Red Sox Minor League Report: Yoeilin Cespedes' Sensational Performance, Sea Dogs Take Yankees Aces Deep

[Ayden Mason]

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (April 28 - 30)

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Season Record: 17-12

Series Opponent: Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals)

Series Record: 2-1

April 28: Worcester was blown out in the first game of the series, 10-1, against the Rochester Red Wings.

The WooSox bats had trouble getting anything going in this game, especially with runners on base, 0-6 RISP. Worcester’s only run of the game came in the first inning when Anthony Seigler hit an RBI groundout with the bases loaded. Everything else went downhill from there as the pitchers struggled to find any swing and misses. Kristian Campbell had a solid day at the plate, collecting two hits. Campbell showed improvement by hitting the ball hard, a 101.6 MPH lineout to the shortstop and a 102.5 MPH double to center. Jake Bennett was slated to start but was scratched in hopes of possibly making his debut with the big league club. Seth Martinez filled in and did not last very long this game as he threw three innings and gave up four runs. Veteran pitcher Tayron Guerrero continued to look excellent this season after throwing 1 ⅔ innings without giving up any runs to lower his ERA to 0.90. 

April 29: Postponed, makeup on April 30.

April 30: With a busy day for Worcester as they played a doubleheader, the WooSox leaned on their pitching staff in the first game with a 4-3 win over the Red Wings in a 7-inning contest, and afterwards piled up 10 hits and 7 walks in a commanding 7-3 victory over the Red Wings in the second game of their doubleheader.

The WooSox struck fast in the 1st, Nick Sogard led off with a single, Mickey Gasper walked, and a fielding error by Rochester loaded the bases with nobody out. Kristian Campbell drew an RBI walk to make it 1-0, and Allan Castro followed with a sacrifice fly to center to push it to 2-0. Worcester loaded the bases again with another walk to Vinny Capra, but Braiden Ward grounded out to strand three runners. The Red Wings hit a solo homer to make it a 2-1 game in the bottom half of the 1st. Matt Thaiss added insurance in the 2nd, launching a solo homer to center field, his second of the year, to extend the lead to 3-1. Worcester hit across one more run in the 3rd. Campbell singled, Tsung-Che Cheng singled to put runners on the corners, and Capra delivered with an RBI groundout to make it 4-1. Starter Alec Gamboa was very solid, pitching 5 ⅔  innings, striking out six, giving up just two earned runs and only one walk on 73 pitches to earn the win and improve to 1-1 on the season. 

Key Performances:

• Alec Gamboa: 5 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 6 K
• Matt Thaiss: HR, R, RBI

To start off the second game of the doubleheader, Vinny Capra set the tone immediately, drilling a solo homer to left in the 1st inning to put Worcester up 1-0. Capra was sensational all day, going 3-for-5 with a homer and two doubles, scoring twice. The 3rd inning blew the game open. Braiden Ward led off with a solo shot to right-center, his first homer of the season, which made it 2-0. Capra followed with a double, Kristian Campbell walked, then Anthony Seigler crushed a two-run double to center to push it to 4-0. Worcester kept adding on in the 4th, Jason Delay and Nathan Hickey drew back-to-back walks, and Mikey Romero singled to center to plate Delay for a 5-1 lead. In the 5th, Seigler led off with a triple ripped to right field, and Allan Castro singled him home. Delay followed with an RBI single of his own (deflected off the pitcher), which made it 7-1 to put the game completely out of reach. 

Key Performances:

• Angel Bastardo: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K
• Devin Sweet: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K
• Vinny Capra: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Season Record: 12-12

Series Opponent: Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees)

Series Record: 1-3

April 28: The Portland Sea Dogs lost a close game 2-1 to the Somerset Patriots. 

In an uneventful game for Portland, Franklin Arias stayed hot with a multi-hit day and brought in the Sea Dogs' only run of the game with an RBI single in the top of the 7th, tying the game 1-1. Although he suffered the loss, Gage Ziehl had a nice day on the mound. He threw seven innings, struck out three batters, unfortunately, the two runs he gave up were a couple of mistake pitches taken deep from a batter he could not find an answer for. Cooper Adams came into the game and threw a scoreless 8th inning. 

Key Performances:

• Franklin Arias: 2 H, RBI, SB
• Gage Ziehl: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 K

April 29: It was a busy day at the office for the Portland Sea Dogs as they played a doubleheader makeup game from 4/5. They got crushed 13-1 in the first game and won the makeup game 6-5. 

For the first game, it was a nightmare outing for Portland's pitching staff, as the Somerset Patriots pounded out 15 hits and scored in five consecutive innings to run away with a 13-1 blowout in this seven-inning contest. The Sea Dogs managed just 4 hits all game and were never competitive after the third inning. Will Turner provided the lone bright spot, launching a solo homer to right-center in the top of the 3rd, his first of the season, to briefly cut the deficit to 3-1. But that was the only run Portland would muster. Turner also drew a walk in the 7th and finished as the only Sea Dog with an extra-base hit.

