5/21 MiLB Gameday: 2 teams, 4 games

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket - OFF
EL: Portland (Keith Couch/TBD) vs. Binghamton (Matthew Bowman/TBD) [5:05pm]
CL:Salem (Luis Diaz/Justin Haley) vs. Winston-Salem (Tony Bucciferro/TBD) [5:05pm]
SAL: Greenville - OFF
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:

Bryce Brentz on the DL, John Ely called up to Pawtucket

Deven Marrero left yesterday's game with a jammed finger. Day to Day.


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

 

[Cuzittt]

Portland and Salem win their respective game ones.

 

[RoDaddy]

Travis Shaw with another dinger today is more than ready for promotion.  I wonder if he's being blocked by the organization giving Lavarnway a last ditch chance to prove himself at first base in AAA?  It's hard not to be alarmed by Lavarnway's dramatic drop in power that has dragged on going on 3 years now since his great 2011 season.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem loses game 2.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

Lavarnway is a non prospect at this point, isn't he?

Probably has more to do with last years struggles, but given his age, I'm guessing it'll come. Maybe with Betts and Marrero. Ramos probably stays, given he had no AA at bats coming in this year and isn't Mookie Betts. Plus he is 22 all year.

 

[Cuzittt]

Portland comes back to win game 2.

 

[Cuzittt]

Portland wins game 1, 5-1.

Boxscore

Keith Couch pitched a complete game (7 innings), giving up a run on 9 hits, a walk and a WP; striking out 2.

Travis Shaw went 2/3 with a HR and a walk. Stefan Welch went 2/4 with a double and a HR. Mookie Betts went 1/2 with a double, walk and HBP. Derrik Gibson went 1/3 with a walk. Henry Ramos, Matt Spring and Heiker Meneses each went 1/3. Shannon Wilkerson went 0/2 with a sacrifice. Blake Swihart went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

Portland wins game 2 with a 5 run 5th, 6-5.

Boxscore

Wilfredo Boscan went 3 innings, allowing 5 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits and 3 walks; striking out one. Robby Scott went 3 innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 3. Jose Valdez went the final inning, giving up a hit and striking out one.

Shannon Wilkerson went 2/3 with a double. Derrik Gibson went 2/4 with a double. Stefan Welch went 1/2 with a walk and a HBP. Michael Brenly went 1/2 with a walk. Travis Shaw went 1/3 with a walk. Peter Hissey went 1/3. Mookie Betts went 1/4 with a double. Heiker Meneses went 0/2 with a walk. Henry Ramos went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem wins game 1, 3-2.

Boxscore

Luis Diaz went 6+ innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits (1 HR) and a walk; striking out 7. Dayan Diaz went the final inning, giving up a hit.

Mario Martinez went 3/3 with a double. Jonathan Roof went 2/3. Kevin Heller and Aneury Tavarez each went 1/3; Tavarez with a double. Matty Johnson went 0/2 with a walk and a SB. Dreily Guerrero went 0/2. Bo Greenwell, Jayson Hernandez and Reed Gragnani each went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem loses game 2, 4-1.

Boxscore

Justin Haley went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits; striking out 2. Madison Younginer went an inning, allowing a run on 2 hits; striking out one.

Jonathan Roof went 2/2 with a double and a walk. Matty Johnson, Tim Roberson and Aneury Tavarez each went 1/3; Johnson with a CS. Reed Gragnani, Mario Martinez, Kevin Heller, Kevin Mager and Dreily Guerrero each went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

SEADOGS

Games Story

This Portland Sea Dogs team continues to look like one of the best in franchise history after sweeping the Binghamton Mets 5-1 and 6-5 Wednesday night at Hadlock Field.

Portland trailed 5-0 in the second game before rallying, capped by a five-run fifth inning.

Portland leads the Eastern League East Division by four games with a 30-15 record.

The last time the Sea Dogs were that many games over .500 was in 2006 – the year they won the Eastern League championship.

Now fast-forward to a 2014 team filled with prospects and veterans.

“It’s awesome,” said shortstop Deven Marrero, who sat out Wednesday with a jammed finger. “It doesn’t happen too often that you have a group of so many talented players on one team.”

Keith Couch (6-0), the Game 1 starter, became the league leader in wins after throwing a complete game (seven innings), allowing one run on nine hits.

But Couch now has to share the lead because Robby Scott (6-1) won the second game with scoreless relief.

Offensively, the Sea Dogs got a big night from third baseman Stefan Welch, the little-known Australian obtained in a trade with Pittsburgh last June. He knocked in five runs, including a three-run homer in the first inning of the night. It was his second home run.

Travis Shaw hit his team-leading ninth home run, which ties him for third among Eastern League sluggers.

Mookie Betts hit two doubles and had an RBI, while playing center field in both games. Betts is batting .368.

In the second game, Welch and Peter Hissey had two-run singles in the fifth.

Scott, a left-hander signed out of the independent leagues three years ago, entered the second game and pitched two-hit ball over three innings. Scott has recorded scoreless outings in 10 of his 11 appearances, dropping his ERA to 0.70.

SALEM

Game Story

SPLITSVILLE: Salem’s run of effective pitching continued Wednesday, but Winston-Salem countered with some strong mound work of its own.

Luis Diaz and Justin Haley each turned in a quality start for Salem as the Sox split a doubleheader with the Dash in front of 1,841 at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

GAME 1 SKINNY: Diaz (5-3) won his third consecutive start in the opener, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out seven over six innings. Mario Martinez backed him with a three-hit game, including an RBI single in Salem’s two-run first inning.

GAME 2 SKINNY: Haley (3-1) allowed three runs over six innings in the nightcap but was outdueled by a trio of Dash pitchers who yielded just five hits. Dash leadoff man Tim Anderson went 3 for 4 and scored twice as Winston-Salem never trailed.

SURGING DIAZ: After back-to-back rough outings on April 27 and May 4, Diaz has put together three straight quality starts. The difference lately, he said, has been improved fastball command and a more relaxed demeanor.

“I’m trying to keep everything calmed down, not trying to think too much,” said Diaz, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander out of Venezuela. “Just throw the ball for a strike, and let something happen.”

Most of what happened was good for him and the Sox until the seventh, when a sharply hit comebacker by Joey DeMichele glanced off Diaz’s ankle for a hit. Dayan Diaz replaced him and retired three batters to record the save.

In the past eight games, Salem’s pitchers have compiled a 2.25 ERA. That run began with Luis Diaz tossing seven strong innings last week in Wilmington.

“They have definitely kept us in a lot of games recently,” Sox third baseman Jonathan Roof said.

“It’s going knowing that your pitchers are going to go out there and throw strikes and get outs. It makes hitting a little less stressful.”