Red Sox Minor League Report: Franklin Arias' Home Run Streak, Justin Gonzales' Three-Hit Day

[Ayden Mason]

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (April 21 - April 23)

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Season Record: 13-10

Series Opponent: Syracuse Mets (New York Mets)

Series Record: 2-1

April 21: Worcester suffered a blowout loss, 12-3, to Syracuse.

The WooSox bats continued to struggle with RISP as they were 3-for-11 and had 10 LOB. Nick Sogard had a 3-for-4 day at the plate, including a walk and two runs. Mickey Gasper had a multi-hit day as well, hitting two of the three WooSox runs in this game. Other than the troublesome 4th inning, Isaac Coffey pitched well, throwing 3.2 innings and striking out six. Angel Bastardo made his season debut and had some trouble finding the zone, especially with his breaking pitches. He showed off his fastball, topping out at 97.6 MPH, and showed he can miss barrels. 

April 22: The WooSox walked it off to defeat the Mets 7-6.

Mickey Gasper gave Worcester an early lead as he brought in two runs with a double. Anthony Seigler scored one more run with an RBI groundout. The Sox lost the lead in the 6th, but Vinny Capra made it a one-run game in the 7th with an RBI single. In the 8th, Syracuse scored another run, and Seigler cut it down to a one-run deficit once again. Down one run in the 9th, Nate Eaton hit a double that tied the game, but Nick Sogard was gunned down at home as he tried to end the game. With two outs, Kristian Campbell roped a single to bring in Eaton to walk it off for the WooSox 7-6. Jake Bennett continued to look great this season, this time against his former franchise. He threw 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits, and struck out three to put his ERA at 0.86. 

Key Performances:

• Jake Bennett: 4.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 K
• Nick Sogard: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB
• Kristian Campbell: 2-for-4, RBI, BB

April 23: Worcester won the third game of the series against Syracuse with a 10-4 victory.

The WooSox were down three runs in the 3rd inning, but walked in a run on back-to-back at-bats to make it a 3-2 game. With the score at 4-2 entering the 5th, the WooSox got a hold of the lead thanks to Matt Thaiss hitting an RBI single while Vinny Capra and Nathan Hickey hit a pair of doubles to get a 6-4 lead. Worcester never looked back as they scored two more runs from Sogard and Gasper, and Tsung-Che Cheng scored on a wild pitch in the 9th. 

Key Performances:

• Tayron Guerrero: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K
• Nate Eaton: 2-for-3, 3B, R, RBI, BB
• Vinny Capra: 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Season Record: 9-8

Series Opponent: Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies)

Series Record: 1-2

April 21: The Portland Sea Dogs lost the first game of the series to the Hartford Yard Goats 9-7.

Franklin Arias continued his outstanding streak by hitting his 4th home run in 11 games. The added weight in the offseason seems to be clearly working, hitting 8 homers in 116 games in 2025. Max Ferguson stayed hot, going 2-for-4, hitting a double, a two-run homer, and a stolen base. Tyler McDonough’s first homer of the year was a game-tying solo shot in the 6th. Erik Rivera looked impressive again as he struck out four batters in 2.1 innings to lower his ERA to 1.00. 

Key Performances:

• Erik Rivera: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 K
• Franklin Arias: HR, 2 RBI
• Max Ferguson: 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB

April 22: The Sea Dogs lost a high-scoring game against the Yard Goats 13-8.

In back-to-back games, Franklin Arias homered and knocked on the door to Worcester. Portland got off to an early 3-1 lead in the 1st, back-to-back home runs coming from Arias and Tyler McDonough; meanwhile, Brooks Brannon doubled to bring in another run. The Sea Dogs' pitching got knocked around this game, but the bats showed out. Down 8-3 entering the 6th, Ronald Rosario hit an RBI single, Nelly Taylor roped an RBI double, Ahbram Liendo brought in another run with a ground out, and Arias made his 2nd hit of the day count with an RBI double to make it a one-run game. The short deficit went out of the Sea Dogs' reach as the Yard Goats scored five more runs. 

Key Performances:

• Franklin Arias: HR, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• Ronald Rosario: 2-for-4: 2 R, RBI

April 23: Portland walked it off in extra innings 5-4, against Hartford.

Franklin Arias has been on an incredible stretch, hitting his 3rd homer in three games and his 6th of the year. Ahbram Liendo tied up the game in the 4th with a sacrifice fly. Down 2-1, the Sea Dogs tied it up again due to an RBI groundout from Johanfran Garcia in the 5th inning. In the bottom of the 9th with the Yard Goats up 4-2 and a runner on 1st base, Franklin Arias hammered a two-run homer to tie it up 4-4. With the bases loaded and two outs in the 10th, Max Ferguson roped a single to center field to walk it off for the Sea Dogs. Dalton Rodgers and Cooper Adams pitched very well this game, throwing a combined nine innings and one earned run. 

Key Performances:

• Franklin Arias: HR, 2B, 2 RBI
• Max Ferguson: 2-for-2, R, RBI
• Dalton Rodgers: 5.0, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K
• Cooper Adams: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K

High-A Greenville Drive

Season Record: 8-10

Series Opponent: Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros)

Series Record: 2-1

April 21: The Greenville Drive won their fourth game in a row and the first game of the series in an 8-4 victory against the Asheville Tourists

The first run of the game was not scored until the 6th inning when Freili Encarnacion hit an RBI single to make it 1-0 Greenville. After the Drive gave up a three-run 7th inning, Yophery Rodriguez’s third hit of the game was a three-run homer to put them on top 4-3. Greenville had a big 9th inning. Henry Godbout notched his third hit of the game with a leadoff double. After Gerardo Rodriguez got on base from a throwing error, Jack Winnay followed up with an RBI single. Afterwards, Isaiah Jackson belted a three-run homer that gave Greenville an even bigger cushion in this four-run 9th inning.

