8/9 MiLB Gameday: Zeke, Trey, Mike and Ben

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Zeke Spruill) vs Syracuse (AJ Cole) [1:05pm]
EL:Portland (Mike McCarthy) @ Akron (Ryan Merritt) [2:05pm]
CL:Salem (Trey Ball) @ Winston-Salem (Carson Fulmer) [2:05pm]
SAL:Greenville (Ben Taylor) @ Lexington (Corey Ray) [6:05pm]
NYPL:Lowell (TBD) @ Tri-City (Alex Winkelman) [5:05pm]
GCL:GCL Sox - OFF
DSL:DSL Sox - OFF
DSL:DSL Sox 2 - OFF

Notes:

8-7 Minor League Report

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

 

[Brohamer of the Gods]

Sandy Leon is DH for Pawtucket today and batting 3rd. Roll that around your brain for a moment.

 

[Brohamer of the Gods]

One of the treats about coming to McCoy in recent years has been seeing all of the prospects. Not so much today. Spruill looks good after 2.

 

[Brohamer of the Gods]

Craig still using China Grove as his walkup music.

 

[Brohamer of the Gods]

Zeke done after 7. 3R on 8H 1 BB and 5K.

 

[Brohamer of the Gods]

Yup, Paw Sox wet fart offense fails again. We lose 3-1.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

So for Ball, his first four innings were pretty good: 1 HR given up, five strikeouts.

However, in the fifth, Ball had runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs when he threw a wild pitch, allowing the second run to score, and then gave up two more singles and then a bases loaded walk, making the score 3-0. That ended Ball's day and all three of his inherited runners scored.

End result: 4.0+, 8 hits, 6 runs, 2 BBs, 5 Ks.

Story: http://augustafreepress.com/dash-complete-sweep-of-salem-red-sox-with-10-3-blowout/

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Mookie 2-4 with a home run in his Portland rehab game.  

 

[TimScribble]

@jimcallisMLB: Based on the progress he has made in a few months, Moncada could be with the @RedSox by the end of 2016. https://t.co/tWPua8tbao

 

[Cuzittt]

Pawsox lose 3-1.

Boxscore

Zeke Spruill went 7 innings, allowing a run on 8 hits, a WP and a walk; striking out 5. Pat Light went 2 innings, walking 3 and striking out 4.

Jemile Weeks went 1/2 with a walk. Humberto Quintero and Jonathan Roof each went 1/3; Roof with a HR, Weeks was picked off. Mike Miller, Garin Cecchini and Allen Craig each went 0/3. Sandy Leon, Marco Hernandez and Quintin Berry each went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Portland loses 10-3.

Boxscore

Mike McCarthy went 4+ innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, a HBP and 4 walks; striking out 4. Mike Augliera went 2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits (1 HR), striking out one. Williams Jerez went 1/3rd of an inning, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits (1 HR) and a walk. Simon Mercedes went 1 2/3 innings, hitting one and striking out one.

Manuel Margot went 3/4 with 3 doubles and a SB. Mookie Betts went 2/4 with a HR. Sam Travis went 1/4. Henry Ramos went 0/2 with 2 walks. Oscar Tejeda, Dustin Lawley and Luis Martinez each went 0/3; Tejeda with a CS. Tim Roberson and Carlos Asuaje each went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Salem loses 10-3.

Boxscore

Trey Ball went 8+ innings, allowing 6 runs on 8 hits (1 HR), 2 walks and a WP; striking out 5. Brandon Show went 2 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, a walk and a WP; striking out one. Taylor Grove went an inning, walking one and striking out 3. Kyle Kaminska went an inning, giving up a hit and striking out one.

Zach Kapstein went 2/3 with a walk and a SB. Mauricio Dubon went 2/4 with a walk. Deiner Lopez went 2/5 with a CS. Jordan Betts went 1/3 with a SF. Cole Sturgeon went 1/4 with a double. Jordan Procyshen went 0/2 with 2 walks. Franklin Guzman went 0/3 with a walk. Wendell Rijo and Kevin Heller each went 0/4 with a HBP.

