5/2 MiLB Gameday: Lacking a Catchy Title

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Brandon Workman) vs. Indianapolis (Jake Brigham) [7:05pm]
EL: Portland (Mike Augliera) @ Binghamton (Greg Peavey)[7:05am]
CL:Salem (William Cuevas) @ Lynchburg (Lucas Sims) [6:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (TBD) @ Greensboro (Carlos Diaz) [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 52 consecutive regular season games. He has reached safely in 57 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

 

[moretsyndrome]

Mookie of the year?

 

[WenZink]

SoxProspects.com reporting 3 pitching promotions:
 
LHP Brian Johnson to AA Portland. 1st round 2012, age 23.  Johnson was hit in the face with a batted ball in his sign year with Lowell, and lost the better part of his first full year in the system.  He's trying to make up for lost time.
LHP Cody Kukuk to A+ Salem; 7th round 2011, age 21
RHP Ty Buttery to Low A Greenville 4th Round 2012, age 21.  Buttery will start tonight for Greenville.
 
All these pitchers were given big signing bonuses and were/are highly regarded.

 

[Manzivino]

Both Johnson and Kukuk were off to strong starts in their second season at their respective levels. This will be Buttrey's first taste of full season ball.

 

[Rasputin]

By the way, Bogaerts and Bradley have exhausted their prospect status and Soxprospects.com has updated their list and the new #1 prospect is Mookie Betts.

 

[Merkle's Boner]

Not the most auspicious debut for Buttrey. 2/3 of an inning is all he lasted. 3 hits, 4 runs, only 3 earned. At least both outs were Ks.
Don't know if he was pulled due to injury or suck.

 

[Manzivino]

Buttrey's final line looks ugly but is worse than he deserved. The first three batters reached on a fly ball single, line drive single and walk to load the bases; then he induced a grounder to second resulting in an E4, a grounder to third resulting in another E4, groundball single to left, K swinging, K swinging. So after a rough start he settled down, kept the ball on the ground, got victimized by back-to-back plays that Wendell Rijo would like to forget and finished strong.
 
Likely he was pulled due to the number of pitches he threw, Sox have an intra-inning pitch count of 30 for their pitching prospects (e.g., Matt Barnes' AA debut last year).

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Mookie is hitless so far, but has a walk to extend the streak.

 

[Cuzittt]

Mookie walks in the 5th to extend the streak.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem loses 7-2.

Boxscore

William Cuevas went 4 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits (1 HR); striking out 4. Austin Maddox went 1 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits (1 HR); striking out 2. Kyle Martin went 2 1/3 innings, giving up a hit, a walk and 2 HBPs; striking out one.

Reed Gragnani went 2/3 with a sacrifice. Jonathan Roof went 1/2 with 2 walks. Kevin Heller, Mario Martinez and Jayson Hernandez each went 1/4; Martinez with a double. Aneury Tavarez went 0/3 with a walk. Dreily Guerrero walked in his only PA after replacing Ryan Dent who went 0/3. Kevin Mager went 0/4. Matty Johnson went 0/5 with 2 SBs.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive lose 4-1.

Boxscore

Ty Buttrey went 2/3rds of an inning, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 3 hits and a walk; striking out 2. Jonathan Aro went 4 1/3 innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 5. Taylor Grover went 3 innings, striking out 3.

Carlos Asuaje went 2/4 with a double. Jordan Weems went 1/2 with a double and 2 walks. Jake Romanski and Jantzen Witte each went 1/4; Witte with a double. Jimmy Rider, Wendell Rijo and Manuel Margot each went 0/3 with a walk; Margot with a SB. Kendrick Perkins went 0/3 with a HBP. Bo Greenwell went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Seadogs lose 5-1.

Boxscore

Mike Augliera went 7 innings, allowing 5 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 3 walks; striking out 3. Aaron Kurcz went an inning, giving up a hit and a WP; striking out one.

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

 

[ItOnceWasMyLife]

 Mookie Betts went 0/4

I didn't think that was possible.

 

[Cuzittt]

Pawsox win 6-1.

Boxscore

Brandon Workman went 5 2/3 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits and 3 walks; striking out 8. Rich Hill went 1 1/3 innings, giving up a hit and striking out one. Alex Wilson went an inning, giving up 2 hits and a walk; striking out one. Tommy Layne pitched the 9th, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out the side.

Ryan Roberts went 2/4. Alex Hassan went 1/2 with a walk. Daniel Nava went 1/3 with a walk and a Grand Slam. Garin Cecchini went 1/4 with a double. Bryce Brentz went 0/2 with a walk and a HBP. Brock Holt and Ryan Lavarnway each went 0/3 with a HBP. Christian Vazquez and Corey Brown each went 0/3 with a walk.

 

[Manzivino]

Pawsox and Indianapolis tied at 1, bottom of the 8th.

Boxscore

 
Pawtucket scores 5 in the 8th, Tommy Layne strikes out the side in the 9th around a walk and a single, 6-1 final.

 

[WenZink]

 
Pawtucket scores 5 in the 8th, Tommy Layne strikes out the side in the 9th around a walk and a single, 6-1 final.

 Nava Grand Slam part of the 5 run rally in the 8th.

 

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

PAWSOX

Game Story

Daniel Nava’s grand slam highlighted a five-run eighth inning, as the PawSox busted open a tie game en route to a 6-1 victory over Indianapolis at McCoy Stadium. Pawtucket has won five of its last seven.

