Charlotte Cherokees - A look back at how it all began

[ohiodevil]

Charlotte, North Carolina

Tanner Scott...... Johnny Venters....... Billy Butler....... Jairo Diaz........ Mike Ford. Do you remember who they were? If any of them were standing next of you right now, would you be able to recognize them? What if I told you they played a huge part in the history of professional baseball in Charlotte, would you know then? Most of the people I ask those questions to cannot answer any of those questions, and the ones that make an attempt to answer usually are not even close. Sure, they know all five of them played professional baseball here in Charlotte, but most of them think they played for the old Charlotte Knights. You do remember the Knights, right? You know, that team that played here from 1976 through the end of the 2018 season? To quickly answer who they are and where I am going with this is simple....those five men were the first players acquired by the (then) MLB expansion Charlotte Cherokees way back in 2018, and all five of them are being honored on Opening Day at the start of the 2044 Major League Baseball season. Can you believe it's been 25 years since the Cherokees took the field? It has been a lot of fun, we've had our good times, and of course the bad...but no other season captured the buzz and excitement that was going on in this city during the 2019 baseball season. This story is about the birth (and building) of the newest member to the American League East, the Charlotte Cherokees.


* One of the things I have always loved to do in my years of playing OOTP is take over an expansion team, and for some reason I always put that team in Charlotte. I simmed the 2018 season using the MLB Quickstart with some tweaks of my own, mostly made transactions up til I started simming and added a few Indy Leagues and International Leagues to create the Caribbean Series. I also made some of the affiliate changes (moved San Antonio to the PCL, changed the affiliates for the Mets to Syracuse and Nats went to Las Vegas, among a few other minor ones).

I love questions and comments about the dyansty/story, so please feel free to ask away and there will be times I may ask for questions in the form of the media asking questions about a roster move or injury, please ask away. I plan to play out as many of the games that I can, so I will most likely post the game by game box score along with any blurbs I write about the game or team.

If anyone wants to know how the 2018 season turned out, the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox were the AL Wild Card teams with the Yankees, Astros and Indians the AL Division winners. The Mariners beat Boston in the play-in game, only to lose to the Yankees 3 games to 1. The Indians beat the Astros 3 games to 2 in the other series and then the Indians beat the Yankees 4 games to 1 in the ALCS. In the National League, the Phillies and Cardinals were the NL Wildcards, with the Cubs, Mets and Dodgers in as division winners. The Phillies beat the Cards in the play-in game, only to be swept by the Cubs in the division series. The Dodgers swept the Mets in the other division series, only to have the Cubs beat them in the NLCS in 7 games. And finally, the Chicago Cubs swept the Cleveland Indians in the World Series (as an Indians fan I was sad). This is where the dynasty story begins, on October 31st, 2018. If anyone is interested in how certain players did, how their team finished or if there were any big trades, feel free to ask and I will be happy to let you know....oh, the other expansion team to enter the league with my Cherokees were the Expos....I know, boring .

[ohiodevil]

Chapter 1: The Inception

Everyone in Charlotte will remember July 12th, 2016 as the day we found out that Montreal, Canada and our great city beat out Eight others and were awarded the 31st and 32nd franchises in Major League Baseball, to begin play in the 2019 season. I remember writing about SAS Institute Co-Founder and then CEO James Goodnight and his desire to bring a Major League Baseball team to Charlotte. He had already worked out the deal to buy the necessary land and a plan drawn up to build a $1.6 Billion facility to be the home for the new team, and they were ready to break ground by September and it would be completed by opening day in 2019...all he needed was approval from the league's other 30 owners.

Cherokee's first General Manager, Mike Apotsos recalls the announcement and how he got involved. "It was the All-Star Break, sometime in July 2016 and I was sitting in one of the employee cafeterias at Progressive Field with a few of the interns we hired over that Summer. Back then, I was in charge of the day to day life of the interns in the scouting department. And as I recall the TVs were tuned into the various sports networks and I happened to be looking at the one with MLB TV on and Sean Casey broke in with the news that Charlotte and Montreal were awarded expansion franchises and would begin play in 2019. Now, I grew up in the Cleveland area, so I was working for the team that not only I rooted for, but my Grandfather and Father both did as well, in fact I still have the ball signed by the 1948 World Series team along with a program from that same World Series in my office that was given to me by my Dad. So you can imagine it was a very tough decision to leave there. I remember my cell phone buzzing and it was from a North Carolina number I did not recognize, I did not pay much mind to it...I thought it was one of the scouts sending a report about a guy on our Single-A team in Lynchburg, so I paid it no mind. I finished our lunch meeting and went back to my desk, and I had something like 4 missed calls on my work phone and an email from Chris (Antonetti) to call him as soon as I got the email. At first I was worried if they were letting me go, but I finally got a hold of Chris in San Diego...I'll never forget his first words to me were, 'don't take too many people with you', and from the silence on my end he could tell I was clueless as to what he was talking about. He filled me in that the day before, he ran into Mr Goodnight at the airport and he asked for permission to speak with me about an opening with the new Charlotte team. Little did I know, he was not looking for scouts or someone to hire interns, he was looking for someone to run his organization....and I must have said something right, because he offered me the job before the plane landed back in Cleveland....and as you know, the rest is history."

I remember making a list of possible candidates that the team needed to look at for the openings at General Manager and Field Manager, I think I stayed up until 3am compiling the list and getting background on them, and I never even knew that Mike existed until the team released the press release that they had hired an assistant scouting director from the Cleveland Indians to take over as General Manager of the Cherokees. I had no idea at the time why I was so mad, but if you remember that story I blasted the team for hiring someone with no experience to run the team, but after all these years, I was so mad because I spent all that time on that article and never got to run it....but in the end, they made the right decision.

[ohiodevil]

Chapter 2: Getting to Work!

One of the things I remember about James Goodnight (besides his dislike of being called Jim) was his insistence that the minor league affiliates be as close to Charlotte as possible. He said if he could cut down on travel expenses for the scouts, roving coaches and players shuffling between levels, he could spend that extra money on development and scouting. I am not sure if that was the case, but the trend in baseball at the time was to reel in your affiliates as close as possible. So whether he was following the trend or just being cheap, we won't ever know the real answer....but between you and me, it was the latter.

"Oh man, yeah.....I remember Mr Goodnight saying that, in fact he made sure we all knew about it almost daily. We would receive an email or call from him reminding us that during negotiations with the cities wanting a team or the existing teams, that we had to be within a certain 'weekend driving distance' and he would call it", General Manager Mike Apotsos recalls. "He would tell me that if he couldn't get in his car on a Friday Afternoon after work and drive to the city with our potential affiliate and get there before it was too dark, then I needed to look elsewhere. He went as far as sending me a list of cities to look into, most of which already had teams with affiliations with current teams....and when I told him this, he said I had better get on the phone with whoever I needed to 'talk with and make a deal, that's what I'm paying you for'! He actually nixed a deal we had in place with Fort Worth because it was too far away....so we had to start from scratch in looking for a Double-A affiliate....but in the end, it actually worked out much better for us. The first (and easiest) deal we made was in Anderson, South Carolina. They had just renovated Anderson County Park in hopes of attracting a team, so we agreed to a 10 or 12 year lease with them to put a Rookie level team there to play in the Appalachian League. Now, the hardest one we had was finding our Triple-A affiliate....we knew that Las Vegas was looking for a new parent club, but we also knew that wasn't a 'Weekend Drive" location. We tried to purchase the old Charlotte Knights, but while looking for another location to relocate them, they were sold and moved to Portland to revive the Beavers. So then I ran into Erik Neander, then General Manager for the Tampa Bay Rays, and he tells me that could be 'persuaded' to speed up their transition to move their top affiliate to Orlando by a year if the price was right. Not to go into the boring details, but we settled on a price that cost us our 25th and 30th round picks in the 2019 Amateur Draft and the cost to get out of their lease, which if I recall was $25,000. So we ended up trading two draft picks and cash to Tampa for them to leave Durham a year early so we could take their place there. I came to find out years later that Tampa had completed their upgrades to the facilities in Orlando early and wanted to get in there......he suckered a rookie GM into giving up something they already had in the works anyway...that jerk Ha Ha"!

The other affiliations fell into place much easier than the deal with Tampa for Durham. If you don't remember, the teams minor league affiliations those first years looked like this:

Triple-A - Durham Bulls (International League)
Double-A - Mobile BayBears (Southern League)
High-A - Carolina Mudcats (Carolina League)
Single-A - Greensboro Grasshoppers (South Atlantic League)
Low-A - State College Spikes (New York-Penn League)
Adv-R - Anderson Cherokees (Appalachian League)
Rookie - Arizona Rookie League Cherokees
Rookie - Dominican Rookie League Cherokees

[ohiodevil]

Chapter 3: Constructing the Front Office

The key to building a winning organization is to find people who all buy in to the same philosophy, that winning in the short term is nice, but to sustain that success takes sacrifice and commitment from every person, right down the the club house attendant. That was going to be the challenge when building a staff from scratch, you had to find guys who all thought the same way and were not afraid to check their egos at the door and stick to the plan, not matter how tough it was and how much second guessing you got in the media....and I admit, I gave them a lot of crap over the years....even when they were winning. I remember the first hires they made were Assistant General Manager, Carter Hawkins and Scouting Director, Brad Grant. Both men came with Mike from Cleveland and neither had really been in their roles very long. I had heard rumors that some very well known and respected names had reached out to the Goodnight's, but they stood behind the hires that Mike made.....and looking back in hindsight....it was the right call, he needed to be surrounded by guys who could weather the storm with him.