In the second game (makeup game from 4/5), Portland gutted out a road win against Somerset, tagging a rehabbing Gerrit Cole before holding on late for a 6-5 victory in a seven-inning game. The Sea Dogs were shut down early. Cole looked sharp through three innings, retiring Portland in order in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd innings. The bats woke up in the 4th, Ronald Rosario broke through with a single, and Johanfran Garcia followed up and jumped on one, launching a two-run homer to left-center, his first of the year, which now flipped the game 2-1. Max Ferguson added another run for Portland with a solo blast to right field in the 5th to extend the lead to 3-1. Just like that, the Sea Dogs tagged Cole for 3 earned runs. Somerset clawed back later in the 5th inning to tie up the game 3-3. The 7th inning was where Portland seized the game, with two outs and nobody on, Nelly Taylor drew a walk to put a baserunner aboard. The bottom of the order would then explode. Ferguson laced a double to right to score Taylor, Will Turner doubled to right to score Ferguson, and Tyler McDonough doubled to right to score Turner. Three consecutive doubles, all hammered to right field. It was a stunning three-run rally with two outs that blew the game open 6-3. The Portland bullpen held on in the bottom half of the inning for a final score of 6-5.

Key performances:

• Max Ferguson: HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI
• Johanfran Garcia: HR, 2 RBI

April 30: Portland clawed back from a 5-1 deficit to tie the game in the top of the 9th, then watched the Patriots crush a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom half to end it 9-6.

The Sea Dogs faced Carlos Rodon for his rehab assignment; the bats were quiet until the 8th inning. Miguel Bleis belted his second homer of the year off of Rodon in the 5th to make it 2-1 Somerset. Portland's bats finally erupted in the top of the 8th, Marvin Alcantara reached on a throwing error, Nate Baez singled, and Brooks Brannon unloaded a three-run homer to right-center to slash the deficit to 5-4 in one swing. Just like that, a game that had felt over was suddenly alive. Somerset added another run in the bottom of the 8th to make it 6-4 entering the 9th. The top of the 9th was pure magic. With one out, Ahbram Liendo drew a walk. Boston Red Sox top prospect Franklin Arias stepped up and launched a two-run homer to center, his 8th of the season, to tie it 6-6. The comeback from 5-1 down was complete. Sadly, it fell apart in the bottom of the 9th when the Patriots walked it off with a three-run homer, 9-6. 

High-A Greenville Drive

Season Record: 13-11

Series Opponent: Hub City Spartanburgers (Texas Rangers)

Series Record: 2-1

April 28: The Greenville Drive defeat the Hub City Spartanburgers 12-6 thanks to a seven-run inning.

Down two runs entering the bottom of the 3rd inning, Justin Gonzales hit a single while Henry Godbout advanced him to third base with another single. Gonzales would then score due to a wild pitch. With the bases loaded, Jack Winnay tied the game 2-2 with a sacrifice fly. Yoeilin Cespedes stayed hot as he broke open the lead for Greenville with a three-run homer in the 6th to make it a 5-2 game, his fourth home run of the year. The Spartanburgers earned their first lead of the game in the top of the 8th with a four-run inning, 6-5 Hub City. The one-run deficit would not last long as Greenville had a monster seven-run 8th inning, hammering back-to-back-to-back homers. Yophery Rodriguez led off the inning and hit his third home run in the last four games. Gonzales and Godbout each followed up with solo shots to make it three home runs in a row. The Drive loaded the bases after Cespedes hit a single, Gerardo Rodriguez earned his third hit of the game with a single, and Isaiah Jackson. Freili Encarnacion came up to the plate and belted a grand slam to put Greenville on top with a commanding 12-6 lead. Jojo Ingrassia started on the mound and was not too sharp, finding the zone, walking four batters, and throwing 34 of 63 pitches for strikes. Although he had trouble finding the zone, he worked around the traffic on the bases, only giving up two runs in the three innings he pitched. 

Key Performances:

• Yophery Rodriguez: HR, 2 R, RBI, 2B, SB
• Yoeilin Cespedes: HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB
• Justin Gonzales: HR, 2 R, RBI, BB
• Freili Encarnacion: HR, 4 RBI, BB

April 29: The Greenville Drive rallied for a thrilling 8-7 walk-off victory over the Hub City Spartanburgers in 10 innings. 

After trailing in the 10th, the Drive clawed back to walk it off. Down 2-0 entering the 2nd, Freili Encarnacion hammered a solo homer, his second homer in two straight days. Adonys Guzman followed up with a homer as well to tie the game and make it back-to-back home runs for Greenville. Yoeilin Cespedes continued to look incredible, hitting a solo shot in the 3rd inning to give the Drive a 3-2 lead. The Spartanburgers tied the game again, but Greenville did not let up as they scored another two runs in the 6th, Jack Winnay hit an RBI double, and Isaiah Jackson scored on a throwing error, 5-3 Drive. Hub City fought back in the 9th, tying the game 5-5 to head into extra innings. The Spartanburgers appeared to seize control in the 10th with a two-run blast, but Cespedes answered with a game-tying two-run homer of his own. Encarnacion then drove in the winning run on a force-out grounder to complete the comeback. Six total home runs were hit in the contest. Alex Bouchard came into the game to pitch the 3rd inning and still looked impressive as he threw 5 ⅓ innings, struck out four batters, and only gave up one run. 

