6/7 MiLB Gameday: Draft - Day 3

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Matt Barnes) vs. Louisville (Jair Jurrjens) [6:05pm]
EL: Portland (Miguel Pena) vs. Bowie (Jake Pettit) [6:05pm]
CL:Salem (Pat Light) @ Lynchburg (Lucas Sims) [6:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Daniel McGrath/Joe Gunkel) @ Rome (Matt Marksberry/Steve Janas) [5:05pm]
NYPL: Lowell - Opening Day - June 13th vs. Vermont
GCL: GCL Sox - Opening Day - June 20th vs GCL Twins
DSL: DSL Sox @ DSL Orioles 2 [10:30 am]

Notes:

Henry Ramos had an MRI this week revealing a stress fracture in his left tibia (after fouling a pitch off his leg May 28th). Out at least a month.

The Main Draft Thread is on the Main Board: Linky Goodness

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]

Pawsox win 7-2.

Boxscore

Matt Barnes went 6 2/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits; striking out 3. Alex Wilson got the final out of the 7th, giving up a hit and a walk. Tommy Layne went 2 innings, giving up a hit and 2 WPs; striking out 2.

Carlos Rivero went 3/4 with a triple. Travis Shaw went 2/3 with a walk. Christian Vazquez went 2/4. Dan Butler went 1/3 with a walk. Justin Henry went 1/4. Garin Cecchini went 0/2 with a walk, HBP and SB. Mookie Betts went 0/3 with a walk. Corey Brown and Shannon Wilkerson each went 0/4; Brown with a CS.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive lose game 1, 7-4.

Boxscore

Daniel McGrath went 4 1/3 innings, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits, 4 walks and 2 WPs; striking out 4. Mario Alcantara went 1 2/3 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits and a walk.

Carlos Asuaje went 2/3 with 2 HRs and a walk. Wendell Rijo and Jimmy Rider each went 2/4 with a double. Kendrick Perkins went 2/4. Aneudis Peralta went 1/3. Tzu-Wei Lin went 1/4. Jordan Weems went 0/1 with a walk and a SF. Jantzen Witte went 0/3 with a walk. Forrestt Allday went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Seadogs lose 8-7.

Boxscore

Miguel Pena went 5 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and 4 walks; striking out 2. Matty Ott went an inning, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and a walk. Noe Ramirez went 2 2/3 innings, giving up a hit and a walk; striking out 4.

Michael Brenly went 3/4 with 2 doubles, a triple and a SB. Derrik Gibson went 3/5 with a double. Jonathan Roof went 2/4 with a CS. Blake Swihart went 1/4 with a triple. Sean Coyle went 1/4. Deven Marrero went 0/3 with a walk and a PO/CS. Stefan Welch went 0/3 with a SF. Bo Greenwell went 0/3 with a HBP. Keury de la Cruz went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem wins 7-6.

Boxscore

Pat Light went 5 innings, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits and a walk; striking out 3. Kyle Martin went 3 2/3 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits and a HBP; striking out 3. Dayan Diaz picked up the final out, giving up a hit.

Carson Blair went 3/4 with a double and a walk. Aneury Tavarez went 3/5 with 2 doubles. Mario Martinez went 2/4 with a double and a SF. Kevin Heller went 1/3 with a walk and a HBP. Matty Johnson went 1/3 with 2 walks, a SB and a CS. Mike Miller went 1/4 with a double and a walk. Ryan Dent and Tim Roberson each went 0/4 with a walk; Dent with a SB. Dreily Guerrero went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive win 5-3.

Boxscore

Myles Smith went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, 3 walks and a WP; striking out one. Pete Ruiz went 2 innings, striking out 2.

Kendrick Perkins went 3/4 with a HR. Forrestt Allday, Manuel Margot and Carlos Coste each went 2/4; Margot and Allday each with a SB, Allday also adding a sacrifice. Tzu-Wei Lin went 1/3 with a double, SF and SB. Jantzen Witte and Carlos Asuaje each went 1/4; Asuaje with a CS. Jimmy Rider went 0/2 with a walk and a HBP. Jake Romanski went 0/3 with a walk.

 

[Cuzittt]

Communication from the Dominican are... weak.

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

Communication from the Dominican are... weak.

 
2 more hits for Devers including a triple.  Fap fap fap...
 
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_06_07_drsrok_dbarok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb

 

[Cuzittt]

DSL Sox lose 3-1.

Boxscore

Jhonathan Diaz went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 2 WPs; striking out 4. Samir El Halaby went 2 innings and gave up 2 hits. Shair Lacrus went an inning and gave up a hit.

Rafael Devers went 2/4 with a triple. Roldani Baldwin went 1/4. Luis Yovera went 0/2 with a walk. Luis Alexander Basabe went 0/3 with a walk. Luis Benoit went 0/2 after replacing Carlos Tovar who went 0/1. Fabian Nieva, Rafael Toribio and Raiwinson Lameda each went 0/3. Juan Hernandez went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

STORIES

PAWSOX

Mookie

Mookie Betts speaks as if the learning curve exists, as if the statistics that counter his claim that no, there actually is an adjustment, are simply coincidence. He speaks as if all this success is new or at least unexpected, as if it hasn’t been going on for more than a calendar year now.

