Timmy U

In the Birmingham game Matt Thompson was very solid 5IP 3H 1R 0ER 2bb 6K. He's only given up 3 earnies in his last 3 starts covering 17 innings. 6bb 22K. It's possible he's found something or they're just giving him a ton of time between starts and he's very strong. One concerning note, according to the box score, Popeye left early. Anyone know why?

Birmingham suddenly scoring a bunch of runs. They won 11-4. Tatum is a spark hit and 3 walks for him tonight. Mieses 3-5 including 2b HR.

HR Colas.

Popeye now 3-4, HR, 3 rbi. Big day for him and Sosa.

Everybody but Kanny seems to be losing. W-S down 4-2 on 2 unearned runs. Kelley was okay again in relief 4IP 3H 3R 1ER 2bb 3K. Elko with his first A+ homer, Burke reached base to continue the streak. Speaking of which, the man he's chasing Colson Montgomery had a hit and a sb in his first ab. Popeye with a hit in his first ab back in Birmingham.

If you have to replace Frazier for defense in the 9th, why is he on the team?

107 mph ground out, 87 mph triple. Life is not fair.

Why didn't Joe Kelly get the 3-inch outside strike?

I cannot wait for the automated strike zone.

Remillard just got called out on a pitch out.

This strike zone is gigantic.

Charlotte loses to Baltimore's AAA affiliate Norfolk 10-8. Legit question: 7 game series between Oakland and Norfolk, who would win? I have Norfolk, especially now with Mountcastle on a rehab assignment.

That Declan Cronin tweet must have jinxed him. Rough outing today.

Charlotte just blew an 8-0 lead. Cronin 6ER in .2IP. Big day for Sosa: 3-4 2b, HR 4rbi, the dreaded "triple short of the cycle." No sign of Popeye yet at Charlotte.

Hard to imagine they're actually on Waldrep. His best pitch is a splitter, I'm not even sure Sox encourage that pitch. They certainly don't have a lot of guys -- majors or minors -- who throw it. (Touki and... I can't think of any others.) I bet F.O. people are pushing for quick to majors pitching cuz 60% of the rotation will be gone and if Dollander falls, I bet they pounce, so I suppose Waldrep is possible. I would prefer a bat.

Can never be easy. TA should have covered second.

Fletcher 68.5 off the bat.

Watching Fletcher hit those bloops is bad for baseball.

Robert lineout was hardest hit ball of this game. 111 off the bat.

For the first half of the season the Southern League used a pre-tacked ball that increased spin rate but which was hard to control. Hard to judge any Southern League stats from the first half.

Those are his splits in Chicago. Last 20 games in Charlotte his OPS is .888.

I wonder if Birmingham's offensive explosion had anything to do with going back to the regular baseball. That team has been horrible, but with Tatum and Ramos and once they get Montgomery back, you could imagine them being decent in the second half.

I love Gio. One of my favorite Sox players of the last 20 years. They absolutely have to trade him.

Mieses, who has been terrible for most of the year with the pre-tacky ball, went 6-6 with 3 HRs.

Sox and Angels have a lot in common -- swing at the first pitch, lotta quick innings, dumb front offices. Having Bachman up to pitch garbage innings in the majors would be stupid even by the handling of Crochet standards.