Charlotte.com: Charlotte Knights

Knights put end to Bats' win streak

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:10 EDT

A three-run eighth inning snapped a 2-2 tie and propelled the Charlotte Knights to a 5-3 victory against the Louisville Bats in the International League on Friday night at Louisville Slugger Field.

The Bats ended their season-high seven-game winning streak.

Louisville opened the scoring when B.J. Szymanski launched a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the fourth inning for a 1-0 lead.

The Knights responded with two runs in the top of the fifth, on an RBI double by Royce Huffman and a fielder's choice that scored Cole Armstrong, who reached on a single.

Armstrong's two-run single in the eighth gave the Knights 4-2 lead, and Huffman's second RBI double capped Charlotte's scoring.

All three runs came off Bats reliever Todd Coffey, who had not been scored on in his previous four appearances. Charlotte starter Wes Whisler went five innings, giving up five hits and one earned run, but got a no-decision.

Louisville pounces on Knights errors

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:33 EDT

After a three-day break for the Class AAA All-Star Game, the Louisville Bats picked up where they left off, getting their seventh consecutive win by defeating the Charlotte Knights 6-1 at Louisville Slugger Field on Thursday.

One batter and seven pitches into the game, Matt Maloney (9-4, 4.11) was forced out because of a strain left oblique muscle. Matt Belisle replaced him and pitched two innings, giving up one run and two hits, and striking out three.

Justin Mallet (4-1, 4.84) replaced Belisle and earned the victory with a solid outing. Mallet pitched six innings in relief and recorded three strikeouts, allowed three hits, and walked one batter.

The Knights opened the scoring in the first when Jason Bourgeois lined a single to right field off Maloney. Chris Getz lined another single to left, sending Bourgeois to second. Both moved up on a double steal, and Bourgeois scored from third on Danny Richar's ground out to the shortstop.

The Bats struck in the bottom of the inning for three runs. Rob Mackowiak, who was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing a strike call, put the Bats on top with a two-run homer over the right-field fence.

All-Star catcher Ryan Hanigan brought the third run of the inning in when he hit a ground-ball single to Knights shortstop Getz, allowing Adam Rosales to score and giving the Bats a 3-1 advantage.

In the bottom of the fourth the Bats added another three runs, two scoring on two fielding errors on one play. The first error came after Chris Dickerson singled to third basemen Josh Fields, who overthrew first, allowing Luis Bolivar to score.

Right fielder David Cook picked the up the ball and tried to prevent Dickerson from reaching second, but hit him in the back, which allowed Paul Janish to score and increased the Bats lead to 6-1.

Charlotte's Jack Egbert (3-7, 4.99) took the loss.

The four-game series resumes tonight, with Wes Whisler starting for the Knights and Ramon Ramirez for Louisville.

PCL comes back to win late

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:09 EDT

Matt Brown hardly seemed bothered when the Pacific Coast League entered the top of the ninth trailing the International League by two in the Triple-A All-Star game.

“Nobody was down, we had confidence,” Brown said. “In the PCL, two runs is nothing. Nobody was packing it in.”

Instead, Brown and his teammates packed a night's worth of offense into one inning, scoring six off the IL's top closer as the PCL rallied for a 6-5 victory.

“I just didn't want to go out there and strike out every time,” said Brown, who had two hits and was the PCL player of the game.

Brown didn't, but plenty of others did. The teams combined for an All-Star record 22 strikeouts, and for eight innings neither team appeared particularly inspired by playing a few blocks from the home of the Louisville Slugger.

Still, the IL seemed to have things in control after scoring twice in the seventh on Andrew McCutchen's RBI infield single and a fielder's choice by Mike Hessman.

Enter Blaine Neal. The closer for the Toledo Mud Hens, who will be heading to Beijing as a member of Team USA next month, has converted an IL-leading 23 saves this year. Yet he struggled against the PCL's best.

“I told my guys ‘Blaine Neal will come right at you,'” said Pat Listach, who managed the PCL and the Iowa Cubs. “Our guys put a lot of good at-bats against him. They were solid.”

Nick Stavinoha led off for the PCL with a hit, then scored three batters later on a single by Jamie D'Antona. A single by Brown tied the game, and Mark Saccomanno gave the PCL the lead on a single up the middle.

