlotte jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Ryan McKenna walked to lead off the bottom of the 1st, went to 2nd on Brandon Drury's single, and scored on a Jhonkensey Noel single. Anthony Santander was safe on an infield single to load the bases. Mike Gerber hit into a force play at 2B, scoring Drury. Elihiris Montero doubled into the RF corner to score Noel. Kole Calhoun hit a sacrifice fly to right to make it 4-0. Aramis Garcia struck out to end the inning.

The Padres scored a run in the 2nd inning on a Webster Rivas single. Jurickson Profar homered to left to lead off the 4th.

Anthony Santander singled home 2 runs in the bottom of the 5th to make it 6-2. Drury singled home 2 more runs in the 6th. Drury hit a 2-run home run to left in the 8th. Santander hit a solo shot later in the inning.

Final Score: Charlotte 11, San Diego 2
WP: J. Means (3-1)
LP: N. Martinez (1-4)
Record: 19-16
Player of the Game: Brandon Drury

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Game #36 – May 6 – Knights Field

Ryan McKenna scored on Jhonkensey Noel's 1st inning double to give Charlotte an early 1-0 lead. The Padres tied it on a Seth Brown triple hit which scored Robert Hassell III in the 3rd and took the lead when Brown scored on a Mike Clevinger wild pitch. Miguel Vargas singled to score Anthony Santander and tie the game at 2 in the bottom of the 4th.

Owen Miller went deep to lead off the 6th and put the Knights ahead 3-2. Nick Robertson made his MLB debut in the 7th and gave up a single but struck out the side.

Colton Wong gave Charlotte some insurance with his 6th home run of the year in the bottom of the 7th, and Noel and Brandon Drury hit back-to-back home runs in the 8th.

Kervin Castro pitched the final 2 innings to earn his 1st MLB save.

Final Score: Charlotte 6, San Diego 2
WP: M. Clevinger (3-2)
LP: M. Gore (2-4)
SV: K. Castro (1)
Record: 20-16
Player of the Game: Mike Clevinger

May 7 – Off Day

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The Knights (20-16) travel to St. Louis to take on division rival St. Louis (21-15). While it is too early in the season to call this an important series, it is important for the expansion Charlotte franchise as they seek to show that they can be taken seriously in the N. L. South. The pitching matchups are:

Sean Manaea (2-3, 4.97) vs. Matthew Liberatore (2-3, 5.71)
Danny Duffy (4-2, 5.82) vs. Taijuan Walker (2-3, 8.36)
Braxton Garrett (2-1, 4.12) vs. Jordan Hicks (2-2, 6.44)

Game #37 – May 8 – Busch Stadium

The Knights drew 1st blood in the top of the 3rd. Singles by Miguel Vargas and Aramis Garcia, and a wild pitch by Matthew Liberatore, put runners at 2nd and 3rd for Ryan McKenna, who singled to right to make it 1-0. Liberatore got out of the inning without any further damage.

The Cardinals tied it in the 5th when Harrison Bader tripled and Tommy Edman hit a sacrifice fly. Sean Manaea walked Paul Goldschmidt to lead off the bottom of the 6th and hit Tyler O'Neill. After Nolan Arenado popped out to 2B, Yasmani Grandal mashed a 371 foot home run to left to give the Cards a 4-1 lead. Bader drew a walk. That was all for Manaea, who was relieved by Kutter Crawford. Crawford retired Brandon Donovan, but Edman hit a 2-run home run to right to make it 6-1.

Ryan McKenna homered to left in the 8th to make it 6-2.

Final Score: St. Louis 6, Charlotte 2
WP: M. Liberatore (3-3)
LP: S. Manaea (2-4)
Record: 20-17
Player of the Game: Matthew Liberatore

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Game #38 – May 9 – Busch Stadium

The Cardinals took the lead in the bottom of the 1st inning on a Harrison Bader double and a Paul Goldschmidt RBI single before Danny Duffy recorded an out on Juan Yepez's sacrifice fly. Tyler O'Neill added to the St. Louis lead with a solo home run in the 3rd. The Cards added 3 more in the 4th before Ricky DiVito relieved Duffy. DiVito pirched 3.2 shutout innings.

Mike Gerber got the Knights on the board with an 8th inning home run. Ryan McKenna doubled home 2 more runs later in the inning to make it 6-3.

Jorge Alcala kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard in the 8th despite St. Louis having runners at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Tommy Edman hit a fly ball to RF which Anthony Santander caught and threw out Nolan Arenado at the plate. Alcala then retired Paul DeJong on a popup to 2B.

