17 replies to this topic

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL: Pawtucket (Tony Pena) @ Louisville (Todd Redmond) [6:05pm]
EL: Portland (Drake Britton) @ New Hampshire (TBD) [7:05pm]
CL: Salem (Brandon Workman) vs. Wilmington (Matt Ridings) [6:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Luis Diaz) vs. Lexington (Mike Foltynewicz) [7:05pm]
NYPL: Lowell (Raynel Velette) @ Connecticut (Hua-Wei Lo) [7:05pm]
GCL GCL Sox @ GCL Twins [10:00am]
DSL DSL Sox vs. DSL Mets2 [10:00am]

Notes:

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

[jonasi]

Boxes and Logs

Team	Box	Log	Gameday
Pawtucket	Box	Log	Gameday
Portland	Box	Log	Gameday
Salem	Box	Log	Gameday
Greenville	Box	Log	Gameday
Lowell	Box	Log	Gameday
GCL	Box	Log	Gameday
DSL	Box	Log	Gameday

[Manzivino]

Britton with a nice rebound today: 7 innings, 1ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 8K including closing with 4 Ks in the 7th inning.

[Detts]

Britton with a nice rebound today: 7 innings, 1ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 8K including closing with 4 Ks in the 7th inning.

Can we finally stop the 'we need to convert Britton to a reliever' and 'we need to include him in the Garza trade' talk?

Please?

[Plympton91]

Can we finally stop the 'we need to convert Britton to a reliever' and 'we need to include him in the Garza trade' talk?

Please?

What do you think is the likelihood that Drake Britton ever throws a meaningful pitch for the Red Sox? You have a guy with one option remaining who is still showing considerable inconsistency in AA. Do you really think he's going to make the Red Sox roster for opening day 2014 and not ever get sent down?

Keep in mind, the following players are under the Red Sox control for 2014 and will also be out of options or locks to make the roster -- Lester, [I am an Idiot], Beckett, Lackey, Doubront, Bard, Melancon, Aceves, Bailey, Tazawa, and Wilson. That's 11; so Britton has to be the best option for the 12th spot, and that means the Red Sox let every other pitcher currently on the roster but not signed through 2014 or under arbitration control to leave the organization--Morales, Miller, Hill, Padilla, Atchison--while also making no free agent signings over that period to improve the rotation (moving Doubront to the 'pen).

[Jed Zeppelin]

He's a lefty with phenomenal stuff. Unless he goes in a package for a clear upgrade he is worth keeping around for now.

[JakeRae]

What do you think is the likelihood that Drake Britton ever throws a meaningful pitch for the Red Sox? You have a guy with one option remaining who is still showing considerable inconsistency in AA. Do you really think he's going to make the Red Sox roster for opening day 2014 and not ever get sent down?

Keep in mind, the following players are under the Red Sox control for 2014 and will also be out of options or locks to make the roster -- Lester, [I am an Idiot], Beckett, Lackey, Doubront, Bard, Melancon, Aceves, Bailey, Tazawa, and Wilson. That's 11; so Britton has to be the best option for the 12th spot, and that means the Red Sox let every other pitcher currently on the roster but not signed through 2014 or under arbitration control to leave the organization--Morales, Miller, Hill, Padilla, Atchison--while also making no free agent signings over that period to improve the rotation (moving Doubront to the 'pen).

Why are you using 2014? According to SoxProspects, Britton is in his first option year. That means he will not need to be on the MLB roster until 2015. It's way too early to be wondering about his ultimate ability to find a home in Boston.

[Buzzkill Pauley]

Why are you using 2014? According to SoxProspects, Britton is in his first option year. That means he will not need to be on the MLB roster until 2015. It's way too early to be wondering about his ultimate ability to find a home in Boston.

Yep -- it's Pimentel who's sorta up against the clock, not Britton.

Drake was just sorta up against the suck last year, as was Stolmy.

[StuckOnYouk]

Why is Travis Shaw still in Salem? Is Reynaldo Rodriguez really the reason? The dude is 26 years old already playing in AA. Enough. Give Shaw time at 1B in Portland now.

[Detts]

What do you think is the likelihood that Drake Britton ever throws a meaningful pitch for the Red Sox? You have a guy with one option remaining who is still showing considerable inconsistency in AA. Do you really think he's going to make the Red Sox roster for opening day 2014 and not ever get sent down?