Key Performances:

• Yoeilin Cespedes: 4-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
• Jack Winnay: HR, 2B, R, RBI
• Freili Encarnacion: HR, 2 RBI
• Alex Bouchard: 5 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

April 30th: A frustrating night for Greenville, who were 0-for-12 with RISP in a 6-2 loss to the Hub City Spartanburgers.

Gerardo Rodriguez brought in a run with a sacrifice fly to tie the game up 1-1 in the 1st. But the 2nd inning flipped the game. Red Sox 2025 1st round pick Kyson Witherspoon couldn't find the zone, walking two batters. The Spartanburgers then lined a three-run homer to center to give Hub City a 4-1 lead. Witherspoon was wild all night, 5 walks in just 2 ⅔  innings. He took the loss to fall to 0-2 on the season. Jack Winnay drew an RBI walk in the 3rd inning to cut the deficit to 4-2 with the bases loaded and two outs. Mason White lined out, and the inning died. Justin Gonzales was one of the only bright spots, reaching base all five times and scoring both of Greenville's runs. 

Single-A Salem RidgeYaks

Season Record: 12-12

Series Opponent: Wilson Warbirds (Milwaukee Brewers)

Series Record: 2-1 

April 28: The RidgeYaks shut out the Wilson Warbirds 6-0 in the first game of the series. 

Salem scored six runs on only six hits, but they showed off the long ball this game. Starlyn Nunez led off the game with a walk, Luke Heyman followed up with a two-run homer to put the RidgeYaks on the scoreboard early 2-0. Andrews Opata gave Salem more breathing room with a sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning to make it a 3-0 game. Enddy Azocar collected two hits, including a solo home run in the 5th inning, to keep his seven-game hitting streak alive. In the 8th, Opata earned his second and third RBIs of the game by hitting a two-run homer. The RidgeYaks pitched excellently, led by Myles Patton and Jacob Mayers. Patton earned the win by throwing five innings, allowing two hits and striking out six batters. Mayers earned a four-inning save, struck out four batters, and allowed only one hit. 

Key Performances:

• Enddy Azocar: HR, 2 R, RBI
• Luke Heyman: HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Andrews Opata: HR, 3 RBI
• Myles Patton: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
• Jacob Mayers: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

April 29: A pitcher's duel through seven innings turned into heartbreak for Salem in the eighth, as the Wilson Warbirds exploded for four runs to pull away with a 5-1 win.

The first seven innings were frustrating for the RidgeYaks; they managed just two hits, an Enddy Azocar double in the 1st inning and a D’Angelo Ortiz single in the 3rd. Salem kept shooting themselves in the foot; a strikeout-caught stealing double play killed a rally in the 3rd after Ortiz singled, and Ty Hodge grounded into a double play in the 5th with a runner on base. The RidgeYaks were 0-for-9 with RISP and had 5 LOB, which tells the story of the game for Salem. The real bright spot was starting pitcher Dylan Brown, who was brilliant, throwing 5 ⅔  innings, three hits, one unearned run, and seven strikeouts on 82 pitches. He kept Salem in the game and gave the offense every chance.

April 30: The RidgeYaks erupt for 10 unanswered runs to stun the Warbirds 10-5. 

The first five innings were brutal; Salem's bats were asleep against the Warbirds pitchers. The RidgeYaks managed two singles from Starlyn Nunez and Enddy Azocar in the 1st inning but couldn't score, then went quietly in the 2nd through 5th. Starlyn Nunez tried to ignite the comeback, his solo homer to right in the 6th got Salem on the scoreboard 4-1, but Wilson answered back immediately with a homer to make it 5-1. Ty Hodge kept the pressure on with a solo shot in the 7th to cut it to 5-2. The 8th inning was electric for Salem. Anderson Fermin was hit by a pitch with one out. Nunez would then crush his second homer of the game, a two-run blast, and suddenly it was 5-4, a one-run game. Azocar singled, Heyman singled to put two on, and after a force out, moved runners to the corners with Kleyver Salazar at first. A passed ball tied the game up 5-5, and Salazar walked to load the bases. Hodge came through with a clutch two-run single to give Salem its first lead of the game at 7-5. Salem poured it on in the 9th for good measure. Nunez singled to make it his fourth hit of the game. Azocar singled, and Heyman demolished a three-run homer to left-center to blow it open 10-5. Ethan Walker deserves enormous credit for what he did on the mound. He entered in the 4th with the game at 3-0 and threw 5 ⅓  innings of two-run ball, striking out 9 on 74 pitches. He kept Salem in the game long enough for the bats to wake up and earned the win to improve to 2-1. 

Key Performances:

• Ethan Walker: 5 ⅓ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 9 K
• Starlyn Nunez: 4-for-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI
• Enddy Azocar: 3-for-5, 2 R
• Luke Heyman: HR, 3 RBI
• Ty Hodge: HR, 3 RBI

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