4/26 MiLB Gameday: Working Man vs. Iron Pigs

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Brandon Workman) @ Lehigh Valley (Jonathan Pettibone) [6:35 pm]
EL: Portland (Mike Augliera) vs. Trenton (Jeremy Bleich)[1:05pm]
CL:Salem (William Cuevas) vs. Winston-Salem (Mike Recchia) [6:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Cody Kukuk) vs. Lexington (Andrew Edwards) [7:05pm]
NYPL: Lowell - Opening Day - June 13th vs. Vermont
GCL: GCL Sox - Opening Day - June 20th vs GCL Twins
DSL: DSL Sox - Opening Day - May 31st

Notes:

Mookie Betts has reached safely in 47 consecutive regular season games. He has reached safely in 52 consecutive games (including playoffs).


Scoreboard:

Boston Red Sox Minor League Scores

Media:

MiLB TV
MiLB Radio

Local Media:

Pawsox:

Providence Journal
Pawtucket Times

Seadogs: Portland Press Herald

Salem: Roanoke Times

Greenville: Greenville Online

Lowell: Lowell Sun

 

[mabrowndog]

Mookie makes it 48 straight with an RBI single in the bottom of the 4th to score Shannon Wilkerson and draw the Sea Dogs within 4-3.

 

[mabrowndog]

Mike Augliera's done after 5 innings, and he has to be a bit frustrated. Five runs but only 2 earned thanks to errors by Rivero & Hissey, on 7 H, 1 BB & 1 K.
 
Robby Scott gets the side in the top of the 6th, but Trenton leads 5-3.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Nice offensive game for Swihart in Portland's 15 inning 9-8 victory   4-7 with two doubles and a home run.  It's hard not to be excited about this kid.
 
Very disappointing day for Mookie, only 2-7 with a home run.  Average plummets to .418

 

[radsoxfan]

In Mookie's defense, I think he gets some bonus points for his HR tying the game with 2 outs in the bottom of the 14th. 

 

[Cuzittt]

Portland wins in 15 innings, 9-8.

Boxscore

Mike Augliera went 5 innings, allowing 5 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits (1 HR) and a walk; striking out one. Robby Scott went 3 innings, giving up 3 hits and a walk. Miguel Celestino went 2 innings, allowing a run on a hit and a walk; striking out 3. Nate Reed went 4 innings, allowing a run on 5 hits and a WP; striking out one. Peter Hissey, starting Left Fielder, pitched the 15th inning, allowing a run on 2 hits and a WP.

Blake Swihart went 4/7 with 2 doubles and a HR. Henry Ramos went 3/7 with a double. Travis Shaw went 2/6 with a HR and a walk. Heiker Meneses and Mookie Betts each went 2/7; Betts with a HR. Sean Coyle went 2/7 with a double. Shannon Wilkerson went 1/4 with a double and 2 walks. Peter Hissey went 0/6 (but got the win, so...). Carlos Rivero went 0/7.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem loses 7-1.

Boxscore

William Cuevas went 5 innigns, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits, 3 walks and a HBP; striking out one. Simon Mercedes went 4 innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits (1 HR) and a walk; striking out 4.

Ryan Dent went 2/3 with a double and a walk. Dreily Guerrero went 1/3. Aneury Tavarez and Matty Johnson each went 1/4; Tavarez with a SB. Carson Blair and Mario Martinez each went 0/3 with a walk. Jonathan Roof, David Chester and Reed Gragnani each went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive win 5-1.

Boxscore

Cody Kukuk went 6 innings, giving up 2 hits, 4 walks and a WP; striking out 5. Jonathan Aro went 3 innings, giving up a Solo HR and striking out 3.

Manuel Margot went 3/4 with a double. Carlos Asuaje went 2/4 with a double. Wendell Rijo went 1/3. Bo Greenwell and Kevin Mager each went 1/4. Jantzen Witte went 0/2 with 2 walks. Jordan Weems went 0/2 with a walk. Tzu-Wei Lin went 0/3 with a walk. Jake Romanski went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Pawsox win 7-5.

