Tuesday on the farm was a family affair featuring two home runs for the outfielder, and a walk-off home run for his brother.
I’m proposing that, as of today, we start calling Johanfran Garcia the Captcha. Get it… because he’s a catcher and his brother is the Password? Okay, maybe it’ll stick, maybe it won’t. But speaking of stick, I’m intrigued by what will happen as Password sticks in Triple-A to let him find his swing even more. I’m giddy at a rotating outfield of Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne “Nuff Cedd” Rafaela (thanks, Mike Carlucci) and …. oh, yeah! The number one prospect in baseball, Roman Anthony. Upon Triston Casas’ return in 2026, Kristian Campbell’s ability to play corner outfield and Ceddanne’s prowess in the infield (or anywhere, really) gives us even more flexibility. And, you know, guys get hurt, and all that. Before I get too carried away, let’s get into it.
Worcester: W, 11-2 (BOX SCORE)
Even though he didn’t need to be super efficient behind tons of offensive firepower, Kyle Harrison threw his best game since being traded to the organization five weeks ago. This effort came from a rare opponent in St. Paul (Twins AAA); the teams typically face each other just once a season. Six innings, one earned run on three hits and five strikeouts was more than enough to get the W behind 11 runs of support, including four home runs. Half of those four came from of Jhonstynxon Garcia (the first of which also scored FIRST BASEMAN KRISTIAN CAMPBELL), who led the derby of batters frying Randy Dobnak and Trent Baker, but Seby Zavala and Nate Eaton also got their licks in before the fifth inning concluded. And, almost as an importantly, the bullpen’s three innings were clean, giving up just one hit even with Chad Tracy’s use of some low-leverage arms. Password now has fourteen home runs on the season (11 in Triple-A) and is slashing .282/.369/.488.
Portland: W, 3-2 (F/11) (BOX SCORE)
Twenty-three innings of baseball in two games for Portland, who had to scramble for some offense late in this series debut against the Flying Squirrels of Richmond (Giants AA) and got helped out immensely by Zach Ehrhard’s two-run bomb to score himself and James Tibbs. Before Ehrhard’s eighth home run in Double-A, Portland had just a 3% chance of winning this game. It increased to 39%, Zach Bryant closed the door with his second inning of scoreless work, and Mikey Romero had a go-ahead RBI knock, redeeming himself in a big way from his 0-for-6 game Sunday. It wasn’t a pretty win, but it was a win.
Greenville: W, 4-3 (BOX SCORE)
Hey! You! Like come-from-behind wins? Was a 96% change in winning percentage in three innings not enough for you with Portland since the team had to go to extras to seal it away? Well, luckily, I have a walk-off for you! Entering the ninth inning, Greenville had a 19.4% chance of winning. They didn’t need long at all to turn the tides. Nelly Taylor, who has been slumping in July and hitting just .186, worked a full count on the Spartanburger (Rangers High-A) closer and reached on a double. One pitch later, Johanfran Garcia, brother of Password, hit a ball that made anyone in the know likely say “oh my goodness, his brother hit two home runs in one game, so he walked it off?” The brothers Garcia shared in some glory Tuesday, and Garcia’s home run in particular had a .562 WPA.
Salem: L, 6-8 (BOX SCORE)
This game was… a lot. Twenty-seven total hits, seven total errors by seven different players, sixteen total stranded runners…. someone had to win this contest against the River Dogs (Rays A) but did either team want to? Alas, it was a shame it wasn’t the team that featured Starlyn Nunez, who had two triples and eight total bases. That guy certainly wanted to. It’s just tough to get that W when your team has four errors and the starting pitcher, Steven Brooks, allows four runs in the first three innings. It’s a bit tricker when the game starts with him walking two guys and committing one of those four errors on a pickoff attempt before recording an out, but a bit more comforting that those were the only two guys he walked on the night.
Have a happy Wednesday!