5/16 MiLB Gameday: An unofficial meeting with the Kevins?

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Matt Barnes) @ Indianapolis (Jeff Locke) [7:15pm]
EL: Portland (Keith Couch) vs. Trenton (Caleb Cotham) [6:05pm]
CL:Salem (Corey Littrell/TBD) @ Carolina (Michael Peoples/TBD) [5:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Jamie Callahan/Teddy Stankiewicz) @ Savannah (Miller Diaz/Robert Gsellman) [5:05pm]
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 65 consecutive regular season games. He has reached safely in 70 consecutive games (including playoffs).

The Minor League record for consecutive games reached is 71... done by Kevin Millar and Kevin Youkilis. Both had a portion of their streak while with the SeaDogs.

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

 

[HillysLastWalk]

So if he reaches base today, does he tie the record?  Meaning, are playoff games included in the official record of 71?
 
EDIT: The Answer is yes.  Tonight history could be made.

 

[JCizzle]

Reached in the first per Speier.

http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2014/05/16/mookie-betts-extends-on-base-streak-to-record-tying-71-games/

 

[Cuzittt]

Reached in the first per Speier.

http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2014/05/16/mookie-betts-extends-on-base-streak-to-record-tying-71-games/

It was a walk.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem wins game 1, 3-0.

Boxscore

Corey Littrell went 6 innings, giving up 3 hits, a walk and 2 WPs; striking out 8. Dayan Diaz pitched the 7th, striking out 2.

Jonathan Roof went 2/3 with a HR and a HBP. Kevin Heller went 1/1 with a double and 2 walks. Carson Blair went 1/2 with a double and a walk. Mario Martinez, Ryan Dent and Kevin Mager each went 1/3. Tim Roberson went 0/3. Matty Johnson and Reed Gragnani each went 0/4.

 

[Manzivino]

Keith Couch went 7 innings, 27 batters faced, and allowed just 4 balls hit in the air: 2 line drive singles, a fly out to right, and a pop out to second. 5 Ks, 12 groundouts, 2 BBs. 

 

[Cuzittt]

Seadogs win 2-0.

Boxscore

Keith Couch went 7 innings, giving up 4 hits and 2 walks; striking out 5. Miguel Celestino went 2 innings, giving up a hit and striking out one.

Shannon Wilkerson went 2/3 with a CS. Deven Marrero went 2/4 with a double. Travis Shaw went 1/3 with a walk. Peter Hissey went 1/3 with a double. Blake Swihart, Carlos Rivero and Henry Ramos each went 0/2 with a walk. Mookie Betts went 0/3 with a walk. Stefan Welch went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive lose 11-3 in the first game.

Boxscore

Jamie Callahan went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 9 runs on 9 hits and 4 walks; striking out 4. John Ely went 2/3rds of an inning, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 5 walks. Taylor Grover went 1 2/3 innings, striking out 2.

Wendell Rijo went 2/3 with a double and a walk. Forrestt Allday went 2/4 with 2 doubles. Carlos Asuaje went 1/2 with 2 walks. Zach Kapstein went 1/3. Jantzen Witte went 0/2 with a walk and a SF. Jimmy Rider and Bo Greenwell each went 0/3 with a walk. Kendrick Perkins went 0/3 with a HBP. Jordan Weems went 0/3.

 

[mabrowndog]

Mookie Betts went 0/3 with a walk.

 
That's just his 3rd hitless game of the season, and his 7th hitless regular season game in the entire streak. Perhaps someone else can check the archives to see if any of his 2013 postseason games were hitless.

 

[Plympton91]

Good to see Littrell bounce back from a disastrous outing last time with one of his best.  Always worrisome when a young pitcher completely loses the plate in a game.
 
After his initial great start, Callahan has been awful.  
 
I wonder how long Allday will stay at Greenville; he's a college guy who needs to get to Salem this year and succeed.  Salem's outfield is full of nonprospects, so nothing is holding him down there if he keeps hitting.  Carlos Asuaje too, though he will play this whole year at 22, could move up without displacing anyone who is ever going to sniff the major leagues.

 

[Jim Ed Rice in HOF]

That's just his 3rd hitless game of the season, and his 7th hitless regular season game in the entire streak. Perhaps someone else can check the archives to see if any of his 2013 postseason games were hitless.