Mookie Betts speaks as if he is not Mookie Betts.

Betts made his McCoy Stadium debut on Saturday on Star Wars Night, and indeed, the force appears strong in this one.

Entering Saturday, Betts was already 6-for-18 in Triple A with a home run before going 0 for 3 last night.

Betts was promoted after barely 250 plate appearances in Double A, with general manager Ben Cherington admitting the 21-year-old probably needed more of a challenge.

“At some point, we have an obligation to challenge our young players when they are performing at a level where it’s not certain that they’re being challenged,” Cherington said last week, when Betts was officially promoted. “You look at his performance over the course of the season to date, and he’s really excelled in every area of the game. That’s been going on.”

To hear Betts talk about it, he certainly has found a challenge in Triple A — two, in fact. First, there’s the continued transition from playing second base full-time to now receiving much of his playing time in center field.

You could see that on Saturday. Betts plays center very much like a teenager driving with his learner's permit: he gets from point A to point B, but there are moments of trepidation along the way. He made a pair of nice plays — one in left-center, one over his head straightaway — without appearing completely comfortable in the chase. He'll get there; it's just going to take practice.

Betts’ start in center Saturday was his third in five nights with the PawSox. It’s the 15th time he’s played there this season, with all 15 taking place in his last 24 games.

Betts’ athleticism has eased that transition; “he glides out there,” manager Kevin Boles said. That athleticism can help compensate for a lackluster read off the bat and, in Betts’ words, “as far as going to catch it, that’s all the same.” That doesn’t mean he’s not taking the fundamentals of a new position seriously, things like learning how to get better-than-lackluster reads and realizing that he has to be somewhere all the time, even on the routine plays.

In that regard, playing between Shannon Wilkerson and Corey Brown helps. Wilkerson manned center field for most of the time Betts was in Portland, so the two have a preexisting relationship. Brown has played center in the majors, so he has considerable experience at the position.

“You can go ask those guys anything; they’ve been there and done that,” said Betts. “Even though I may be wrong, they’ll take care of me and make sure I get it right next time.”

“They communicate; that’s the biggest thing,” Boles said. “As long as you’re communicating, you eliminate a lot of the gray area out there — just being aware of what your surroundings are and what the corner personnel are doing. We’ve seen that.”

Game Story

Pawtucket shortstop Carlos Rivero drove home five runs and starter Matt Barnes pitched 6.2 strong innings as the PawSox opened an eight-game homestand with a 7-2 victory over the Louisville Bats in front of a season-high crowd of 10,793 fans on Saturday night at McCoy Stadium.

Pawtucket (31-33) has won consecutive games for the first time since May 11th and 12th when the team took the final two games of a series at Louisville. Rivero hit RBI singles in the second and eighth innings while also delivering a three-run triple during a four-run rally in the third.

Barnes (2-4) allowed two runs and seven hits in earning his first victory since April 25th. The right-hander struck out three and did not walk a batter. Tommy Layne pitched the final two innings without allowing a run and earned his first save of the season.

Rivero's first RBI single came against Louisville starter Jair Jurrjens (1-1) to open the scoring. Then in the third, Jurrjens loaded the bases with one out on a walk and two singles. Dan Butler lined an RBI hit to left to double the Pawtucket lead and leave the bags packed for Rivero.

The utilityman followed with an opposite field liner into the right-field corner that scored all three baserunners and made the score 5-0. Jurrjens was charged with five runs on six hits in six innings of work.

Louisville's Argenis Diaz collected a pair of two-out RBI hits against Barnes to plate each of the Bats runs. Justin Henry's double play grounder capped a two-run rally in the eighth inning to provide the final margin.

SEADOGS

Game Story

Portland’s pitching could not hold on as the Bowie Baysox rallied for an 8-7 win before 6,924 at Hadlock Field.

Reliever Matty Ott (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs in the seventh inning, recording one out.

The Sea Dogs dropped to 40-22, while Bowie is 32-29.

Brenly, one of the team’s back-up catchers, also had two doubles. His second-inning triple scored two runs for a 3-2 lead.

Swihart, serving as the designated hitter, seemed to give the Sea Dogs plenty of insurance in the fifth with a three-run triple to left-center. He is tied for the team lead with three triples.

Portland starter Mickey Pena got another no-decision, his ninth, despite a four-hit effort over 51/3 innings.

Pena, 23, a sixth-round draft pick in 2011, gave up four runs, three earned.

With Portland ahead 7-2 in the sixth, Pena seemed to tire, allowing a single and three walks for a run. Ott relieved and gave up an infield single, making it 7-4.

The Baysox jumped on Ott for four runs in the seventh.

