Not a bad 9-1 combination.
Following a new Worst Day to be a Boston sports fan — probably the fourth this week — I am locked in on the Red Sox. But following four new and exciting ways to lose, I don’t have it in me. At least we have Minor Lines… let’s get into it!
Worcester: W, 10-3 (BOX SCORE)
Following Cooper Criswell and Nick Burdi’s promotions to Boston, the WooSox needed someone to eat innings. Enter Robert Stock, who went seven strong allowing just three hits, keeping it in the park, and striking out six, which actually represents a little decrease on his strikeout rate, but I’ll take the longevity and efficacy of the start. The 9-1 connection in the lineup between Philip Sikes hitting two home runs and Roman Anthony drawing three walks and getting two hits of his own, scoring on three occasions thanks to the bat of Vaughn Grissom, was monumental in this victory over the Bison (Blue Jays AAA).
Portland: L, 2-4 (F/10) (BOX SCORE)
Portland did well to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the seventh inning on a Mikey Romero double and send this to extras, and Dalton Rogers gave them five scoreless to start, which would be great if they capitalized, but sadly, there was no capitalization, as well as no offense to speak of in the top of the tenth inning, when Zach Bryant got walked off in the first batter he faced. For once, Portland faces a sunny weekend in Somerset (Yankees AA) so here’s hoping for no double-headers that they have to make up later!
Greenville: L, 2-3 (BOX SCORE)
The Drive got shut out through eight innings by the Spartanburgers (Rangers High-A) and tried mightily to come back in the ninth, including a rallying triple by Nelly Taylor, which held a WPA of .123, followed by a single to score him by Antonio Anderson which had a nearly identical WPA of .122. But there was little done after that, and the game ended unceremoniously. The Drive had just five hits in the game, and so the fact that there was only two of such hits in the first eight inning is where the blame on this loss lies.
Salem: L, 8-10 (BOX SCORE)
Twenty-three hits between the two teams dictated the pace of this Friday night showdown against the RiverDogs (Rays A), and ultimately no pitcher going more than three innings may have been the deciding factor in the Red Sox’s loss. Try as Justin Gonzalez and Fraymi DeLeon did to drive the Red Sox over the edge, with three hits each, the team as a whole went 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position, and in a game where you have to beat a ten-run performance, that usually does not fare well.
Have a happy Saturday!