Game 1 vs Myrtle Beach: 2/3 with a walk
Game 2: 1/4
Game 1 vs. Potomac: 0/2 with a walk
Game 2: 3/4
Game 3: 1/4

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem wins game 2, 2-0.

Boxscore

Justin Haley pitched a complete game (7 innings), giving up 3 hits and a walk; striking out 9.

Matty Johnson went 2/3 with a walk and a CS. Ryan Dent and Reed Gragnani each went 2/4 with a SB. Kevin Heller, Jayson Hernandez and Dreily Guerrero each went 1/3; Guerrero with a HR. Tim Roberson went 1/4. Mario Martinez went 0/3 with a walk. Aneury Tavarez went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive win game 2, 4-1.

Boxscore

Teddy Stankiewicz went 4 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits, 3 walks and 2 WPs; striking out 4. Joe Gunkel went 3 innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 3.

Jake Romanski went 3/3 with a SB. Forrestt Allday went 1/3 with a walk and a SB. Manuel Margot went 1/3 with a SB. Tzu-Wei Lin and Jantzen Witte each went 1/4. Carlos Asuaje and Bo Greenwell each went 0/2 with a walk. Jimmy Rider and Kendrick Perkins each went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drake Britton gets walked off upon, Pawsox lose 6-5.

Boxscore

Matt Barnes went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits (1 HR) and a walk; striking out 6. Tommy Layne went 1 2/3 innings, giving up a hit, a HBP and a walk. Chris Resop faced four batters and got them all out. Drake Britton got 2 outs in the 9th, but allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and an intentional walk.

Brandon Snyder went 2/3 with a HR and a walk. Alex Hassan went 1/2 with a double, 2 walks and a PO/CS. Mike McCoy went 1/3 with a walk and a SB. Justin Henry went 1/3 with a sacrifice. Daniel Nava went 1/4 with a HR. Corey Brown went 0/3 with a HBP. Ryan Lavarnway went 0/3 with a walk. Brock Holt went 0/4 with a SF. Dan Butler went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

PAWSOX

Game Story

Indianapolis first-baseman Chris McGuiness grounded a walkoff, two-out bases loaded single to cap a three-run ninth-inning rally against closer Drake Britton that gave the Indians a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over the Pawtucket Red Sox Friday night at Victory Field to win the series three-games-to-one.

The IL's leading hitter Gregory Polanco tied the score with one out in the ninth on his third hit of the game, an RBI single that helped atone for a mental mistake Polanco made on Daniel Nava's go-ahead, inside-the-park two-run home run in the eighth.

The heartbreaking loss gave Pawtucket (24-19) its first series loss in 11 played this season. Pawtucket had erased a late 3-0 deficit by batting around and scoring five runs in the eighth inning after being shutout on only one hit by Indianpolis starter Jeff Locke through seven innings.

Britton (0-1) entered to pitch the ninth with the PawSox holding a 5-3 lead and allowed five hits and issued an intentional walk. With Chase d'Arnaud (pinch-hit triple) at third base with one out, Chris Dickerson grounded an infield RBI single to second base to tie the score.

Robert Andino then singled to advance Dickerson to second setting the stage for Polanco's bloop RBI single, a ball that just landed in front of diving left-fielder Daniel Nava. Nava's throw home bounced late as Dickerson scored, and on the throw Andino and Polanco advanced to second and third.

After an intentional walk to Matt Hague loaded the bases, Brent Morel bounced a slow swinging bunt on which third-baseman Brock Holt made a barehanded pickup and throw to home for a force out on Andino. McGuiness followed and ended the game with a ground ball single into center that plated Polanco and set off a celebration.

Phil Irwin entered in relief of Locke in the eighth with a 3-0 lead and Brandon Snyder greeted him with an opposite field home run, his team-leading seventh of the season. Brock Holt's sacrifice fly against Andy Oliver made the score 3-2, and Alex Hassan greeted Josh Kinney (1-1) with a game-tying RBI double.

Nava then lined a Kinney pitch into the right-field corner easily scoring Hassan, a ball that appeared to lodge in front of the bullpen bench. Polanco did not pick it up, instead trying in vain to ask the umpire to rule a ground-rule double. Nava kept running and crossed home plate.

SEADOGS

Game Story

Keith Couch improves to 5-0 and Peter Hissey’s two-run double provides the offense for Portland.

If you are Keith Couch, all you can do is wait.

