How soon could the young lefty be pitching at Fenway? And is there room for another shortstop in the mix?
It was a drab day for bats all the way around, as Portland was the only team with more than two hits on the farm (though Greenville got rained out, so that may be a bit unfair to say, but Salem did play a double header.) Speaking of Portland, they got yet another quality start out of Connelly Early, whose lone decision loss in 2025 comes from being a victim of no run support, something I’m sure Garrett Crochet would have some diplomatic words about himself.
A lot of noise is often made of lefties coming through minor league systems quickly, so much so that certain managers that have names that rhyme with Falex Fora sit younger guys because of a lack of conditioning around quality lefties because lefties simply don’t stick around the lower levels for long. So what happens now that we appear to have a solid one on our hands here in Boston… or, more specifically, Portland? Let’s get into Sunday’s action.
Worcester: L, 1-6 (BOX SCORE)
Get ready for a common theme on the farm Sunday: no one came up with many hits, or runs. Sunday is a microcosm of the problem the organization faces at large: few power bats to drive guys in after displaying some patience to draw walks. Vaughn Grissom notched the only extra base hit of the night for the WooSox in the finale against Scranton (Yankees AAA) and scored on an fielding error. While we’re talking about faults, birthday boy Tanner Houck came in following an opener by Jovani Moran and went 3 2⁄3 innings, giving up four runs and two home runs. No one was a bigger Houck fan than me when he was coming in in relief in 2021, this season, he just appears unprepared no matter what role he gets put into, even in Triple-A.
Portland: W, 3-1 (BOX SCORE)
Portland notched the organization’s only win on Sunday in Binghamton (Mets AA) thanks in large part to three hits by Mikey Romero. The 2022 first-round draft pick is a victim of circumstance. I’d be a huge proponent of moving him up to face Worcester after he starts taking the field defensively following an undisclosed injury that kept him sidelined for most of a month.
Another guy I’d like to see up in Worcester is Connelly Early. The lefty struck out another seven batters in six no-hit innings of work, perhaps being pulled a hair too early with the no-hitter still intact at 82 pitches, but in this higher-leverage situation up just two runs, I understand going to the bullpen, especially considering Portland had just squandered a bases-loaded one-out opportunity. The bullpen allowed one run the rest of the way, and Zach Ehrhard scored James Tibbs with a knock to support Max Ferguson’s homer earlier in the game and put this game out of reach. Early’s ERA now falls below 2; he has eighty-one strikeouts in 55 2⁄3 innings.
Greenville: Postponed, Rain Date TBA
VERY high probability that this one in Rome (Braves High-A) gets cancelled altogether, never to be played, unless either team has playoff implications that could be decided by one game. Otherwise, these two are now done facing each other in 2025.
Salem, Game 1: L, 0-3 (BOX SCORE)
Salem was shut out in game one of a double-header despite some solid bullpen work. When your only hit of the seven-inning contest comes from your nine-hole batter, you know it’s probably not going to be a good night — and both baserunners were victims of a double-play ball, as Hickory (Rangers A) faced the minimum amount of possible Salem batters, at 21.
Salem, Game 2: L, 0-8 (BOX SCORE)
And, in fact, it was a full 14 innings of no runs for Salem, who did not get as lucky with their pitching staff in game 2, as Griffin Kilander was taken out early after surrendering six runs. But it would not have mattered anyway, even if he had a good start. Justyn Gonzales was the lone batter to reach base in both games and Salem did not hit into any double plays, but they also didn’t advance any runners in this contest, and they were beaten unceremoniously in just under two hours, finishing a forgettable double-header before 5 PM.
Have a happy Monday!