“I think we were all out there having some fun,” Saccomanno said. “We waited eight innings and didn't give the fans anything. We turned it on in the ninth innings. Both teams kind of turned it up.”

By the time A.J. Ellis, a catcher for the Las Vegas 51s playing an hour from his hometown of Lexington, Ky., hit a double to center, it appeared to be more than enough for the PCL.

“It takes a lot to do what we did, to get six runs like we did and we needed every one of them,” Saccomanno said.

South Atlantic

CHARLESTON 2, KANNAPOLIS 0: The Intimidators started an eight-game homestand with a loss to Charleston at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium. It was the third straight loss for the Class A Intimidators, and they were shut out for the second straight game dating to Game2 of a doubleheader Monday in Rome, Ga.

Offensively, Jim Gallagher had two of three Intimidators hits. Gallagher tried to rally the club in the ninth down 2-0. He led off with a double off of Charleston closer Jonathan Ortiz, but Ortiz responded by retiring the next three batters.

LAKEWOOD 5, HICKORY 4: Playing Lakewood for the first time this season, Hickory kept it close but never led.

In both the series and homestand opener at L.P. Frans Stadium following an eight-game road trip, the Crawdads erased two separate deficits but couldn't do it a third time.

Down 1-0 in the third, Hickory tied the game on a Matt Hague double.

Down 3-1 in the sixth, the Crawdads knotted the score on an Erik Huber single.

Down 5-3 entering the ninth, Hickory only managed one run off the BlueClaws, as Hague grounded into a game-ending double play with the potential tying run on base.

Knights' Richard going to Beijing

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:40 EDT

Charlotte Knights pitcher Clayton Richard was named Wednesday to the U.S. baseball team for next month's Beijing Olympics.

Richard also played Sunday for the Future Stars U.S. team at Major League Baseball's All-Star weekend. He is 6-0 with a 2.37 ERA since being called up from Class AA Birmingham on June11.

San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg, whose 23-strikeout performance April11 brought him national attention, was the lone college player picked for the U.S. team, made up mostly of minor-leaguers. observer news services

USA Boxing reinstated Luis Yanez to the Olympic team, more than two weeks after the light flyweight was kicked off the roster for missing several weeks of workouts. Yanez agreed to pay a fine, undergo sports counseling and make a public apology.

Gymnast Morgan Hamm's spot in Beijing is secure. USA Gymnastics said a warning Hamm received this month for getting a prescribed anti-inflammatory shot without clearance from anti-doping authorities did not affect his qualification to the team.

Olympic organizers might postpone some equestrian events in Hong Kong if typhoons or extreme heat threaten the safety of the horses.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a tournament-high 35 points to help Germany to an 89-71 victory against New Zealand at an Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens, Greece. Germany will play Brazil in Friday's quarterfinals. Three teams from the eight quarterfinalists will advance to Beijing.

In Lucerne, Switzerland, double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius of South Africa fell short of the 400-meter qualifying time needed to make the Olympics, though the personal best time he ran could get him to Beijing in the relay.

NBC will use 106 announcers for its coverage of the Games, including 28 former Olympians who won a combined 42 medals.

Jim Lampley will work his record 14th Olympics, and former U.S. wrestler Rulon Gardner will be among the analysts. Bob Costas will be NBC's primetime host for a seventh Olympics. ons

Knight makes catch of a lifetime

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:18 EDT

Paul Phillips first laid eyes on Jimmi McCoy on the Omaha Royals' practice field four years ago.

He was a young catcher just signed to the Kansas City Royals. She was a ball girl taking a break in the dugout.

“I saw her in the dugout eating a Popsicle during one of the practices, and I just walked over to her, bit off a piece of the popsicle, said thanks and just walked away,” Phillips said. “Then we started talking.”

Since then, Phillips, 31, has become a Charlotte Knights catcher and McCoy, 24, a seventh-grade history teacher.

Today, they're getting married.

True to their baseball roots, Phillips proposed to McCoy behind the Charlotte Knights' stadium, in the grounds crew area, after one of the Knights' home games.

“It was really nice and private, and it just kind of brought things back in a circle,” Phillips said.

Even today's wedding date was chosen with baseball in mind – it's the All Star break, giving Phillips a rare two-day vacation.

The reception? SouthPark's Maggiano's Little Italy, a sponsor of the Knights that gave the couple a good deal.

