5/3 MiLB Gameday: An Owens/Johnson Twin Bill

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Rubby de la Rosa) vs. Indianapolis (Tyler Waldron) [6:05pm]
EL: Portland (Henry Owens/Brian Johnson) @ Binghamton (Matthew Bowman/Darin Gorski)[12:05pm]
CL:Salem (TBD) @ Lynchburg (Lay Batista) [6:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Trey Ball) @ Augusta (Matthew Lujan) [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 53 consecutive regular season games. He has reached safely in 58 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

 

[75cent bleacher seat]

Off to see the Dogs here in Bingo today...

 

[Cuzittt]

Mookie extends the streak to 54 with 2 singles in the first game.

 

[DJnVa]

Betts has 2 hits already in game 1.

 

[Stan Papi Was Framed]

Betts has 2 hits already in game 1.

good lord.  he is a machine.  in the best sense of the word,

 

[rlcave3rd]

Brian Johnson doing well in his AA debut:
 
5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

 

[StylzCLB9]

Off to see the Dogs here in Bingo today...

What's your takeaway of Brian Johnson?

 

[RoDaddy]

Mookie extends streak in both games. 
 
Looks like Travis Shaw is finally figuring out AA pitching.  I expect to see him promoted soon - he's been in Portland long enough

 

[75cent bleacher seat]

What's your takeaway of Brian Johnson?

 
5.1 innings 3 hits - so 3 -  0 earned runs
 
First 2 innings...minimal pitch count, lights out scary...Inning 3 got tagged for 2 hits but still very good. Innings 4 & 5 seemed to struggle with control (as compared to the start) box score tells it all...Over all impression - I give him an A.
 
edit to add -  His first 2 innings he was completely overpowering, batters were totally over-matched The remaining 3 innings about 75% so,  91-92 mph fastball, excellent breaking stuff, primarily a slider.

 

[Manzivino]

Mookie extends streak in both games. 
 
Looks like Travis Shaw is finally figuring out AA pitching.  I expect to see him promoted soon - he's been in Portland long enough

 
Stats haven't updated for the second game of the doubleheader but after this morning's tilt he was up to 284/388/466 for the season and added to it by going 3 for 4 with a double in the second game. He's been on fire since starting out ice cold the first 10 games of the season.
 
Edit: And now they have, up to 304/402/489 with 5 doubles and 4 HR through 24 G.

 

[DJnVa]

good lord.  he is a machine.  in the best sense of the word,

 
1-5 in second game, average is now...wait for it....406

 

[Manzivino]

Pretty solid second start from Ball: 5 innings, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R (all earned), 1 HBP, 0 BB, 6 K. 

 

[Cuzittt]

Portland loses game 1, 3-2.

Boxscore

Henry Owens went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, a HBP, a WP and a walk; striking out 6.

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

 

[Stan Papi Was Framed]

 
1-5 in second game, average is now...wait for it....406

ha!  he stole another base as well.  this farm system is fun to follow

 

[Stan Papi Was Framed]

Pretty solid second start from Ball: 5 innings, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R (all earned), 1 HBP, 0 BB, 6 K. 

yes, and a nice comeback after a 2 run HR in 1st inning, it looks like

 

[Cuzittt]

Portland wins game 2, 9-3.

Boxscore

Brian Johnson went 5 1/3 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs on 3 hits; striking out 3. Jose Valdez went 1 2/3 innings, allowing an unearned run on 4 hits and a walk; striking out 3.

Travis Shaw went 3/4 with a double. Henry Ramos went 2/4 with a double. Shannon Wilkerson went 2/4 with a triple. Derrik Gibson went 1/2 with 2 walks. Carlos Rivero went 1/3 with a walk. Matt Spring went 1/3 with a HBP. Peter Hissey went 1/3 with a sacrifice. Deven Marrero went 1/4 with a HR and a walk. Mookie Betts went 1/5 with a SB.

 

[Cuzittt]

Pawsox lose 4-3.

Boxscore

Rubby de la Rosa went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks; striking out 4. Drake Britton went 1 2/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, a WP and a walk. Chris Resop went 2 1/3 innings, giving up a hit and a walk; striking out 3.

Brandon Snyder went 1/3 with a HR and a HBP. Garin Cecchini went 1/3 with a walk. Justin Henry, Daniel Nava, and Dan Butler each went 1/4. Christian Vazquez and Bryce Brentz each went 0/3 with a walk. Alex Hassan and Mike McCoy each went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem loses 5-3.

Boxscore

Cody Kukuk went 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, 4 walks, 4 WPs and a HBP; striking out 4. Simon Mercedes went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks; striking out 6. Madison Younginer picked up the final out of the 8th.

Dreily Guerrero went 2/4. Tim Roberson and Reed Gragnani each went 1/3 with a walk; Roberson with a double, Gragnani with a triple. Jonathan Roof, Aneury Tavarez, Jayson Hernandez each went 1/4; Hernandez with a double. Kevin Heller went 1/5. Matty Johnson went 0/4 with a walk. Mario Martinez went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive lose 4-2.

Boxscore

Trey Ball went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits (1 HR) and a HBP; striking out 6. Sergio Gomez went 3 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits and a walk; striking out 4.

Wendell Rijo went 2/3 with a walk. Manuel Margot went 2/4 with a SB. Bo Greenwell, Jantzen Witte, Carlos Asuaje, Jordan Weems, Jake Romanski and Jesus Loya each went 1/4; Witte and Romanski with doubles, Greenwell with a SB. Tzu-Wei Lin went 0/3 with a walk and was picked off.