The Knights went quietly in the 9th.

Final Score: St. Louis 6, Charlotte 3
WP: T. Walker (3-3)
LP: D. Duffy (4-3)
SV: G. Cabrera (11)
Record: 20-18
Player of the Game: Taijuan Walker

News: Clayton Kershaw reached a career milestone, recording his 200th win as the Dodgers beat the Cubs 3-2.

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Game #39 – May 10 – Busch Stadium

Mike Gerber made an amazing diving catch in the bottom of the 2nd inning to rob Tommy Edman of a base hit and 2 RBIs. This ended up being one of tue bigger plays of the game as it kept it a scoreless tie. Owen Miller led off the 4th with his 2nd hit of the game and came around to score when Anthony Santander deposited his 9th home run of the season into the LF stands. Kole Calhoun's 6th inning sacrifice fly made it 3-0.

The Cardinals made it 3-1 when reliever Austin Adams walked Harrison Bader with the bases loaded. Aramis Garcia hit a sacrifice fly in the 8th to make it 4-1. Brandon Drury hit home run #6 in the 9th.

The Knights brought A. J. Puk into the game to pitch the 9th even though it was not a save situation as he had not pitched in a week. He allowed a run before retiring the side, as Charlotte salvaged the final game of this series.

Final Score – Charlotte 5, St. Louis 2
WP: B. Garrett (3-1)
LP: J. Hicks (2-3)
Record: 21-18
Player of the Game: Braxton Garrett

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It is appropriate to assess the progress of the team as the Knights reach the quarter pole of their inaugural season. It is safe to say that the Knights are one of them surprise teams in all of baseball as they have managed a winning record so far and sit in 2nd place in the N. L. South, 2 games behind the Cardinals. Although it is way too early to talk about the playoffs, they are also 2nd in the Wild Card standings at the moment, 2 games behind Philadelphia and 2 games ahead of Arizona, who holds the 3rd spot. (By way of comparison, the Portland Mavericks are 14-25, and sit 13 games behind Seattle in the A. L. West.)

How have the Knights done this? They play hard through 27 outs every day, but it is also hard not to conclude that they have had a little bit of luck. Their offense has been better than expected. They are 2nd in the N. L. in batting average, 7th in OBP, 4th in SLG, and 7th in OPS. Their .322 wOBA also ranks 7th. They are among the worst in the league in base running, and their defense is below average. Their -4.7 Zone Rating ranks 13th in the league, although they are 8th overall in defensive efficiency. Pitching wise, Charlotte's 4.80 ERA ranks 14th in the National League (their starters rank 14th at 5.10 and the bullpen ranks 11th at 4.29) and they have allowed 196 runs, which also ranks 14th in the league. All of this is confirmed by the fact that the Knights are playing 4 games above their Pythagorean record of 17-22, which suggests they might expect their record to regress a bit during the remainder of the season.

The back end of the bullpen (Crawford, Alcala, Castro, Puk) have been the real strength of the team so far. Charlotte is 19-5 when leading or tied after 6 innings. They are 7-4 in 1-run games and 2-0 in extra-inning games.

Can this collection of utility infielders, 4th outfielders, and journeyman pitchers keep this up? The next month will go a long way in showing whether they can or not.

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The Knights travel to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks. Here are the pitching matchups:

John Means (3-1, 4.99) vs. Tristan McKenzie (1-1, 5.68)
Mike Clevinger (3-2, 3.52) vs. Madison Bumgarner (1-4, 3.73)
Sean Manaea (2-4, 5.36) vs. Zac Gallen(1-2, 4.53)

Game #40 – May 11 – Chase Field

It was a wild one on the desert.

Elihuris Montero singled, Miguel Vargas hit a double into the left-centerfield gap, and Connor Wong drove them both home to give the Knights a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning. Alek Thomas' 3rd inning home run made it 2-1. Brandon Drury doubled home Owen Miller in the 4th to make it 3-1. Arizona had 3 straight hits in the bottom of the inning, and after Thomas singled home his 2nd run of the game, the Knights called on Nick Robertson from the bullpen. Robertson struck out Corbin Carroll, but Gio Urshela singled to left to tie the game. Robertson came back to strike out Daulton Varsho to end the inning.