“We're both really laid-back and easygoing,” Phillips said. “Everything has just fallen into place, and it's all working out great.”

The couple will postpone a honeymoon trip to Hawaii until after September – after the season's over, of course.

Knights break in 2nd

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:42 EDT

For right now, Charlotte Knights pitcher Jason Childers has settled in to the role that most relievers aspire to – the closer.

“It seems like (manager Marc Bombard) has called my name a lot lately,” said Childers, who will represent the Knights at the Class AAA All-Star game in Louisville, Ky. “I like that, but anybody can close, really. You have to be ready to play a lot of roles when you're a relief pitcher.”

Childers earned his eighth save in the Knights' 3-2 victory against the Richmond Braves on Sunday afternoon, pitching a scoreless ninth that started with an error and a single, but finished in a double play. Fernando Cortez drove in the winning run with a single in the eighth, breaking a 2-2 tie.

The Knights (47-51) have won eight of their past 10 games going into the three-day All-Star break. They trail first-place Durham by four games.

“It's a lot better position than we thought we might be in a couple of weeks ago,” Bombard said. “We've been the hunter all year, chasing Durham and Richmond. But all you can do is take care of your own business.”

And Childers has been in the thick of it this season, taking over the closer's role when Ehren Wasserman was promoted to the Chicago White Sox in late April. (Wasserman, who was the winning pitcher Sunday, has since returned to Charlotte.)

The Knights tied the game in the fourth. With one out, Nick Biasi doubled to left-center field and scored on Josh Fields' double down the right-field line. Danny Richar lined a single to left to score Biasi.

Jason Bourgeois went 0-for-4 to end his hitting streak at 16 games.

South Atlantic

KANNAPOLIS VS. ROME was cancelled due to rain.

HICKORY VS. HAGERSTOWN was suspended due to rain with the visiting Crawdads leading 1-0. The game will resume today at 5:05 p.m.

Knights players get taste of history from All-Stars

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:44 EDT

Chris Getz had himself quite a day.

In the eighth inning of baseball's Futures Game, the Charlotte Knights second baseman stood in against Henry Rodriguez, a 21-year-old pitcher in Oakland's system. Getz faced nothing but fastballs, including three in a row that hit 100mph on the Yankee Stadium radar gun.

It wasn't the first time Sunday that Getz had been caught wide-eyed.

Like Class AAA Charlotte teammate Clayton Richard, Getz made not only his first trip to the House That Ruth Built, but his first to New York for the All-Star Game gathering of top prospects. They are unlikely to forget any part of the experience – not in this lifetime, anyway.

“Walking down the hallway to get to the clubhouse, you see all the pictures of the players who have played here,” Getz said. “It really hits you where you are and what you're doing.

“I honestly can't explain the feeling. I didn't start the game, so I was sitting on the bench for five innings telling myself to calm down and just realize you're playing baseball. That's not easy to do.”

Richard was the starting pitcher in the United States' 3-0 loss to the World team. He and his teammates had dressed in a hurry to get out onto the field. When he went out to the bullpen to warm up for his start, Richard couldn't miss seeing the monuments, including the one to Babe Ruth that Roger Clemens touched (and sometimes kissed) on his way to the mound.

“It was awesome,” Richard said. “Growing up, watching the Yankees on television, you have an idea in your mind what it's going to be like. But all of a sudden you're standing out there, and it just blows you away.

“It's a great place to play baseball. I feel privileged to get a chance to play here before they move.”

When the phalanx of All-Stars arrive at Yankee Stadium today for the Home Run Derby, they're sure to notice the new ballpark going up in pale granite adjacent to baseball's best-known facility. In addition to continuing AL dominance, the theme of the event will be a farewell to the old place, which has been home to the Yankees since 1923.

The World Series has been played at Yankee Stadium 37 times, most recently in 2003. It has been host to great football games, historic concerts and addresses by the pope, among other events. But it will always be associated with Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Thurman Munson and Derek Jeter.

It's a place every American sports fan ought to visit at least once. That's why I took my 14-year-old son Dylan to New York this month, tagging along on a trip with my brother Dave and nephew Kyle.

We got tickets for a Texas Rangers-Yankees game in the box seats beyond the first-base dugout. We were lucky to pay only face value – a mere $190 – and enjoyed a pleasant night with actor Tracy Morgan nearby amid a sellout crowd of 53,223.

