4/10 MiLB Gameday: Portland and Greenville open at Home

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Rubby de la Rosa) @ Buffalo (JA Happ) [6:05pm]
EL: Portland (Keith Couch) vs New Britain (DJ Baxendale) [6:05pm]
CL:Salem (Luis Diaz) vs. Winston-Salem (Brad Goldberg) [7:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Jamie Callahan) vs. Kannapolis (Robinson Leyer) [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:

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

 

[Cuzittt]

Opening Day at Hadlock
 
 

After a week on the road, the Portland Sea Dogs will put on the home whites Thursday, starting a seven-game homestand. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 5:50 p.m., with the game starting at 6:20 p.m.

“I am very excited,” said Sea Dogs General Manager Geoff Iacuessa.

That’s what you would expect a general manager to say on the eve of the home opener. But Iacuessa is especially delighted with the new toys at Hadlock – two new video boards.

The large screen, 17 feet by 53 feet, replaced a message board in left-center field, while a 9-foot-by-18½-foot board replaced a board in right field that was larger but 10 years old.

Among the features planned for the big board is the return of highlights from Boston Red Sox games – a feature that hasn’t been seen in Hadlock in the past two years.

The smaller board will be a baseball fan’s delight. It will show, among other things, the pitcher’s statistics, the pitch count, and the type of pitch he’s thrown – a feature similar to one at Fenway Park.

“I’m especially partial to the pitch-count board,” Iacuessa said. “It’s for the true baseball fan.”

Eventually, the Sea Dogs plan to run replays from their own games on the big board, now that all Sea Dogs home games can be seen online, for a fee at www.milb.com.

Iacuessa is hoping that the video boards, various promotions, a more favorable schedule and, perhaps, a winning team will help attract more fans.

Portland ranked fifth in attendance in the 12-team Eastern League last year, but the Sea Dogs’ average home crowd of 5,129 was the lowest in their 20-year history.

Two problems: miserable weather that postponed games or discouraged fans, and an abundance of home games (31) in April and May, when crowds are the smallest. This year’s schedule includes 28 home games in the first two months.

After last season, Iacuessa promised that his staff would market its product more – and the team opted to keep its ticket prices the same as last year’s.

As of Wednesday, Iacuessa said, preseason ticket sales were 24 percent higher than last year’s, although he would not release the number of tickets sold so far. About 1,800 tickets remain for Thursday’s opener.

This year’s team has many of the players – and the manager – who won a minor league championship last year with the advanced Class A Salem Red Sox. Manager Billy McMillon has replaced Kevin Boles, who was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket.

McMillon, 42, becomes the first Portland manager to have played for the Sea Dogs, in 1995, when Portland was a Florida Marlins affiliate.

Opening Day at Fluor Field
 
 

Like Clary, Steve DeSalvo came to Greenville, fell in love with the place and made plans to never leave. He served as general manager for the G-Braves from 1987 to 2004, witnessing two of his teams claim league titles, including the 1992 squad that won 100 games.

“That team was in first place all season, and that’s what we put on their rings – wire to wire,” DeSalvo said. “We were supposed to win it that year and we did.”

That team, led by manager Grady Little, included Chipper Jones, Javy Lopez, Melvin Nieves and 18 others who would reach the majors.

“We had great camaraderie and an unbelievable team,” Jones said during a recent visit to Greenville. “If you think about all the people on that team, the Braves got a lot of big-league time out of some of those guys.”

Although Greenville and the Braves seemed a match made in baseball heaven, it came to an end in 2003 when the Braves and the city of Greenville hit an impasse in new stadium negotiations.

It was announced before the 2004 season that it would be the franchise’s last in Greenville.

“At the end of the day, I never would’ve believed the Braves would leave or that the city of Greenville would let them,” DeSalvo said.

At season’s end the G-Braves headed for Pearl, Miss. The Capital City Bombers left Columbia for Greenville and played the 2005 season at Municipal Stadium while Fluor Field was being built downtown.

That ushered in a new era of Red Sox-affiliated baseball, and while many local fans remain loyal to the Braves, there’s no question that the Drive – Greenville's latest entry in the Class A South Atlantic League – is carving a new niche in the city’s baseball history.

Fluor Field, which is modeled after Fenway Park, was named “Ballpark of the Year” in 2006, and the team has attracted more than 325,000 fans in each of its eight seasons.