With the Front Office in place, it was time to put together the on field coaching staff. Montreal had just agreed to bring Tim "Rock" Raines in as their Manager, so they were not in the market. Ned Yost retired in Kansas City after going 61-101, but most people on the inside felt he was forced out instead of voluntarily retiring....so they were in the market. Texas surprised everyone and fired Jeff Banister after a 76-86 year and a second consecutive 3rd place finish. It was well known that Owner, Ray Davis and General Manager, Jon Daniels, were looking to make a splash and were hard after former Yankees skipper Joe Girardi, and as you know they landed him after a long negotiation process. And Washington parted ways with Dave Martinez after going 87-76 and missing the playoffs, but they quickly hired former Red Sox and Blue Jays skipper John Farrell. So the Cherokees really had the pick of the litter when it came to who they wanted as their first manager. Of course the local sports writers and talk show hosts had their own shortlists, mine included both Girardi and Farrell and I killed them for not going harder after either of them. We had the parade of guys in town, but none of them really blew any of us away....and then they made their hire.....former All-Star Third Baseman and Nationals Manager, Matt Williams....and let me tell you, none of us liked the hire. Sure he had a good pedigree as a player, 5 time All-Star, 4 time Gold Glover, 4 time Silver Slugger, 2001 World Series Champion and 2014 National League Manager of the Year....but he had not managed a team in 5 years, and despite his 179-145 record, he was fired in Washington when he failed to make the playoffs his second year. And as expected, the Front Office and Ownership stood behind the hire and said he would have the entire 4 years of his contract to show what he had....I was skeptical. To fill out his staff, Williams brought in his former teammate and friend, Will Clark to be the Hitting Coach (a position he never held in past). They were able to hire Steve Karsay away from the Indians organization to be the Pitching Coach, (he actually did a good job at Triple-A Columbus in 2018). And the move I thought really was the only good one, was hiring veteran manager Ron Washington to be the Bench Coach and help Matt keep calm in the dugout. So now that we had our leadership in place, it was time to bring in some players for them to coach and play games with......that's coming up next!

[ForeverRoyalKC]

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Chapter 4: The Expansion Draft

Building a team from the ground up may sound like a lot of fun, but when you have to fill out an entire organization of around 325 players....and that is if everyone is healthy. Now there are many different ways you can acquire talent, through the amateur draft, through free agency, waiver claims, purchasing from Independent Leagues and trading future considerations and/or cash to teams looking to dump players. I remember the first player acquired in Cherokees history was a trade with the Indians for LHP Tanner Scott. The Indians had acquired Scott from Baltimore early in 2018 in exchange for fellow lefty Ryan Merritt and a swap of draft picks, but Scott found himself the odd man out after some other additions were made in the Indians bullpen, so they designated him for assignment. Basically all Charlotte had to part with was cash and they swapped 15th round picks to bring the 24 year old lefty in and become the answer to the trivia question, who was the first player to wear a Cherokees uniform. Similar deals were made in the acquisitions of LHP Jonny Venters and 1B Mike Ford, with Jairo Diaz claimed off waivers from Colorado and 1B/DH Billy Butler was signed as a free agent. None of these guys would sell tickets, but when you don't have any players on your roster, you do whatever you can to find them.

Free agency kicked off on November 23rd and was headlined by two 26 year olds who were about to cash in big time in Nationals RF Bryce Harper (.267, 25 HR 92 RBI) and Phillies SS Manny Machado (.289, 37 HR 81 RBI). Some of the other top hitters out there were Blue Jays 3B Josh Donaldson (.338, 50 HR 116 RBI), Diamondbacks CF A.J. Pollock (.270, 17 HR 66 RBI), Diamondback 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.252, 21 HR 90 RBI), Twins 2B Brian Dozier (.300, 35 HR 99 RBI) and Indians LF Michael Brantley (.312, 16 HR 69 RBI).

The pitching crop took a bit of a hit when Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw resigned with the team for 5 years at $175.5 Million. Which meant that the top free agent pitcher was now Cardinals 37 year old RHP Adam Wainwright (20-3, 3.11 ERA), and everyone expected him to stay in St Louis. Some of the other pitchers available were Astros LHP Dallas Keuchel (13-5, 4.19 ERA), Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ (12-12, 3.84 ERA), Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez (11-9, 4.39 ERA), Red Sox LHP Drew Pomeranz (9-12, 4.08 ERA) and relievers Zach Britton (3-4, 3.40 ERA 24 Saves) and Brad Ziegler (4-4, 4.68 ERA 6 Saves) both from the Phillies. The top International Free Agent was Korean 3B Jeong Choi (.351, 34 HR 98 RBI in the KBO), but at 31 years old and his history of injuries over the past two seasons, he was a big gamble, but could help out a team if he could be had at the right price.

"When Free Agency opened, we only had a budget of about $115 Million, so we had to be careful where and how we spent our money", General Manager Mike Apotsos recalls. "I knew we were near the bottom of the league with that budget, but I felt like I could talk to Mr Goodnight and get him to bump it up a bit, but that was what I had to work with. I met with Matt Williams, Assistant GM Carter Hawkins and our Scouting Director Brad Grant and we laid out a plan for free agency. We were looking for at least two veteran starting pitchers that could eat up innings and not kill our bullpen while we looked for the rest of the starting rotation through a shuttle of arms between Charlotte, Durham and Mobile. We wanted to find strong gloves to throw out in center field, shortstop and second base to help cut down on errors and help our young pitching staff with their confidence. We felt we were ok at first base with the signing of Billy Butler and addition of Mike Ford, so we were looking for some power from the corner outfield spots and over at third, and at catcher we wanted someone that could call a good game and give us good defense to help with our young staff. So with that list of wants, we went to work with talking with agents and players, and made a handful of offers the day before the Expansion Draft, so we had a game plan going into the second most important draft in franchise history.

The day of the Expansion Draft arrived and we lost the coin flip, which meant Montreal would get the first selection, which they took 34 yr old RHP Steven Wright from Cleveland. The knuckleballer made 13 starts for the Indians after being claimed off waivers from Boston earlier that season and went 7-5 with a 5.99 ERA....but he fits that mold of veteran starters that can eat up innings....and he was cheap....so it looked like the Expos were following the same plan as we were. We were on the clock, and we had the next two picks....the question was who were they looking at, and of course they were taking their good old time in making the selection. The timer was down to about 23 seconds left when the announcement was in......Commissioner Manfred read the name....."With the 2nd pick in the 2018 Major League Expansion Draft....the Charlotte Cherolees select Tyler Austin, outfielder....from the New York Yankees". Tyler Austin was a good pick, on paper at least. The 27 year old outfielder/first baseman was selected in the 13th round of the 2010 Amateur Draft by the Yankees, and he had slowly climbed the ranks of the minors and by the time he was drafted by the Cherokees, he was a potential free agent after the season and brought a career .253 average, 16 home runs and 49 RBIs with him. But he had potential to be a power hitting corner outfielder, and that fit into their plans. The next pick came pretty quickly, the Cherokees took 27 year old right handed reliever, Cam Bedrosian from the Los Angeles Angels. The son of former big league closer Steve Bedrosian, Cam looked like the could be the closer in Los Angeles but he really never got the shot, but in Charlotte it looked like he could be the first one to get that look. I remember Matt Williams had a big smile on his face when they made that selection, seemed like he also had that idea.



Montreal made their next two selections, RHP Odrisamer Despaigne from the Yankees, and LHP Drew Smyly from the Chicago Cubs. Charlotte continued to bolster their pitching staff by taking 24 year old RHP Jamie Callahan from the New York Mets and then a young middle infielder form the Miami Marlins in Isan Diaz. After the Expos made their next picks, Charlotte took RHP Jandel Gustave from Houston and minor league second baseman Max George from the Colorado Rockies. Below is the entire list of players selected by the Cherokees in the Expansion Draft:

1 - OF/1B - Tyler Austin (NYY)
2 - RHP - Cam Bedrosian (LAA)
3 - RHP - Jamie Callahan (NYM)
4 - 2B/SS - Isan Diaz (Mia)
5 - RHP - Jandel Gustave (Hou)
6 - 2B/IF - Max George (Col)
7 - LHP - Marco Gonzales (Sea)
8 - 3B - Yunel Escobar (CHW)
9 - SS/IF - Richard Urena (Tor)
10 - 3B/IF - Nelson Molina (Col)
11 - RHP - Edubray Ramos (Phi)
12 - RHP - Michael Santos (LAA)
13 - OF/3B - Cody Asche (NYM)
14 - LHP - Jose Alvarado (TB)
15 - 3B/IF - Edmundo Sosa (STL)
16 - IF/OF - Nick Franklin (MIL)
17 - C - Kyle Higashioka (NYY)
18 - LHP - Sean Brady (CLE)
19 - RHP - Austen Williams (WAS)
20 - C/IF - Isiah Kiner-Falefa (TEX)
21 - 1B/3B - Wladimir Galindo (CHC)
22 - LHP - McKenzie Mills (PHI)
23 - LF/OF - Mike Papi (CLE)
24 - C - Luke Maile (TOR)
25 - OF - Braxton Davidson (ATL)
26 - 1B - Ronald Guzman (TEX)
27 - OF - Mark Canha (OAK)
28 - OF - Henry Ramos (LAD)
29 - 3B - Brian Schales (MIA)
30 - LHP - James Pazos (SEA)
31 - LHP - Jose Paulino (CHC)
32 - OF - Wes Rogers (COL)
33 - C - Xavier Fernandez (KC)
34 - LHP - Travis Radke (SD)
35 - OF - Matt Kemp (LAD)

[ohiodevil]

Chapter 5: The Winter Meetings & End of 2018

Baseball's Winter Meetings kicked off in Las Vegas in December of 2018 and was the first time since the inception of the team that everyone from the Front Office to the Sports Writers to the fans felt real optimism and excitement that in a few short months, our Cherokees would actually be taking the field and play real games. The team had made some minor moves, signing no name guys to minor league contracts, but it wasn't until a couple of weeks before the Winter Meetings that things really started to heat up and we started to see the names whose faces would be the banners that hung over BB&T Stadium on Opening Day.

The first guy that we got excited about was 28 year old infielder Jose Iglesias, a free agent from the Detroit Tigers. He was coming off a solid season, batted .282 with 2 homers, 25 doubles a triple and 34 RBIs in 128 games. He only committed 6 errors in 119 games at short. He wasn't the big name that was going to sell tickets, but he fit into the strategy of having strong defense up the middle and any offense was a bonus. Iglesias signed a 1 year deal for around $1.7 million, but at the press conference both sides said they wanted to keep their options open for the 2020 season.