Mariano Rivera suffered the loss that night, which left fans in a somber mood as they headed for the adjacent subway stop. For our party, it seemed an occasion to celebrate. We had participated in one of those Norman Rockwellian American customs and would always have the memory, and maybe the ticket stubs.

I felt no sadness leaving, and only the truly sentimental should at the end of the All-Star Game or even after the Yankees' final game here.

Because of a massive remodeling in 1974-75, this has never really seemed like one of baseball's great old ballparks to me. It was always so much more modern than Fenway Park or Wrigley Field, even though it opened only about a decade later.

The end of Yankee Stadium shouldn't be like the demise of Tiger Stadium in Detroit, where grown men and women wept.

It lost its essential nature decades ago, a fact sure to be overlooked by many New York sportswriters and poets.

But, as the wide-eyed Richard said, it's a great place to play baseball.

What a wonderful experience to cherish.

Former Atlanta Brave beats Knights via 10 Ks

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:25 EDT

The Charlotte Knights ran into a tough Richmond Braves pitcher who tossed 10 strikeouts in five innings, then rallied late with seven runs but lost to the Braves 12-8 before 8,580 fans.

The loss broke a seven-game win streak for the Knights, longest of the season.

Four of those late runs came in the ninth inning when Knights left fielder Noah Hall singled to right, going to second on a wild pitch.

Second baseman Jason Bourgeois, hitless in three previous at bats, knocked a single to right center, extending his hitting streak to 16 games.

Centerfielder Nick Blasi hit a grounder to center, scoring Hall. Then, with two outs, shortstop Danny Richar clouted a three-run homer.

At one point, the Knights trailed 8-0. ìAn 8-0 deficit is hard to overcome,î said Knights manager Marc Bombard. ìGive our guys credit. They kept hitting. The deficit was just too much.î

Knights starter and losing pitcher Lance Broadway (8-5) was tagged for two doubles in the first inning, which helped the Braves score four runs. In the second inning, Braves designated hitter Barbaro Canizares smashed a bases-empty home run for a 5-0 lead.

Richmond struck again in fourth when Broadway gave up two doubles and three runs.

Braves pitcher and game-winner Chuck James (4-4) turned in a strong performance, holding the Knights to one hit through six innings with 10 strikeouts. Last year he pitched with the Atlanta Braves, posting an 11-10 record with 116 strikeouts in 161 innings.

He allowed two hits, including a sixth-inning home run by Blasi.

The series ends at 12:15 p.m. today at Knights Castle.

South Atlantic

HICKORY 4, HAGERSTOWN 1: The visiting Crawdads won behind 6 2/3 strong innings from Brad Lincoln (5-5).

KANNAPOLIS 8, ROME 2: Christian Marrero was 3-for-4 for the visiting Intimidators.

Bourgeois, Knights hot

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:28 EDT

Jason Bourgeois and the Charlotte Knights are on their biggest streaks of the season.

Bourgeois extended his hitting streak to 14 games, longest for the Knights this season, and Charlotte won its season-best sixth straight, beating the Richmond Braves 8-2 Thursday night.

“Everybody's coming here every night looking forward to playing,” said Bourgeois, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI. “It's a pretty good vibe.”

Chris Getz was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double, rookie Cole Armstrong went 3-for-3, and Royce Huffman had a two-run homer for the Knights (45-50), who have won seven of eight. Wes Whisler scattered five hits and gave up one unearned run in six shutout innings to earn his 10th victory.

“One guy's not going to win it, and one guy's not going to lose it for you,” Knights manager Marc Bombard said. “Everybody's contributing, being part of the equation.”

Bourgeois and Getz sparked Charlotte to an early 2-1 lead and the Knights put the game away with a pair of three-run innings.

“I'm just trying to play for this day when I go out there,” Bourgeois said. “I feel like I'm on a roll, but I'm trying not to look at how many games it is. I think back in (Class) A ball I had a 17-game road hitting streak or something like that. I just try to relax and trust my ability.”

A three-run fifth, highlighted by an RBI double by Getz and a run-scoring single by Danny Richar, gave Whisler (10-5) a 5-1 cushion. He became the fourth International League pitcher this season to get 10 victories.

“Our pitching has been very good lately, both the starters and the bullpen,” Bombard said. “If it's there, you're in the game every time.”