 

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

PAWSOX

Game Story

Down by three runs entering the bottom of the ninth on Saturday night at McCoy Stadium, the PawSox loaded the bases on a Daniel Nava single and walks to Bryce Brentz and Garin Cecchini. The stage was set for something dramatic — and a two-run single by Dan Butler seemed to make an eventual rally inevitable.

But Indianapolis reliever Josh Kinney — in relief of reliever Duke Welker, who left with an injury midway through the final at-bat — got Mike McCoy to pop out in foul territory to end a 4-3 win for Indianapolis over the PawSox.

Rubby De La Rosa walked five hitters in five-plus innings of work — continuing a lack of sharpness he showed in his previous start at Lehigh Valley. De La Rosa struck out 21 hitters and walked just four in his first four starts, but he has walked eight and struck out eight in his last two starts. He threw just 51 of his 90 pitches for strikes on Saturday — including nine swings and misses.

“I just thought the effort level ticked up a little bit,” PawSox manager Kevin Boles said, “and the command got away from him a little bit. He was able to settle in at times. He showed some adjustments there. But when the command is a little bit suspect, it’s because the effort level ticks up a little bit.”

After reliever Drake Britton allowed a pair of inherited runners to score, De La Rosa was charged with a pair of runs in his five innings, pushing his ERA this season to 2.48. Britton allowed a pair of runs of his own the following inning.

Tyler Waldron threw five shutout innings for Indianapolis before leaving with an apparent injury of his own, suffered while warming up to start the sixth inning.

Cecchini fouled a ball off the inside of his right leg in his first at-bat and limped visibly as he ran the bases after a bloop single to center field. He stayed in the game.

SEADOGS

Game Story

Brian Johnson made an impressive Double-A debut Saturday to help the Sea Dogs down the Binghamton Mets 9-3, earning a split of a doubleheader and stopping a three-game Eastern League losing streak.

The Sea Dogs (16-10) lost the Eastern Division lead Friday night to the Trenton Thunder, then dropped Saturday’s first game, 3-2.

Johnson, a 23-year-old left-hander who was picked 31st overall in the 2012 draft, did not allow an earned run in 51/3 innings while the offense snapped out of a brief slump.

The Sea Dogs had managed just four runs in the three losses. In Saturday’s second game, they had two four-run innings.

“It was nice to get back on track,” said first baseman Travis Shaw, who went 3 for 4 and scored twice while pushing his batting average above .300. “With how we had been playing, it felt like we hadn’t won in a long time.

“Brian Johnson pitched outstanding today for his first game at Double-A.”

Shannon Wilkerson tripled home two runs in the four-run second inning, which started the scoring. Deven Marrero and Carlos Rivero sandwiched homers around a Shaw single to start the fifth as the Sea Dogs added four more runs to increase their lead from 5-1 to 9-1.

That was more than enough for Johnson.

Pitching at the Double-A level earlier than he had expected, Johnson gave up just three singles and did not walk a batter. Counting six perfect innings in one game for the Salem Red Sox in the High-A Carolina League, Johnson has not given up an earned run in three starts. He has allowed just seven hits and one walk while striking out 16 in 171/3 innings during that stretch.

“I had command of my fastball and was getting strike one,” said Johnson, who credited catcher Matt Spring and pitching coach Bob Kipper with leading him through his debut.

SALEM

Game Story

Pinch-hitter Levi Hyams singled in Daniel Carroll off Sox reliever Simon Mercedes with what would be the eventual game-winning run as the Hillcats relief pitchers made the last nine outs of the game via strikeout to earn a 5-3 victory over the Red Sox in front of 3,974 at Calvin Falwell Field.

Cody Kukuk, the starter for Salem who was called up from low-A Greenville after Brian Johnson was promoted to Double-A Portland, pitched four innings allowing only two runs on four hits and had four strikeouts, but also walked four and uncorked four wild pitches.

His Lynchburg counterpart, Lay Batista, also making his Carolina League debut, surrendered only a Kevin Heller solo home run in three innings.

The game fell to the middle relievers as Hillcats pitcher Zach Jadofsky coughed up a double to Tim Roberson, an RBI triple to hot-hitting Reed Gragnani and an RBI single from Aneury Tavarez to give Salem a 3-2 lead after 3 1⁄2 innings.

However, Mercedes gave up an RBI double to Carroll to tie the score at three before Hyams’ eventual game-winning single.

Lynchburg got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Joseph Odom reached on a wild pitch after striking out, reached second on another wild pitch and scored on an RBI single by Kyle Wren.

Hillcats relievers Matt Chaffee and Brandon Cunniff locked it down from there as they surrendered only a hit and two walks over the final three innings while striking out nine.

DRIVE

Game Story

For the second night in a row Augusta jumped out to a quick lead and the GreenJackets went on to a 4-2 win over Greenville Saturday night at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

Augusta won Friday’s opening game of the series 4-1.

In the bottom of the first Tyler Horan belted a two-run home run off Drive starter Trey Ball.

John Polonius made it 3-0 Augusta in the second with an RBI-single.

Jantzen Witte’s RBI-double in the third cut the GreenJackets’ lead to 3-1.

Augusta scored an insurance run in the seventh when Jeremy Sy led off with a triple and scored on Brandon Bednar’s RBI single.

Greenville’s Jordan Weems hit an RBI groundout in the top of the ninth to cut the Augusta lead to 4-2, but Luis Castillo recovered and finished the inning to record his second save.

Ball (1-1) allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, but had no walks and six strikeouts.

Manuel Margot and Wendell Rijo each collected two hits for the Drive.