Red Sox Minor League Recap: Drive Win Three Straight, Anthony Eyanson Shines

[Ben Lofy]

Red Sox Affiliate Overview (April 17 - April 19)

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Series at Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers): 1-5

Season Record: 11-9

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Series at Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates): 4-2

Season Record: 8-6

High-A Greenville Drive

Series vs. Bowling Green Hot Rods: 3-3

Season Record: 6-9

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Series at Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers): 1-5

Season Record: 8-7

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Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Season Record: 11-9

Series Opponent: Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers)

Series Standing: 1-5

April 17: It was a busy Friday for Worcester as they lost both games of a doubleheader 4-2. 

Thursday’s game was suspended in the fourth inning due to rain, and picked up on Friday with the score 0-0.

Prior to the suspension, Jake Bennett worked through three innings and only gave up three hits. He lowered his ERA to 0.55 in his fourth game of the season, a stellar start for the lefty. Seth Martinez lasted two and ⅔ innings to resume play on Friday. He gave up one run on two hits and three walks before turning the ball over to Devin Sweet. Sweet went another two innings, giving up two runs, two walks, and one hit and earning the loss on the day. With a save opportunity on the line, Tayron Guerrero gave up another run on three hits as the Sounds pulled ahead.

At the plate, the WooSox didn’t take long to find their groove after the suspension of play. Vinny Capra singled to drive in Tsung-Che Cheng and give Worcester the one-run advantage. Then, four innings later in the top of the eighth, Kristian Campbell drove in Nate Eaton on a line-drive single to tack on another run for the WooSox. It was a slow afternoon at the plate for the WooSox as they only generated six hits and lost 4-2.

For attendees of Friday’s games, the second game was like seeing double. The WooSox again fell 4-2 on seven hits this time.

Isaac Coffey took the mound to start for Worcester, turning in three innings of quality work. He allowed four runners via two walks and two hits, but struck out four as well. He maintained his 0.00 ERA amid a fantastic stretch to start the season. Tyler Samaniego took the mound next, but wasn’t nearly as good as Coffey. In just one inning he gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Samaniego is working his way back to the majors after making his debut earlier this month. Tommy Kahnle took over in the fifth and couldn’t rebound from Samaniego's outing. In two innings he gave up two runs on one hit. It’s been a less than ideal start for the veteran as he also tries to crack the big league roster.

At the plate, the WooSox continued their performance from the day’s first game. Allan Castro drove in Nate Eaton on a first inning single to take a 1-0 lead. There was some excitement in the second when Braiden Ward was hit in the head with a pitch. He threw his bat in the direction of the mound and the benches cleared. The frustrations are understandable for Ward, who’s been hit eight times already this year. In the sixth, down 2-1, Capra tacked on his second RBI of the day on a sac fly to drive in Campbell. That was all the offense for the WooSox, who again fell 4-2.

April 18: Worcester dropped their fifth straight game in a low-scoring affair.

It was a bullpen game for the WooSox, who had Reidis Sena start the game. Sena went two innings and struck out four. He allowed one run on a solo home run in the first inning, and only allowed two baserunners otherwise. Noah Song got the nod next, and allowed two hits over two and ⅔ innings. He struck out five as he continued to build his case to be called up. Wyatt Olds pitched the next two and ⅓. He walked two and gave up one run on a sac fly. He got the loss despite striking out four. Kyle Keller pitched the final inning of the game and gave up one hit but no runs.

The WooSox’s bats were all but silent at the plate. Only five players recorded a hit and they struck out a combined 11 times. It was an uncharacteristic series for Worcester who have seriously struggled to generate offense. On Saturday, the WooSox only run came from a Matt Thaiss single that scored Allan Castro. Mickey Gasper stood out, drawing two walks and going 1-2 with a double. It was a quiet showing from the WooSox as they fell without protest.

April 19: The WooSox got back in the win column with a 4-2 victory.