Keep in mind, the following players are under the Red Sox control for 2014 and will also be out of options or locks to make the roster -- Lester, [I am an Idiot], Beckett, Lackey, Doubront, Bard, Melancon, Aceves, Bailey, Tazawa, and Wilson. That's 11; so Britton has to be the best option for the 12th spot, and that means the Red Sox let every other pitcher currently on the roster but not signed through 2014 or under arbitration control to leave the organization--Morales, Miller, Hill, Padilla, Atchison--while also making no free agent signings over that period to improve the rotation (moving Doubront to the 'pen).

As far as pure 'stuff', only Barnes beats him in the Sox minors IMHO. I apologize for not including the fact that the clock is not approaching midnight with him (as pointed out by Jake and BP) which was in my head when I made the post (along with my man love from seeing him pitch in 2010).

A lot of your list of pitchers is fungible and would not block him if he realizes his potential.

Give him time.

[Cuzittt]

DSL Sox lose 7-6.

Boxscore

Edwar Garcia went 4 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits (1 HR) and 2 walks; striking out one. Jervis Torrealba went 3 innings, allowing 2 runs on a hit, a HBP, a Balk and 2 walks; striking out 3. Carlos Garcia went an inning, allowing a run on 3 hits. German Taveras went 2/3rds of an inning, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits.

Andres Garcia went 2/4 with a double and a walk. Robert del Rosario went 2/4 with a double and a CS. Manuel Margot went 2/5 with a double. Kevin Segovia walked, was hit and had 2 sacrifices (officially 0/0). Roberto Duncan went 1/3 with a walk. Alixon Suarez went 0/3 with a walk. Anthony Amaya went 0/3 with a HBP. Aneudis Peralta went 0/4. Ricardo Andujar went 0/5.

[Cuzittt]

GCL Sox win 5-1.

Boxscore

Mario Alcantara went 5 innings, giving up 2 hits, 2 HBPs and 2 walks; striking out 3. Jonathan Aro went 3 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits (1 HR); striking out 3. Gerardo Olivares went an inning, giving up a hit and a walk; striking out 3.

Nick Moore went 2/3 with a walk and a SB. David Sopilka, Miguel Rodriguez and Deiner Lopez each went 2/4; Rodriguez with a double. Jeremias Pineda went 2/5 with a triple. Keaton Briscoe went 1/4 with a triple. Cleuluis Rondon went 1/5 with a SB. Jose Colorado and Kevin Mager each went 0/4.

[Cuzittt]

Lowell loses 5-4 in 13 innings.

Boxscore

Raynel Velette went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, 2 walks and a WP; striking out 4. Yunior Ortega went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and an intentional walk; striking out 3. Braden Kapteyn went 1 1/3 innings, allowing a run on 2 hits; striking out one.

Dreily Guerrero and David Chester each went 2/5 with a walk and a CS; Guerrero with a SB. Mike Miller and Mookie Betts each went 2/6. Matthew Marquis went 1/5 with a walk. Aneury Tavarez and Tim Roberson each went 1/6. Deven Marrero went 0/4 with 2 walks. Matthew Gedman went 0/4 with a walk.

[Cuzittt]

Drive lose 7-5.

Boxscore

Luis Diaz went 5 innings, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits, 2 HBPs and a walk; striking out 5. Kevin Brahney went 2 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits and a walk; striking out one. Justin Erasmus went 2 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits (1 HR); striking out one.

Blake Swihart and Jose Vinicio each went 2/4; Swihart with a triple. Keury de la Cruz went 1/4 with a walk and a SB. Henry Ramos and Drew Turocy each went 1/4. Garin Cecchini went 1/5. Bryan Johns went 0/3 with a walk and a HBP. Jordan Weems went 0/3 with a walk. David Renfroe went 0/4 with a HBP.

[Cuzittt]

Salem loses 7-4.

Boxscore

Brandon Workman went 6 2/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 10 hits; striking out 3. Michael Gleason went 2 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits (1 HR) and a HBP; striking out one.

Travis Shaw went 3/4 with a double, HR and walk. Sean Coyle went 3/4 with a double. Brandon Jacobs went 1/3 with a double and a walk. Xander Bogaerts went 1/3 with a double and a SF. Felix Sanchez went 1/3 with a walk. Carson Blair and Michael Almanzar each went 1/4. Heiker Meneses and Shannon Wilkerson each went 0/5.