Of course he would like to pitch in Triple-A, but look at the rotation for the Pawtucket Red Sox. It contains five legitimate prospects: Brandon Workman, Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa, Anthony Ranaudo and Matt Barnes.

Couch, 24, is in his second season with the Portland Sea Dogs. In his 23 Double-A starts, Couch is 13-1 with a 2.83 ERA, which includes Portland’s 2-0 win Friday night over the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field.

Peter Hissey’s two-run double in the second inning provided all the offense Portland needed. Miguel Celestino recorded his third save.

Mookie Betts went 0 for 3 but walked in the first inning to increase his on-base streak to 66 games.

Couch is 5-0 this year with a 2.56 ERA and is tied with two other pitchers for the most wins in the Eastern League. But there is nothing that points to Couch leaving the Eastern League anytime soon.

“What are you going to do? You can’t control that stuff,” Couch said. “Just go out and be me.”

Couch mixes a fastball, slider and change-up. He was coming off a rare shaky start, in which he gave up four runs in 52/3 innings against New Hampshire.

“Last time I tried to do too much and that caused me to overthrow,” Couch said. “Just worked on my timing and got good results.”

After allowing a first-inning double, Couch retired 14 of 15 batters. He worked a season-high seven innings, giving up four hits.

“Got ahead with his fastball and letting it move like it can move,” catcher Blake Swihart said.

Swihart and Carlos Rivero led off the second inning with walks against Trenton starter Caleb Cotham (0-1). With one out, Hissey doubled in two runs with a line drive to left-center. Hissey continues to battle, hoping to emerge from early struggles that have him batting .206 in a part-time role.

“Just trying to be relaxed,” Hissey said. “The season is so young, especially with the amount of at-bats I have (68). I’m just looking to get good at-bats and improve daily.”

SALEM

Game Story

Corey Littrell pitched six shutout innings with eight strikeouts and Justin Haley threw a complete-game, three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in the nightcap Friday as the Salem Red Sox swept a doubleheader from the Carolina Mudcats at Five County Stadium.

In the opener, Jonathan Roof launched his second home run of the year to stake the Sox to an early 1-0 lead. The Sox plated two more in the fourth as Mario Martinez scored on a throwing error by Mudcats third baseman James Roberts, and an RBI single from Ryan Dent.

Littrell scattered three hits over six innings to pick up the win, with Dayan Diaz pitching the seventh to record his second save of the season.

In the nightcap, Dreily Guerrero provided the only offense the Sox required as he hit a two-out, two-run home run to left field in the fourth inning.

DRIVE

Game Story

With the rain finally out of Savannah, the Greenville Drive (21-18) and Savannah Sand Gnats (28-12) played a pair of games on Friday night. After an 11-3 defeat in the first half of the doubleheader, the Drive came back and took a 4-1 contest in the nightcap to clinch a split.

The Sand Gnats jumped out to an early 1-0 lead against Drive starter Teddy Stankiewicz after a one-out triple by Gavin Cecchini and an RBI double by L.J. Mazzilli, but they were kept off the scoreboard the rest of the way.

The Drive took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the fourth inning, as Tzu-Wei Lin led off with a single to center and later scored on Jake Romanski's RBI single to center. Manuel Margot followed with an RBI single to make the score 2-1.

Romanski struck again in the fifth inning against John Gant (4-2) with a two-run single to score Forrestt Allday and Jantzen Witte, who each singled as well. Romanski finished the nightcap 3-3 with three RBI.

Joe Gunkel (1-0) fired three scoreless frames of relief to pick up the win for the Drive. After allowing the first inning run, Stankiewicz settled in, giving up just three hits while striking out four.

Mazzilli had two hits for the Sand Gnats in the second game.

Game one of the doubleheader was all Savannah, as they roughed up Drive starter Jamie Callahan (2-3) for nine hits and nine runs in three and two-third innings.

Stefan Sabol's RBI fielder's choice in the first made the score 1-0, and the Sand Gnats added a pair in the second on Matt Oberste's RBI double and Colton Plaia's sacrifice fly.

Dominic Smith drove home a run in the third with a single, and a five-run fourth made the score 9-0 and helped pushed Callahan out of the game. Sabol laced a two-run single, and after John Ely came on in relief, Smith drew a bases loaded walk and Victor Crusado lined a two-run single to right.