Mike Gerber led off the 6th with a double to center. Triston McKenzie intentionally walked Montero, and then Vargas singled through the middle to load the bases. Wong grounded to short, and Gerber was out 6-2. That brought Cole Tucker to the plate. With Tucker being 1-30 on the season, the Knights chose to send Danny Santana to the plate as a pinch hitter. Santana ripped a line drive to center which Varsho caught. Montero scored on the play to give Charlotte the lead. Miller then deposited a 2-0 fastball into the left field stands to make it a 7-3 game.

Arizona scored a run in the 7th off of Austin Adams, but the Knights got it back in the 8th on a Santana triple and a Miller double. Carson Kelly belted a 2-run shot to left in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-6.

AJ Puk walked the leadoff man in the bottom of the 9th, but retired the next 3 batters to preserve the win.

Final Score: Charlotte 8, Arizona 6
WP: N. Robertson (1-0)
LP: T. McKenzie (1-2)
SV: A. Puk (12)
Record: 22-18
Player of the Game: Owen Miller

TRANSACTION: Claimed INF Vidal Brujan off waivers from Nashville. Designated Cole Tucker for assignment and placed on waivers. Placed Brujan on the active roster.

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Game #41 – May 12 – Chase Field

Alek Thomas and Gio Urshela hit back-to back doubles in the bottom of the 1st inning to give Arizona the lead.

Mike Gerber hit a bases-loaded double to score 2 and give the Knights the lead in the top of the 6th. Miguel Vargas doubled to score 2 more, and Ryan McKenna singled home Vargas later in the inning. Given a 5-1 lead, Mike Clevinger fell apart in the bottom of the inning. Corbin Carroll blooped a single to center to make it 5-2 and Christian Walker blasted a 3-run shot to left to tie it before Kutter Crawford could finish warming up in the bullpen.

Elihuris Montero took Miguel Yajure deep to left with 1 out in the 8th to put Charlotte ahead. Jake Burger tied it with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the inning off of Joe Barlow.

McKenna beat out an infield single to lead off the 9th, stole 2nd, and scored on Owen Miller's double to right. Brandon Drury followed with a double to score Miller and make it an 8-6 game. Barlow (pitching 2 innings because the bullpen needed a rest) retired the side in order in the 9th.

Final Score: Charlotte 8, Arizona 6
WP: J. Barlow (2-1)
LP: A. Chafin (2-2)
Record: 23-18
Player of the Game: Christian Walker

News: San Diego SP Mackenzie Gore pitched a no-hitter as the Padres beat the Nationals 4-0.

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Game #42 – May 13 – Chase Field

Vidal Brujan singled in his 1st at bat as a Charlotte Knight in the 3rd inning, which sent Colton Wong to 3rd. Ryan McKenna followed with a fly ball to center just deep enough to score Wong and give the Knights a 1-0 lead. The Diamondbacks tied it in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back doubles by Alek Thomas and Gio Urshela.

Colton Wong blasted his 7th home run of the season in the 5th to put Charlotte back in front, 2-1. Carson Kelly went deep with a runner on in the bottom of the inning to give Arizona the lead. Arizona loaded the bases with 2 outs, and Daulton Varsho greeted reliever Ricky DiVito with a laser shot to right which just cleared the fence and gave the Diamondbacks a 7-2 lead. Arizona added 3 more runs in the 6th on a Urshela single and a 2-run blast by Corbin Carroll.

Brujan singled home a run in the 7th and doubled home another in the 9th. Brujan was 3-4 with 2 runs batted in for the game.

Final Score: Arizona 10, Charlotte 4
WP: Z. Gallen (2-2)
LP: S. Manaea (2-5)
Record: 23-19
Player of the Game: Daulton Varsho

News: LA Dodgers P Trevor May will miss at least the next 4 months with a torn labrum.

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The Knights return home to take on the Cubs. Here are the pitching matchups:

Marcus Stroman (3-2, 4.32) vs. Danny Duffy (4-3, 6.75)
Caleb Kilian (0-2, 7.71) vs. Braxton Garrett (3-1, 3.64)
Michael Wacha (1-3, 4.28) vs. John Means (3-1, 5.11)

Game #43 – May 14 – Knights Field

The Knights loaded the bases with nobody out in the 1st inning, but failed to score as Brandon Drury struck out and Anthony Santander hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

Donovan Solano led off the top of the 2nd with a 407 blast to left field, and the Cubs took a 1-0 lead. Charlotte tied it on a run-scoring infield single by Vidal Brujan. Ryan McKenna walked to load the bases, but Ian Happ robbed Owen Miller with a diving catch in left that saved at least 2 runs.