“There’s always a honeymoon period, but for us to sustain that over the years has been great and is something we’re very proud of,” Drive General Manager Eric Jarinko said. “The support here has been tremendous, but it’s no surprise given the history of baseball here. I have enjoyed looking at Greenville’s history, in the textile leagues and with players like Shoeless Joe and Lou Brissie and Joe Anders and all those guys, but then others who were here later like Nolan Ryan and Tommy Lasorda. It’s unbelievable how many people have ties to this area when it comes to baseball.”

 

[Cuzittt]

Pawsox win 7-4.

Boxscore

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

Brock Holt went 3/5. Alex Hassan went 2/4 with a walk. Bryce Brentz went 2/5 with a HR. Brandon Snyder went 1/3 with a HR and 2 walks. Ryan Lavarnway and Dan Butler each went 1/4 with a double and a walk. Garin Cecchini went 1/5. Mike McCoy went 0/3 with a HBP. Heiker Meneses went 0/4.

 

[LeftyTG]

Jamie Callahan goes 5IP with 11K/1BB (along with 5H and 2ER).
He's certainly a guy to keep an eye on, as he was 17 when he signed and is younger than the typical HS pitcher.

 

[Cuzittt]

Seadogs win 6-4.

Boxscore

Keith Couch went 5 2/3 innings, allowing an unearned run on 5 hits, a HBP and a walk; striking out 5. Michael Olmsted went 1 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out one. Noe Ramirez went 1 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 WPs; striking out one. Jose Valdez picked up the final out.

Carlos Rivero went 3/4 with a double. Sean Coyle and Mookie Betts each went 2/4; Betts with a triple. Shannon Wilkerson, Stefan Welch and Matt Spring each went 1/4; Spring with a double. Travis Shaw went 0/3 with a walk. Derrik Gibson went 0/3. Peter Hissey went 0/4.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Jamie Callahan goes 5IP with 11K/1BB (along with 5H and 2ER).
He's certainly a guy to keep an eye on, as he was 17 when he signed and is younger than the typical HS pitcher.

He's young(19) but not that young.

 

[LeftyTG]

He's young(19) but not that young.

I know.  I phrased my initial post poorly, my fault.
 
I meant that Callahan came into the system, as a high school draftee, younger than a typical high school draftee.  He was only 17 at the time he entered the system.  The hope is that he has even more room to grow.  He came into the system throwing 90-92.  Last year in Lowell he drifted a bit higher.  This year, from what I read about his spring training, he can get up to 95-96.  If he can sustain this higher velocity, he becomes a very interesting sleeper prospect.  Striking out 11 guys in 5 innings bodes well.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem score 3 in bottom of 7th, win 9-8.

Boxscore

Luis Diaz went 3 1/3 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs on 3 hits and 3 walks; striking out 3. Kyle Kraus went 2 2/3 innings, allowing 6 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits, 2 walks and a WP; striking out one. Madison Younginer went 3 innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 3.

Matty Johnson went 4/5 with a SB. Ryan Dent went 2/3 with a SF and a SB. Matt Gedman went 2/5 before being replaced by Dreily Guerrero who was caught stealing. David Chester went 1/3 with 2 walks. Kevin Heller went 1/3 with a HBP and a SB. Mario Martinez went 1/4 with a double and a HBP. Aaron King and Jayson Hernandez each went 1/4. Jonathan Roof went 0/4 with a walk.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive score 3 in the 8th to tie... win in the 10th, 7-6.

Boxscore

Jamie Callahan went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk; striking out 11. Sergio Gomez went 4 innings, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits and a walk; striking out 5. Raynel Velette pitched a perfect 10th.

Bo Greenwell and Jake Romanski each went 2/5; Greenwell with a SF. Jesus Loya went 1/3 before being replaced by Kevin Mager who went 1/2 with a double. Carlos Asuaje went 1/3 with a double and a walk before being replaced by Jimmy Rider who went 0/1. Wendell Rijo and Tim Roberson each went 1/4 with a walk (Jantzen Witte pinch ran for Roberson and was caught stealing). Tzu-Wei Lin went 1/4 with a SF. Jordan Weems went 0/2 with 2 walks and a HBP. Manuel Margot went 0/3 with 2 walks.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

I know.  I phrased my initial post poorly, my fault.
 