At the same press conference, the Cherokees brass announced the signing of 35 year old outfielder Brandon Moss to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Moss played in 109 games for the Washington Nationals and hit .204 with 17 homers and 57 RBIs. Moss was a long shot to make the team, but he again fit the mold of what the team was looking for, a corner guy with some power and a good influence in the clubhouse.

More moves followed, but the biggest in team history (to date) was made on the first day of the Winter Meetings. The team had acquired a few prospects through free agent signings and the expansion draft, so they had some assets they could move in trades to acquire better players. The Oakland A's were looking to move power hitting outfielder Khris Davis because they knew they would have a very hard time resigning him after the season. Davis was coming off a career year, batting .266 with 46 homers and 121 RBIs in149 games, and he had one year left on his contract worth about $14 million, a discount for a guy with his production (40+ homers each of the last 3 seasons). Charlotte gave up three pitching prospects and a swap of draft picks to land the 30 year old Davis and fill a need in the cleanup spot and in left.

The very next day, the team announced they had sent 1B Cody Ashe and a pitching prospect to the New York Mets for 28 year old starting pitcher Zack Wheeler. Wheeler was coming off a decent season that saw the righty go 10-12 with a 4.27 ERA in 32 starts. He walked 54 and struck out 169 batter in 192 innings pitched and again fit the mold of veteran starter that could eat up innings.

After the meetings ended, the team stayed busy and acquired OF Seth Smith (.254 7 HR, 37 RBI w/Philly) on a 1 year, $1.6 mil deal, DH Nelson Cruz (.245, 24 HR 65 RBI w/Seattle) on a 1 year, $8.8 mil deal, IF Freddy Galvis (.244 8 HR, 49 RBI w/SD) and Pitchers Lance Lynn (3-2, 3.86 ERA w/Minnesota) and Chris Hatcher (3-4, 1 save and a 4.27 ERA w/Oakland). Things were slowly coming together, and now the next big step was to get to Tucson, Arizona for Spring Training and get things under way.

[ohiodevil]

People asked me while writing this retrospective of the Charlotte Cherokees if I remembered where the "big named" free agents ended up before the start of the 2019 season. So before we get into the Cherokees first Spring Training and into the 2019 season, here is a look back at where guys like Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson and Dallas Keuchel ended up.

If you recall, I mentioned a list of the big names that hit the open market after the 2018 season, and during that first off-season, fans would call into the local sports talk shows, write, e-mail, text, tweet and post comments on who they wanted the team to go after and when they ended up signing elsewhere, they went on tirades about a team that had not even played a single game yet. So here is a quick look at where those top guys ended up before the 2019 season began.

3B/SS - Manny Machado

Manny was considered the top free agent in the 2019 class, coming off a year where he batted a combined .289 with 37 homers and 81 RBIs in 154 games with the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies. Baltimore dealt him along with closer Zach Britton and 2B Corban Joseph to the Phillies at the beginning of July in exchange for SS J.P. Crawford, 2B Scott Kingery, OF Adam Haseley and pitchers Adonis Median and Jose Tavaras. At the time the Phillies were in a battle for the NL East and one of the wildcard spots, so the trade looked good for the, but in the end they fell short and both Machado and Britton filed for free agency. Machado ended up signing in early December with the San Diego Padres on a 4 year, $131.8 Million contract. This took the baseball world by a huge surprise since the Padres finished 76-86 and tied with the Giants for last place in the NL West and seemed to block top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr from making it up to the big leagues. What it did do was give the Padres a formidable punch in the middle of their order with Machado, Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer.

RF - Bryce Harper

Harper could have easily been considered the top free agent, but a lot of people had him a very close second to Machado when it came to overall rankings. The Nationals slugger had another very good season in 2018, batting .267 with 35 homers and 92 RBIs in 158 games. His biggest knock was his sub-par post season .211 batting average in his career, but he was still entering his prime so that could easily be changed. Everyone thought that he would end up with the Yankees, Dodgers or Red Sox, but a surprise team entered the mix when the Philadelphia Phillies signed the slugger to a 7 year, $205.4 Million contract. Harper said that he was comfortable in the National League and felt that the Phillies gave him a great shot to win a weak NL East in 2019, and that the team made him feel right at home.

CF - A.J. Pollock

Pollock was coming off a very good season that saw him lead the National League in doubles with 47. He ended up hitting .270 with 17 homers and 66 RBIs, stealing 20 bases in 27 attempts for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018. Arizona made it their top priority to bring back their center fielder, but only were willing to give him a 4 year contract. Pollock knew if he waited a little longer he could probably get a 5th year out of them, but that offer never came. Instead the Washington Nationals swooped in and signed the gold glove outfielder to a 6 year, $126.9 Million contract. It seemed they were hoping that this signing would take some of the heat off them letting Harper go to a division rival.

2B - Brian Dozier

Dozier always seemed to fly under the radar when people talked about power hitters in the American League. He had a typical Dozier season for the Minnesota Twins in 2018, batting .300 with 35 homers and 99 RBIs in 145 games. The Twins had made a small effort to trade him during the season, but never pulled the trigger and hoped that they could resign him or at the very least, get draft pick compensation for him. Dozier as expected rejected the Twins qualifying offer and ended up signing a 4 year $56.9 Million deal with the Washington Nationals. It was another sign that the Nats were trying very hard to replace Harper's production and take the heat off them for letting the popular player walk.

3B - Josh Donaldson

Donaldson was coming off a career year where he ended up leading the American League in batting average at .338, and swatted a career high 50 homers and knocked in 116 runs in 146 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018. Everyone was expecting him to go elsewhere, but in the end he ended up resigning with Toronto on a 5 year, $128 Million contract....a bargain deal for the Jays, but Donaldson would admit years later that his wife played a big part in him taking less money to stay in Toronto.

LF - Michael Brantley

Brantley was coming off injury riddled seasons and no one expected him to play in 144 games for the Indians in 2018, but that is exactly what he did. He ended up batting .312 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs on the year and ended up tied for the league lead in doubles with 47. The Indians had played him at first base for about 20 games in order to keep him healthier, and it seemed to work. He had offers from the Astros, Dodgers, A's and Braves but in the end he remained in Cleveland on a 4 year, $49.6 Million contract. Brantley said that the decision was easy and sited that the loyalty the team showed him the last two season meant a lot to him and he just could not see himself playing anywhere else.

RHP - Adam Wainwright

Wainwright turned back the clock in 2018 and looked more like the 2009 to 2014 version of himself instead of the guy we saw the past two seasons by posting a 3.11 ERA in 32 starts for the Cardinals. He led the National League with 20 wins against 3 losses, and everyone was expecting the 37 year old hurler to stay put in St. Louis. He ended up becoming the top free agent staring pitcher after the Dodgers resigned Clayton Kershaw a day after the World Series ended, and to the surprise of everyone...the Dodgers snuck in and signed Wainwright away form the Cards with a 2 year, $36.4 Million contract that would pair him with Kershaw a top the Dodgers rotation.

LHP - Dallas Keuchel

Keuchel had turned down three different extension offers from the Astros after the lefty helped the team in the World Series in 2017. He said that he wanted to keep his options open after talks with the Astros stalled at the end of Spring Training. There were rumors that the Astros were shopping their Ace, but in the end they never pulled the trigger and Keuchel ended up going 13-5 with a 4.19 ERA in 33 starts. So once Free Agency started, Keuchel said he was going to go on vacation with his family and make his decision when he got back. Everyone seemed to think that he was going to remain in Houston, but a late minute push by the Los Angeles Angels won out and Keuchel signed a 4 year, $83.4 Million deal with the Angels.



Some of the other notable players to leave their respective teams in 2019:


LHP - J.A. Happ - Left the Blue Jays for the Detroit Tigers for 3 years, $25.2 Million


LHP - Gio Gonzalez - Left the Nationals for the Atlanta Braves for 5 years, $64 Million



LHP - Drew Pomeranz - Left the Boston Red Sox for the Oakland A's for 4 years, $42.5 Million



C - Yasmani Grandal - Left the Dodgers for the Texas Rangers for 4 years, $58 Million


3B - Adrian Beltre - Left the Rangers for the Milwaukee Brewers for 3 years, $28.7 Million


3B - Mike Moustakas - Left the Royals for the Chicago White Sox for 4 years, $45 Million


C - Brian McCann - Left the Astros for the St. Louis Cardinals for 4 years, $32.8 Million


2B - Logan Forsythe - Left the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Angels for 6 years, $87.6 Million

[ohiodevil]

Chapter 6: The 2019 Season

Arizona in the Spring is rather nice, you wake up around 6:30 and it's 72 degrees....you head to the complex around 8 and it's 80 degrees and by the middle of the afternoon, it's nearing 92 degrees.....perfect baseball weather for March. The Cherokees brought 56 players to camp on day 1, and by the end of the week they had the maximum number of 60 on the roster....names like Tyson Ross, Matt Kemp, Seth Smith, Wade Miley and Marwin Gonzalez....not really anyone that would make you change your plans on a Thursday evening to go down to the ballpark. But this was the first year and they were building from scratch.....so those were the names we had to get excited about, even if we knew they would be lucky to scratch out 65 wins this season.

Spring Training was as you expected, lots of stretching, fielding drills, more stretching, pitchers playing soft toss, hitters working in the cages, even more stretching, base running drills, veteran guys giving advice to the young players hungry to taste the bigs, meaningless games where the box score is longer than your arm....and did I mention they stretched a lot? To be honest, those six weeks in Tucson went by pretty fast, and as the games went on, we got to see the position battles materialize and take shape right before our eyes....it was very exciting to see Tyler Austin lay out for a line drive in the gap because he knew that Mark Canha and Henry Ramos were breathing down his neck for his spot in Charlotte....or to see Marco Gonzales dig deep and get out of a bases loaded jam in the 3rd inning, knowing that Aaron Slegers and Preston Morrison were scheduled to pitch later in that game and they both were fighting for his spot in the starting rotation. Yes, it was an exciting time to be covering the team....as they finished 13 and 17 for the Spring and had their share of highlights. If anyone out there still cares, Lance Lynn led the team in wins (3-1), making 5 starts and posting a 4.26 ERA. Juan Ventura came in with 8 saves and 17 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings pitched. Tyler Austin, Khris Davis and Seth Smith tied for the team lead in homers with 3 each, while Davis knocked in 13 runs and Mike Ford led the team with a .319 batting average. Yes, the games that didn't matter were over....and now it was time to make the tough decisions on who was heading East with the team to Charlotte as they began their journey at home on April 8th, 2019 against the Boston Red Sox....here is the article I wrote about the opening day Cherokees.