NOTES: Right-hander pitcher Carlos Torres joined the Knights from Class AA Birmingham. Charlotte sent catcher Jared Price (.099, 1 HR, 1 RBI in 22 games) to Birmingham. … The Knights and Braves will play at 7:15 tonight. Scheduled starting pitchers are right-hander Charlie Haeger (7-7, 4.11 ERA) for Charlotte against Chuck James (3-4, 2.58).

KNIGHTS 8, BRAVES 2

Rich.	AB	R	H	BI	Char.	AB	R	H	BI
Andrsn cf4	0	1	0	Bourgs cf3	1	2	1
Arnold ss4	0	1	0	Getz lf	4	2	2	2
Jones rf	3	0	1	0	Fields 3b4	0	0	1
Cnzrs dh4	1	1	0	Richar 2b4	0	1	1
Thrmn 1b4	0	0	0	Cook rf	4	1	1	0
Hrndz 2b4	0	1	0	Arstrng c3	1	3	1
Smmns c4	1	2	0	Hffmn 1b4	1	1	2
Ldnthal lf3	0	1	1	Cstillo dh3	1	0	0
Cruz 3b	4	0	0	0	Cortez ss4	1	1	0
Totals	34	2	8	1	Totals	33	8	11	8

Richmond	010	000	001	-	2	8	1
Charlotte	101	030	03x	-	8	11	2

E-Sammons (9), Richar (10), Cortez (8). DP-Richmond 1, Charlotte 2. LOB-Richmond 7, Charlotte 4. 2B-Jones (18), Sammons (15), Getz (20), Cook (7). HR-Getz (7), Huffman (6). SB-Richar (11), Bourgeois (15).

Richmond	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
DeSalvo L,2-8	4	4	2	2	2	7
Basner	2	4	3	3	0	1
Moss	1	0	0	0	0	1
Shibilo	1	3	3	3	0	0

Charlotte	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Whisler W,10-5	6	5	1	0	0	3
Rodriguez	2	1	0	0	1	4
Wassermann	1	2	1	0	0	1

WP: DeSalvo. HBP: Bourgeois (by Basner), Loadenthal (by Whisler). Umpires-HP: Kevin Causey. 1B: Lance Barrett. . 3B: Christopher Conroy. T-2:27. Att.-3,121.

Late Wednesday

KNIGHTS 4, RED WINGS 0 (2ND)

Roch.	AB	R	H	BI	Char.	AB	R	H	BI
Watkins lf3	0	0	0	Brgois 2b4	0	1	0
Pridie cf	3	0	0	0	Getz ss	3	0	1	1
McDnld rf3	0	0	0	Fields 3b3	1	2	0
Jones 1b	3	0	0	0	Cook rf	2	0	0	0
Ruiz dh	3	0	2	0	Hffmn 1b2	1	0	0
Macri ss	3	0	0	0	Cstillo dh3	1	2	1
Plouffe 3b1	0	0	0	Phillips c2	1	1	0
Santos 3b1	0	0	0	Blasi cf	3	0	1	2
Mchdo 2b2	0	0	0	Hall lf	3	0	2	0
Christy c1	0	0	0
Totals	23	0	2	0	Totals	25	4	10	4

Rochester	000	000	0	-	0	2	0
Charlotte	000	301	X	-	4	10	1

E-Getz (8). DP-Rochester 2. LOB-Rochester 3, Charlotte 8. 2B-Ruiz (24), Castillo (6), Fields (10). S-Christy. SF-Getz.

Rochester	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
DuensingL,5-9	4	7	3	3	3	1
Lahey	1	0	0	0	0	0
Korecky	1	3	1	1	0	2

Charlotte	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Egbert W,3-6	7	2	0	0	0	7

HBP-Cook (by Lahey). Umpires-HP: Rob Healey. 1B: Andrew Vincent. 3B: Manuel Gonzalez. T-1:35. Att.-1,850.

Knights' Richard keeps on winning

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:13 EDT

Left-hander Clayton Richard doesn't take long between pitches.

Richard, 24,became the first Charlotte pitcher to win his first six starts Wednesday with a 4-1 victory againstthe Rochester Red Wings.

The Knights won the second game of the doubleheader 4-0, their sixth victory in seven games.

Richard (6-0) allowed four hits and one run in six innings, and Fernado Cortez drove in two runs with a homer and a sacrifice fly.

