And he notched a run!
I kept thinking today was Thursday when I woke up only to discover I was a day off. That’s probably exactly how the WooSox feel knowing that they have not begun their series due to rain yesterday. But, there were still three games played, and some second-round draft choices of recent years making some splashes, as well as a notable third-rounder making his case for a promotion. Without further ado….
Worcester: PPD (Rain)
We watched a downtrodden and gloomy Red Sox game against the Guardians in Cleveland last night, and it wasn’t just the lack of batting prowess; the weather sucked! Well, while that game staved off a postponement of any kind, it was a different story two hours west in the same state, as a doubleheader will now be played starting at 11 AM this morning in Toledo against the coolest minor league team ever, the Mud Hens (Tigers Triple-A). If you’re a ballplayer, you’re lamenting playing 14 innings starting in the morning; if you’re a kid in the Toledo school system, you love the rain for giving you a full day off of school.
Portland: L, 6-9 (BOX SCORE)
It was a rare stinker on the mound for the Double-A ball club in Hartford against the Yard Goats (Rockies AA, and the other coolest team in minor league baseball), as the Sea Dogs had their five game win streak snapped. Every pitcher allowed at least a run, save for Nick Kwiatkowski, who recored the final four outs for Portland.
If you’re following the big three like any other fan, you’ll be relieved to know that the bats were not as much to blame; though Marcelo Mayer had a very rare hitless game, Blaze Jordan got his first dinger of the season, C/1B Mickey Gasper continued his hitting ways, and Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel (who drew two walks) contributed, as well. With the team down 9-2 going into the ninth, Jordan picked up 3 more RBIs in a bases-clearing double, then a subsequent Matt Lugo double brought the game to a save situation. But the deficit was too much to surmount.
Speaking of Matt Lugo, don’t look now, but the utility guy (and 2nd-round pick in 2019) has 13 RBIs and an OPS well above 1. Hmmmmm, you say the way to Worcester is 95 to 495 to the pike?
Greenville: W, 8-0 (BOX SCORE)
We depart a game where pitching dropped the ball (and got it knocked around the field) to give you a game where the pitching was lights-out, but may not have mattered anyway. But it is great to see Juan Daniel Encarnacion have a good outing anyway.
The Pirates’ High-A affiliate Greensboro Grasshoppers (another cool team!) managed just five hits, and, most importantly, went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position even in spite of the Drive’s three defensive errors, thanks in big part to the pitching of Encarnacion, Cade Feeney, and Jonathan Brand. Offensively, as could be surmised by the eight-run victory, the Drive were on top of things; they struck out just three times, which makes me want to pull a Freaky Friday with one of these guys and Bob Dalbec to see if anything changes, or if a Drive player suddenly hits an 800-foot moon shot off of a kid who was studying for a pre-calculus test two years ago. Speaking of new blood, 2022 early draft choice Cutter Coffey continues to impress before his 20th birthday; he notched two hits and two runs from the leadoff spot, including his fourth double of the season.
Salem: L, 2-4 (BOX SCORE)
The Carolina Mudcats (Brewers A) have just three losses on the season last night, and their fourth was not going to be against Salem. Unsure if it’s the team anticipating welcoming newfound Wolfpack legend D.J. Horne on Thursday, but the relief was automatic against Salem, as 7 of the Sox’s final 11 hitless at-bats were strikeouts despite being sat down on strikes just once prior. Blake Wehunt did well enough in five innings to not allow a run; relief couldn’t hold up a 2-0 lead.
Good news to balance it out: Nazzan Zanetello, making his Salem debut, and Miguel Bleis each recorded a hit at the top of the lineup, consecutively, in the sixth inning, where the former scored from an Antonio Anderson sac fly. Bleis now has 12 hits, five of them doubles, in 15 games.
Happy Th–uh, I mean Wednesday!