A walk, an Owen Miller error, a wild pitch, and a Solano single to right made it 3-1 Cubs in the 3rd. Miguel Amaya doubled, but Danny Duffy struck out Christian Franklin swinging to end the inning.

Ryan McKenna led off the bottom of the 5th with his 4th home run of the season to make it 3-2.

Frank Schwindel singled home a run off of Nick Robertson in the top of the 6th to make it 4-2 in favor of Chicago. The Knights closed to within one in the bottom of the 7th when Brujan singled to lead off the inning, stole 2nd, and scored on Jhonkensey Noel's 2-out single. Drury greeted reliever Ethan Roberts with a sharp single to right, but Santander hit into a force play to end the inning.

The Cubs loaded the bases in the top of the 9th, but Kervin Castro was summoned from the pen and struck out Solano and Amaya to end the inning. McKenna greeted Edwin Diaz in the bottom of inning with his 2nd home run of the day – a 390 foot shot to left – to tie the game.

After Santander singled to lead off the bottom of the 10th, Mike Gerber drilled a 1-1 slider down the right field line and over the fence for an exciting walk-off win.

Game Note: Mike Gerber now has an 11-game hitting streak.

Final Score: Charlotte 6, Chicago 4 (10 innings)
WP: K. Castro (2-1)
LP: E. Diaz (1-5)
Record: 24-19
Player of the Game: Ryan McKenna

News: The Phillies announced that Aaron Nola will miss the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff.

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Game #44 – May 15 – Knights Field

Vidal Brujan continued his hot start with the Knights, blooping a single over the shortstop's head to drive in a run and give Charlotte a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning. After Owen Miller extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a 2-out single in the 5th, Jhonkensey Noel deposited a Caleb Killian changeup into the LF stands for his 7th home run, making it 3-0. Charlotte scored 2 more times in the 6th on an RBI forceout at 2nd by Connor Wong and an RBI groundout by Brujan.

Meanwhile, Braxton Garrett was cruising until Ian Happ homered to left with 1 out in the top of the 8th. Elvis Andrus doubled home a run in the 9th, but Nico Hoerner was thrown out at the plate on a fine throw by McKenna and relay by Miller to end the inning. Garrett pitched 8 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 7 and walking 1. A. J. Puk pitched a 1-2-3 9th for the save.

Chicago has now lost 9 games in a row.

Charlotte's win combined with the Cardinals' loss moves the Knights into a 1st place tied in the N. L. South.

Final Score: Charlotte 5, Chicago 2
WP: B. Garrett (4-1)
LP: C. Kilian (0-3)
SV: A. Puk (13)
Record: 25-19
Player of the Game: Braxton Garrett

Charlotte completed another trade with Texas, announced just as the game was getting underway, sending 2B Samad Taylor to the Rangers in exchange for Andy Ibanez.

When the Rangers indicated Ibanez was available (to make room for Josh Jung), the Knights made a call. The deal was quickly concluded after brief negotiations. Ibanez is a plus hitter with average power who had a solid 2022 campaign (.278, 6 HR, 42 RBIs on 467 at bats) and is batting .359 with 8 home runs in 34 games so far this season. Primarily a third baseman, he can also play first, second, and is serviceable in left field. Charlotte's FO especially likes that he is "a max effort guy" with a strong work ethic.

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Game #45 – May 16 – Knights Field

Ian Happ's 2-run homer in the 2nd inning gave the Cubs the early lead. Christopher Morel connected for a 2-run shot in the 5th to make it 4-0. Seiya Suzuki doubled home 2 more runs later in the inning, driving John Means from the game. Joe Barlow relieved and immediately balked home a run, which closed to books on a tough day for Means.

Meanwhile, the Knights couldn't get anything going against Michael Wacha. They threatened in the 4th with 2 on and 1 out but failed to score. They finally broke through in the bottom of the 5th when they loaded the bases and Owen Miller drove in a run with an RBI groundout.

Morel connected for his 2nd home run of the game, a 3-run shot in the 7th off of Kutter Crawford, to put the game out of reach.

Anthony Santander hit a 2-run home run (his 10th) in the bottom of the 8th to make it 10-3.

Final Score: Chicago 10, Charlotte 3
WP: M. Wacha (2-3)
LP: J. Means (3-2)
Record: 25-20
Player of the Game: Christopher Morel

TRANSACTIONS: Sent Adam Frazier to AAA on a rehab assignment. Traded OF Kole Calhoun to Miami in exchange for SS Jose Devers. Assigned Devers to AA. Devers is a speedy middle infielder who is a superior defender but a weak hitter. The purpose of the trade was to create roster space for Andy Ibanez. Placed Ibanez on the active roster.

