9/5 MiLB Gameday: Semifinals, Game 3

Cuzittt

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Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Henry Owens) @ Syracuse (Mitch Lively) [7:05pm]
EL: Portland (Eduardo Rodriguez) vs. Binghamton (Steven Matz) [6:05pm]
CL:Salem (TBD) @ Myrtle Beach (Chad James) [7:05pm]

SAL: Greenville - Season Complete
NYPL: Lowell - Season Complete
GCL: GCL Sox - Season Complete - GCL Champions
DSL: DSL Sox - Season Complete - DSL Runner-Ups


Notes:

Rusney Castillo is expected to be with Portland for the EL Playoffs today.

Playoff Games:

Pawtucket up 2-0, best of 5.

Portland tied 1-1, best of 5.

Salem tied 1-1, best of 3.

GCL Sox won the GCL Championship 2-1 over the Yankees.

DSL Sox lose Championship Series, 3-1.


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
 

Lose Remerswaal

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I know my cart is in front of my horse, but I'm making plans here and it's all about ME, so do we know IF the Pawsox win this series, WHEN they will have home games next week?
 
I know this round runs to Sunday, and Monday is an offday, with the next round games scheduled for Tuesday to Saturday.  Would the Pawsox as the Wild Card definitely get Tuesday and Wednesday as home games?  Does it matter who wins the other side?  Do these pants make my butt look big?
 

JimD

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Going to the Pawsox-Chiefs game tonight - very excited to see Owens (and hopefully Swihart).
 

Cuzittt

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Lose Remerswaal said:
I know my cart is in front of my horse, but I'm making plans here and it's all about ME, so do we know IF the Pawsox win this series, WHEN they will have home games next week?
 
Tuesday and Wednesday. No matter what.
 

mabrowndog

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Cody Kukuk starts for Salem tonight. They're going to need the guy who pitched July 25 (6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 10 K), not the guy who started last Thursday (3.2 IP, 7 R [5 ER], 6 H, 5 BB, 3 K).
 
It's easy to look at his numbers since his promotion and write him off (20 GS, 3.9 IP/start, 5.26 ERA, 8.1 BB/9, .401 OBP vs 365 hitters). But he's still just 21, and it's important to remember that he lost nearly a year of development time after a DUI incident in spring 2012. So aside from 10 August innings with GCL later that season, he's had just 2 years of experience -- both in full-season ball. Yet tonight's outing will make or break how he's perceived on the Sox' prospect totem pole by many observers.
 
Most of his issues have stemmed from poor control, and all those walks. Hitters haven't exactly lit him up with the bats (.248 BA, .304 SLG). And when he commands well and throws strikes, as he did 6 weeks ago, he can dominate a lineup.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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Cuzittt said:
Tuesday and Wednesday. No matter what.
 
Good.
 
Folks, they drew 2,300 and 2,500 the last two nights at McCoy.  Forecasts for next week are clear and dry (and cool, evening lows in the 50s). If the Pawsox make it to the next round GO to a game at McCoy, especially if you've never been.  Take the kids, take the neighbors, take the neighbor's kids.  For $12 or less it's a really good time.
 

mabrowndog

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Yeah, it's too bad those turnouts were so low. And yes, $12 is a bargain for professional playoff baseball. Unfortunately for the PawSox, the last two evenings were school nights -- the first week back for many.
 
Families who've recently blown their vacation wads and gone back to work might not have been as willing or able to engage in recreational pursuits -- especially with their kids (let alone the neighbors'). Ditto for any college students in the area with classes just resuming.
 

JimD

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The Syracuse Chiefs are maintaining their regular ticket prices for the playoffs, including $5 general admission seats in the upper level.  Of course, the fact that the team has not made the postseason in two decades probably negated any thoughts of a cash grab.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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That's too bad about McCoy. I'm headed to Hadlock tonight and the whole lower bowl was sold out and there were only about 50 tix left in the non-General Admission section. Should be 5k+ there tonight at least. With the weather, it's going to be awesome. 6p start, too, so the kids won't have to be up too late. 
 
Psyched to see Ed Rod again - he was nasty the last time I went and took a tough loss. The bullpen has been a bit of a problem late season. They should have won game 1. 
 
Rusney is leading off, too.
 

mabrowndog

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An eyewitness account on the last batter of the t-5th:
 
 
ERod almost gave up a hit, batter lost the bat and Miller started to field the bat. Recovered in time to get the runner at first. He's dialing it up now 95-97 but did mix in a lower velocity FB. Change came in at 87. Still keeping the ball low. 68/44 thru 5.
 

mabrowndog

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Owens coughs up four in the 2nd on a 2-run double & a 2-run HR. PawSox halve the deficit in the t-3rd, and they've still got the bases juiced. Four walks in the inning by Mitch Lively.
 
EDIT - Hope Cecchini didn't use up all his magic last night. A fly-out strands three.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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Brutal. Eduardo gives up a walk with 95 pitches and there's been a righty, Kurcz, up all inning. Righty coming up. Leaves him in.

Double into the corner past a diving Mike Miller at third ties it up.
 

mabrowndog

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Kukuk once again struggling with the strike zone. Three walks already through 3 innings and Salem trails 2-0.
 

Quintanariffic

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mabrowndog said:
And NOW Kurcz comes in. EdRod finishes with 100 pitches, 62 strikes.
 
Late hooks two nights in a row from the Sox AAA and AA managers.  Not sure there are any internal candidates to replace Farrell is he ever gets into trouble.
 

mabrowndog

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Owens is still in, but it's clearly going to be an early night for him. He's at 86 pitches through 4 innings (52 strikes) with 5 ER now on 8 H & 3 BB with 6 K.
 