Trevor Plouffe hit a one-out homer in the third for Rochester's run, but Cortez slammed his second homer of the season to lead off the fifth.

NOTES: Jason Bourgeois was the International League's player of the month. He hit .393 during June with four home runs and 13 RBIs. … The Chicago White Sox put closer Bobby Jenks on the 15-day disabled list and purchased right-hander D.J. Carrasco's contract from Charlotte. …Infielder Josh Fields was activated after a four-game rehab stint with Class A Winston-Salem. …The Knights will begin a four-game series with Richmond at 7:15 tonight.

South Atlantic

KANNAPOLIS 6, COLUMBUS 1: Mark Fleisher hit two-run home runs in the first and third innings and an RBI single in the fifth for the Intimidators at Columbus.

LAKE COUNTY 3-4, HICKORY 2-6: Erik Huber had a two-run single during a four-run first, then Albert Laboy and Matthew Hague added solo shots in the second to help the Crawdads split the road doubleheader after they lost the opener in the ninth.

KNIGHTS 4, RED WINGS 1 (1ST)

Roch.	AB	R	H	BI	Char.	AB	R	H	BI
Wtkins lf3	0	0	0	Brgis cf3	0	1	0
Pridie cf3	0	0	0	Getz lf	3	0	0	0
McDld rf3	0	0	0	Fields dh3	0	0	0
Jones 1b2	0	0	0	Richar 2b2	0	0	0
Ruiz dh	2	0	1	0	Cook rf	3	0	0	0
Macri ss3	0	0	0	Arstrng c3	1	1	0
Sntos 3b3	0	0	0	Hffmn 1b2	1	0	0
Pluffe 2b3	1	2	1	Cstillo 3b2	1	1	0
Jrgnsen c3	0	1	0	Cortez ss1	1	1	2
Totals	25	1	4	1	Totals	22	4	4	2

Rochester	001	000	0	-	1	4	2
Charlotte	030	010	x	-	4	4	1

E-Macri (14), Mulvey (3), Huffman, R (9). DP-Charlotte 1. LOB-Rochester 5, Charlotte 3. HR-Plouffe (4), Cortez (2). SB-Bourgeois (14). SF-Cortez.

Rochester	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Mulvey L,3-8	42/3	4	4	1	1	3
Barrett	11/3	0	0	0	0	2

Charlotte	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Richard W,6-0	6	4	1	1	1	5
Childers S,6	1	0	0	0	0	1

HBP-Huffman (by Mulvey), Jones (by Richard). Umpires-HP: Manuel Gonzalez. 1B: Rob Healey. 3B: Andrew Vincent. T-1:46.

Knights big on Armstrong

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:26 EDT

Cole Armstrong's .531 batting average won't last forever, but the Charlotte Knights rookie catcher hopes his hot start in his first eight Class AAA games will lead to a longer stay, this season or maybe next.

“I didn't have any expectations when I got here,” said Armstrong, called up from Class AA Birmingham on June28. “I'm just hoping to play well enough to stay around a little while and get a foot in the door.”

Armstrong, 24, has hit safely in every game he's played, including a 3-for-4, two-RBI night Monday in the Knights' 7-3 victory against the Rochester Red Wings.

“I got off to a little bit of a slow start,” said Armstrong, who was hitting .252 in 64 games at Birmingham when he was promoted. “I've just tried to stay positive and work with the hitting coaches. I got a couple of hits in the first two or three games here and that helped. It's the same game, just faster here.”

Armstrong's biggest hit was a two-run single in a three-run eighth inning which helped the Knights pad a 4-3 lead.

Charlotte (42-50) has won three of four, with a big boost from players like Armstrong and outfielder Noah Hall, another recent call-up from Birmingham. He hit a one-out solo homer in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie.

“These kids have stepped up and we haven't missed a beat,” Charlotte manager Marc Bombard said. “They have a lot of enthusiasm. These are guys who might be starting the season here next year, and every one of these games is valuable experience for them.”

The late offensive surge made a winner of Charlotte relief pitcher D.J. Carrasco (1-1), who allowed one hit in three shutout innings.

Starting pitcher Lance Broadway stayed in hot water through much of his six innings, scattering nine hits. But neither he nor Carrasco walked a batter.