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The Knights travel to the west coast to face the Giants. The pitching matchups are:

Mike Clevinger (3-2, 3.98) vs. Logan Webb (2-3, 4.42)
Sean Manaea (2-5, 5.40) vs. Anthony DeSclafani (3-4, 7.47)
Danny Duffy (4-3, 6.17) vs. Jake Odorizzi (2-3, 5.24)

Game #46 – May 17 – Oracle Park

The Knights had 4 baserunners in the 1st against Logan Webb and failed to score. The Giants scored 3 times off Mike Clevinger in the bottom of the inning.

Brandon Drury singled home a run in the 2nd. And Andy Ibanez error opened the door for the Giants to score twice in the bottom of the inning on a Mike Yastrzekski double. Joey Bart's double drove home another run in the 3rd. Austin Slater's single scored Bart to make it 7-1.

Connor Wong doubled with 1 out in the top of the 4th and Vidal Brujan followed with a double to make it 7-2. Brujan had to leave the game with an injury. The Knights scored another run courtesy of a Brandon Crawford error in the 9th.

Final Score: San Francisco 7, Charlotte 3
WP: L. Webb (3-3)
LP: M. Clevinger (3-3)
Record: 25-21
Player of the Game: Logan Webb

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Game #47 – May 18 – Oracle Park

Jhonkensey Noel blasted a 2-run home run in the top of the 1st to put Charlotte up, 2-0. Mike Gerber doubled home a run later in the inning. Vidal Brujan had an RBI groundout in the 3rd to make it 4-0. The Giants got on the board on a Joey Bart single in the bottom of the inning. They took the lead with a 4-run 5th as Sean Manaea, who cruised through the 1st 3 innings, fell completely apart in his last 2.

The Giants added 3 more runs off of Austin Adams in the 6th to take an 8-4 lead.

Noel led off the top of the 7th with his 2nd home run of the game (9th of the season). The Knights added another run in the 9th when Elehuris Montero drew a bases-loaded walk, but Marcicio Llovera struck out pinch-hitter Miguel Vargas to end the game.

Final Score: San Francisco 8, Charlotte 6
WP: A. DeSclafani (4-4)
LP: S. Manaea (2-6)
SV: M. Llovera (9)
Record: 25-22
Player of the Game: Jhonkensey Noel

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Game #48 – May 19 – Oracle Park

San Francisco scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the 1st inning on a Danny Duffy wild pitch. The Giants then loaded the bases with 2 outs, but Duffy got Mike Yastrzemski to fly out to the warning track in center to end the inning. The Knights tied the game on Miguel Vargas' 2-out single in the 2nd.

Xander Bogaerts led off the bottom of the 3rd with a home run to left to put the Gians up 2-1. Marco Luciano doubled home another run in the bottom of the 5th.

Jhonkensey Noel hit his 10th double of the season to lead off the 6th. After Brandon Drury and Anthony Santander were retired, Andy Ibanez singled through the left side of the infield, scoring Noel and making it a 3-2 game. Mike Gerber followed with a double to center to tie the score at 3, and Vargas singled to left to give Charlotte the lead.

Joe Barlow relieved Duffy in the 6th, and Vidal Brujan replaced Gerber, who left the game with an undisclosed injury. Barlow pitched a scoreless inning, but the Giants tied the game in the bottom of 7th off of Jorge Alcala.

Leadoff walks kill you, and Ricky DiVito walked Boegaerts to lead off the bottom of the 9th. DiVito retired the next 2 batters, but Luciano slashed a double to the left-centerfield wall to give the Giants a walk-off win.

This is the 1st time the Knights have lost 4 games in a row this season.

Final Score: San Francisco 5, Charlotte 4
WP: C. Doval (2-1)
LP: R. DiVito (1-1)
Record: 25-23
Player of the Game: Darin Ruf

TRANSACTION: Mike Gerber's injury (strained rib cage muscle) is not serious, but he will likely miss 4-5 games so the Knights placed him on the 10-day Injured List. Activated Adam Frazier from his rehab assignment.