Starting Pitchers

RHP - Zach Wheeler: 2018 Stats - 10-12, 4.27 ERA, 54 BB, 169 SO, 32 GS
w/ New York Mets - 6'3" 200lbs, 28 yrs old

Wheeler has the honor of being the first pitcher to start a game for the Cherokees when he takes the mound on Opening Day. Originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants 6th overall in the 2009 Amateur Draft out of East Paulding High School in Dallas, he has a career record of 31-35 with a 4.02 ERA in 98 games (all starts) and boasts a 8.3 K/9 against a 3.5 BB/9 ratio. He threw a career high in innings last season (192) and did lower his ERA by almost a run from the 2017 season, but to me he is not your prototypical "Ace" but he will have to do. He is signed through the 2022 season

How Acquired: Traded by the New York Mets to Charlotte in exchange for 1B Cody Ache and RHP Dany Monterrey

RHP - Tyson Ross: 2018 Stats - 5-6, 4.62 ERA, 44 BB, 101 SO, 32/18 (G/GS)
w/ San Diego Padres - 6'5" 250lbs, 31 yrs old

Ross was selected by the Oakland A's in the 2nd round of the Amateur Draft in 2008 and made his major league debut in 2010 with them. He was traded to the Padres before the 2013 season and became a solid starter for them in 2014 and 2015 until injuries sidelined him for almost all of the 2016 season and had a rocky comeback with the Texas Rangers in 2017 before returning to the Padres last season. He holds a career record of 40-62 with a save and a 4.02 ERA in 197 games (130 starts) he has a 8.2 K/9 to 3.7 BB/9 ratio over his 9 year big league career. Ross surprised me when he came into Spring Training and performed very well (1-1, 4.67 ERA in 6 games (2 starts), walking 6 and striking out 18). He holds down the #2 spot in the rotation and if he can eat up some innings and save the bullpen, he could turn into a trade chip in July. He can be a free agent after the season.

How Acquired: Signed a minor league contract with the Cherokees that will become $1.4 Million if he made the team.

LHP- Wade Miley: 2018 Stats - 5-10, 6.61 ERA, 48 BB, 99 SO, 25/24 (G/GS)
w/ Detroit & Milwaukee - 6'0" 220lbs, 32 yrs old

Miley was selected in the 1st round of the 2008 Amateur Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and made his major league debut in 2011, winning 4 of his 7 starts that season. Since then he has spent time in the majors with Boston, Baltimore, Seattle, Milwaukee and Detroit and has a career mark of 71-84 with a 4.57 ERA in 225 games (220 starts). He opened the season with the Brewers but was released at the end of June after going 2-3 with a 4,85 ERA in 12 starts. He quickly signed with the Tigers and struggled, going 3-7 and a sky high 8.60 ERA in 13 games (12 starts). He won the #3 spot in the Cherokees rotation mainly because he is a veteran and a lefty. I do not have high hopes for him and expect to see him in the bullpen before long. He can be a free agent following the season.

How Acquired: Signed a minor league contract with the Cherokees that will become a 1 year deal worth $560K.

RHP- Lance Lynn: 2018 Stats - 3-2, 3.86 ERA, 24 BB, 25 SO, 9/8 (G/GS)
w/Minnesota Twins - 6'5" 285lbs, 31 yrs old

Lynn was drafted 39th overall in the 2008 Amateur Draft by the St Louis Cardinals out of the University of Mississippi. He made his major league debut in 2011 and became a mainstay in the Cards rotation until he left via Free Agency after the 2017 season and signed with the Twins. He was slated to hold down the top spot in their rotation until he suffered an elbow injury in early April and missed 4 months of the season, and when he came back he seemed to lose a little of his control and velocity. He holds a career mark of 75-49 and a 3.40 ERA in 192 games (169 starts) and the team is hoping he can regain the form that he had in 2016 and 2017 to help eat up some innings. Can be a free agent following the season.

How Acquired: Signed a 1 year deal worth $1.9 Million with the Cherokees.

LHP - Marco Gonzales: 2018 Stats - 5-3, 2.79 ERA, 14 BB, 49 SO, 12/12 (G/GS)
w/ AA - Arkansas & AAA - Tacoma - 6'0" 195lbs, 27 yrs old

Gonzales was selected 19th overall by the Cardinals out of Gonzaga University in the 2013 Amateur Draft. He rose quickly through the minors and made his major league debut in 2014, going 4-2 with a 4.15 ERA in 10 games (5 starts). He holds a career mark of 5-3 with a 5.47 ERA in 22 games (14 starts) between St. Louis and Seattle. He beat out Dan Straily, Paul Clemens, Preston Morrison and Hector Santiago for the #5 spot in the rotation and now just has to prove he belongs in the majors. Can be a free agent following the season.

How Acquired: Selected in the Expansion Draft from the Seattle Mariners.


Bullpen


LHP - Jose Alvarado: 2018 Stats - 3-3, 3.94 ERA, 8 Saves, 53 BB, 89 SO, 72 G
w/ Tampa Bay Rays - 6'0" 240lbs, 23 yrs old

RHP - Cam Bedrosian: 2018 Stats - 4-4, 2.37 ERA, 1 Save, 36 BB, 99 SO, 72 G
w/ Los Angeles Angels - 6'0" 230lbs, 27 yrs old

RHP - Jamie Callahan: 2018 Stats - 3-2, 3.71 ERA, 41 BB, 95 SO, 71 G
w/ New York Mets - 6'2" 235lbs, 24 yrs old

RHP - Merrill Kelly: 2018 Stats - 16-5, 3.49 ERA, 53 BB, 118 SO, 29 GS
w/SK Wyverns (KBO) - 6'2" 195lbs, 30 yrs old

RHP - Juan Nicasio: 2018 Stats - 4-3, 3.94 ERA, 2 Saves, 40 BB, 95 SO, 56 G 8 GS
w/ Seattle Mariners - 6'3" 260lbs, 32 yrs old

RHP - Matt Wisler: 2018 Stats - 4-2, 4.78 ERA, 5 Saves, 25 BB, 79 SO, 37 G, 5 GS
w/ AAA Gwinnett & AAA Columbus - 6'3" 205lbs, 26 yrs old

RHP - Juan Ventura: 2018 Stats - 3-1, 0.72 ERA, 11 Saves, 7 BB, 33 SO, 21 G
w/ Aguadilla Tiburones (PRBL) - 6'0" 215lbs, 26 yrs old

Position Players


C - Luke Maile: (.196, 4 HR 21 RBI)
2018 Team(s) - Toronto Blue Jays - 6'3" 230lbs, 28 yrs old - Bats: Right, Throws: Right


C - Matt Wieters (.278, 7 HR 33 RBI)
2018 Team(s) - Washington & Los Angeles Angels - 6'5" 230lbs, 28 yrs old - Bats: Switch, Throws: Right

1B - Mike Ford (.224, 3 HR 9 RBI, 21)
2018 Team(s) - New York Yankees - 6'0" 225lbs, 26 yrs old - Bats: Left, Throws: Right

1B/LF - Matt Kemp (.257, 3 HR 13 RBI)
2018 Team(s) - Los Angeles Dodgers - 6'3" 210lbs, 34 yrs old - Bats: Right, Throws: Right

2B/UTL - Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (.143, 0 HR 1 RBI)
2018 Team(s) - Toronto Blue Jays - 6'2" 185lbs, 25 yrs old - Bats: Right, Throws: Right

3B/UTL - Marwin Gonzalez (.292, 25 HR 94 RBI,)
2018 Team(s) - Houston Astros - 6'0" 210lbs, 30 yrs old - Bats: Switch, Throws: Right

SS - Freddy Galvis (.244, 8 HR 49 RBI,)
2018 Team(s) - San Diego Padres - 6'10" 185lbs, 29 yrs old - Bats: Switch, Throws: Right

SS/2B - Jose Iglesias (.282, 2 HR 34 RBI,)

2018 Team(s) - Detroit Tigers - 5'10" 185lbs, 29 yrs old - Bats: Right, Throws: Right

LF - Khris Davis (.266, 46 HR 121 RBI,)
2018 Team(s) - Oakland A's - 5'10" 190lbs, 31 yrs old - Bats: Right, Throws: Right

CF/OF - Raimel Tapia (.365, 12 HR 91 RBI,)

2018 Team(s) - AAA Albuquerque - 6'2" 165lbs, 25 yrs old - Bats: Left, Throws: Left

CF/OF - Charlie Tilson (.318, 4 HR 21 RBI,)

2018 Team(s) - Chicago White Sox - 5'10" 200lbs, 26 yrs old - Bats: Left, Throws: Left

RF/1B - Tyler Austin (.266, 9 HR 29 RBI,)
2018 Team(s) - New York Yankees- 6'2" 225lbs, 27 yrs old - Bats: Right, Throws: Right

RF/LF - Seth Smith (.254, 7 HR 37 RBI,)

2018 Team(s) - Philadelphia Phillies - 6'3" 210lbs, 36 yrs old - Bats: Left, Throws: Left

[ohiodevil]

Opening Day!

April 8th, 2019.....the day the Cherokees took the field for the first time in their brand new 43,800 seat stadium in downtown Charlotte against the Boston Red Sox in a game that meant something. The one thing I will remember about that day is that it the electricity at the stadium and around not only the city, but it seemed the entire region was like nothing this area had felt. not even those years the Carolina Panthers made it to the Super Bowl or even when the Duke Blue Devils or North Carolina Tarheels were playing for a National Championship. There was something special about this day, and despite the outcome, everyone left the ballpark that evening with an excitement that can only be described as that feeling you got as a kid on Christmas morning when you saw all those gifts under the tree.



