Some midseason awards as Charlotte Knights hit All-Star break

The Charlotte Knights, along with the rest of their Class AAA and major league brethren, have hit the halfway point of the 2019 season.

It’s All-Star break time, with the big-league game set for Tuesday in Cleveland and the AAA All-Stars playing Wednesday in El Paso, Texas.

So, it seems like a good time to take stock of the Knights’ season so far:

BEST DRAMA: The International League’s Southern Division race. Durham hit the break in first place (53-37), with Gwinnett (51-38, 1.5 games behind) and Charlotte (49-40, 3.5 games back) very much in contention.

Gwinnett and Charlotte also are running 1-2 in the race for the league’s single wild-card playoff spot. That should make the second half of the season interesting.

BEST HALF-SEASON: Let’s go with second baseman Ryan Goins, who will play in the Class AAA All-Star Game. Goins, 31, has played for Toronto and Kansas City in the big leagues and is making the most of his assignment in Charlotte. He is hitting .319, with eight home runs, 44 RBI and 23 doubles (tied with teammate Alcides Escobar for second in the league).

NICEST SURPRISE: Two veterans, pitcher Justin Nicolino (5-2 record in 11 starts) and shortstop Alcides Escobar, share this honor. Escobar, a former major league All-Star, is batting .288 with 23 doubles and 52 RBI and making a case for a call-up to the Knights’ parent team, the Chicago White Sox.

STRANGEST STAT LINE: Pitcher Dylan Covey has made six starts and eight appearances, with a nice 1.85 ERA. Yet he has a 0-0 record. Many Knights games have been decided in the late innings this season.

BIGGEST VICTORY: That came Thursday, when the Knights thrilled a record home crowd of 10,848 with a walk-off 3-2 victory over Norfolk. It was a great prelude for the big Fourth of July fireworks show.

MARCO POLO AWARD: Pitchers Carson Fulmer and Thyago Vieira have done a lot of traveling this season. They’ve made four round trips between the White Sox and Knights.

Here’s a look at the past week, and what lies ahead:

Last Monday: Goins doubled and scored the winning run as the Knights beat the host Durham Bulls 4-3.

Tuesday: Durham smacked three home runs in the closing two innings and downed the Knights 8-2.

Wednesday: Pitcher Dylan Cease, ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the White Sox organization, was promoted from Charlotte to Chicago. On the field, Charlotte pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne allowed just one run in six innings, but Durham rallied against the Knights’ bullpen for a 3-2 victory

Thursday: Adam Engel’s ninth-inning single drove in Jacob Scavuzzo with the winning run as the Knights edged Norfolk 3-2.

Saturday: Rain halted Friday’s game against Norfolk, but the Knights won that contest 7-6 when it was finished Saturday. Danny Mendick’s sacrifice fly drove in the winning run in the ninth inning. In the regularly scheduled contest, Norfolk won 8-4, with starter Carson Fulmer taking the loss.

Sunday: Yermin Mercedes’ grand slam in the seventh inning lifted the Knights over Norfolk 7-5.

Week ahead: The Knights are off through Wednesday, with the International League All-Stars facing their Pacific Coast League counterparts at 9 p.m. Wednesday in El Paso. Charlotte is home Friday through Sunday against Gwinnett, with game times of 7:04 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 5:05 p.m. Sunday. Charlotte opens a seven-game road trip next Monday in Buffalo, N.Y.

This story was originally published July 8, 2019 at 6:24 PM.