Blaze Jordan is as well.
Worcester L 2-6
Jarren Duran, CF: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K
Jeter Downs, SS: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB
Triston Casas, 1B: 1-4, 1 K
Jaylin Davis, LF: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K
Ryan Fitzgerald, 3B: 0-4, 1 K
Ronaldo Hernández, C: 1-4, 1 K
Thomas Pannone (SP): 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K (77 pitchs)
Eduard Bazardo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (30 pitches)
Durbin Feltman: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (17 pitches)
There was not a whole hell of a lot going on in this game, with the offense managing just five hits, and nobody getting more than one. They did get a homer from Davis in the first, which is the outfielder’s first since joining the Red Sox organization. I would not be terribly surprised if he ends up being a DFA candidate soon if they decide to keep John Schreiber in the majors, which they absolutely should. Davis has just a .531 OPS in Worcester since coming to the Red Sox organization.
Portland L 2-3 (F/11)
David Hamilton, SS: 0-4, 3 K, 1 E
Devlin Granberg, DH: 1-4, 1 BB, 1 R
Pedro Castellanos, RF: 1-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K
Christian Koss, 2B: 1-4, 1 K
Tyler Dearden, LF: 2-3, 1 BB
Jay Groom (SP): 6.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K (94 pitches)
He didn’t get the win this time around, but this was still a very big start for Groome, who is coming off a rough outing in which he allowed four runs in only 3 2⁄3 innings while walking more than he struck out. It’s been a little bit of a rollercoaster for the lefty this year, but it’s a good sign that he is bouncing back from those kinds of outings with this one, one of his two or three best outings of the year. But while that’s all well and good, now it’s time for him to string a handful of these starts together. That consistency is what we’ve really been missing from Groome, and if he wants to get to Triple-A this summer he’s going to have to show he can do that.
Greenville L 5-12
Nick Yorke, 2B: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 K
Tyler McDonough, LF: 1-5, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Ceddanne Rafaela, SS: 0-5, 2 K
Matthew Lugo, DH: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
Nicholas Northcut, 1B: 0-4, 1 K
Gilberto Jimenez, CF: 1-2, 2 BB, 1 R
Brian Van Belle (SP; L): 3.1 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 0 BB, 3 K (81 pitches)
We’ve talked a little bit from time to time this year about Yorke’s slow start, and how it seems like he’s kind of stuck in neutral the last week or two trying to break out of it. We might be seeing him break out of it. This was obviously a big game with multiple extra-base hits, including a homer. It also gives him two straight games with a home run and third in four games. He’s still struggling to get on base in general, with a .318 OBP in May, but the power is here this month. He has four homers in May to go with a pair of doubles, giving him a .610 slugging. That’s a 342-point increase from April.
Salem W 5-1
Eddinson Paulino, SS: 2-5, 1 R, 1 K
Eduardo Lopez, CF: 0-5, 5 K
Nathan Hickey, DH: 0-2, 3 BB, 1 R, 1 K
Blaze Jordan, 3B: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Jose Garcia, C: 3-5, 2 RBI
Gabriel Jackson (SP; W): 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (79 pitches)
Jordan’s stellar month of May continues, as he still has at least one hit in every game this month, including two in each of the last three games. After hitting just .162 in April, his batting average this month is now up to .395, to go with a .442 OBP and .579 slugging percentage. We still haven’t really seen the power we’ve expected from Jordan, but that will come. That he’s able to string together hits and get on base is a terrific sign for the 19-year-old. We should also give a shoutout to Paulino, who came into the season as a sleeper in the system but stumbled out of the gate. He’s heating up, hitting .372/.426/.581 in May.
Player of the Day: Nick Yorke