I meant that Callahan came into the system, as a high school draftee, younger than a typical high school draftee.  He was only 17 at the time he entered the system.  The hope is that he has even more room to grow.  He came into the system throwing 90-92.  Last year in Lowell he drifted a bit higher.  This year, from what I read about his spring training, he can get up to 95-96.  If he can sustain this higher velocity, he becomes a very interesting sleeper prospect.  Striking out 11 guys in 5 innings bodes well.

That makes sense

 

[Infield Infidel]

Pawsox win 7-4.

Boxscore

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

Brock Holt went 3/5. Alex Hassan went 2/4 with a walk. Bryce Brentz went 2/5 with a HR. Brandon Snyder went 1/3 with a HR and 2 walks. Ryan Lavarnway and Dan Butler each went 1/4 with a double and a walk. Garin Cecchini went 1/5. Mike McCoy went 0/3 with a HBP. Heiker Meneses went 0/4.

 
I went to the game tonight. It was pretty cold and very windy. There were tens of people there
 
Rubby looked good, nice pop on the FB. The balk was weird, he was starting his motion and the wind got to him. Snyder's homer was a bomb to deep center, just to the bottom of the scoreboard. Brentz's homer was also a no doubter, but not as impressive as Snyder's. 

 

[Cuzittt]

It's a good day when you get a minor league sweep.

 

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

PAWSOX

Game Story

Pawtucket rallied for five two-out runs in the top of the seventh to break open a 1-1 game and beat the Buffalo Bisons, 7-4, on a windy Thursday night.

Rubby De La Rosa tossed 5 2/3 dominant innings (2 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts) in his second consecutive impressive start, retiring the final 12 batters he faced. De La Rosa combined with reliever Chris Resop during one stretch to retire 17 consecutive Bisons hitters between the second and eighth innings.

Pawtucket (5-3) got solo home runs from Brandon Snyder in the fourth and Bryce Brentz in the ninth.

With two outs and two on base in the seventh, Alex Hassan opened the scoring with a bloop RBI single against reliever Marcus Walden (0-1).

Walden then walked Ryan Lavarnway to load the bases and was replaced by righty John Stilson, who walked Snyder to force in the second run of the inning, and then allowed an infield RBI single to Brentz to make it 4-1.

Garin Cecchini capped the rally by grounding the first pitch he saw into left field for a two-run single that increased the margin to 6-1. After Resop allowed three runs to Buffalo in the eighth, Brentz provided some insurance with a solo shot in the ninth against reliever Richard Bleier.

SEADOGS

Game Story

Betts, the dynamic leadoff hitter for the Portland Sea Dogs, motored around the bases while New Britain center fielder Corey Wimberly couldn’t get under Betts’ deep, wind-blown fly ball.

Betts slid into third but when the relay throw got by, Betts raced home.

The triple-plus-error added insurance in the seventh inning Thursday night as the Sea Dogs enjoyed a 6-4 home-opening win over the New Britain Rock Cats at Hadlock Field.

The game began in 47 degrees with a 20 mph wind.

“It was really cold,” said Betts, a Tennessee native.

Cold. Windy. No problem for Keith Couch. The Sea Dogs’ starter grew up on Long Island, N.Y.

“I’m used to it,” he said.

Couch cruised through 52/3 innings, allowing five hits and one unearned run. He struck out five and walked one. Couch established his fastball, and then came with his slider and change-up.

Couch may not attract the publicity showered on No. 1 pitcher Henry Owens, but is 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA.

“I’m following the big guy (Owens),” Couch said. “He sets the tone and I’m after him.”

A throwing error by third baseman Sean Coyle led to a 1-0 New Britain lead in the first.

But Portland went ahead for good with two in the second and kept building from there.

Carlos Rivero, a free agent utility player, went 3 for 4 with a double, two RBI and a run. Coyle singled twice and had an RBI. Matt Spring doubled in a run.

And Betts went 2 for 4, boosting his outrageous early average to .464.

“I still have a long way to go,” Betts said.

Manager Billy McMillon, who had Betts last year in Class A Salem, likes what he sees.

“He gives us good at-bats and a lot of energy. He’s a spark,” McMillon said. “You don’t see that intensity and attitude in a lot of guys, and it’s fun to watch.”