The Red Sox were throwing their big lefty and Ace, Chris Sale that day. The 6 time All-Star was coming off another very good season, going 15-6 with a 3.38 ERA in his 29 starts in 2018. He did not look as sharp as he normally does, but it was April and no one expected him to go too far into the game. He ended up going 5 1/3, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, walking 3 and striking out 4 in earning his first victory of the 2019 season in a 5 to 2 Boston win. Charlotte starter Zach Wheeler gave up a 1st inning double to Mookie Betts, but was able to get the next three batters in a row, and then lead off hitter Freddy Galvis came up and knocked a 2-2 pitch into left field for the first ever hit in Cherokees history, but that was all the team could muster in the 1st. History was made again the bottom of the 2nd, as second baseman Jose Iglesias stepped up with 2 outs and the bases loaded and drew a walk to "knock in" the first run in franchise history, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was the first run to score. Boston would score 2 runs in both the 3rd and 4th innings to take a 4 to 1 lead, when Marwin Gonzalez stepped up and crushed a solo homer to right center field to not only cut the lead to 4 to 2, but be the first Cherokee to hit a home run. Boston would add 1 more in the top of the 9th off reliever Jamie Callahan, and Boston closer Craig Kimbrel would set the Cherokees down in order 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th to preserve the 5-2 Red Sox win. Cherokees starter Zach Wheeler would go 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, walking 1 and striking out 8 in the loss and Marwin Gonzalez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr would each add 2 hits, so there was hope that we wouldn't be so bad and maybe not finish in the cellar of the AL East.....but we still had 161 games to go.


Box Score

BOSTON BATTING LINESCORE CHARLOTTE BATTING LINESCORE

Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI M. Betts RF 4 0 1 0 0 3 1 .250 0 0 A. Benintendi LF 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .250 0 0 J. Martinez DH 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 .000 0 0 R. Devers 3B 3 1 0 0 1 3 1 .000 0 0 X. Bogaerts SS 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 .500 0 0 J. Bradley Jr. CF 4 0 1 1 0 3 1 .250 0 1 J. Lucroy C 3 1 1 0 1 0 2 .333 0 0 D. Pedroia 2B 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 .500 0 1 a-J. Lowrie 2B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 M. Moreland 1B 4 1 1 2 0 0 2 .250 1 2 Totals 34 5 9 4 2 12 11 a - J. Lowrie substituted for D. Pedroia in the 9th BATTING Doubles: D. Pedroia (1, 9th Inning off J. Callahan, 1 on, 2 outs) A. Benintendi (1, 5th Inning off Z. Wheeler, 0 on, 2 outs) M. Betts (1, 1st Inning off Z. Wheeler, 0 on, 0 outs) X. Bogaerts (1, 4th Inning off Z. Wheeler, 1 on, 0 outs) J. Lucroy (1, 7th Inning off C. Bedrosian, 0 on, 0 outs) Home Runs: M. Moreland (1, 3rd Inning off Z. Wheeler, 1 on, 0 outs) Total Bases: D. Pedroia 3 , A. Benintendi 2 , M. Betts 2 , J. Bradley Jr. , X. Bogaerts 3 , M. Moreland 4 , J. Lucroy 2 2-out RBI: D. Pedroia Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: R. Devers , M. Betts , M. Moreland , J. Martinez GIDP: J. Lucroy 2 Team LOB: 3 FIELDING Double Plays: 1 (Bogaerts-Pedroia-Moreland) Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI F. Galvis SS 4 0 1 0 1 1 2 .250 0 0 J. Iglesias 2B 3 0 0 1 1 1 3 .000 0 1 a-S. Smith PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 M. Gonzalez 1B 4 1 2 1 0 2 3 .500 1 1 K. Davis LF 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 .250 0 0 M. Kemp DH 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 .000 0 0 L. Gurriel Jr. 3B 4 1 2 0 0 1 0 .500 0 0 T. Austin RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .250 0 0 M. Wieters C 4 0 1 0 0 1 4 .250 0 0 C. Tilson CF 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .250 0 0 Totals 35 2 9 2 3 9 18 a - S. Smith pinch hit for J. Iglesias in the 9th BATTING Doubles: T. Austin (1, 2nd Inning off C. Sale, 1 on, 0 outs) Home Runs: M. Gonzalez (1, 5th Inning off C. Sale, 0 on, 0 outs) Total Bases: L. Gurriel Jr. 2 , C. Tilson , T. Austin 2 , K. Davis , F. Galvis , M. Gonzalez 5 , M. Wieters 2-out RBI: J. Iglesias Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: M. Kemp , J. Iglesias , M. Gonzalez , M. Wieters GIDP: J. Iglesias Team LOB: 7 FIELDING Double Plays: 2 (Gurriel Jr.-Iglesias-Gonzalez, Gurriel Jr.-Iglesias-Gonzalez)

BOSTON PITCHING LINESCORE CHARLOTTE PITCHING LINESCORE

Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA C. Sale W (1-0) 5.1 7 2 2 3 4 1 101 58 3.38 B. Poyner H (1) 1.2 2 0 0 0 2 0 23 17 0.00 N. Jones H (1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 12 8 0.00 C. Kimbrel SV (1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 6 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: C. Sale 47 Batters Faced: C. Sale 25, B. Poyner 7, N. Jones 3, C. Kimbrel 3 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Sale 4-7, B. Poyner 0-3, N. Jones 0-1, C. Kimbrel 2-0 Pitches - Strikes: C. Sale 101-58, B. Poyner 23-17, N. Jones 12-8, C. Kimbrel 9-6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA Z. Wheeler L (0-1) 6.0 7 4 4 1 8 1 103 66 6.00 C. Bedrosian 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 21 17 0.00 J. Callahan 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 0 14 9 9.00 PITCHING Game Score: Z. Wheeler 49 Batters Faced: Z. Wheeler 24, C. Bedrosian 7, J. Callahan 5 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: Z. Wheeler 4-4, C. Bedrosian 0-3, J. Callahan 0-2 Pitches - Strikes: Z. Wheeler 103-66, C. Bedrosian 21-17, J. Callahan 14-9

GAME NOTES

Player of the Game: Chris Sale Ballpark: BB&T Ballpark Weather: Partly Cloudy (55 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 6 mph Start Time: 7:05 PM EST Time: 3:15 Attendance: 43347 Special Notes: 2B Dustin Pedroia was injured while running the bases.

[ohiodevil]

Series #1 - Boston Red Sox

After dropping the opening game of the series, Charlotte sent RHP Tyson Ross to the hill to face off against Boston's other "Ace", David Price. Charlotte would strike first as leadoff batter Freddy Galvis would smack an 0-1 pitch down the right field line for a lead off single. Galvis would then steal 2nd base and then move over to third after Jose Iglesias reached first on a Mitch Moreland error, giving the Cherokees runners at the corners with no outs. Marwin Gonzalez would bring Galvis home with a sacrifice fly to centerfield and Charlotte would take a 1 to 0 lead. Boston would come back in the 3rd off the bat of J.D. Martinez, as he would hit the first pitch he saw 419 feet to left-center field with two on and 1 out to give Boston a 3 to 1 lead. Charlotte would answer in the bottom of the 4th, as Lourdes Gurriel would take a David Price curveball 389 feet to left-center with one on and one out to tie the game at 3. We would sit deadlocked at 3 until the bottom of the 11th inning, when Lourdes Gurriel would step to the plate with runners at 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs....facing Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes, Gurriel would send at 1-1 fastball deep down the left field line and into the seats for a 3 run walk off home run and his second of the game, to give the Cherokees their first win in franchise history. Jose Alvarado would earn the win in relief, while Matt Barnes would suffer the loss.



Box Score

BOSTON BATTING LINESCORE CHARLOTTE BATTING LINESCORE

Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI M. Betts RF 4 1 2 0 2 0 0 .375 0 0 A. Benintendi LF 5 1 1 0 1 1 5 .222 0 0 J. Martinez DH 5 1 2 3 0 2 2 .222 1 3 R. Devers 3B 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 .000 0 0 X. Bogaerts SS 5 0 2 0 0 0 1 .444 0 0 J. Bradley Jr. CF 4 0 0 0 1 1 3 .125 0 1 J. Lucroy C 5 0 2 0 0 2 4 .375 0 0 D. Pedroia 2B 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 .333 0 1 M. Moreland 1B 5 0 0 0 0 3 2 .111 1 2 Totals 42 3 10 3 5 9 20 BATTING Doubles: M. Betts 2 (3, 7th Inning off J. Nicasio, 0 on, 1 out; 9th Inning off M. Wisler, 0 on, 2 outs) Home Runs: J. Martinez (1, 3rd Inning off T. Ross, 2 on, 1 out) Total Bases: D. Pedroia , A. Benintendi , M. Betts 4 , X. Bogaerts 2 , J. Martinez 5 , J. Lucroy 2 Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: , A. Benintendi 2 , X. Bogaerts , J. Martinez , J. Lucroy GIDP: J. Lucroy Team LOB: 10 BASERUNNING SB: A. Benintendi (1) FIELDING Errors: D. Pedroia (1) , M. Moreland (1) Double Plays: 1 (Bogaerts-Pedroia-Moreland) Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI F. Galvis SS 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 .222 0 0 J. Iglesias 2B 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 .143 0 1 M. Gonzalez 1B 4 1 1 1 0 1 2 .375 1 2 K. Davis LF 4 1 1 0 1 2 1 .250 0 0 M. Kemp DH 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 .000 0 0 a-R. Tapia DH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 L. Gurriel Jr. 3B 4 2 2 5 1 1 0 .500 2 5 T. Austin RF 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .286 0 0 b-S. Smith PH, RF 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 0 0 L. Maile C 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 0 0 C. Tilson CF 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 .125 0 0 Totals 36 6 7 6 3 11 9 a - R. Tapia substituted for M. Kemp in the 9th b - S. Smith pinch hit for T. Austin in the 9th BATTING Doubles: J. Iglesias (1, 11th Inning off M. Barnes, 0 on, 0 outs) Home Runs: L. Gurriel Jr. 2 (2, 4th Inning off D. Price, 1 on, 2 outs; 11th Inning off M. Barnes, 2 on, 2 outs) Total Bases: M. Gonzalez , J. Iglesias 2 , F. Galvis , K. Davis , T. Austin , L. Gurriel Jr. 8 2-out RBI: , L. Gurriel Jr. 2 Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: S. Smith GIDP: J. Iglesias Sac Bunt: J. Iglesias , R. Tapia Sac Fly: M. Gonzalez Team LOB: 3 BASERUNNING SB: F. Galvis (1) FIELDING Double Plays: 1 (Ross-Galvis-Gonzalez)

