*You can’t call it clickbait if I admit here that he only made it to the fourth inning, right?
If you had told me on Father’s Day following the Rafael Devers trade that the Red Sox would hold a playoff spot, and not even the participatory final one (thanks Rob Manfred) after a ten-game-win streak, I wouldn’t have believed you.
It doesn’t even matter if six of those games were against very beatable teams and if half of the other four were privy to Kevin Cash out Alex Cora-ing Alex Cora by turning to his bullpen entirely too early. The team has leaned on guys I was writing about in these very Minor Lines just several short weeks ago.
It makes the mind wonder, on a night where the Red Sox selected perhaps the most big league-ready guy in the entire player pool at 15, Kyson Witherspoon, who might be the next player to shoot through this system coming from these Minor Lines headlines to a box score near you, or I guess near Fenway.
Could it be Hayden Mullins, who’s collecting quality starts across the organization like infinity stones? Could it be Yoelin Cespedes, who’s now the farm’s sixth ranked prospect and who cleared two doubles on Sunday? How about Blaze Jordan, who interestingly is playing some third even with last week’s leadoff hitter Nate Eaton in the lineup? I don’t have a crystal ball, so I don’t know… with respect to Bradley Nowell, I don’t even practice Santeria and I certainly have never had a million dollars. But man, this Red Sox pitching staff looks SUBLIME (come on, you knew that pun was coming) heading into the break… as do MOST of the guys on the mound across the organization. So let’s get into it!
Worcester: W, 2-0 (F/6) (BOX SCORE)
Kyle Harrison went 3 2⁄3 before a half hour delay threatened his scoreless start (not that he would have gotten the decision, anyway, as it took him 92 pitches to record those 11 outs), but the whole game kept the Red Wings (Nationals AAA) in a drought even if the rain in Rochester eventually called the remainder of it off. Harrison’s four hits were the only ones Rochester got in the abbreviated contest. Worcester’s offense wasn’t much to right home about, as they lacked an extra-base hit and went scoreless in six attempts with runners in scoring position, and one of their only two runs was scored via a fielder’s choice double play ball, but it was enough to win. They are now two games above .500 going into the All-Star break.
Portland: W, 5-1 (BOX SCORE)
The difference-maker in this game was a zero-outs, bases loaded two-RBI double by Marvin Alcantara to score both Ehrhard brothers and make the score 3-0, a deficit impossible for Hartford (Rockies AA) to climb out from. But, again, that wouldn’t have led to a win if the starting pitcher didn’t have the day he had. And, speaking of Hayden Mullins, he’s had a lot of great days in Portland this year. In 40 innings since being called up from Greenville, Mullins has had 43 strikeouts and a 1.03 WHIP. He’s captured his third win in such time as he added 6 1⁄3 innings of one-hit ball. The 24-year-old lefty can prove to be a hot commodity whether it be in the trade market or just a good asset for the farm to have with a couple more starts like Sunday.
Greenville: PPD, Make-Up Day TBD
This one got to the top of the third before the rain got to be too much to continue. The Drive burn a Blake Aita start, an occasion that has normally been valuable viewing for Greenville since his promotion from Salem, but he actually was down 2-1 after 2 1/3. This game will likely be completed in two weeks, albeit in Winston-Salem (White Sox High-A), as Greenville is done hosting the Dash this season.
Salem: L, 4-5 (BOX SCORE)
The lone losers on Sunday thanks to the rain that postponed the aforementioned Greenville game, Salem found themselves victims of a poor start. No one after Joey Gartrell allowed so much as a runner on second, but they didn’t have to. Not even 6 doubles combined from three Salem batters (Starlin Nunez, Yoelin Cespdes, and Frederik Jiminez) could propel the Sox over the Braves’ A affiliate, the Augusta Green Jackets. Sure, the 2-for-20 Salem put up amongst 12 strikeouts and 14 stranded men probably had something to do with the squandered, well, not just lead, but game, but it just goes to show the volatility of a good offensive game. If the runs aren’t scored at the right time, it’s all for naught!
Have a happy Home Run Derby Monday!