Tales from Opening Day

Bundled up in her brother’s heavy construction jacket, a pink fleece bomber-style cap over her Sea Dogs baseball hat and with a Sea Dogs fleece blanket spread over her legs, Brown grinned behind dark sunglasses as she sat in the first seat in Section 208, just behind the concourse.

“I’ve been waiting for a long time for this to get here,” she said. “It’s been a long, long winter.”

A season-ticket holder from Westbrook, the 42-year-old Brown arrived at Hadlock Field at 4:30 Thursday afternoon, 30 minutes after gates opened on the 2014 home season. The brim of her hat was covered in autographs, but she said she wouldn’t be adding any more until later in the season.

She said her seat also affords her good foul ball opportunities, situated as it is between the third-base dugout and home plate.

“I caught a few last year,” she said. “They hurt my hand, but I was all right.”

There may have been more tan than green in the Hadlock grass, and the temperature of 49 degrees and dropping, with wind gusts up to 22 mph, but all was right with Brown’s world.

“I’m glad winter’s over,” she said.

___________________

Charlie Eshbach, the Sea Dogs president and former general manager, has been attending Opening Days for 41 years, ever since he joined the front office of the Bristol (Conn.) Red Sox in 1975 out of the University of Connecticut.

In his 11 years as president of the Eastern League – before joining the Sea Dogs in the fall of 1992 – Eshbach often attended three or four home openers each season.

On Thursday, he sat behind the sliding glass doors of the Sea Dogs skybox in front of a plate bearing two hot dogs (mustard only), potato chips and bottled water.

“By the end of April, I’m tired of them,” Eshbach said of the lowercase dogs. “So I’ve got to eat them now.”

Notebook

“Without him there would be no Sea Dogs,” said the team president, Charlie Eshbach.

Troubh died last November at 78. His memory was honored Thursday before the Sea Dogs’ home-opening game against the New Britain Rock Cats. (New Britain, by the way, is where the Bristol team moved to, and eventually switched affiliates from the Red Sox to Twins).

In addition to his years of service as a city councilman and mayor, Troubh also served as president of the Eastern League for six years. In recent years he worked as legal counsel for the team. He was inducted into the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame in 2010.

The Sea Dogs said the skybox Troubh used will be named after him. The “Troubh Box” was previously named after former Red Sox player Rico Petrocelli. The box features a Sea Dogs jersey with Troubh’s name, as well as a plaque listing his contributions to the team.

The only other skybox not named after a former Red Sox player is the Ganley Box, named after the late Bob Ganley, the Portland city manager who also helped land the Sea Dogs in Portland.

The team also announced the creation of the William Troubh Community Service Award, which will be given annually to a citizen “making a positive impact within the city of Portland.” Starting in 2015, the award winner will be recognized at a Sea Dogs game.

Troubh’s grandchildren threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Thursday’s game.

PORTLAND’S LINEUP was missing some of its top prospects Thursday. Catcher Blake Swihart and shortstop Deven Marrero were getting scheduled days off, according to Manager Billy McMillon.

Swihart is batting .368 with a .926 OPS. Marrero has hit safely in the five games he’s played and has a .318 average. Marrero missed time in spring training with a sore hamstring muscle but said he feels fine now.

Nate Reed

Reed went about his pregame routine too quietly. Wasn’t this a pinch-me moment? No, he said. It was more important to keep his emotions under control.

He’s a 26-year-old left-handed relief pitcher who didn’t have a job in baseball two years ago. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 40th round in 2010, he was the longest of long shots to reach the big leagues. He had a 13-17 record after stops in the Rookie League, and the Midwest and California leagues.

His gaudiest career stat was 201 strikeouts in 220 innings. He had struck out 104 in 50 innings one year for his high school team in Reading, Pa. That got the attention of the University of Pittsburgh and off he went to a Division I program.

The Mariners released Reed after the 2011 minor league season. He got a job back home, working in a law firm with about 20 lawyers, doing mostly clerical duties. It wasn’t too exciting for the administration of justice major. The firm mainly represented school districts or municipalities. It might have been important work, but it was very dry.

Reed joined a local men’s baseball league. “That’s when I realized how much I missed the game. I could still pitch.”

