Article: Worcester Woocap: Woosox Split Soggy Series With Syracuse Mets

[Nick John]

Roman Anthony kept right on hitting and Robert Stock impressed on the mound during the first two games of the season in Worcester.

The Worcester Red Sox opened their season at home last Friday with a short, three-game series against the Syracuse Mets. The Woosox split the series after Saturday’s game was called due to the weather. The series featured a lot to be excited about, along with a few bits of ugliness that will hopefully be ironed out as the season goes along.

The Good
The starting pitching in both games was incredible. Robert Stock started the first game and did not disappoint, going four dominant innings. Allowing only two hits and a walk, he struck out six batters and generated five whiffs on only 67 pitches. Stock was followed by Michael Fulmer who started the second and final game of the series on Sunday. In his first game since 2023, Fulmer threw 54 pitches across four innings and allowed only two hits while striking out five. While neither starter went long enough to be credited with the win, they both pitched excellentlyand gave some hope for emergency depth should the Red Sox need an arm.

The bullpen was also strong on Sunday, going the remaining five innings and only allowing two hits and a walk. Shane Drohan, Hobie Harris, Bryan Mata, and Luis Guerrero closed out the game for a shutout to end the short homestand.

Joining the pitching as a key to a good weekend was the hitting of both Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer on Sunday. Anthony homered twice on Sunday, including a shot over the Worcester Wall in right field during the sixth inning. He also walked twice during the game and a total of four times over the weekend.

Mayer may not have homered during the weekend, but he managed to get two hits after going hitless in his Triple-A debut. What may have been most impressive for Mayer, however, was his nine-pitch at-bat in the third inning on Sunday. After falling behind, 1-2, Mayer continued to foul off close pitches until he managed to drive one back up the middle for a two-run single. Mayer just missed his first home run on Friday, as a first-inning fly ball died near the warning track.

The Bad
This week, there wasn’t much to be too disappointed with. The bullpen could have been a bit better on Frida, as it combined for all four runs allowed to the Mets. Isaiah Campbell took the loss on Friday, allowing two runs in one inning of work. Every hit he surrendered had an exit velocity of at least 90 mph. Anthony also had a moment that belong in the bad category. He misread a line drive during Friday’s game and attempted to dive for it. The outfielder came up short, allowing what would have been a single to turn into a double.

Finally, the offense struggled at times on Friday, particularly Nick Sogard. Sogard uncharacteristically struck out three times, including with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Through two games, Sogard has struck out five times. Last season he struck out a total of 90 times across 96 games.

The Ugly
We’re only three games into the 2025 minor league season, and Worcester has already had a rainout. Worcester has dealt with them plenty over the past few years, and while it's nothing awful, it is a bit deflating for the second game of the season to be canceled. At least it wasn’t like the 2024 opening homestand, where two games were canceled because of snow.

Josh Winckowski joins this list, as his performance in Friday’s game was a bit of a mixed bag. While he surrendered two runs on six hits across his three innings, he pitched rather well overall. He was tied for the Triple-A lead in whiffs, with 15 on the day. His fastball also topped out at 97 and he struck out five. Unfortunately, one of those hits was a home run that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. The home run had an exit velocity of 101.8 mph off of a cutter that caught too much of the plate.

Roman Anthony took a slight tumble on Friday after a minor collision at first base. Anthony collided with the Mets’ second baseman, who was covering first on a soft ground ball. Following the collision, Anthony went to the ground for a minute, but after being looked at by manager Chad Tracy and the training staff, he managed to get off the field with ease and remained in the game. Following the game, Tracy revealed that Anthony just had the wind knocked out of him and was fine.

The Woosox now head off to Jacksonville to take on the Jumbo Shrimp in a six-game series that will see Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito make rehab appearances for the team. Bello looks likely to throw on Tuesday and Sunday before the club decides whether he’s ready return to Boston. Giolito is likely to throw on Wednesday before any decision is made as to the next step of his rehab.

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