 

[Cuzittt]

Lowell loses 6-3.

Boxscore

Austin Glorius went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits (2 HRs) and 2 walks; striking out 4. Enfember Martinez went 3 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits, a walk and a HBP; striking out 4. Edwar Garcia went 1 1/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, 2 walks (1 IBB), a WP and a Balk; striking out one.

Aneudis Peralta went 3/3. Austin Rei went 2/4 with a HR. Andrew Benintendi went 1/3 with a sacrifice. Victor Acosta and Kyri Washington went 1/4 with a double. Jeremy Rivera went 0/1 with 2 walks and a sacrifice. Luis Alexander Basabe went 0/3 with a walk. Tate Matheny and Tucker Tubbs each went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive lose 5-4.

Boxscore

Ben Taylor went 5 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and a walk; striking out 4. Carlos Pinales went 2/3rds of an inning, allowing a run on 2 hits and 2 WPs; striking out 2. Mario Alcantara went 2 innings, giving up a hit and a walk; striking out 3.

Rafael Devers went 2/5. Joseph Monge and Cisco Tellez each went 1/3; Monge with a double and a sacrifice, Tellez with a HBP. David Sopilka went 1/4 with a double. Nick Longhi went 1/5. Bryan Hudson went 0/2 with 2 walks and a SB. Yoan Moncada went 0/3 with 2 walks, 2 SBs and a CS. Danny Mars went 0/3 with a walk and reached on catcher's interference. Javier Guerra went 0/3 with a HBP and a CS.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

The affiliates were swept today.

Nice to see the big day from Margot, though.

 

[Plympton91]

That #1 farm system rating seems to have put a ton of weight on the low minors. High attrition. From there even for the best prospects.

Another terrible outing for Ball, in which he can't get through a lineup multiple times.

 

[Buzzkill Pauley]

Another terrible outing for Ball, in which he can't get through a lineup multiple times.

Honestly, I think needs to be developed on the Daniel Bard track, and switched over to close for Portland next season, so the Sox can assess if he's a viable pitcher in the upper minors, before decreeing him a viable starting pitcher in the upper minors.

Ball's results haven't been quite as bad as Bard's through hi-A, but he also never had to pitch at the launching pad.

 

[Bigpupp]

Honestly, I think needs to be developed on the Daniel Bard track, and switched over to close for Portland next season, so the Sox can assess if he's a viable pitcher in the upper minors, before decreeing him a viable starting pitcher in the upper minors.

Ball's results haven't been quite as bad as Bard's through hi-A, but he also never had to pitch at the launching pad.

I don't know, Bard had filthy stuff that you could see would transition to the bullpen. I don't know if Ball has an out pitch at all, so it would probably be best to give him as many innings as possible to find one.

 

[jscola85]

I don't know, Bard had filthy stuff that you could see would transition to the bullpen. I don't know if Ball has an out pitch at all, so it would probably be best to give him as many innings as possible to find one.

 
I dunno - even with his stuff, Bard was significantly worse than Ball as a starter.  More BBs than Ks and his K rate was ~5.5/9 as a starter.  He simply could not throw strikes, and when he did he gave up a lot of hits (55 in 61.2 IP in Low-A).
 
Ball, for all his shortcomings thus far, has at least induced enough weak contact and been just sharp enough to get outs, and do so at a level higher than Bard before he was converted.
 
At his age and given the dearth of talent in AA/AAA starters right now in the system, I don't see much harm in starting him next year in the rotation.  If he flops, move him to the 'pen midseason.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

2sb in 5 of the last 6 games for Moncada. 33/36 for the year. 32 of them in his last 42 games. He only had 1sb in his first 20 games. Granted it is A ball.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Another terrible outing for Ball, in which he can't get through a lineup multiple times.

 
It's funny.  If Ball had been pulled after four innings without explanation, everyone would have said, what a great outing:  4 IP, 5 Ks, 1 R.
 
Another interesting factoid.  Ball was facing Carson Fullmer, the 8th overall pick by CWS (after his junior season).  Although Ball is in his third professional season and Fulmer is in his first, Ball is six months and 13 days younger than Fulmer.