5/26 MiLB Gameday: Memorial Day Matinees

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Anthony Ranaudo) vs. Gwinnett (Hector Daniel Rodriguez) [6:15pm]
EL: Portland (Steven Wright) vs. New Hampshire (Scott Copeland) [1:35pm]
CL:Salem (Luis Diaz) vs. Potomac (Ian Dickson) [1:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Teddy Stankiewicz) @ Charleston (Ian Clarkin) [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:

Stephen Drew is expected to be in the Greenville lineup today.

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

 

[sittingstill]

Per Kevin Thomas
 

Plan for #SeaDogsBaseball Monday is Steven Wright starting and Keith Couch piggy-backing ... then both likely start DH next Saturday

 
Wright was in the dugout at today's game.

 

[JakeRae]

Travis Shaw was promoted. Someone provided a link in the Shaw thread, but since those threads aren't super high visibility, I figured I'd share it here too.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem commits FIVE errors in the top of the first inning.

1) Jayson Hernandez - Throwing Error on pick off attempt.
2) Luis Diaz - Throwing error on infield grounder.
3) Matty Johnson - Fielding error on outfield hit
4) Jayson Hernandez - Throwing error on stolen base attempt.
5) Reed Gragnani - Fielding Error

Potomac scored 4, 1 earned.

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

Salem commits FIVE errors in the top of the first inning.1) Jayson Hernandez - Throwing Error on pick off attempt.2) Luis Diaz - Throwing error on infield grounder.3) Matty Johnson - Fielding error on outfield hit4) Jayson Hernandez - Throwing error on stolen base attempt.5) Reed Gragnani - Fielding ErrorPotomac scored 4, 1 earned.

SEVEN total Salem errors on the day. Yeesh.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

Swihart's walk rate seems to be normalizing while he continues to hit for more power. Hopefully he can get some ABs in AAA this year because I'm not sold on Vazquez.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

drew is 1/2 with a double, 2 rbi and a walk so far in the 4th.

Garin is 0/3 and ISOing less than .060.

 

[Cuzittt]

Seadogs win 6-3.

Boxscore

Steven Wright went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits (1 HR) and a walk; striking out 4. Keith Couch went 4 innings, giving up a hit and striking out one.

Matt Spring went 4/4 with 2 doubles. Blake Swihart and Peter Hissey each went 2/4; Swihart with a HR, Hissey was picked off. Michael Brenly went 1/3 with a walk. Mookie Betts went 1/4 with a walk. Stefan Welch and Derrik Gibson each went 1/4; Welch with a triple. Henry Ramos went 0/4. Deven Marrero went 0/5.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem survives error-fest 2014, win 13-4.

Boxscore

Luis Diaz went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 4 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits and a WP; striking out 5. He was on the mound for all 7 Salem errors. Justin Haley went 5 1/3 innings, giving up 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 HBPs; striking out 6.

Reed Gragnani went 2/3 with a double and 2 walks. Tim Roberson went 2/5 with a double. Jonathan Roof went 1/2 with 2 walks and a SF. Kevin Mager went 1/3 with a HBP. Aneury Tavarez went 1/4 with a triple and a HBP. Kevin Heller went 1/4 with a Double and a walk. Matty Johnson went 0/1 with 2 walks and a HBP. Bo Greenwell went 0/3 with a walk and a HBP. Leonel Escobar went 0/3 after replacing Jayson Hernandez who went 0/2.

 

[Cuzittt]

Pawsox end their losing streak, win 3-2.

Boxscore

Anthony Ranaudo went 6 2/3 innings, giving up 4 hits, a WP and 4 walks; striking out 4. Rich Hill went 2 1/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, a walk and a HBP; striking out 2.

Mike McCoy went 3/3 with a double. Travis Shaw and Christian Vazquez went 1/3. Ryan Roberts, Garin Cecchini and Alex Hassan each went 1/4; Roberts with a HR. Carlos Rivero and Shannon Wilkerson each went 0/3. Brandon Snyder went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive win 11-3.