Payton Tolle was scratched from his start just hours before Saturday’s game, with Michael Sansone getting the start in his absence. Sansone was excellent, putting in six innings of shutout work, striking out five, and only giving up two hits. It was Sansone’s longest outing of the year, and the first since his call up from Double-A Portland. Jacob Webb pitched two innings in relief, earning the hold. He gave up two more hits, and allowed the only two runs of the afternoon for Worcester in the bottom of the ninth. Tayron Guerrero came in looking to close out the game for the WooSox, and did just that, earning the save as he rebounded from his rough outing on Friday.

The WooSox looked better at the plate as well. Nate Eaton highlighted the afternoon for Worcester with a brilliant game. He went 3-5, crushing a solo homer in the fifth, and driving in Mikey Romero on an eighth inning single. Nick Sogard also knocked in his tenth RBI on a single in the fifth, scoring Tsung-Che Cheng. Cheng tacked on the fourth run of the day for Worcester with a sac-fly in the eighth to drive in Mickey Gasper. Cheng had two hits and a walk, building on a good start to the season.

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs 

Season Record: 8-6

Series Opponent: Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Series Standing: 4-2

April 17: The Sea Dogs fell 5-2 on Friday, giving the Curve their first win of the season.

Dalton Rogers started things off for Portland, going four and ⅓ solid innings in his second appearance of the season. He gave up two runs on two hits and struck out two. The issue of the day for Rogers came in the walk column. He allowed five baserunners via walk as he struggled with his command. Jay Allmer came in next and his outing was nothing short of disastrous.  In his first appearance since being called up from High-A Greenville, he allowed three runs on six baserunners in just one and ⅔ innings. Max Carlson rounded things out for Portland, pitching a dominant two innings without allowing a baserunner.

Franklin Arias has been utterly outstanding thus far this season. The Red Sox top position prospect continued his campaign to be called up to Triple-A Worcester with yet another solid performance on Friday. In the third inning Arias absolutely crushed a 440ft home run to dead center, his third of the season as he bumps his batting average to an astonishing .538. It seems like the 20-year-old won’t be in Portland much longer if he keeps up his dominant form. Other than Arias, the Sea Dogs offense was spurred on by Ronald Rosario, who hit his first homer of the season in the fourth inning to give Portland a 2-1 lead. Rosario also drove in a second RBI on a single to right field that drove in Miguel Bleis.

Other than Arias and Rosario, the Sea Dogs offense was mostly silent as they fell to the lowly Curve.

April 18: The Sea Dogs fell to the Curve again on Saturday, this time by a score of 2-0.

Despite getting the loss on the scoresheet, John Holobetz was excellent as he got the start. The 23-year-old turned in seven innings of one-hit ball, and punched out 11 of the 23 batters he faced. The lone run, however, was a solo home run. The righty has a 1.13 ERA through 16 innings of work so far this season. Jedixson Paez pitched one inning in relief, but gave up another solo home run. Paez was selected by the Chicago White Sox in last season’s Rule 5 draft, but was designated for assignment and returned to the Red Sox on April 4. He will look to bounce back from a rough early season with Chicago back in a familiar organization.

Portland struggled to generate offense at the plate. Despite a collective seven hits, the Sea Dogs failed to drive in a run. Nelly Taylor was the lone bright spot, hitting two singles as he tried to rebound from a rough early season. Portland’s offensive struggles were evident, especially as Franklin Arias went 0-4 in one of his worst games of the season.

April 19: Portland snapped a two-game skid, beating Altoona 5-3.

Hayden Mullins got the start for the Sea Dogs, going six innings three-hit ball while striking out eight. It was a strong return to form for Mullins who struggled in his first two starts, lowering his ERA from 9.53 to 4.63. Patrick Halligan came in for the seventh, allowing all three of Altoona’s runs on a three-run shot. Halligan’s season has been a mixed bag to say the least, he’s amassed an 8.64 ERA over eight innings. Cooper Adams came in with two innings left, and shut down any comeback attempt. He went two hitless innings, only allowing two walks as he closed the game for Portland.