[Cuzittt]

Seadogs win 9-1.

Boxscore

Drake Britton went 7 innings, allowing a run on 6 hits, 2 walks and a WP; striking out 8. Aaron Kurcz went 2 innings, walking one and striking out 2.

Marquez Smith went 4/5 with a double. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 3/5 with a double and a HR. Peter Hissey went 2/3 with a walk and a CS. Matt Spring went 1/3 with a HR and a walk. Derrik Gibson went 1/4. Jeremy Hazelbaker, Jackie Bradley and Bryce Brentz each went 1/5; Bradley with a double. Ryan Dent went 0/4.

[Cuzittt]

Pawsox lose 4-0.

Boxscore

Tony Pena went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits (1 HR); striking out 5. Mark Prior went 2 innings, giving up a hit and 2 walks; striking out one.

Lars Anderson went 3/4. Che-Hsuan Lin went 2/3. Jon Hee went 1/3. Andy LaRoche and Scott Podsednik each went 1/4; Podsednik with a double. Alex Hassan went 0/3 with a walk. Mauro Gomez, Ryan Lavarnway and Jose Iglesias each went 0/4.

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

PAWSOX

Game Story

Louisville scored all of its four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and Todd Redmond threw seven scoreless innings as the Bats blanked the Pawtucket Red Sox, 4-0, Saturday night at Louisville Slugger Field.
Pawtucket’s Tony Pena Jr. (1-8) was tagged with the loss, despite allowing only one hit over his first five innings of work.
The Bats got a three-run homer from shortstop Didi Gregorius to break the scoreless tie. Three batters later, Mike Costanzo lined a double to right-center field, scoring Henry Rodriguez (single).
Pawtucket managed eight hits. Lars Anderson had three and Che-Hsuan Lin had a pair.

SEADOGS

Game Story

Britton's teammates backed him with 14 hits -- Portland reached that number for the second straight night -- reeled off a couple of double plays in the first three innings and ran its winning streak to a season-high five with a 9-1 victory against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
"Our guys are playing better," said Manager Kevin Boles. "They're allowed to improve. This is the goal, try to finish strong. Our guys are upbeat. We have a resilient group of guys. It was tough. We played some below-average baseball early on in the year."
Now they're 9-2 since the Eastern League All-Star break.
Britton piled up half his strikeouts in his last inning, and allowed six hits and a single run to improve to 2-3. The first batter he struck out in the seventh reached on a passed ball. So he struck out three more.
"He struggled to get in the zone early, and he dialed it back a little and pitched to contact," said catcher Matt Spring. "They put the ball in play and our guys made good plays behind him."
Aaron Kurcz pitched two innings of hitless relief.
The Sea Dogs and Fisher Cats wrap this four-game set today and the Sea Dogs open a three-game homestand Monday night against Trenton.
Spring got the offense started with a three-run homer in the second.
"That created a little momentum for us," Boles said.
Third baseman Marquez Smith had four hits and first baseman Reynaldo Rodriguez contributed a two-run homer, a double and a single, and knocked in four total.
The Sea Dogs scored their runs in bunches: three in the first, fifth and seventh.

Huntzinger

At his urging, the Sea Dogs put Huntzinger in the bullpen, where his pitches might be more successful in short stints.
"He's had some struggles out of the gate," Sea Dogs pitching coach Bob Kipper said at the time, "but we like to think there are a number of good days ahead for Brock Huntzinger."
Good call.
When the Boston Red Sox recently announced their minor league awards for June, guess who was the pitcher of the month?
Huntzinger got the award for going 15 impressive innings in nine games, recording a 1.80 ERA with opponents batting .140 against him.
As a reliever, Huntzinger's ERA is 2.95.
"It's been a great turnaround," Portland Manager Kevin Boles said. "He commands down in the zone. When he misses, it's down in the zone. He really has taken to this role, turned into a quality reliever."
Huntzinger, who turned 24 this month, said it took a while to adjust to relieving.
"It was a process, getting into a routine and knowing my body," he said. "Now my arm is bouncing back. I'm feeling pretty good every time I get the call."
Huntzinger was a third-round draft pick in 2007 out of Pendleton Heights High in Indiana. Once a kid, he's now a veteran who will become a minor league free agent after the 2013 season unless Boston puts him on its 40-man roster by then.
"Everyone is on a clock," Huntzinger said. "I didn't feel like my time was running out. I felt confident that I could pitch at this level and beyond. Going to the bullpen, I've been able to establish myself more."