Portland put runners on first and third with one out in the seventh, but Swihart grounded into a double play.

The Sea Dogs went down 1-2-3 in the eighth.

Brenly hit a one-out double in the ninth. Bo Greenwell grounded out, sending Brenly to third. But Derrik Gibson then flied to center to end the game. Steve Hensley recorded his second save. Reliever Anthony Vazquez (1-4) got his first win.

Henry Owens

The Boston Red Sox are starting to raid the Portland Sea Dogs’ roster. Travis Shaw and Mookie Betts received their expected promotions to Pawtucket. Outfielder Shannon Wilkerson also got moved up and is excelling.

But what will the Red Sox do with Henry Owens, the 6-foot-6 left-handed pitcher who is beginning to dominate in Double-A?

Owens is only 21 and just three years out of high school. If he had accepted the scholarship that was offered by the University of Miami, he would have been in the major league draft held Thursday through Sunday.

One comparison often made is with left-hander Jon Lester, who also was drafted out of high school and reached Portland when he was 21. Lester dominated at times, finishing 11-6 with a 2.61 ERA. He stayed with the Sea Dogs all season and into the playoffs, and was named the Eastern League pitcher of the year.

During that 2005 season, there was speculation that Lester would be promoted, following another prospect (Jonathan Papelbon), who was already moved up.

But the Red Sox farm director in 2005 said there was value in keeping Lester in Double-A and pitching for a contending team.

The farm director was Ben Cherington, now the Red Sox general manager.

Papelbon, by the way, was a 24-year-old with college experience. Lester, the Red Sox said, needed more development.

So does Owens stay with these Sea Dogs, who have the best record in the league?

Another comparison to use is Clay Buchholz. He pitched one year in junior college before Boston drafted him in 2005. He began the 2007 season in Portland at the age of 22. After 16 games (7-2, 1.77), Buchholz was promoted on July 12. He was in Boston by the end of the season, pitching a no-hitter.

Owens looked like he was on the fast track when he began the year with a rain-shortened, six-inning no-hitter in the season opener.

SALEM

Game Story

Mario Martinez laced a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth that plated the eventual game-winning run as the Salem Red Sox avoided their fifth consecutive late-inning loss by tripping up the Hillcats 7-6 on Saturday at City Stadium.

The game had the makings of a slugfest early as Daniel Castro had an RBI double followed by a two-run single by Edison Sanchez to give Lynchburg a 3-0 lead.

Salem batted around in the top of the third and scored four runs. Carson Blair had an RBI single, Martinez knocked in two with a double and Aneury Tavarez added an RBI double to give Salem a 4-3 lead.

Lynchburg countered with two more in the bottom of the third on a David Nick RBI single and an RBI double from Kevin Ahrens.

Salem retook the lead 6-5 in the fourth on a Mike Miller RBI double and a RBI sacrifice fly from Martinez.

The game calmed down after that as Lynchburg’s Navery Moore and Salem’s Kyle Martin did not allow a run from the fourth through seventh innings. In the eighth Martin gave up triples to Kyle Wren and to Levi Hyams, which tied the game at 6.

In the top of the ninth, Kevin Heller led off with a single off Hillcat reliever Alex Wilson.

Carson Blair followed with a double, but right fielder Will Skinner hit cutoff man Jose Peraza and gunned down Heller at the plate. Martinez, however, would not let the Sox blow another opportunity as he earned his fourth RBI of the night with a single to center, scoring Blair.

DRIVE

Game Story

Thanks to rain on Thursday, the Greenville Drive (30-31) and Rome Braves (20-42) played a pair of games on Saturday. After dropping the opener 7-4, the Drive rebounded in the nightcap with a 5-3 victory.

A 12-hit offensive attack and solid pitching propelled the Drive to a win in game two. Kendrick Perkins led the way at the plate with three hits and two runs in the nightcap, including a fifth-inning solo homer to push the Drive's lead to 4-2.

The Drive took a 2-0 lead against Tyler Vail in the second inning thanks to Carlos Coste's RBI single and Tzu-Wei Lin's sacrifice fly, but Rome answered back with two runs of their own to tie the game after a Carlos Sanchez two-run double.

Three consecutive hits by Forrestt Allday, Lin and Jantzen Witte loaded the bases in the top of the fourth, and Carlos Asuaje drove home a run with a groundout to give the Drive a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Myles Smith (2-4) hurled five effective innings in a spot start to earn the victory, as he allowed six hits and three runs. Pete Ruiz closed out the game with two perfect frames to pick up his first save.

Joining Perkins with multi-hit games in the nightcap were Allday, Coste and Manuel Margot, who each collected two hits.

Rome touched up Drive starter Daniel McGrath (1-3) in game one to the tune of six runs in four and one-third innings, including a four-run fifth inning to chase him. A wild pitch scored the first run, and RBI hits for Ross Wilson and Victor Caratini tacked on two more. Victor Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring in the frame.