Boxscore

Teddy Stankiewicz went 4+ innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks; striking out 2. Raynel Velette went 3 innings, walking 2 and striking out 2. Pete Ruiz went 2 innings, allowing a run on a hit and 3 walks; striking out 3.

Tzu-Wei Lin went 2/4 with a walk and a SB. Jantzen Witte and Jordan Witte each went 2/5. Stephen Drew went 1/3 with a double and a walk before being replaced by Aneudis Peralta who went 0/1. Zach Kapstein went 1/2 with a walk and a SF. Jimmy Rider went 1/3 with 2 walks. Carlos Asuaje went 1/4 with a walk. Wendell Rijo and Forrestt Allday each went 1/5.

 

[Cuzittt]

One day after the entire organization lost... the entire organization won. It's the dawning of a new era!

 

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

PAWSOX

Game Story

For a pitcher who looked shaky to start the season, Anthony Ranaudo has looked like one of the best pitchers in the International League of late.

Monday night was no exception.

The 6-foot-7 righty shut out the Gwinnett Braves in the PawSox’ 3-2 win at McCoy Stadium. Ranaudo went 6.2 innings, giving up four hits, zero runs, four walks and striking out four.

In his past three outings (19.1 innings), Ranaudo has given up one run and has turned things around following a rough start to 2014. After giving up 14 runs in his first three starts of the season, he has given up just 10 over the past eight starts.

And on Monday night, he was at it again.

The 2010 first-round pick, walked three in the first three innings, but settled down after that. Following a fifth inning - which saw Mike McCoy drive in the first run of game and Ryan Roberts send him home with a two-run homer – Pawtucket’s 3-0 lead looked insurmountable with Ranaudo on the hill.

“I just feel like I’m throwing the ball well,” Ranaudo said. “I’m still trying to be aggressive. Although I’m still walking people I think it’s allowing me to throw my breaking ball a little harder and I’ve been able to have better command of it… Keeping those guys off balance is something I was trying to do.”

Travis Shaw

When Travis Shaw saw he wasn’t in the Portland Sea Dogs’ lineup on Monday morning, he figured he was getting a day off.

The first baseman could probably use the rest. In his past 10 games he’s batting .324 (11-for-24) with four home runs and seven RBI. But a break was the last thing Shaw received. Instead, Portland manager Billy McMillon informed him he was being promoted to Triple-A.

Shaw was then given a rental car and made the 90-minute trek from the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, in Manchester, N.H., to Pawtucket and was in the PawSox lineup, batting fifth, on Monday night against Gwinnett.

Every second of the drive up interstate 93 and 95 was worth it for the 24-year-old.

“It was definitely worth it to get out of there,” Shaw said.

Shaw has nothing against Portland, but after getting promoted to Double-A, in 2012, Pawtucket has always been his goal.

“I’ve been on a mission just to show that I can hit at Double-A,” Shaw said. “There have always been those questions, for about a year and a half, that I couldn’t hit at that level consistently… I feel I’m in a good place mentally, physically, so I’m ready to go.”

Standing 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Shaw’s always had power potential, but said he got “caught up in the profile” of the first-base position.

Last season, he hit only .221 to go along with 16 home runs. Instead of focusing on making contact, he tried to hit home runs and his numbers suffered. Shaw changed his approach in the Arizona Fall League last year and he produced, hitting .361, with five home runs.

SEADOGS

Game Story

The Portland Sea Dogs put three catchers in their lineup and all delivered in a 6-3 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Monday afternoon at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

Matt Spring went 4 for 4 with an RBI double.

Blake Swihart, acting as the designated hitter, hit a two-run homer and added an RBI single.

Michael Brenly took off his catcher’s mitt and played first base. He doubled in a run.

That was plenty for two Sea Dogs pitchers. Knuckleball pitcher Steven Wright, making a major league rehab appearance, gave up five hits and three runs (two earned) over five innings. Keith Couch, normally a starter, allowed only one hit over four innings.