SALEM

Game Story

INNING EXTENDERS: Wilmington strung together four straight two-out hits in the pivotal seventh inning to spoil a strong effort from Brandon Workman, and the Blue Rocks rallied past Salem 7-4 in front of 3,616 on Saturday at Salem Memorial Ballpark.
'BAD LUCK': Workman, Salem's wins leader this season with seven, cruised into the seventh inning with a 2-1 lead and swiftly recorded the first two outs in the frame. But Juan Graterol, Geulin Beltre, Whit Merrifield and Orlando Calixte all followed with singles to give the Blue Rocks a 4-2 lead and chase the right-hander.
"I think it was a function of just bad luck for him," said Sox manager Billy McMillon, adding that Workman's pitch count was well within the acceptable range. "I was thinking entering that inning that maybe he even had a chance to go out for the [eighth] inning. ... That last inning just didn't go the way anyone planned on our side."
SHAW STAYS SHARP: A night after managing just five hits, the Sox churned out 11. First baseman Travis Shaw led the way, going 3 for 4 with a walk and connecting for his team-leading 16th homer.
Shaw's .320 average paces active players in the Carolina League.
"He's the ultimate professional," McMillon said. "He works the right way. He has an idea of what he can't do and what he can do. He gives very competitive at-bats. His power has started to come around the last month and a half, two months, and that's really good to see for a guy his size. He's making a claim - if [an opportunity] could become available - that he could play in Double-A."
SIGNS OF LIFE: Sox DH Sean Coyle went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, continuing to rebound from a dismal May in which he batted .182. Coyle is hitting .316 since the all-star break.

DRIVE

Game Story

It took three tries, but Greenville and Lexington finally played a nine-inning game.
Unfortunately for Greenville, the nine frames resulted in a second straight loss for the Drive, a 7-5 decision in front of 5,923 at Fluor Field Saturday night.
After 15 innings Thursday and seven Friday, this normal game turned on one big inning for Lexington (52-46, 13-16).
Three triples and two doubles were among the six hits Drive starter Luis Diaz (2-6) surrendered in the second inning. Those hits produced five runs for the Legends. Greer resident Jordan Scott singled in one of those runs.
Diaz gave up no hits or runs in his other four innings.
“He turned a bad outing into an okay outing,” Drive manager Carlos Febles said of Diaz. “It could have been worse. He could have just broke down in that situation, but he didn’t. I call it a development outing.”
Febles said Diaz recovering with three strong innings gave Greenville a shot at coming back. “That’s what we tell the pitchers. Just keep us in the game.”
The Drive (46-52, 12-16) rebounded with three runs in the third. The rally began with a close 3-2 pitch to Jordan Weems that went for a walk. Weems advanced to third on a bad pickoff throw and a wild pitch. Jose Vinicio brought him in with an infield single. After a walk to Bryan Johns, Keury De la Cruz singled to score Vinicio. Johns came in on David Renfroe’s ground out.
Blake Swihart tripled to right field to start the Greenville fourth. Weems brought him in with a ground out to second, trimming the Lexington lead to 5-4.
Swihart, a catcher, now has four triples. His speed and base-running abilities have helped him get those extra bases.
“That’s something they preach a lot,” he said. “We practice it almost every day in spring training. A good angle really helps. Getting the wide turn and good pushes off the bag.”

SPINNERS

Game Story

Connecticut scored a run in the bottom of the 13th inning as the Tigers outlasted the Spinners 5-4 Saturday night in a game Lowell was one out away from winning in the ninth.
The Spinners took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Mike Miller smacked a leadoff single. moved to third on two walks and scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch.
Lowell added an unearned run in the second on a throwing error to take a 2-0 lead, but also left six runners aboard and had a runner thrown out at the plate in the first three innings.
Connecticut tied the game 2-2 in the fourth, and trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth the Tigers scored a pair of two-out runs to force extra innings.
The Spinners had re-gained the lead, 4-2, with a pair of runs in the seventh on a single by Drelly Guerrero, a walk to Deven Marrero, a wild pitch and a two-run line drive single to left by David Chester
Yunior Ortega pitched five strong innings of five-hit relief for Lowell, while starter Raynel Velette allowed just 3 hits and one earned run in the first six innings.