7/29 MiLB Gameday: A Late Morning Spin

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket - OFF
EL: Portland (Henry Owens/Jeremy Kehrt) vs. Reading (Ryan O'Sullivan/TBD) [6:05pm]
CL:Salem (Joe Gunkel) vs. Carolina (Adam Plutko) [7:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Myles Smith) @ Hagerstown (Nick Pivetta) [7:05pm]
NYPL: Lowell (Kevin McAvoy) vs. Brooklyn (Casey Meisner)[11:05am]
GCL: GCL Sox vs. GCL Orioles [11:00am]
DSL: DSL Sox vs. DSL Giants [10:30am]

Notes:

GCL is playing another doubleheader

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

 

[jscola85]

Sam Travis with two more hits already.  He now has 11 hits in his last 21 ABs.

 

[mabrowndog]

Keith Couch began a rehab assignment with GCL and got the start today.
 
2.1 scoreless IP with no walks, a single & 3 Ks.

 

[Cuzittt]

Spinners lose 4-1.

Boxscore

Kevin McAvoy went 2 2/3 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits and a WP; striking out 4. Ryan Harris went 1 1/3 innings, striking out one. Kuehl McEachern went 2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks; striking out 2. Edwar Garcia went 3 innings, giving up a hit and 2 walks; striking out 4.

Sam Travis went 3/4 with a double and a SB. Joseph Monge and Mike Meyers each went 1/4. Bryan Hudson went 0/2 with a walk and a SB before being replaced by Deiner Lopez who went 0/1. Raymel Flores went 0/2 with a walk. Danny Mars went 0/3 with a walk and a SB. Alixon Suarez went 0/3. Jordan Betts and Mauricio Dubon each went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

GCL Sox lose game 1, 2-1.

Boxscore

Keith Couch went 2 1/3 innings, giving up a hit and striking out 3. Jalen Williams went 2 2/3 innings, allowing an unearned run on 4 hits and a walk. Pat Goetze went 2 innings, allowing an unearned run on 2 hits and a HBP; striking out 2.

Luis Alexander Basabe went 1/2 with a SF and a CS. Michael Chavis went 1/2 with a walk. Javier Guerra went 1/2 with a walk. Derek Miller went 1/4 with a double. Bryce Brentz and Ben Moore each went 0/2 with a walk. Rafael Devers, Josh Ockimey and Victor Acosta each went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

The second of the GCL games was ... suspended due to rain, tied at 1 in the 7th. To be completed tomorrow.

 

[Cuzittt]

Seadogs win game 1 to hit 70 wins for the season, 3-2.

Boxscore

Henry Owens went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 HBPs; striking out 3. Aaron Kurcz went 2 innings, giving up 2 hits and a walk; striking out 2.

Ryan Dent went 3/3 with a double and a CS. Blake Swihart and Michael Almanzar each went 1/2 with a walk. Derrik Gibson went 1/3 with a double. Keury de la Cruz went 1/3. Sean Coyle and Shannon Wilkerson each went 0/2 with a walk. Jonathan Roof went 0/2 with a HBP. Stefan Welch went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

Seadogs lose game 2, 4-1.

Boxscore

Jeremy Kehrt went 5 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 9 hits; striking out one. Mike McCarthy went 1 2/3 innings, striking out one.

Ryan Dent went 2/3. Derrik Gibson, Blake Swihart, Michael Almanzar and David Chester each went 1/3. Heiker Meneses and Shannon Wilkerson each went 0/2. Michael Brenly and Sean Coyle each went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem loses 5-1.

Boxscore

Joe Gunkel went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 10 hits; striking out 4. Jacob Dahlstrand went an inning, allowing an unearned run on 2 hits and a walk; striking out one. Madison Younginer went an inning, giving up a hit and striking out 2. Matty Ott went an inning, giving up a hit.

Aneury Tavarez went 2/3 with a SB. Matty Johnson went 1/3 with a SB. Mike Miller and Carson Blair each went 1/4; Miller with a SB. Kevin Heller went 0/3. Carlos Asuaje, Jantzen Witte, Reed Gragnani, and Mario Martinez each went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive lose 8-4.