BOSTON PITCHING LINESCORE CHARLOTTE PITCHING LINESCORE

Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA D. Price 7.0 5 3 2 0 7 1 92 63 2.57 N. Jones 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 6 0.00 C. Kimbrel 1.0 0 0 0 2 2 0 20 11 0.00 M. Barnes L (0-1) 1.2 2 3 3 1 2 1 20 16 16.20 PITCHING Game Score: D. Price 64 Batters Faced: D. Price 26, N. Jones 3, C. Kimbrel 5, M. Barnes 8 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: D. Price 10-4, N. Jones 1-1, C. Kimbrel 0-1, M. Barnes 3-0 Pitches - Strikes: D. Price 92-63, N. Jones 14-6, C. Kimbrel 20-11, M. Barnes 20-16 Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA T. Ross 6.0 5 3 3 4 3 1 95 52 4.50 J. Nicasio 2.0 2 0 0 0 4 0 33 21 0.00 M. Wisler 1.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 18 10 0.00 J. Alvarado W (1-0) 1.2 2 0 0 1 2 0 35 22 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: T. Ross 49 Batters Faced: T. Ross 26, J. Nicasio 8, M. Wisler 5, J. Alvarado 8 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: T. Ross 8-6, J. Nicasio 1-1, M. Wisler 1-3, J. Alvarado 2-1 Pitches - Strikes: T. Ross 95-52, J. Nicasio 33-21, M. Wisler 18-10, J. Alvarado 35-22

GAME NOTES

Player of the Game: Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Ballpark: BB&T Ballpark Weather: Partly Cloudy (53 degrees), wind blowing in from left at 16 mph Start Time: 7:05 PM EST Time: 3:51 Attendance: 37354

The series finale would pit a pair of left handers against one another, as Charlotte would send Wade Miley to the hill and he was countered by Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez. This game was much different than the other two in the series, as it resembles a slow pitch softball game rather than a baseball game. Boston would score 5 runs, 4 of them earned off Charlotte starter Wade Miley, before he exited in the 4th inning with two outs suffering a mild calf strain and was relieved by RHP Merrill Kelly. Charlotte however would take an 8 to 6 lead into the the top of the 7th, but Boston would put up 3 runs off Kelly and take a 9 to 8 lead into the bottom of the 8th. Charlotte however would answer as Freddy Galvis would tie the game up with a solo homer off Bobby Poyner and then take the lead on a Matt Kemp RBI single with 2 outs to go up 10 to 9, where Cherokee closer, Juan Ventura would make it interesting by loading up the bases with 1 out, only to strike out the last two batters and earn his first major league save and get Jamie Callahan the win. Poyner would suffer the loss and Boston would limp out of town dropping 2 of 3 to the Cherokees. Matt Kemp earned player of the game honors, by going 4 for 5, with a solo homer in the 3rd, and knocking in another run while scoring 2 of his own. Charlotte would have an off day and then travel to Chicago to open a three game set with the White Sox.


Box Score:

BOSTON BATTING LINESCORE CHARLOTTE BATTING LINESCORE

Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI M. Betts RF 5 1 2 2 1 1 5 .385 0 2 A. Benintendi LF 5 0 1 0 0 0 3 .214 0 0 R. Devers 3B 4 1 2 1 0 1 2 .182 0 1 J. Martinez DH 5 0 0 1 0 1 4 .143 1 4 X. Bogaerts SS 5 0 2 1 0 0 1 .429 0 1 D. Pedroia 2B 4 2 3 0 1 0 0 .462 0 1 K. Suzuki C 3 1 0 0 2 2 3 .000 0 0 J. Bradley Jr. CF 4 2 2 1 1 1 3 .250 1 2 M. Moreland 1B 4 2 2 2 0 0 6 .231 2 4 Totals 39 9 14 8 5 6 27 BATTING Doubles: R. Devers (1, 1st Inning off W. Miley, 1 on, 1 out) M. Betts 2 (5, 6th Inning off M. Kelly, 1 on, 0 outs; 7th Inning off M. Kelly, 2 on, 2 outs) Home Runs: J. Bradley Jr. (1, 2nd Inning off W. Miley, 0 on, 0 outs) M. Moreland (2, 2nd Inning off W. Miley, 0 on, 0 outs) Total Bases: D. Pedroia 3 , A. Benintendi , R. Devers 3 , M. Betts 4 , J. Bradley Jr. 5 , X. Bogaerts 2 , M. Moreland 5 2-out RBI: M. Betts , X. Bogaerts Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: , M. Betts 2 , X. Bogaerts , M. Moreland , J. Martinez , K. Suzuki Sac Fly: R. Devers , M. Moreland Team LOB: 10 FIELDING Errors: M. Moreland (2) Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI F. Galvis SS 5 2 3 1 0 1 2 .357 1 1 J. Iglesias 2B 4 0 0 1 0 3 3 .091 0 2 M. Gonzalez 3B 2 2 1 0 2 0 1 .400 1 2 K. Davis DH 4 1 2 3 1 1 3 .333 1 3 M. Kemp 1B 5 2 4 2 0 1 2 .364 1 2 L. Gurriel Jr. LF 5 1 1 0 0 2 3 .385 2 5 T. Austin RF 3 1 0 0 1 3 0 .200 0 0 M. Wieters C 4 1 1 3 0 2 0 .250 0 3 R. Tapia CF 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 .000 0 0 Totals 36 10 12 10 4 16 15 BATTING Doubles: M. Wieters (1, 2nd Inning off E. Rodriguez, 3 on, 0 outs) F. Galvis (1, 1st Inning off E. Rodriguez, 0 on, 0 outs) K. Davis (1, 6th Inning off P. Klein, 1 on, 2 outs) Home Runs: M. Kemp (1, 3rd Inning off E. Rodriguez, 0 on, 0 outs) F. Galvis (1, 8th Inning off B. Poyner, 0 on, 1 out) K. Davis (1, 4th Inning off E. Rodriguez, 2 on, 2 outs) Total Bases: M. Kemp 7 , M. Wieters 2 , M. Gonzalez , F. Galvis 7 , K. Davis 6 , L. Gurriel Jr. 2-out RBI: M. Kemp , K. Davis Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: M. Kemp , K. Davis 2 , L. Gurriel Jr. Sac Fly: J. Iglesias Hit by Pitch: M. Gonzalez Team LOB: 8 BASERUNNING SB: F. Galvis (2) FIELDING Errors: M. Kemp (1)

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BOSTON PITCHING LINESCORE CHARLOTTE PITCHING LINESCORE

Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA E. Rodriguez 3.2 8 8 7 3 6 2 88 54 17.18 P. Klein 2.1 2 0 0 0 6 0 38 25 0.00 M. Barnes H (1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 15 9 10.13 B. Poyner L (0-1), BS (1) 0.2 2 2 2 1 1 1 21 10 7.71 J. Barnes 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: E. Rodriguez 16 Batters Faced: E. Rodriguez 23, P. Klein 9, M. Barnes 3, B. Poyner 6, J. Barnes 1 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: E. Rodriguez 3-2, P. Klein 0-1, M. Barnes 0-0, B. Poyner 1-0, J. Barnes 0-1 Pitches - Strikes: E. Rodriguez 88-54, P. Klein 38-25, M. Barnes 15-9, B. Poyner 21-10, J. Barnes 4-3 Inherited Runners - Scored: P. Klein 1-0 , J. Barnes 2-0 Hit Batsmen: B. Poyner Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA W. Miley 3.2 9 5 4 1 2 2 93 58 9.82 M. Kelly 3.1 3 4 4 3 1 0 53 26 10.80 J. Callahan W (1-0) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 5 4.50 J. Ventura SV (1) 1.0 2 0 0 1 2 0 26 16 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: W. Miley 24 Batters Faced: W. Miley 22, M. Kelly 15, J. Callahan 3, J. Ventura 6 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: W. Miley 6-3, M. Kelly 1-7, J. Callahan 0-2, J. Ventura 1-0 Pitches - Strikes: W. Miley 93-58, M. Kelly 53-26, J. Callahan 7-5, J. Ventura 26-16 Inherited Runners - Scored: M. Kelly 1-0

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GAME NOTES

Player of the Game: Matt Kemp Ballpark: BB&T Ballpark Weather: Partly Cloudy (60 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 7 mph Start Time: 7:05 PM EST Time: 3:45 Attendance: 35473 Special Notes: SP Wade Miley was injured while pitching.

[ohiodevil]

We have a 3-game series on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks kicking off today. Here is my report on the opponent:

A ballpark slightly favoring hitters, Guaranteed Rate Field has room for 47098 fans.

It is too early to comment on their season success and stats so far.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:


RHP L. Lynn (0-0, 0.00 ERA) versus RHP T. Danish (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
LHP M. Gonzales (0-0, 0.00 ERA) versus LHP C. Rodon (0-1, 2.84 ERA)
RHP Z. Wheeler (0-1, 6.00 ERA) versus RHP R. Lopez (1-0, 1.59 ERA)

Cherokees Win Third in a Row, Beat Chicago, 4-1

Chicago, Illinois - Charlotte Cherokees starter Lance Lynn pitched a strong game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, tossing 7 innings of 2 hit baseball where he allowed just one run, walking 2 and striking otu 3 in leading the Cherokees to a 4-1 win. Cam Bedrosian and Juan Ventura would finish off the game out of the bullpen without allowing a hit over the last two innings.



Charlotte, now 3-1, is setting the league on fire so far and is the talk of the town with their thirds straight win and another solid offensive performance. The Cherokees picked up the win with a combination of good hitting and good pitching.