Boxscore

Brandon Workman went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks; striking out 3. Rich Hill went 2 innings, striking out 2. Alex Wilson pitched the final inning, allowing a run on a hit and a walk; striking out one.

Ryan Lavarnway went 2/3 with a double and 2 walks. Corey Brown went 2/4 with a SB. Garin Cecchini went 1/2 with 2 walks. Christian Vazquez went 1/3 with a walk. Ryan Roberts went 1/4 with a walk. Dan Butler went 1/4. Brock Holt and Bryce Brentz each went 1/5. Daniel Nava went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

PAWSOX

Game Story

Pawtucket batted around and scored four times in the seventh inning to take the lead for good in a back-and-forth game as the PawSox defeated the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, 7-5, Saturday night in the opener of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Park.

With Pawtucket (14-10) trailing 4-3 after six innings, the first four batters in the seventh recorded singles against Iron Pigs reliever Cesar Jimenez (1-1), with Brock Holt's RBI hit tying the score. Two batters later Daniel Nava lofted a sacrifice fly to plate the go-ahead run and chase Jimenez from the game after recording only one out.

Phillippe Aumont entered for Lehigh Valley and promptly walked Ryan Lavarnway to load the bases, and Bryce Brentz followed by delivering a two-run single to right to score Holt and Ryan Roberts and make the score 7-4.

Brandon Workman (1-0) started for Pawtucket and allowed four runs, all of which scored in the first three innings (two in the first, one in the second and third). Workman settled down and made it through six full innings, issuing nine hits and two walks but stranding seven on base and earning his first victory of the season.

Rich Hill tossed two perfect innings of relief in the seventh and eighth, and Alex Wilson allowed a run in the ninth but earned his second save of the season. Wilson struck out Reid Brignac and induced a shallow fly out from Koyie Hill with runners on the corners to end the game.

Pawtucket scored three times against Lehigh Valley starter Jonathan Pettibone in the second inning to erase an early 2-0 deficit. Corey Brown's two-run single keyed the rally, while a throwing error on Hill, the Iron Pigs catcher, plated the go-ahead run.

Workman then allowed a game-tying RBI single to Clete Thomas in the bottom of the second and a sacrifice fly to Jim Murphy in the third that put the Iron Pigs in front 4-3. Lehigh Valley would collect only three hits after the third inning.

SEADOGS

Game Story

Even when Portland used an outfielder on the mound for the 15th, giving up a run, the Sea Dogs managed to rally for the win.

Henry Ramos singled in two runs with two outs in the bottom of the inning to give Portland a 9-8 win on a cold, damp Saturday at Hadlock Field.

Peter Hissey, who began the game in left field, was the winning pitcher after allowing a run on two hits and a wild pitch in the top of the 15th.

Trenton took two leads in extra innings, only to have Portland tie it with home runs – by Blake Swihart in the 10th and Mookie Betts in the 14th.

In the 14th, Manager Billy McMillon approached Hissey.

“Billy asked if I could pitch, and I said I’ve pitched before,” said Hissey. “He said, ‘I may need you.’ ”

What Hissey may not have mentioned is his last pitching was five years ago in high school.

“I haven’t seen a mound since,” Hissey said.

Hissey, a left-hander, threw only fastballs, reaching 80 mph. He actually called out Swihart, his catcher.

“Since I wasn’t throwing very hard, I wanted to know if I could still pitch inside,” Hissey said. “I also wanted to slow down some. I was excited out there.”

After two singles around a sacrifice, Trenton had runners on first and third. Hissey got the second out on a shallow line drive to right, but a wild pitch scored a run before Hissey got a flyout to end the inning.

Travis Shaw of Portland led off the bottom of the 15th with a single against Charlie Short (0-2). It was Shaw’s second hit, following his home run in the first inning.