Boxscore

Ty Buttrey went 4 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits (1 HR) and 2 walks; striking out one. Myles Smith went 4 innings, allowing 4 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits (1 HR) and a walk; striking out 6.

Franklin Guzman went 4/4 with a HR. Tim Roberson and Zach Kapstein each went 2/4; Roberson with a double. Jake Romanski went 1/4 with a walk. Kevin Mager and Jimmy Rider each went 1/4. Cole Sturgeon went 1/5. Hector Lorenzana went 0/4. Wendell Rijo went 0/5.

 

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

SEADOGS

Games Story

The Portland Sea Dogs (70-41) and Reading Fightin Phils (45-63) split a doubleheader Tuesday night at Hadlock Field.

GAME ONE RECAP

LHP Henry Owens became the first pitcher in franchise history to win 14 games, as the 'Dogs took the twinbill opener 3-2 at Hadlock Field. Owens is also the first pitcher in professional baseball to reach 14 victories.

Reading made things interesting in the final two innings, but Aaron Kurcz earned the save, working around a lead-off double by Kelly Dugan in the ninth. In the eight, Kurcz stranded two runners with one-out.

Owens tossed five innings, giving up six hits, two runs, two walks and fanned three. Reading's Ryan O'Sullivan (5-6) went the distance, but took the loss for Reading.

Portland took a 1-0 lead in the second inning off O'Sullivan. Keury De La Cruz started the rally with a one out single. With two outs, Jonathan Roof was hit-by-a-pitch, and Ryan Dent (3-for-3, RBI) nailed a run-scoring single.

De La Cruz gave Portland a 2-0 advantage in the third inning, delivering a run-scoring fielder's choice.

Reading got on the board against Owens in the fourth inning with two outs. Zach Collier scored on a double by Edgar Duran (3-for-3, RBI). The 'Dogs responded with a run-scoring double from Derrik Gibson,
improving Portland's lead to 3-1. Reading would answer the bell again, plating their second two-out run. Carlos Alonso led off with a triple and came home on a two-out single by Jake Fox.

SALEM

Game Story

The Carolina Mudcats used 14 singles to post five runs in a 5-1 victory over the Salem Red Sox last night. Mudcats Adam Plutko was outstanding from start to finish in the victory. The Carolina right-hander tossed seven innings, allowing five hits and an unearned run. Joe Gunkel was saddled with the loss, ten hits and four runs in his six innings of work.



Carolina struck for an opening run against Gunkel. Yhoxian Medina reached on an infield single, followed by a flair to right by Joe Sever that fell in front of Aneury Tavarez. A batter later, Yandy Diaz singled in Media to give the Cats a 1-0 edge.



In the third, Carolina struck for two more. Sever singled with one out and moved to second on a ground out. With two down in the frame, consecutive singles by Jeremy Lucas, LeVon Washington and Luigi Rodriguez plated two runs and put the Mudcats up 3-0.



Salem popped the bubble on the scoreboard in the fourth. Matty Johnson singled, and manufactured a run of his own from there. He reached second on a throwing error on a pickoff. Later he reached third on a wild pitch, and just kept running after a throwing error, posting an unearned run to get Salem on the board.



Carolina added runs in the sixth and seventh to take a 5-1 lead. In the sixth, LeVon Washington singled and moved to second on a groundout. With two downs, Ryan Battaglia hit a high popup that fell between home plate and the mound. Washington was running with two outs, and came around to score as the ball fell in, giving the Mudcats a 4-1 lead. In the seventh, Jeremy Lucas singled in Medina with the bases loaded off Jacob Dahlstrand to finish the Mudcats scoring. Dahlstrand would escape a bases loaded, no out jam with no further damage from there.

DRIVE

Game Story

Tuesday's series finale between the Greenville Drive (10-29, 44-64) and Hagerstown Suns (25-14, 69-40) featured plenty of hits and errors on both sides, but the Suns took charge in the middle innings and pulled away for an 8-4 win.

A trio of unearned runs against Myles Smith (3-8) in the sixth gave the Suns a 7-4 lead they wouldn't give up. Brennan Middleton doubled with one out, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a Drive error to prolong the inning. Wilmer Difo made the error sting, as he followed the error by cracking a two-run homer to right field.