"It was a tough night at the plate," said Chicago manager Rick Renteria.



Box Score:

CHARLOTTE BATTING LINESCORE CHICAGO BATTING LINESCORE

Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI C. Tilson CF 5 2 3 0 0 1 1 .308 0 0 J. Iglesias 2B 5 1 2 0 0 0 3 .188 0 2 M. Gonzalez 3B 2 0 0 2 1 0 1 .333 1 4 K. Davis DH 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 .313 1 3 M. Ford 1B 4 0 2 1 0 0 2 .500 0 1 M. Kemp LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .267 1 2 S. Smith RF 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 .000 0 0 M. Wieters C 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .167 0 3 F. Galvis SS 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .353 1 1 Totals 34 4 9 3 3 3 16 BATTING Doubles: C. Tilson 2 (2, 1st Inning off T. Danish, 0 on, 0 outs; 9th Inning off C. Fulmer, 1 on, 2 outs) K. Davis (2, 8th Inning off B. Clark, 0 on, 1 out) F. Galvis (2, 4th Inning off T. Danish, 0 on, 2 outs) Total Bases: M. Ford 2 , C. Tilson 5 , K. Davis 2 , F. Galvis 2 , J. Iglesias 2 2-out RBI: M. Ford Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: M. Kemp , M. Ford , C. Tilson , J. Iglesias GIDP: K. Davis , M. Wieters Sac Fly: M. Gonzalez Team LOB: 7 Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI L. Martin CF 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 .000 0 0 N. Delmonico LF 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200 0 1 Y. Moncada 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 .278 0 2 E. Jimenez DH 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 .211 2 3 M. Moustakas 3B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .313 2 3 A. Garcia RF 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .294 0 0 L. Valbuena 1B 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .176 0 3 W. Castillo C 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .286 1 2 M. Hernandez SS 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 .357 0 0 Totals 29 1 2 1 3 3 5 BATTING Home Runs: E. Jimenez (2, 4th Inning off L. Lynn, 0 on, 1 out) Total Bases: E. Jimenez 4 , M. Hernandez Team LOB: 2 FIELDING Errors: T. Danish (1) Double Plays: 2 (Moncada-Hernandez-Valbuena, Moustakas-Moncada-Valbuena)

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CHARLOTTE PITCHING LINESCORE CHICAGO PITCHING LINESCORE

Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA L. Lynn W (1-0) 7.0 2 1 1 2 3 1 89 54 1.29 C. Bedrosian H (1) 1.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 27 15 0.00 J. Ventura 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: L. Lynn 70 Batters Faced: L. Lynn 25, C. Bedrosian 5, J. Ventura 2 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: L. Lynn 7-11, C. Bedrosian 2-2, J. Ventura 0-2 Pitches - Strikes: L. Lynn 89-54, C. Bedrosian 27-15, J. Ventura 5-3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA T. Danish L (0-1) 5.0 7 4 2 2 0 0 82 50 3.60 B. Brach 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 22 16 0.00 B. Clark 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 16 7 0.00 C. Fulmer 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 20 11 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: T. Danish 39 Batters Faced: T. Danish 23, B. Brach 6, B. Clark 4, C. Fulmer 5 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: T. Danish 6-7, B. Brach 3-1, B. Clark 2-1, C. Fulmer 2-0 Pitches - Strikes: T. Danish 82-50, B. Brach 22-16, B. Clark 16-7, C. Fulmer 20-11 WP: T. Danish

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GAME NOTES

Player of the Game: Lance Lynn Ballpark: Guaranteed Rate Field Weather: Clear skies (45 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 9 mph Start Time: 7:05 PM EST Time: 3:04 Attendance: 23951

[ohiodevil]

Cherokees Drop Slug Fest in Windy City, Lose Gonzales and Game 12 to 10.

Chicago, Illinois - The teams combined for 29 hits and 22 runs and a 3-RBI performance from shortstop Tim Anderson led the Chicago White Sox to a 12-10 win over the Cherokees. White Sox starter Carlos Rodon gave up 7 runs on 6 hits, walking 3 and striking out 6 in 5 1/3 innings en route to his first win of the season. T.J. House came in and went 2 2/3 innings, allowing just 1 run on 5 base hits and Zack Burdi came in to record the last out and closethe game out for Chicago, earning his 3rd save and help improve the Sox to 4-2 on the young season.


Charlotte Starter Marco Gonzales would allow 2 runs on 2 hits in 1 2/3 innings of work before leaving the game with an apparent shoulder injury. He was relieved by Matt Wisler, who would give up 7 runs on 8 hits in 3 1/3 innings of work out of the pen. Chicago would take a 10-8 lead on Avisail Garcia's run-scoring single in the bottom of the seventh, which left Charlotte reliever Juan Nicasio shaking his head and looking for an answer.

"We'll savor this win," Garcia told the Chicago Gazette, "then get ready for the next game."


Box Score:

CHARLOTTE BATTING LINESCORE CHICAGO BATTING LINESCORE

Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI F. Galvis SS 5 0 1 2 0 1 4 .318 1 3 J. Iglesias 2B 5 0 2 3 0 0 0 .238 0 5 M. Gonzalez 3B 6 0 0 0 0 3 6 .222 1 4 K. Davis DH 5 1 1 0 0 2 2 .286 1 3 M. Kemp 1B 5 1 1 0 0 3 2 .250 1 2 L. Gurriel Jr. LF 5 2 2 0 0 3 1 .389 2 5 T. Austin RF 3 3 2 2 2 0 1 .308 0 2 M. Wieters C 3 2 3 2 1 0 1 .333 0 5 C. Tilson CF 4 1 1 1 1 0 5 .294 0 1 Totals 41 10 13 10 4 12 22 BATTING Doubles: L. Gurriel Jr. (1, 4th Inning off C. Rodon, 1 on, 1 out) J. Iglesias (2, 6th Inning off T. House, 2 on, 2 outs) Triples: T. Austin (1, 2nd Inning off C. Rodon, 1 on, 2 outs) Total Bases: M. Kemp , L. Gurriel Jr. 3 , C. Tilson , T. Austin 4 , K. Davis , F. Galvis , J. Iglesias 3 , M. Wieters 3 2-out RBI: C. Tilson , T. Austin , F. Galvis , J. Iglesias 2 , M. Wieters 2 Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: M. Kemp , C. Tilson 2 , F. Galvis , M. Gonzalez 2 Sac Fly: F. Galvis Hit by Pitch: J. Iglesias , M. Wieters Team LOB: 10 FIELDING Errors: F. Galvis (1) Double Plays: 1 (Iglesias-Galvis-Kemp) Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI Y. Moncada 2B 3 2 1 1 2 0 2 .286 1 3 A. Garcia RF 5 1 2 1 0 1 0 .318 0 1 E. Jimenez DH 5 0 1 2 0 1 2 .208 2 5 M. Moustakas 3B 5 1 3 1 0 0 2 .381 2 4 J. Villar CF 4 1 0 0 1 2 3 .111 0 0 N. Delmonico LF 4 1 3 0 1 0 2 .292 0 1 T. Anderson SS 4 3 3 3 1 0 1 .667 1 3 C. Vazquez C 4 2 2 0 0 1 2 .286 0 0 L. Valbuena 1B 5 1 1 4 0 1 6 .182 1 7 Totals 39 12 16 12 5 6 20 BATTING Doubles: N. Delmonico (1, 5th Inning off M. Wisler, 0 on, 1 out) Home Runs: L. Valbuena (1, 5th Inning off M. Wisler, 2 on, 2 outs) Y. Moncada (1, 2nd Inning off M. Wisler, 0 on, 2 outs) T. Anderson (1, 2nd Inning off M. Gonzales, 0 on, 0 outs) Total Bases: L. Valbuena 4 , Y. Moncada 4 , E. Jimenez , T. Anderson 6 , N. Delmonico 4 , C. Vazquez 2 , A. Garcia 2 , M. Moustakas 3 2-out RBI: L. Valbuena , Y. Moncada , E. Jimenez , A. Garcia Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: L. Valbuena , N. Delmonico , M. Moustakas GIDP: Y. Moncada Hit by Pitch: C. Vazquez Team LOB: 9 FIELDING Errors: Y. Moncada (1) , M. Moustakas (3)

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CHARLOTTE PITCHING LINESCORE CHICAGO PITCHING LINESCORE

Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA M. Gonzales 1.2 2 2 2 1 0 1 29 16 10.80 M. Wisler L (0-1) 3.1 8 7 7 3 1 2 66 36 13.50 J. Nicasio 2.0 4 3 3 1 3 0 43 25 6.75 J. Callahan 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 15 11 3.00 PITCHING Game Score: M. Gonzales 36 Batters Faced: M. Gonzales 9, M. Wisler 19, J. Nicasio 12, J. Callahan 5 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: M. Gonzales 3-2, M. Wisler 3-4, J. Nicasio 2-1, J. Callahan 1-0 Pitches - Strikes: M. Gonzales 29-16, M. Wisler 66-36, J. Nicasio 43-25, J. Callahan 15-11 WP: M. Wisler Hit Batsmen: J. Nicasio Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA C. Rodon W (1-1) 5.1 6 7 7 3 6 0 90 56 6.94 T. House H (1) 2.2 5 1 1 0 3 0 33 25 3.38 J. Minaya 0.2 1 2 0 1 2 0 17 9 0.00 Z. Burdi SV (3) 0.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 13 7 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: C. Rodon 31 Batters Faced: C. Rodon 27, T. House 13, J. Minaya 4, Z. Burdi 4 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Rodon 5-5, T. House 2-3, J. Minaya 0-0, Z. Burdi 0-0 Pitches - Strikes: C. Rodon 90-56, T. House 33-25, J. Minaya 17-9, Z. Burdi 13-7 Inherited Runners - Scored: T. House 3-3 , Z. Burdi 2-2 Hit Batsmen: C. Rodon , Z. Burdi

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GAME NOTES

Player of the Game: Tim Anderson Ballpark: Guaranteed Rate Field Weather: Clear skies (46 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 14 mph Start Time: 7:05 PM EST Time: 3:32 Attendance: 22249 Special Notes: SP Marco Gonzales was injured while pitching.