Jason Bourgeois led off the Charlotte first with a homer.

Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko finished his rehab stint with a 2-for-4 night on two singles. He hit .545 (6-for-11) with two doubles, three RBIs and six walks in four games.

South Atlantic

COLUMBUS 7, KANNAPOLIS 5: Reid Fronk, who played at Charlotte Christian and North Carolina, hit a one-out, two-run homer in the ninth to give the host Catfish the victory. The hit was Fronk's only one in five at-bats and his only RBIs of the game. He's hitting .254 for the season.

LAKE COUNTY 9, HICKORY 2: Roman Pena, Matthew Brown and Richard Martinez had RBI singles during a four-run fourth, and Martinez added another run-scoring single during a five-run sixth that carried the host Captains past the Crawdads.

KNIGHTS 7, RED WINGS 3

Roch.	AB	R	H	BI	Char.	AB	R	H	BI
Pridie cf	4	0	2	1	Brgs cf	4	1	1	1
Plffe 3b	4	0	0	1	Getz 2b	3	2	1	0
MDnld lf	4	0	0	0	Knrko 1b	4	1	2	0
Jones 1b	4	1	3	1	Richr dh	3	1	1	1
Ruiz dh	4	0	1	0	Cook rf	3	1	0	0
Clark rf	4	0	0	0	Astrng c	4	0	3	2
Macri 2b	4	0	1	0	Cstllo 3b	3	0	0	1
Snts ss	4	1	1	0	Hall lf	4	1	1	1
Jrgnsn c	3	1	2	0	Crtez ss	3	0	1	0
Totals	35	3	10	3	Totals	31	7	10	6

Rochester	001	011	000	-	3	10	1
Charlotte	200	100	13x	-	7	10	0

E-Daigle (5). DP-Rochester 1. LOB-Rochester 5, Charlotte 4. 2B-Santos (21), Jorgensen (7), Getz (19), Richar (9), Cortez (6). 3B-Pridie (10). HR-Jones (9), Bourgeois (7), Hall (1). SF-Richar, Castillo.

Rochester	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Graves	6	7	3	3	0	1
Daigle L,1-4	11/3	2	4	4	2	1
Cali	0	1	0	0	0	0
Lahey	2/3	0	0	0	0	1

Charlotte	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Broadway	6	9	3	3	0	5
Carrasco W,1-1	3	1	0	0	0	2

Umpires – HP: Andrew Vincent. 1B: Manuel Gonzalez. 3B: Rob Healey. T-2:09. Att.-1,914.

Haeger reaches victory milestone

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:30 EDT

Charlie Haeger is best known as one of baseball's few knuckleball specialists.

But the Charlotte Knights right-hander has added an improved fastball to his repertoire, which he used to his advantage during a deceptively easy-looking 9-1 victory against the Rochester Red Wings on Sunday at Knights Stadium.

Haeger (7-7) scattered seven hits and pitched a seven-inning, rain-shortened complete game to tie Heath Phillips for the all-time lead in victories (27) by a Knights pitcher. Previously this season, he'd become the Knights' all-time leader in starts (64) and strikeouts (332).

“His knuckleball was good today, but he was able to get the fastball over the plate, too,” Charlotte manager Marc Bombard said. “When you're struggling sometimes you need another pitch, and that turned out to be the key to the game.”

Danny Richar staked the Knights to an early lead with a long, three-run home run in the first inning, one of three homers for Charlotte (41-50). But the game turned on Haeger's escape from a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth, with Charlotte ahead 3-1.

Jeff Christy reached on an error by shortstop Chris Getz, Jason Pridie singled and Trevor Pouffe walked for Rochester. But Haeger struck out Darnell McDonald, Garrett Jones and Randy Ruiz to end the threat.

David Cook hit a two-run homer and Paul Phillips added a solo shot, his first homer of the season, in the fifth to stake Charlotte to an 8-1 lead.

“We had some good at-bats tonight, but nothing was easy under the conditions,” said Bombard, whose team has scored 20 runs during the past two games.

The game was played nearly from start to finish in rain ranging from a drizzle to a downpour.

The start was delayed 55 minutes by the bad weather, and again for 31 minutes after the seventh inning, before umpires called the game. By that time, the announced crowd of 2,107 had dwindled to a couple of dozen hardy fans.