Key Performances: 

• Henry Godbout: 3-for-4, 2 2B
• Yophery Rodriguez: 3-for-3, HR, 2B, 3 RBI
• Isaiah Jackson: 2-for-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI

April 22: Greenville won in extra innings with a hard-fought 11-10 victory against Asheville.

Red Sox top prospects Justin Gonzales and Yoeilin Cespedes had themselves a three-hit day at the plate in this victory. While they were down 5-1, the Greenville bats started to wake up in the 6th inning when Gerardo Rodriguez earned his 2nd RBI of the day with an RBI groundout, and Isaiah Jackson brought in a run with a single to make it 5-3. Asheville scored two more runs in the 7th. Afterwards, Freili Encarnacion smacked his 3rd home run of the year to cut the deficit to three runs. The game seemed out of reach for the Drive since they were down 9-4 entering the ninth, but they had other plans. Down to their last out, Cespedes hit an RBI single to bring in Gonzales, Rodriguez singled, and Jack Winnay walked. Isaiah Jackson belted a grand slam to tie the game and keep Greenville alive. In the 10th, Gonzales’ third hit of the game was a big one, a double that brought in two runs to give the Drive a two-run lead. With a chance to walk it off or tie the game once again, Asheville brought one run across the plate but it was not enough as the Greenville Drive stunned them at home.

Key Performances:

• Justin Gonzales: 3-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB
• Yoeilin Cespedes: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 3 R, RBI
• Isaiah Jackson: HR, 5 RBI

April 23: Greenville’s five-game winning streak came to an end as they got walked off on in extra innings, 7-6 against Asheville. 

The bats were not as sharp this game, but still managed to put up six runs and force the game to extras. Greenville was in a hole after giving up a grand slam in the 2nd to put them down 5-0. In the 5th, a couple of ground outs and a fielding error brought three runs across home plate to put them down only two runs. The Tourists scored another run in the 5th to put them up 6-3. Entering the 8th down three runs, Greenville showed off their magic once again. Natanael Yuten doubled to bring in a run, and Cespedes hit a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit down to one. With two outs, Gerardo Rodriguez hammered his first homer of the year to tie the game 6-6. Sadly, the bats fell asleep in extras to lose the game. Calvin Bickerstaff looked impressive as he threw four no-hit innings and struck out six to lower his ERA to 0.60. 

Key Performances: 

• Calvin Bickerstaff: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 6 K
• Gerardo Rodriguez: HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB

Single-A Salem RidgeYaks

Season Record: 10-8

Series Opponent: Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals)

Series Record: 2-1

April 21: The Salem RidgeYaks beat the Fredericksburg Nationals with a monster 12-2 victory. 

Seven of nine RidgeYaks hitters had multiple hits in this slugfest. In the 3rd inning, Skylar King brought in two runs with a single, while Andrews Opata and Kleyver Salazar hit in a couple more runs to make it a 4-0 game. Enddy Azocar roped a double to bring in a run, and Luke Heyman followed up with an RBI single in the 4th. In the 5th, D’Angelo Ortiz hit his first double of the year, scoring two runs in the process. Salem had another four-run inning in the 6th, Azocar hammered his third homer of the year, Stanley Tucker and Ortiz each walked in a run, Starlyn Nunez hit in another run that put them on top with a huge commanding 12-1 lead. 2025 6th round pick Leighton Finley had a nice day on the mound as he struck out five in five innings and only gave up one run on four hits to earn his first win and lowered his ERA to 1.98. 

Key Performances: 

• Leighton Finley: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K
• D’Angelo Ortiz: 2-for-3, 3 RBI, BB
• Enddy Azocar: 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

April 22: Salem lost a nail-biter to Fredericksburg in extra innings, 7-6.

The RidgeYaks were down six runs entering the 3rd; however, Luke Heyman got them on the board with an RBI single to make it 6-1. A couple of bad throws from the Nationals' catcher and pitcher resulted in two more runs to cut the deficit down to three. As momentum started to shift, Kleyver Salazar belted a two-run homer to make it a one-run game in the 8th. Frederik Jimenez’s first homer of the year was a good one, tying the game up in the bottom of the ninth on the first pitch he saw. Sadly, the RidgeYaks came up just short in the 10th as they gave up a run, and the bats could not get anything going with a runner on second base and no outs. Jacob Myers pitched a solid four innings with no earned runs while Salem was building their comeback. 

Key Performances: 

• Jacob Myers: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 K
• Luke Heyman: 2-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB
• Frederik Jimenez: HR, BB, 2 R
• Kleyver Salazar: HR, 2 RBI, BB

April 23: The RidgeYaks bats stayed hot as they won the third game of the series against the Nationals 10-4.

Stanley Tucker put Salem on top early with a two-run homer in the 2nd inning. The RidgeYaks took advantage of the Nationals' bad defense, scoring one run each off a throwing error and bringing in two more runs in the 4th, 6-0 Salem. With the lead cut down to only two runs in the 7th, Skylar King gave Salem some breathing room after he belted his third homer of the year. Starlyn Nunez hit a sacrifice fly to bring in a run, and Enddy Azocar brought in two more with a double. 

Key Performances: 

• Avinson Pinto: 2-for-3, 3 R, BB
• Stanley Tucker: HR, 2 RBI, BB

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[moonslav59]

Thanks for this breakdown. Very nice.