Swihart also had a fine day, going 4 for 7 with two doubles and a home run. He got a change-up and doubled off the left-field wall, sending Shaw to third.

With two outs, Ramos came up. A 22-year-old out of Puerto Rico, Ramos got off to a slow start but is now batting .288 with seven hits in his past two games.

“He’s getting more confident and he’s getting acclimated to the cold,” McMillon said.

Ramos stroked a low line drive to left for a single. Shaw came across, and Swihart raced home behind him, bringing his teammates out to celebrate.

The game, which was delayed 27 minutes because of rain, lasted 4 hours, 19 minutes.

McMillon said a minor league team uses an everyday player to pitch “once every season or so. You can’t prepare your bullpen for a 15-inning game.”

Mookie

Have you noticed what second baseman Mookie Betts is doing these days, batting leadoff for the Portland Sea Dogs?

Average: 418, which is among the best among all minor league players.

On-base percentage: .455.

Combined on-base and slugging percentages (OPS): 1.113.

Stolen bases: Eight in nine attempts.

So when does Betts get promoted?

Too soon to answer that question.

Betts, 21, has played only 18 games in Double-A and, since being drafted out of high school in 2011, has played 216 pro games.

Just like you don’t give up on a player after a slow start, you don’t reserve his spot in the Hall of Fame after 18 games.

“He’s done some nice things in a small amount of time,” hitting coach Rich Gedman said. “He’s a guy to get excited about.”

Gedman is careful when talking about Betts and his outrageous numbers. Common sense dictates Betts can’t continue on this pace, but why worry about that?

“I say ride the wave as long as you can,” Gedman said. “In all fairness, the game has been pretty easy for him. It’s not going to be that easy all the time.

“So just go do your work. The sky’s the limit. Don’t put any limitations on yourself and see where it takes us.”

It has taken Betts far, from being an unknown infielder to being one of Boston’s top prospects. In 2013, Betts wasn’t listed among the Red Sox’s top 30 prospects by the Baseball America publication. This year he ranks No. 7. The soxprospects.com website has bumped him up to No. 3, behind Xander Bogaerts and Henry Owens.

Pretty heady stuff. But to watch Betts in the batting cage, you’d think he was scuffling with a .200 average.

“He’s harder on himself than I’ll ever be on him,” Gedman said. “That’s part of the reason he’s successful.”

Hard work and an intentional ignorance of his own statistics.

“He probably doesn’t realize (his numbers). Everyone else does,” said catcher Blake Swihart, a teammate since last year in Salem. “What he’s doing is really impressive.”

Is Betts impressed?

“I definitely don’t think about it,” Betts said. “I think about whatever I can do to help the team … in the cage I’m hard on myself, trying to be consistent and get my work in.

DRIVE

Game Story

The Greenville Drive put up a four-run salvo in the fourth inning Saturday night, held the Lexington Legends scoreless until the seventh, then hung on for the 5-1 win.

The Drive (12-8) shelved the disappointment of a failed comeback attempt and a tough 9-8 loss to the Legends on Friday night.

Before an announced attendance of 5,801 at Fluor Field at the West End, the Drive got some revenge.

In contrast to the previous night, Lexington (11-12) never got its offense rolling.

The Drive snagged the edge in the current series, 2-1, and the team’s admiration for starting pitcher Cody Kukuk continues to grow.

Kukuk (3-0) worked six innings and picked up the win.

“He was crisp out of the gate,” said Drive manager Darren Fenster. “In a couple of previous starts, he’s taken that first inning to kind of get his rhythm, get his feel. Then he gets into a nice groove that gives him some length. (Saturday) he was on point from his first pitch to his last.”

Kukuk saluted his teammates.

“The guys were making plays on the field,” he said. “It’s always good to have run support. When they work for you, you want to work for them.”

Greenville took the initial lead in the second inning when Jake Romanski grounded out and Carlos Asuaje broke home from third.

As for Greenville’s four runs in the fourth, Jantzen Witte opened the offensive flood gates when he scored off an Asuaje double.