[ohiodevil]

Wheeler Brilliant, Cherokees Edge White Sox in Series Finale 1 to 0.

Chicago, Illinois - Charlotte Cherokees starter Zack Wheeler was in a groove as he led his team to a win over the Chicago White Sox, 1-0. Wheeler, the winner, moves his record to 1-1 as he threw 7 innings of 4-hit ball, while fanning 6 and giving up 2 walks. Juan Ventura would work a scoreless 9th to earn his 2nd save of the season. The Cherokees, now 4-2, have been on a roll in the early going.

Khris Davis contributed to the Charlotte win with a solo home run in the top of the second. For the game, the designated hitter had 2 hits in 5 at-bats with 1 home run, 1 single, 1 run scored, and 1 run batted in.

"Feels good to get the job done," Davis said after the game. The Cherokees return home to open a 6 game home stand against the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays beginning tomorrow.



Before the game, the team learned that starting pitcher Marco Gonzales would miss about 3 months with an ulnar nerve entrapment in his left shoulder. The team placed him on the 10 Day Disabled List and recalled LHP Jonny Venters from Triple-A Durham, and in a corresponding move they optioned RHP Matt WIsler to Durham and recalled RHP Edubray Ramos.



Box Score

CHARLOTTE BATTING LINESCORE CHICAGO BATTING LINESCORE

Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI F. Galvis SS 4 0 0 0 1 2 4 .269 1 3 J. Iglesias 2B 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 .269 0 5 M. Gonzalez 3B 4 0 1 0 1 1 1 .227 1 4 K. Davis DH 5 1 2 1 0 3 1 .308 2 4 M. Ford 1B 4 0 1 0 1 1 3 .375 0 1 S. Smith RF 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 .000 0 0 T. Austin LF 2 0 1 0 2 1 1 .333 0 2 M. Wieters C 3 0 1 0 1 1 4 .333 0 5 C. Tilson CF 4 0 2 0 0 2 5 .333 0 1 Totals 33 1 10 1 7 12 20 BATTING Doubles: M. Gonzalez (1, 5th Inning off R. Lopez, 0 on, 2 outs) J. Iglesias (3, 9th Inning off C. Fulmer, 0 on, 2 outs) Home Runs: K. Davis (2, 2nd Inning off R. Lopez, 0 on, 0 outs) Total Bases: M. Wieters , M. Gonzalez 2 , J. Iglesias 3 , K. Davis 5 , T. Austin , C. Tilson 2 , M. Ford Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: M. Wieters , F. Galvis , K. Davis , C. Tilson , M. Ford GIDP: M. Gonzalez Hit by Pitch: S. Smith Team LOB: 10 BASERUNNING CS: F. Galvis (1) , C. Tilson 2 (2) FIELDING Errors: F. Galvis (2) Double Plays: 3 (Ford-Galvis-Wheeler, Galvis-Iglesias-Ford, Galvis-Iglesias-Ford) Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI J. Villar CF 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 .143 0 0 N. Delmonico LF 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 .250 0 1 Y. Moncada 2B 4 0 1 0 0 2 0 .280 1 3 L. Valbuena 1B 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .154 1 7 M. Moustakas 3B 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .375 2 4 A. Garcia RF 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 .333 0 1 B. Lowe DH 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 0 0 M. Hernandez SS 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 .313 0 0 W. Castillo C 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 .235 1 2 Totals 28 0 4 0 3 8 12 BATTING Doubles: Y. Moncada (2, 6th Inning off Z. Wheeler, 0 on, 2 outs) M. Moustakas (1, 2nd Inning off Z. Wheeler, 0 on, 1 out) Total Bases: Y. Moncada 2 , J. Villar , A. Garcia , M. Moustakas 2 Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: L. Valbuena GIDP: J. Villar , B. Lowe , W. Castillo Team LOB: 3 BASERUNNING SB: J. Villar (2) CS: J. Villar (1) FIELDING Double Plays: 1 (Moncada-Hernandez-Valbuena)

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CHARLOTTE PITCHING LINESCORE CHICAGO PITCHING LINESCORE

Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA Z. Wheeler W (1-1) 7.0 4 0 0 2 6 0 93 60 2.77 J. Alvarado H (1) 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 13 7 0.00 J. Ventura SV (2) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 15 8 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: Z. Wheeler 73 Batters Faced: Z. Wheeler 25, J. Alvarado 3, J. Ventura 3 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: Z. Wheeler 4-8, J. Alvarado 1-0, J. Ventura 2-0 Pitches - Strikes: Z. Wheeler 93-60, J. Alvarado 13-7, J. Ventura 15-8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA R. Lopez L (1-1) 4.2 6 1 1 3 7 1 81 46 1.74 T. House 1.1 0 0 0 0 3 0 19 10 2.25 B. Rondon 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 7 0.00 B. Brach 0.2 0 0 0 3 1 0 21 7 0.00 B. Clark 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 3 0.00 C. Fulmer 0.2 3 0 0 1 0 0 20 12 0.00 J. Minaya 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 5 0.00 PITCHING Game Score: R. Lopez 52 Batters Faced: R. Lopez 21, T. House 5, B. Rondon 3, B. Brach 5, B. Clark 1, C. Fulmer 5, J. Minaya 1 Ground Outs - Fly Outs: R. Lopez 4-1, T. House 1-0, B. Rondon 1-1, B. Brach 1-0, B. Clark 0-0, C. Fulmer 1-0, J. Minaya 1-0 Pitches - Strikes: R. Lopez 81-46, T. House 19-10, B. Rondon 10-7, B. Brach 21-7, B. Clark 5-3, C. Fulmer 20-12, J. Minaya 7-5 Inherited Runners - Scored: T. House 1-0 , B. Clark 3-0 , J. Minaya 3-0 Hit Batsmen: T. House

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GAME NOTES

Player of the Game: Zack Wheeler Ballpark: Guaranteed Rate Field Weather: Partly Cloudy (36 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 9 mph Start Time: 7:05 PM EST Time: 3:18 Attendance: 21834

[ohiodevil]

Today we begin a 3-game series with the Houston Astros at home.

With their record standing at 6 wins and 1 losses, the Astros have a winning percentage of .857. They are leading the West Division. The Astros are playing well at the moment, having a 3-game winning streak going. Their number of runs scored of 37 rank 6th in the American League, their .239 batting average ranks 11th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 20 runs (tied for 1st) with their starters compiling an ERA of 2.91 which ranks 2nd. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 2.29, ranking 4th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:


RHP T. Ross (0-0, 4.50 ERA) versus RHP G. Cole (1-0, 3.18 ERA)
LHP W. Miley (0-0, 9.82 ERA) versus RHP B. Peacock (0-1, 11.25 ERA)
RHP L. Lynn (1-0, 1.29 ERA) versus RHP F. Martes (1-0, 2.35 ERA)

Cherokees Stats as of April 16th, 2019

Name	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG ▴	OBP	SLG	OPS	WAR
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2B	4	18	6	7	1	0	2	5	14	1	7	0	0	.389	.421	.778	1.199	0.3
Mike Ford 1B	2	8	0	3	0	0	0	1	3	1	1	0	0	.375	.444	.375	.819	0.1
Tyler Austin RF	5	15	4	5	1	1	0	2	8	5	5	0	0	.333	.500	.533	1.033	0.2
Matt Wieters C	5	18	3	6	1	0	0	5	7	2	4	0	0	.333	.429	.389	.817	0.2
Charlie Tilson CF	5	21	3	7	2	0	0	1	9	1	6	0	2	.333	.364	.429	.792	0.1
Khris Davis LF	6	26	4	8	2	0	2	4	16	2	9	0	0	.308	.357	.615	.973	0.2
Jose Iglesias SS	6	26	2	7	3	0	0	5	10	1	5	0	0	.269	.310	.385	.695	0.1
Freddy Galvis SS	6	26	4	7	2	0	1	3	12	3	5	2	1	.269	.333	.462	.795	0.1
Matt Kemp 1B	5	20	3	5	0	0	1	2	8	2	7	0	0	.250	.318	.400	.718	-0.1
Marwin Gonzalez 3B	6	22	4	5	1	0	1	4	9	4	7	0	0	.227	.345	.409	.754	0.1
Raimel Tapia CF	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.1
Luke Maile C	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.1
Seth Smith RF	4	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	0	0	.000	.300	.000	.300	-0.1

Name	W	L	SV	ERA	G	GS	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	WHIP	OAVG	BABIP	WAR
Juan Ventura CL	0	0	2	0.00	3	0	2.2	2	0	0	0	1	3	1.13	.200	.286	0.2
Cam Bedrosian RP	0	0	0	0.00	2	0	3.1	1	0	0	0	1	3	0.60	.091	.125	0.1
Jose Alvarado RP	1	0	0	0.00	2	0	2.2	2	0	0	0	2	3	1.50	.222	.333	0.1
Lance Lynn SP	1	0	0	1.29	1	1	7.0	2	1	1	1	2	3	0.57	.087	.053	0.0
Zack Wheeler SP	1	1	0	2.77	2	2	13.0	11	4	4	1	3	14	1.08	.239	.323	0.4
Jamie Callahan RP	1	0	0	3.00	3	0	3.0	3	1	1	0	1	4	1.33	.250	.375	0.1
Tyson Ross SP	0	0	0	4.50	1	1	6.0	5	3	3	1	4	3	1.50	.227	.222	-0.1
Juan Nicasio RP	0	0	0	6.75	2	0	4.0	6	3	3	0	1	7	1.75	.333	.545	0.2
Wade Miley SP	0	0	0	9.82	1	1	3.2	9	5	4	2	1	2	2.73	.429	.412	-0.2
Merrill Kelly SP	0	0	0	10.80	1	0	3.1	3	4	4	0	3	1	1.80	.300	.273	-0.0
Marco Gonzales SP	0	0	0	10.80	1	1	1.2	2	2	2	1	1	0	1.80	.250	.143	-0.1
Matt Wisler RP	0	1	0	13.50	2	0	4.2	9	7	7	2	3	1	2.57	.429	.389	-0.3