All of the Sea Dogs' five runs came in a high-scoring fourth inning. Miguel Bleis got the offense going with an RBI single that was deflected by the third baseman, scoring Marvin Alcantara. Ronald Rosario kept it going, driving in Nate Baez on a single and adding onto the lead. Bleis then scored on a wild pitch as Rosario advanced to third. Will Turner stepped up to the plate, driving in Rosario on a sac-fly. Then, to cap off the inning, Max Ferguson hit an RBI single to score Tyler McDonough. Despite the silent bats the rest of the afternoon, it was a much better effort all around compared to earlier in the weekend.

High-A Greenville Drive

Season Record: 6-9

Series Opponent: Bowling Green Hot Rods

Series Standing: 3-3

April 17: The Drive prevailed 8-7 in a walk-off win against Bowling Green.

Friday marked Kyson Witherspoon’s third professional start, and it was a rough one. His career hasn’t gotten off to the start he would have liked, but there’s still plenty of time for the young prospect to settle in. Over four and ⅓ innings on Friday, Witherspoon gave up three runs on five hits, allowing two runners by way of walks. He struck out three, but was unsuccessful in lowering his ERA, which rose to 6.17. Ben Hansen came in in relief, pitching three and ⅓ innings while allowing two runs. He gave up two hits but didn’t allow any walks, striking out four.

Matt McShane made his first appearance of the season coming off the injured list. It was a so-so return, he went one and ⅓ innings and allowed two runs on one hit, accounting for a blown save. P.J. Labriola took the bump in extra innings and earned the win with one shutout inning, allowing just one baserunner on a walk. It was Labriola’s second consecutive scoreless outing as he continues to rebound well from a rough start to the season.

The Drive were excellent at the dish, amassing ten hits and eight runs. Natanael Yuten hit his first homer of the season in the second, driving in Adonys Guzman. The sixth was eventful for the Drive. Freili Encarnacion hit his second of the season in the sixth to lessen the deficit to 5-3. Then, Guzman scored again on a passed ball to cut the lead to one. Up to the plate next was Hudson White, who tripled to drive in Yuten and Yophery Rodriguez. Just one batter later, Yoeilin Cespedes singled to center to drive in White to give the Drive a two run lead. With the game tied 7-7 in the bottom of the tenth, Guzman stepped up to bat and hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field, driving in Isaiah Jackson and capping off the comeback win for the Drive.

April 18: The Drive won 4-0 behind great outings from Anthony Eyanson and Devin Futrell.

Anthony Eyanson has been living up to the hype to say the least. The Louisiana State alum shoved over five shutout innings. He struck out five and only allowed two runners on two hits. He lowered his ERA to 0.73 as he continued his stellar start to his professional career. Devin Futrell gave up just one hit and one walk, striking out three in his first High-A appearance after being called up from Low-A Salem. The two combined for nine shutout innings, putting the Drive in prime position.

At the plate, Greenville took advantage of the strong pitching. Justin Gonzales accounted for two hits and one run, while Yoeilin Cespedes went 2-4 with an RBI single. The one-two punch of Gonzales and Cespedes has been excellent for the Drive as the pair makes up a solid portion of the offense. Jack Winnay had the first RBI of the day for the Drive, driving in Cespedes on an RBI double in the sixth. Later in the inning, Winnay scored on a wild pitch, giving the Drive a 2-0 lead. Additionally, Yophery Rodriguez has stood out recently, and hit an RBI double in the sixth to cap off a three-run inning.

April 19:  The Drive won their third game in a row to split the series. 

Marcus Phillips started the game for Greenville and turned in a solid outing. The righty went three and ⅔ innings, only giving up two hits and striking out half of the fourteen batters he faced. Austin Ehrlicher got the next inning and ⅓, putting together a rough outing. He walked three, giving up three runs on two hits, the only runs Bowling Green would score all afternoon. Calvin Bickerstaff put together a solid three and ⅓ innings behind Ehrlicher. Bickerstaff gave up three hits and two walks, but didn’t allow a run, earning the win for Saturday. P.J. Labriola got the nod for the last ⅔ innings of the game, striking out one and earning the save after sealing the win for Greenville.