May 20 – Off Day

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The Knights take on their division-rival Miami Marlins. Here are the matchups:

Sandy Alcantara (5-3, 5.26) vs. Braxton Garrett (4-1, 3.35)
Pablo Lopez (1-6, 5.00) vs. John Means (3-2, 5.96)
Sixto Sanchez (4-1, 1.69) vs. Mike Clevinger (3-3, 4.58)

Game # 49 – May 21 – Knights Field

Adam Frazier's 2-out error in the 2nd inning allowed a run to score and gave the Marlins the lead, but Vidal Brujan socked his 1st home run of the season, a 3-run shot down the RF line, to put Charlotte ahead 3-1 in the bottom of the inning.

Miami got a run back in the 3rd when Willians Astudillo singled with 2 outs to score Jazz Chisholm. Astudillo tripled home another run to tie the game in the top of the 5th.

Chisholm tripled off of Kutter Crawford to lead off the 7th and scored on an Adam Duvall single as the Marlins retook the lead.

Jake Eder retired the first 2 Knights batters in the bottom of the 9th, but then Elihuris Montero drew a walk after an 8 pitch at bat, Miguel Vargas singled through the middle, and pinch-hitter Brandon Drury belted an 0-2 fastball 412 feet over the center field fence for the walk-off win.

Final Score: Charlotte 6, Miami 4
WP: A. Puk (1-0)
LP: J. Eder (0-3)
Record: 26-23
Player of the Game: Sandy Alcantara

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Game #50 – May 22 – Knights Field

John Means and Max Meyer were locked in a scoreless pitching duel until the rains came and delayed the game for 61 minutes in the 6th inning. When play resumed, Anthony Santander blooped a 2-out, bases-loaded single over 2B Brad Miller's head in the bottom of the 6th inning to break the scoreless tie. Elihuris Montero followed with a 378-foot home run to right to give Charlotte a 5-0 lead.

Miami scored a run in the 8th on a Charles LeBlanc groundout, but Austin Adams relieved Ricky DiVito and escaped any further damage.

Final Score: Charlotte 5, Miami 1
WP: R. DiVito (2-1)
LP: J. De Leon (1-2)
Record: 27-23
Player of the Game: Max Meyer

News: The Angels signed P Noah Syndergaard to a 7-year, $140,000,000 contract extension. Seattle announced SP Logan Gilbert will miss 10 months with a stretched elbow ligament. Yankees OF Giancarlo Stanton hit career HR #400. The Guardians traded SS Gabriel Arias and OF Daniel Aguilar to Miami in exchange for P Pablo Lopez.

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Game #51 – May 23 – Knights Field

Jhonkensey Noel deposited home run #10, a 2-run shot, into the LF stands in the bottom of 1st inning to give the Knights the lead. Mike Clevinger made it hold up. Miami threatened in the 5th. They had 2 on with 2 out when Anthony Santander made a spectacular diving catch in RF to rob Brad Miller of a hit and saved at least 1 run.

Elihuris Montero and Danny Santana led off the bottom of the inning with back-to-back singles. Connor Wong hit into a 6-4-3 double play, but Montero scored to make it 3-0. The Knights added another run in the 6th on a Tanner Scott wild pitch.

Clevinger pitched 7 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits while striking out 9 and walking 1. Joe Barlow pitched the final 2 innings to close out the game.

Final Score: Charlotte 4, Miami 0
WP: M. Clevinger (4-3)
LP: S. Sanchez (4-2)
Record: 28-23
Player of the Game: Mike Clevinger

[TribeTown]

The Knights travel to Pittsburgh to take on the 22-29 Pirates. Here are the pitching matchups:

Sean Manaea (2-6, 5.72) vs. Bryce Wilson (0-6, 5.14)
Danny Duffy (4-3, 6.08) vs. Dylan File (1-1, 4.22)
Braxton Garrett (4-1, 3.38) vs. Zach Thompson (0-0, 1.74)

Game #52 – May 24 – PNC Park

Adam Frazier hit a home run in the top of the 1st inning to give Charlotte a 1-0 lead. The score remained that way until Connor Wong connected for his 8th home run of the season, a 3-run shot in the top of the 9th.

Sean Manaea had his best start of the season, pitching 6 shutout innings. He allowed 4 runs, struck out 7, and walked 2. Kutter Crawford, Kervin Castro, and Jorge Alcala pitched a scoreless inning each.

Final Score: Charlotte 4, Pittsburgh 0
WP: S. Manaea (3-6)
LP: B. Wilson (0-7)
Record: 29-23
Player of the Game: Sean Manaea

TRANSACTION: Claimed OF Jesus Sanchez off waivers from Miami.

News: The Blue Jays traded minor league RHPs Irving Carter & Nathaniel Perez to Oakland in exchange Tony Kemp & P Jeff Criswell.