In 2013 he tried out for the Lancaster (Pa.) Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League and won a job. “I thought I was pitching well. Then I heard some (major league) scouts were looking at me.”

He had kept his day job with the law firm. “I told the office manager things might change. She understood.”

He signed as a minor league free agent with the Boston Red Sox. He pitched briefly in Mexico for Naranjeros de Hermosilla in front of 18,000 fans. “It was like our Triple-A baseball. The games were televised. The fans would recognize you and ask for your autograph.”

Reed’s face started to relax. A small grin appeared. He’s thankful he has a second chance to push his career as far as he can. Pitching for the Sea Dogs is a step. He has to justify the Red Sox’s interest in him.

Elsewhere in the clubhouse, teammates reached for the cupcakes, doughnuts and other goodies baked by fans. A line of media formed to talk with Henry Owens, the left-handed pitching phenom who threw the six-inning no-hitter to open the season. After two starts he still hasn’t allowed an earned run.

Reed’s earned-run average is 10.80. In two relief appearances he’s lost one game and held the lead in a second. He tried to treat the season-opening series at Reading against the Fightin’ Phils as just another three games. But he grew up in nearby Temple and went to Oley Valley High in Reading. Maybe 20 members of his family and friends were in the ballpark for the third game, when temperatures warmed.

SALEM

Game Story

BIRTHDAY BASH: Matty Johnson turned 26 on Thursday. While he didn’t get a cake or presents from teammates in the Salem Red Sox clubhouse, he still felt blessed.

“They gave me a win,” he said with a smile, “so I’m happy.”

Johnson had plenty to do with the result, going 4 for 5 and hitting a go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to lead the Sox to a 9-8 victory over Winston-Salem in front of 2,308 at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

FINDING A GROOVE: Johnson is one of the veterans on this Salem club, having played here for much of the past two seasons while also spending time at Lowell, Portland and Pawtucket. A speedy contact hitter, he’s started every game so far as the Sox have gotten off to a 6-1 start.

“It’s always good to play every day,” said Johnson, who was signed by Boston out of the independent Frontier League in 2010. “I was in and out of the lineup a lot last year. I’ve been in there the whole season so far, so it’s given me a chance to get comfortable and get my confidence up at the plate.”

ADVANCED SCOUTING: Johnson already had three hits, a stolen base, an RBI and a run scored when he stepped to the plate with runners on second and third and two outs in the seventh. Dash pitcher Zach Isler was trying to protect an 8-7 lead.

“I was watching him on deck and I saw that he had a lot of good secondary pitches,” Johnson said. “I was using the person’s at-bat in front of me to help me with mine. I wanted to see if I could get a fastball and hit it.”

He got one and did, lining it into right to plate Aaron King and Jayson Hernadez for the tying and go-ahead runs.

DRIVE

Game Story

It couldn't get much better for the Greenville Drive Thursday night – a large crowd, good weather and a come-from-behind, extra-inning win.

Bo Greenwell, in his first game with the Drive, drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as Greenville beat Kannapolis 7-6 in the first of four games with the Intimidators.

The home opener proved to be a big night in the stands, too, as the team welcomed 6,402 fans to Fluor Field. That's the largest-ever home opening day crowd for the Drive, according to general manager Eric Jarinko.

Greenville started its rally in the eighth against one-time Drive pitcher Dylan Chavez, who loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter.

An error at second on Kevin Mager's grounder brought in Manuel Margot. Greenwell's sacrifice fly scored Jordan Weems, and Tzu-Wei Lin drove in Wendell Rijo with a sacrifice fly to tie the game 6-6.

In the 10th, Rijo singled with two out and moved to third on Mager's double to left. Greenwell then laced his single that just cleared the glove of Kannapolis center fielder Adam Engel.

"Just square something up," Greenwell said of his approach at the plate in the 10th. "Actually, I squared it up that at bat before against him. I was looking for that fastball."

Greenwell found out Wednesday night that he would come to Greenville from Boston's AA team in Portland, Maine.

"Been up since 4:30," he said. "Got three hours sleep last night, but that's part of it. You learn to deal with it."

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

DRIVE

Bo Greenwell, in his first game with the Drive, drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as Greenville beat Kannapolis 7-6 in the first of four games with the Intimidators 

 More than a passing resemblance . . . . I just hope they don't call Bo what they called his Dad.