Justin Gonzales continued his strong season, going 2-5 with two RBIs on a single in the second inning and giving the Drive a 2-0 lead. In the eighth, Antonio Anderson drove in Jack Winnay with a sac-fly, and Natanael Yuten drove in Isaiah Jackson on an RBI single to give the Drive a one-run advantage. Mason White also had a strong showing, he went 2-4 with a run. The Drive combined for seven hits, but offensive struggles persist. Not one hitter has an average higher than .300, and five are hitting well below .200. However, Saturday was a positive sign for the Drive who will look to build on their momentum at Asheville this week.

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Season Record: 8-7

Series Opponent: Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers)

Series Standing: 1-5

April 17: Salem lost 7-5 as it had a hard time on the mound.

Madison Frias’ tough start to the season continued in his third start of the season. Through four innings he allowed four runs (one unearned) on four hits and two home-runs. He walked three and struck out three as his ERA ballooned to 10.00.  Ethan Walker came in relief, throwing three and ⅔ innings of three run ball. He gave up two hits and only allowed one earned run, but his four walks were an eyesore on the scoresheet. He earned the loss, but despite that his ERA remains an impressive 1.69. Wuilliams Rodriguez sealed the game with ⅓ inning of easy work.

The RidgeYaks got off to a hot start on Friday. Starlyn Nunez launched his first homer of the season in the top of the first, and just an inning later Avinson Pinto hit his first, driving in two and extending the lead to three. In the third, Andrews Opata hit a two-run double to left field to give Salem a 5-0 advantage. However, that was all the offense the RidgeYaks could generate as they allowed five unanswered runs and took the loss.

April 18: After starting the season 7-2, the RidgeYaks dropped their fifth straight and fell to .500.

Jose Bello, the only remaining piece of the Rafael Devers return, made his second appearance of the season. He gave up two hits and one run off of an inside-the-park home run in the second inning before getting pulled after one and ⅔ innings. Christian Foutch put in three solid innings of relief, giving up two runs on two hits, but striking out six. Adam Bates earned the hold in his two and ⅓ innings of work. He allowed four runs on four hits and allowed two runners via walks. Harry Blum had the opportunity to earn a save, but instead went home with a blown save. In just an inning he gave up six runs (one unearned) on five hits and three walks. Overall it was a night to forget for Salem’s pitching staff, who collapsed towards the end of the game.

At the plate, the RidgeYaks tried valiantly to make up for the poor pitching performance, but fell short. Enddy Azocar has been strong as of late, and this trend continued. He went 3-5 with four RBIs while launching two homers. Stanley Tucker was also excellent, going 3-4 with two runs and a triple. Frederik Jimenez went 2-4 and drove in one run on a soft line drive to center field. The bulk of Salem’s offense came in the early stages of the game, and they were mostly silent from the sixth on, allowing Hickory to seal the game.

April 19: Salem snapped a five-game losing streak, snatching the series finale 4-2.

Barrett Morgan made his second start of the season, turning in two and ⅔ innings of one-hit ball and striking out two. He maintained his season ERA of 0.00. Nicolas De La Cruz earned the win for his one and ⅓ innings of work, allowing two hits and a walk, and striking out one. He’s been excellent in four appearances this season, allowing no runs and just two hits through a combined five innings of work. Dalvinson Reyes kept up the good work in his first appearance of the season for Salem. He threw three innings and allowed just two baserunners via walks. He struck out three and earned the hold in his first game for Salem after being called up from the FCL Red Sox. Wuilliams Rodriguez threw the final two innings, and was the only pitcher to allow a run. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk, but prevented a comeback as he closed out the game.

D’Angelo Ortiz got the offense started, driving in Avinson Pinto on a groundout in the fifth to put the RidgeYaks up 1-0. Later in the inning, Stanley Tucker scored on a wild pitch to add onto the lead. Ortiz went 2-4 as he continued to be one of Salem’s hottest hitters. In the seventh, Starlyn Nunez tripled to right, driving in both Tucker and Ortiz to tack on two more runs. Luke Heyman went 2-4 as he tried to shake off a rough start, and Pinto went 2-4 as well. Andrews Opata, who leads the team in average, went 1-4 with a single. Salem avoided the sweep, and kept itself above .500 with the win.

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