The PawSox had only two hits entering an eighth that saw them send 10 men to the plate. Ryan Roberts’ RBI single broke the 1-1 tie, and Nava followed with a deep drive to right that cleared the bases. It was Nava’s second home run in seven games since being sent down to Triple-A.

It was the fifth time in Pawtucket’s last nine games that it batted around in a single inning.

Brandon Workman didn’t get the win, but the right-hander had his best start of the season for the PawSox. Workman’s transition from the big-league bullpen to the Pawtucket rotation had not been as smooth as hoped. In each of this three starts, he had allowed at least three earned runs, and he had yielded 16 hits in 14 1/3 innings. They weren’t bad numbers, obviously, but they weren’t what’s expected of Workman.

Friday night was more like it.

Workman battled through some early pitch-count issues to throw 5 2/3 innings, giving up a run on four hits. He walked three and struck out eight.

As a reliever, Workman relies heavily on his fastball and cutter, with his curveball as his main offspeed delivery. As a starter Friday night, Workman eased off the fastball the second time through the order and showcased the extensive depth of his arsenal. He utilized that curveball more, dropping it in for five of his strikeouts on the night.

Workman also mixed in an effective changeup, especially later in the game. All told, he touched nearly every digit on the radar gun between 75 and 92.

SEADOGS

Game Story

The Binghamton Mets ruined Mike Augliera’s return and ended Mookie Betts’ hitting streak Friday night.

The Mets used three unearned runs in the fourth inning to take the lead on the way to a 5-1 Eastern League victory.

While protecting that lead, Binghamton also ended a 17-game hitting streak by Betts, who started the night leading all minor league batters with a .430 average. The game ended when Betts flew to right against Jon Velasquez with two on.

Augliera, who led America East in strikeouts in 2012 while at Binghamton University, gave up only six hits and two earned runs in seven innings. A sloppy fourth, however, led to him taking the loss and falling to 2-2.

Binghamton broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth on two walks, two infield errors and an RBI single by Kyle Johnson.

Augliera did some of the damage as a fielder, making a wild throw when trying to get a force at second to start a possible double play. Although he had to hesitate while waiting for someone to cover second, Augliera took the blame.

“I just rushed the throw,” Augliera said. “I should have waited for him. That’s on me 100 percent.”

Betts went 0 for 4 with a walk. While one streak ended, the walk allowed Betts to extend others.

Betts has been on base in all 23 of his games in his first season at Double-A. Betts also reached in his last 30 regular-season games last season and has been on in 58 straight, counting five Carolina League playoff games last season.

SALEM

Game Story

Will Skinner hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth and Daniel Carroll added one in the bottom of the sixth as the Hillcats snapped their nine-game losing streak by beating the Red Sox 7-2 on Friday.

Much like the Sox the night before, the Hillcats rallied for four runs with two outs.

Kevin Ahrens doubled to lead off the bottom of the fourth and was brought home by Skinner’s home run. In the bottom of the sixth, Edison Sanchez singled with one out, and was driven home on Carroll’s home run.

Salem could muster only an RBI double from Mario Martinez in the top of the second and an RBI fielder’s choice off of the bat of Reed Gragnani.

Notebook

The Salem Red Sox have stuffed a lot of their talent into one dwelling.

Reed Gragnani entered Friday’s game at Lynchburg as the Carolina League’s leading hitter. Left-handed pitchers Brian Johnson and Corey Littrell ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the circuit for strikeouts. Reliever Kyle Martin was tied for fifth on that list.

Those four are roommates in Salem. They also have something else in common: They played in high-profile college programs.

“Somewhere down the road we probably played one another or know somebody that played each other,” said Gragnani, a UVa alum. “Baseball’s a small world. We definitely bond together having played in college.”

Johnson (Florida), Littrell (Kentucky) and Martin (Texas A&M) all honed their skills in the SEC.

“I don’t think the atmosphere gets to these guys,” pitching coach Kevin Walker said. “They’ve pitched in front of crowds and things like that.”

Gotta earn it

Although they’ve had a recent uptick in walks issued, the Sox pitching staff spent most of April as the league leader in fewest free passes allowed.

Martin’s sparkling strikeout-to-walk ratio of 26-to-2 represents something very close to the ideal.

“We always try to tell these guys to make ’em earn it,” Walker said. “You can’t defend walks. If you give up a base hit, so what? At least you’ve got a chance if they put it in play.”

Salem’s hitters, meanwhile, have drawn a league-high 113 walks, with Ryan Dent (18) and Carson Blair (16) among the top three in the circuit.

DRIVE

Game Story

Augusta got things going right off the bat Friday night, with four runs in the first inning to defeated Greenville 4-1.

The GreenJackets greeted Drive starter Ty Buttrey (0-1), who was making his first appearance of the season. Jeremy Sy and Ryder Jones hit back-to-back singles to lead off the inning to put runners on the corners, and a walk to Brandon Bednar loaded the bases. A pair of Greenville errors to the next two batters scored three runs, and a Geno Escalante RBI single tacked on a fourth run.

Augusta starter Carlos Diaz (3-2) pitched seven innings, giving up only four hits and one run while walking three and striking out three.

The Drive got their only run in the fourth inning when Jordan Weems lined a double to left to score Carlos Asuaje, who hit a leadoff single.

Drive relief pitchers Jonathan Aro and Taylor Grover rpovided the bright spots for Greenville. Aro relieved Buttrey with two outs in the first and fired four and one-third scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while striking out five. Grover, a North Augusta native playing close to home, followed with three perfect innings and three punchouts.

Sy had two hits for the GreenJackets, and Asuaje was the lone Drive batter with a two-hit night.