Back-to-back doubles leading off the seventh by Jimmy Yezzo and Carlos Lopez tacked on an insurance run for the Suns.

Nick Pivetta (12-6) got the victory for Hagerstown after allowing four runs in seven innings with seven strikeouts.

Only one of the four runs Smith allowed was earned, and he punched out six against only one walk. In his first start since going on the DL in mid-May, Ty Buttrey gave up three earned runs in four innings.

Franklin Guzman led the way at the plate for the Drive, going 3-4 with a pair of RBI and smacking his first homer since joining the club three weeks ago. Zach Kapstein and Tim Roberson added two hits apiece.

SPINNERS

Game Story

It has been a struggle for the Lowell Spinners at LeLacheur Park all season long and the troubled continued Tuesday afternoon as the Brooklyn Cyclones completed a three-game sweep, ending the Spinners season-long eight-game homestand on a down note, 4-1, at LeLacheur Park.

After Kevin McAvoy retired the first seven batters he faced, the Cyclones broke through in the third inning. Tomas Nido led off the rally with a one-out single through the hole at second and a wild pitch moved him into scoring position. Anthony Chavez followed with a grounder that ate up Sam Travis and squirted into right field, allowing Nido to score to give the Cyclones the early lead. Joe Tuschak followed with a double to right, scoring Chavez to put Brooklyn ahead, 2-0.

Lowell (19-26) answered with a run in the bottom half of the third inning after a one-out walk by Danny Mars. After Mars stole second, Travis brought him home with a double to left, cutting the deficit to one. Jordan Betts followed with a ball hit about as hard and deep as possible to centerfield without getting out, as Tuschak grabbed the ball right up against the wall.

Brooklyn (23-22) would extend their lead in the sixth against Kuehl McEachern. Tuschak led off the inning with a walk and after two quick outs, a walk to Michael Conforto put two men on for Michael Bernal, who killed the Spinners all series. The torment continued, with a two-out RBI single and Tyler Moore followed with an RBI single of his own to put the Cyclones up 4-1.

That was all the offense the Cyclones would need as the Spinners went hitless after the third inning before a pair of base hits in the ninth brought the tying run to the plate before pinch-hitter Deiner Lopez grounded out to end the game.

 

[jscola85]

Owens seems to have hit a bit of a rough patch over the last few starts, at least relative to his earlier dominance.  Last three starts, just 15.1 IP, 5.28 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 15/7 K/BB.  It's probably nothing and maybe he is working on succeeding without that dominant changeup, but I wouldn't expect an iminent promotion based on the most recent results.

 

[Plympton91]

Owens seems to have hit a bit of a rough patch over the last few starts, at least relative to his earlier dominance.  Last three starts, just 15.1 IP, 5.28 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 15/7 K/BB.  It's probably nothing and maybe he is working on succeeding without that dominant changeup, but I wouldn't expect an iminent promotion based on the most recent results.

 
Yeah, this could be a case where the Red Sox have limited his ability to use the change up, and are forcing him to use other pitches as a way to challenge him without a promotion.  He's still averaging a strikeout an inning, so some of the variation could also be BABip.
 
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Sam Travis is on freakin' fire.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

 
Yeah, this could be a case where the Red Sox have limited his ability to use the change up, and are forcing him to use other pitches as a way to challenge him without a promotion.  He's still averaging a strikeout an inning, so some of the variation could also be BABip.
 
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Sam Travis is on freakin' fire.

 
Loved the pick at the time, and it's good to see him off to a decent start. No-nonsense selection, not based on potential tools or projections so much - just a guy who can hit.

 

[jscola85]

 
Loved the pick at the time, and it's good to see him off to a decent start. No-nonsense selection, not based on potential tools or projections so much - just a guy who can hit.

 
Well, glad that it is working out with Travis, but it's not always that easy.  Everyone thought the same thing about Kolbrin Vitek.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

 
Well, glad that it is working out with Travis, but it's not always that easy.  Everyone thought the same thing about Kolbrin Vitek.

 
Yeah I certainly wouldn't recommend using that criteria for every pick, but after so many up the middle picks lately I like to see them try something different every once in a while.