Red Sox Minor League Report: Kyson Witherspoon Strikes Out Seven In Greenville Loss

[Ben Lofy]

Let's check in on Friday’s action on the farm. 

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Series vs. Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers): 0-4

Season Record: 36-39

The WooSox skid continued on Friday as they were crushed 13-1. 

Not much went well for Worcester on Friday, especially on the mound. Seth Martinez got the start, lasting just two innings before being pulled. Over the course of his short outing, Martinez gave up five runs on four hits, raising his ERA to 6.65 while taking the loss. Devin Sweet took the next two innings and saw some more success. Sweet let up one run on two hits before turning the ball over to Angel Bastardo for the fifth. Bastardo let up two runs on two hits as Toledo began to run away with the ballgame. Zack Kelly put together the most successful outing for Worcester, allowing one walk in his inning-long outing. Noah Song took the seventh through eighth, allowing the Mud Hens to score five more runs. Song walked two and allowed five hits. Wyatt Olds took the ninth and matched Kelly’s inning, allowing a walk but preventing Toledo from tacking on anything else. 

At the dish, the WooSox struggled to get on base, recording only eight baserunners. A somewhat depleted roster didn’t help, as Anthony Seigler and Tsung-Che Cheng have both recently joined the big league club. Worcester’s only run came on a Mikey Romero solo home run in the first inning, his fifth of the year. Otherwise, newly signed Andrew Knizner and Max Ferguson recorded a double each while both Allan Castro and Jason Delay singled. 

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Series @ Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies): 2-2

Season Record: 37-35

Miguel Bleis clubbed two homers as Portland lost 4-3 in a close game. 

John Holobetz spun an absolute gem on Friday, turning in six innings of superb work. Holobetz gave up just one earned run throughout his start, allowing three hits and a walk. Holobetz struck out six for the third start in a row. Jeremy Wu-Yelland got the ball in a tense situation, hoping to carry over Holobetz’s momentum. Wu-Yelland faltered, however, allowing two runs on three hits in just an inning and earning his first blown save of the season. Reidis Sena ultimately lost the game for Portland, allowing one more run (although it was unearned) on one hit in the eight inning as Hartford prevailed. 

Franklin Arias was absent from Portland’s lineup on Friday evening. Whether or not Arias sat out in anticipation of a Triple-A call-up is unclear, but it’s certain that Portland struggled without him. Coming into Friday night, Arias carried a five-game multi-hit streak. Miguel Bleis stepped up in Arias’ absence, but he was alone in his efforts. He hit a leadoff home run to start off the game, giving the Sea Dogs an early lead. In the third, Bleis stole second as Ahbram Liendo scored on a throwing error. In the fifth, Bleis crushed his second home run of the night as Portland added to a short-lived lead. Liendo, Ronald Rosario, and Jack Winnay recorded a single each, making up the rest of Portland’s offense. 

High-A Greenville Drive

Series vs. Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros): 2-2

Season Record: 30-40

Kyson Witherspoon is finally beginning to look like the pitcher Boston drafted last year. Despite early season struggles, Witherspoon has been terrific over his past few outings. Friday was no exception, as Witherspoon notched seven strikeouts and allowed just one run. He let up five hits and a walk over six innings, but minimized the damage as he turned in yet another great performance. Calvin Bickerstaff took the next two innings, letting up a solo home run and a walk before turning the ball over to Steven Brooks. The outings that preceded Brooks were not in line with his performance as he imploded. Brooks allowed five runs on four hits in the top of the ninth as Asheville took a late lead, and eventually the win. 

Greenville’s offense was solid for most of the game, but couldn’t rectify poor late-game pitching. Antonio Anderson shouldered most of Friday’s offense as he drove in two runs on two hits. His first RBI came in the fourth inning as he drove in Yophery Rodriguez on a single. Ronny Hernandez then scored on a Hudson White sac fly, taking a 2-0 lead. In the sixth, Hernandez and Anderson teed off. The pair went back-to-back as Greenville established a three-run lead. However, it was all the offense could muster for the rest of the night as Asheville stole a win on Friday night. 

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Series vs. Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs): 1-3

Season Record: 27-45

Salem lost yet again, falling 8-1 in its 16th loss of the month. 

With three days until July, you can count the Salem RidgeYaks number of wins in the month of June on one hand. The RidgeYaks have won just four games in 20 contests, good for a .200 winning percentage. This trend continued on Friday as Salem barely put up a fight. The struggles on the pitching side started early. Myrtle Beach got to Brady Tygart early, forcing him out of the game after just 1⅔ innings. Tygart walked five batters and allowed two hits, letting up three runs (one unearned). Jacob Mayers took the next 2⅓ frames, walking four and allowing a hit but staving off any more runs from the Pelicans. Drew Allmer pitched just ⅓ of an inning before being pulled, allowing three runs on four walks and zero hits. Harry Blum took the next 2⅓ innings to the tune of one run on one hit. Wuilliams Rodriguez closed out the final 2⅓ innings of Friday’s game, letting up one unearned run and striking out four. 

Salem recorded just four hits on Friday, two of which were hit by Avinson Pinto. On a more positive note, Salem drew six walks but struggled to do much with runners on. Its only run of the evening came on an Andrews Opata double in the third inning, driving in Ilan Fernandez to cut the lead to two runs. However, Salem didn’t put up much of a fight as they were dispatched quite easily, striking out 12 times. Opata and Pinto each registered a double and Pinto and Adonys Guzman both singled as well.

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