In the third game of his rehab stint with the Knights, Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko was 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

The Knights and Red Wings will play again at 7:15 tonight. Scheduled starting pitchers are right-handers Lance Broadway (8-4, 3.71 ERA) for Charlotte against Danny Graves (3-3, 5.13) for Rochester.

Knights pull away, knock off Bulls

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:04 EDT

A three-run fifth inning broke open a close game to give the Knights the lead for good against the visiting Durham Bulls on Saturday. With the Bulls up 5-4, the Knights' Cole Armstrong doubled on a line drive to center field.

Then David Cook singled on a soft ground ball. Another single by Javier Castillo sparked the three-run inning.

South Atlantic

KANNAPOLIS 2-2, LAKE COUNTY 1-3: The Intimidators split a doubleheader against Lake County at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in front of 4,069 people.

In Game1, Levi Maxwell (9-2) surrendered just a second-inning RBI single to Mark Thompson and cruised for the complete-game two-hitter.

The West Virginia product walked three and struck out six for the victory.

In the nightcap, the Intimidators couldn't figure out South Mecklenburg High School product Ryan Morris. The lefty gave up two runs (one earned) over five innings for the victory.

COLUMBUS 12, HICKORY 0: The Columbus Catfish bombarded the Crawdads with hits, leading to the shutout.

In the finale of their season-long, nine-game homestand, the Crawdads suffered their worst defeat in more than a year, losing 12-0 to the Columbus Catfish on Saturday.

A game that went scoreless through the first three innings saw the Catfish erupt for five runs on five hits in the fourth inning before topping off the game with five runs on two homers in the ninth.

The 12-0 defeat is Hickory's worst of the season and the biggest loss for the Crawdads since a 16-3 defeat at Asheville on July2 of last season.

Hickory's previous worst loss this season was a 9-0 loss to the Savannah Sand Gnats on May10.

Konerko glad to play baseball again

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:06 EDT

Paul Konerko gave good marks to the first game of his major league rehab assignment with the Charlotte Knights on Friday night.

“I did what I wanted to do, swung at some pitches and took some,” said the Chicago White Sox captain, who went 2-for-3 in the Knights' 2-1 loss to the Durham Bulls in front of a Knights Stadium record crowd of 15,591. “It was just good to be playing in a baseball game again.”

Konerko will be in Charlotte through Monday. He's been on the disabled list since June 17 for a pulled left oblique (abdominal) muscle. It's the first time the 12-year veteran has been on the disabled list in his major league career.

“It's been very odd to be sitting and watching a lot of games,” he said. “And tonight was the first time I've played in the minor leagues in 10 years, which was kind of weird, too.”

It's been a strange season for Konerko, whose .215 batting average with eight home runs and 30 RBIs are all far below average for the career .278 hitter who's topped the 30-home run mark in five different seasons.

“It's certainly not what I envisioned,” he said. “I've been through a lot of little things that have just added up, and I'm not going to be putting up any career numbers this season. But the main focus for me is helping us make the playoffs. I've been on a couple of playoff teams in my career, and the team we have this season looks like those teams.”

During Friday night's game, Konerko singled in his first two times at bat, in the first and the third, and drew a walk in the fifth. He played all nine innings.

“All my swings felt good,” he said. “I only missed one (pitch) badly and that was on a change-up. I had to reach for a few balls and that's when I expected it to hurt, but it didn't. And I took some pitches to work on my timing.”

The Bulls won the game on Chris Richard's solo home run in the top of the ninth, spoiling a good pitching outing for Charlotte's Jack Egbert. He allowed three hits in seven innings, striking out nine. Scott Sauerbeck took the loss for the Knights (39-50).

The White Sox recalled pitcher Esteban Loaiza (0-2, 6.55 ERA) from his rehab assignment with the Knights.

The Knights activated infielder Josh Fields from the disabled list and sent him to Class A Winston-Salem on a rehab assignment.

The Knights and Bulls play 7:15 tonight.

Bulls crush Knights 7-1

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:24 EDT

Umpires-HP: Manuel Gonzalez. 1B: Rob Healey. 3B: Andrew Vincent. T-2:11. Att.-4,874.

LAKE COUNTY 8, KANNAPOLIS 5 (10): In Kannapolis, the visitors took the lead in the seventh on a double, a triple, a single and a two-run homer and the teams went to extra innings as they opened a four-game series.