PawSox down 5-3, and they'll face former teammate Ross Ohlendorf to start the 5th. Shaw, Brentz & Lavarnway due up.
 

Cuzittt

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Seadogs win 6-3.

Boxscore

Eduardo Rodriguez went 6 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, a WP and 2 walks; striking out 6. Aaron Kurcz went 2 1/3 innings, giving up a hit, a WP and a walk; striking out 2.

Rusney Castillo went 2/3 with a double and a walk. Mike Miller went 2/4 with a SB. Carson Blair and Stefan Welch each went 1/3 with a walk. Heiker Meneses went 1/3 with a double and a SF. Sean Coyle, Keury de la Cruz and David Chester each went 1/4. Shannon Wilkerson went 0/4.
 

mabrowndog

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JBJ gets called up (Cuz was right, I was wrong) and Corey Brown takes over in CF. He's 2-for-3 with a solo HR that just cut the Chiefs lead to 5-4 in the t-6th.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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Major heart attack 3rd out in the ninth. Wilkerson made a nice grab on the centerfield track with two on.

Great, great night at Hadlock.
 

mabrowndog

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Bob Montgomery's Helmet Hat said:
And the PawSox take the lead in the 7th!
 
Comeback Cit-Tayyy.
 
Lavarnway & Swihart with the big hits.
 
Meanwhile Witte, Gragnani & Margot are Salem's last hopes in the t-9th down 5-0. Just 5 hits on the night for the club.
 

Cuzittt

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Salem's season ends with a 5-0 loss.

Boxscore

Cody Kukuk went 2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks; striking out 3. William Cuevas went 3 1/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on a hit and 2 walks; striking out 4. Nate Reed went 1 2/3 innings, giving up a hit and striking out one. Taylor Grover pitched an inning, striking out one.

Reed Gragnani, Jake Romanski, and Cole Sturgeon each went 1/3; Gragnani adding a walk. Jose Vinicio and Matty Johnson each went 1/4. Carlos Asuaje went 0/3 with a HBP. Jantzen Witte went 0/3 with a walk. Manuel Margot and Mario Martinez each went 0/4.
 

Cuzittt

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Pawsox move to their third consecutive Governor's Cup Championship Series, sweeping Syracuse 7-6.

Boxscore

Henry Owens went 4 innings, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits (1 HR) and 3 walks; striking out 6. Dalier Hinojosa went 2 innings, allowing a run on 2 hits and 2 walks; striking out 2. Jose Valdez went 1 2/3 innings, walking 2 and striking out one. Heath Hembree went 1 1/3 innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Bryce Brentz went 3/5 with a double. Travis Shaw went 2/4 with a double and a walk. Corey Brown went 2/5 with a HR. Blake Swihart went 1/3 with a walk. Ryan Lavarnway went 1/4 with a walk. Alex Hassan went 1/5 with a double. Deven Marrero went 0/3 with a walk. Garin Cecchini went 0/4 with a walk. Ryan Roberts went 0/5.
 

mabrowndog

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Hembree's in with 2 down in the 8th. Looks like 4-out save time for the sweep.
 
I really need to know how hard-hit the inning-ending line drive off Jose Valdez was in the b-7th. It went for a 4-3-6 DP after he'd walked a pair. Was it the equivalent of a slapshot toward an empty net hitting the post (i.e. Ryan Roberts' glove)?
 
EDIT - Phew. A single and a walk, but Heath gets the inning-ending grounder.
 
EDIT - As for the DP liner, I reached out to SP's James Dunne who's at the game:
 
James M. Dunne ‏@JamesMDunne 1m
@mabrowndog More of a cue shot than hard liner. Mostly lucky to catch Perez. Very slow getting back to 2nd.
 

JimD

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Owens had a rough night. He used his curveball to get out of a minor jam in the first and may have gotten squeezed in the second on what would have been strike three with only two runs in, but his command seemed off in general. His fastball was at 88-89 on the stadium gun. Lots of hard-hit balls and loud outs. Maybe fatigue is catching up?
 

Cesar Crespo

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A microscopic sample against younger competition, but good to see Rusney walking and not striking out much.

Also re: slow hooks. Isn't the experience worth something? It's still the minors.
 

judyb

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JBJ gets called up (Cuz was right, I was wrong) and Corey Brown takes over in CF. He's 2-for-3 with a solo HR that just cut the Chiefs lead to 5-4 in the t-6th.
Doesn't calling JBJ up when they did, having spent less than 20 days in the minors this season, mean he still has 2 option years left? If that's true, almost no matter what other reasons they had to not want to call him up, it just seems like it would have been a waste when they had such a simple way to avoid it.
 

Mighty Joe Young

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bosox79 said:
A microscopic sample against younger competition, but good to see Rusney walking and not striking out much.
Also re: slow hooks. Isn't the experience worth something? It's still the minors.
Hey .. They are also training the managers in the long Red Sox tradition of slow hooks. They haven't had one with a quick hook since Jimy Williams.
 

mabrowndog

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judyb said:
Doesn't calling JBJ up when they did, having spent less than 20 days in the minors this season, mean he still has 2 option years left? If that's true, almost no matter what other reasons they had to not want to call him up, it just seems like it would have been a waste when they had such a simple way to avoid it.
 
Good point on the 20-day rule, which I completely overlooked. Indeed, he doesn't burn an option this season. That's as good a reason as any to call him back up.