Syracuse Mets 9, Charlotte Knights 5 (Statcast box)
Poor pitching was the culprit of Charlotte’s (52-59) loss to Syracuse (60-52). Owen White had an imperfect and short start on the bump, earning two runs in 3 2/3 innings. Andre Lipcius’ throwing error added a run to his stat line, contributing to his eighth loss of the season. His ERA now sits at 5.23. Reliever Kyle Tyler extended Charlotte’s deficit in the fifth by surrendering five runs on six hits in under two innings. By then, the Mets had more than enough insurance. Jacob Gonzalez cut the lead with a two-run bomb in the sixth, but it didn’t provide nearly enough momentum to help Charlotte catch up.

MVP
Andre Lipcius: 3-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI, E
Runners-Up
Jacob Gonzalez: 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR
Adam Hackenberg: 2-for-4
Vinny Capra: 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 K
Blake Sabol: 1-for-2, 1 RBI

Cold Cat
Kyle Tyler: 1 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 K
Others Chilled
Owen White: 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K, L
Tim Elko: 0-for-5, 1 R, 1 K
Dru Baker: 0-for-4, 1 K
Caden Connor: 0-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K

Chattanooga Lookouts 1, Birmingham Barons 0
Birmingham’s undefeated August came to a halt in the most uneventful manner possible. Martín Pérez gave up the only run of the game in his second rehab game … from a balk. I mean, talk about a tough way to lose a game. Aside from his costly gaffe, Pérez finished with three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts through four frames. As usual, Birmingham’s bullpen held down the fort, keeping the Lookouts to three hits and four strikeouts through the remaining five innings.

The oddest part of the evening wasn’t losing on a balk; it was Birmingham’s offense being unusually quiet. Although the lineup only combined for three strikeouts, they also only recorded six hits. Calvin Harris is responsible for two of those, while contributions elsewhere were few and far between.

Despite dropping to 65-41, the Barons still lead the Southern League by a cushy margin.

MVP
Martín Pérez: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Runners-Up
Calvin Harris: 2-for-3
Mario Camilletti: 1-for-3
Andrew Dalquist: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Garrett Schoenle: 1 IP, 2 K

Also Chilly
William Bergolla: 0-for-4
Ryan Galanie: 0-for-4
DJ Gladney: 0-for-3

Winston-Salem Dash 4, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2
The Dash (42-62), now just 20 games worse than .500, mashed their way to an efficient victory over the Red Hots (55-49). Three solo home runs (two from Jeral Perez and one from Alex Makarewicz), Winston-Salem put up all the runs needed for the win. The offense got a lot of assistance from Christian Oppor, who ceded two hits and a run (via wild pitch) in four innings while striking out four. The bullpen handled the rest, tacking on five frames to put the Hot Rods away. Although Jonathan Clark let Bowling Green get close to tying the contest by allowing a two-out RBI single in the seventh, the Dash ultimately capitalized on the Hot Rods’ poor hitting to claim the win.

MVP
Jeral Perez: 2-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR

Runners-Up
Alex Makarewicz: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR
Cole McConnell: 2-for-4, 1 K
Christian Oppor: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 K
Jake Bockenstedt: 2 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 2 K

Cold Cat
Wes Kath: 0-for-4, 3 K

Pretty Chilly
Jacob Burke: 0-for-3, 1 K
Jackson Appel: 0-for-4, 1 K
Lyle Miller-Green: 0-for-4, 2 K

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 7, Salem Red Sox 3
Despite getting rocked early, Kannapolis (52-54) recovered early enough and made up for it to win their third straight game against Salem (43-61). Kaleb Sophy had a typical four-hit, three-run start where he struggled with command, but still pulled off six strikeouts within five innings. After the Red Sox took a 3-0 lead in the second, the Ballers offense went to work. Kanny scored in five of the remaining seven innings, with highlights including a run-scoring balk in the third, and Caleb Bonemer’s multi-hit game. Bonemer has now recorded a hit in all but one game in August, putting the shortstop’s slash line at .274/.400/.436 this year. Look out, Colson, Bonemer might be coming for your job in a couple of years.

The real game-changer, however, was Jake Curtis. Curtis has proven to be a solid, innings-eating reliever, but his performance against the Red Sox was his best thus far. Curtis closed the game out with three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out six.

MVP
Jake Curtis: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 6K

Runners-Up
Caleb Bonemer: 2-for-4, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Anthony DePino: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Bryce Eblin: 1-for-4, 3 R
Jordan Sprinkle: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Cold Cat
Kaleb Sophy: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K

Also Chilly
Colby Shelton: 0-for-4, 1 K
Grant Magill: 0-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 K
Nathan Archer: 0-for-5, 1 K