Leading hitter Mookie Betts singled and walked in five plate appearances. First baseman Travis Shaw was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket.

The Sea Dogs (34-16) lead the Eastern League East Division by five games over second-place Reading (28-20).

Spring came into the game with a .191 average. He joked that he could relax at the plate after trying to catch Wright.

“Hitting is a relief when you’re catching a knuckleball,” he said.

Swihart’s home run was his fifth of the year.

Steven Wright

Wright made his first rehab appearance, pitching for the Portland Sea Dogs against New Hampshire. He gave up five hits and three runs (two earned) Monday afternoon in Portland’s 6-3 win.

Wright had control of his knuckleball, walking one, and throwing 46 of his 65 pitches for strikes.

“I felt better than I thought I would,” Wright said. “I threw a lot of quality knuckleballs.

“Overall really happy with how the knuckleball is coming out in my first outing.”

Wright, 29, in his second season on Boston’s 40-man roster, had been shelved since spring training with a strain in the groin area (commonly referred to as a “sports hernia”).

It was fitting that Wright’s first game back was with the team he initially joined the Red Sox organization with. Wright was pitching for the Indians-affiliated Akron Aeros at Hadlock Field in 2012, when he learned he was traded to the Red Sox for first baseman Lars Anderson. He simply moved from one clubhouse to the other.

Wright pitched one game for the Sea Dogs before moving to Pawtucket. Last year, he stayed with Pawtucket, except for four outings (one start) with Boston (2-0, 5.40 ERA).

This year did not begin as he planned. Wright hoped the injury would improve with rest, but eventually he needed surgery. The recovery took a frustratingly long time.

SALEM

Game Story

Manic Monday: After one-half inning on Monday, Salem had committed five errors and trailed by four runs. Fortunately for them, that wasn’t an indication of how the rest of the day would go.

The Sox fought back admirably after the uncharacteristically sloppy start, overcoming a season-high seven errors to defeat Potomac 13-4 in front of a holiday crowd of 2,269 at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

“I’ve been a part of some long innings before, but it almost felt like wherever the ball was hit, it was going to do something,” Sox second baseman Reed Gragnani said of a first inning that featured three Salem throwing miscues and two fielding gaffes. “I don’t even know how to explain it. Probably the craziest game I’ve ever been a part of, to be honest with you, to win after you mishandle the ball seven times.

“We’re fortunate. I’m sure we’ll look back on this one when we’re in a playoff race and be like, ‘I’m glad we grinded it out together.’ ”

Back in form: Gragnani, the Carolina League’s leading hitter for much of the season, had his second consecutive strong offensive game after enduring a prolonged slump. The University of Virginia alum went 2 for 3 with two walks and three runs scored, raising his average to .336.

“I haven’t changed anything to be honest with you. Just continuing to swing at good pitches is the key,” said Gragnani, who batted .365 in April. “There’s going to be ups and down. You just try to limit the bad feelings that you have and limit the poor at-bats as much as you can. Just get back to ground zero where you started and try to remember those good times you had and the way you were feeling early.”

Calming influence: The Sox got 5 1⁄3 shutout innings of relief from Justin Haley (4-1), who allowed just two hits while striking out six. The right-hander lowered his ERA to a team-best 1.96.

DRIVE

Game Story

Greenville scored five runs in the fourth inning and added four more in the eighth as the Drive hammered Charleston 11-3 Monday night in the opening game of a four-game series at Riley Park.

After RBI-singles by Jordan Weems, Zach Kapstein and Tzu-Wei Lin in the top of the fifth, Stephen Drew capped the inning with a two-run double. Drew is still on an injury rehab assignment for Boston.

Greenville took advantage of four walks and two wild pitches in the eighth to seal the win. Forrestt Allday and Jantzen Witte had RBI-singles in the frame.

Weems, Kapstein, Drew and Allday each had two RBIs to lead the Drive. Raynel Velette (3-0) tossed three hitless, scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win.