Red Sox Daily Minor League Report: Franklin Arias Stays Hot With Three Straight Multi-Hit Games

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (May 12)

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox 

The WooSox traveled to Buffalo to play the Bisons, taking a 7-2 defeat in the first game of the series as the bats were quiet.

After Worcester went hitless in the first inning, the Bisons took advantage early in the bottom half of the first, racking up two hits and an RBI groundout to put them up 1-0. A badly timed error by the Sox cost them in the second inning as two runs would score from a bad throw to push Buffalo ahead 3-0. 

The WooSox showed life in the 3rd, Jason Delay drew a walk, Braiden Ward laced a double to keep it going, and Nick Sogard drove in Delay on a sacrifice fly to cut it to 3–1. But with runners on the corners and two outs, Nate Eaton grounded out to end the threat. 

Worcester manufactured a brief two-out rally in the fifth. Matt Lloyd walked to lead off the inning, after a couple of force outs and another Sogard walk, Vinny Capra ripped a single to right to bring in Ward, trimming it to 3–2. Unfortunately, Eaton left runners stranded on the corners with two outs once again. 

The game seemed to slip away for Worcester in the sixth after the bullpen immediately gave up a two-run homer to Buffalo, making it a 5-2 game. 

The WooSox bats were extremely cold the last three innings, only tallying one hit as the Bisons scored two more runs to make it a 7-2 final score.

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

The Portland Sea Dogs suffered a defeat they would like to forget, having the lead for the first seven innings and blowing it in the eighth and getting walked off on in the ninth by the Hartford Yard Goats 7-6. 

The Sea Dogs' offense exploded in the 1st inning. Franklin Arias led off the inning with a single, then stole a base, Brooks Brannon walked, Johanfran Garcia followed and blasted a three-run homer to right-center to make it 3–0. Marvin Alcantara kept it going with a homer of his own, a solo shot to right field, and just like that, it was 4–0 Portland.

The Yard Goats scraped a run across in the second inning on a strange play, with two outs, a runner who was caught stealing, and allowed another runner to score from third base. In the third, Hartford strung together three singles to cut it to 4–2. In the next at-bat, a wild pitch allowed another runner to score, making it a one-run game, 4-3.

The Sea Dogs got some breathing room in the fifth inning after Will Turner smacked a solo homer, pushing their lead to 5-3, but the Yard Goats made it a one-run game once again after hitting an RBI single. In the seventh, Ahbram Liendo tripled and scored on an Arias groundout, extending the lead 6–4. 

Portland's bullpen had trouble finding the zone and lost the lead in the eighth inning. A wild pitch gave the Yard Goats a free run and a walk with the bases loaded, tying it up 6-6 entering the ninth, giving Hartford a chance to walk it off. 

In the ninth, the Sea Dogs drew a couple of walks, putting runners on first and second with two outs, but both runners ended up being stranded as a groundout ended their chance to get the lead back. That gave the Yard Goats a perfect chance to end it; they would then hammer a walk-off home run, putting an end to a 7-6 game in which Portland had the lead for seven straight innings.

Hayden Mullins started on the mound for Portland and pitched well by limiting the damage, throwing five innings, allowing three earned runs, and striking out eight batters.

Key Performances:

• Marvin Alcantara: 2-for-4: HR, 2B, R, RBI
• Franklin Arias: 2-for-5, R, RBI, SB
• Will Turner: HR, R, RBI, BB
• Johanfran Garcia: HR, R, 3 RBI
• Miguel Bleis: 3-for-4, SB
• Hayden Mullins: 5 IP, 3 ER, 8 K

High-A Greenville Drive

It was a rough night for the Greenville Drive in their 5-1 loss. Their bats were stifled all game by a dominant Bowling Green pitching staff.

Top prospect Kyson Witherspoon continues to struggle this season, unable to find a good rhythm and find the strike zone. He gave up six hits, four runs, three walks, and only one strikeout in his 4 ⅔ innings of work.

Greenville’s bats only recorded six hits, but they had plenty of chances to score, but could not capitalize, going 1-for-7 with RISP. Most of the top batters were shut down; the player who had two of the six hits was Jack Winnay

The only score for the Drive came in the bottom of the fifth when Justin Gonzales was hit by a pitch, and Yoeilin Cespedes lined an RBI single to center to make it 4–1, but Isaiah Jackson grounded out to end the inning.

Ben Hansen pitched well in his relief outing, throwing 3 ⅓ innings, giving up two hits, one earned run, and striking out five.

Single-A Salem RidgeYaks

It was a miserable night for the RidgeYaks; they were completely dominated by four Fredericksburg Nationals pitchers who combined for a nine-inning shutout 4-0, allowing just three hits and zero walks while striking out 12.

Skylar King was the only bright spot on offense for the RidgeYaks; he tallied two of the three hits the team had the entire game. Starlyn Nunez had the only other hit.

Salem’s bats were non-existent, getting no-hit through the first four innings. Finally, they recorded their first hit in the fifth when King hit a two-out single, but the RidgeYaks would not make anything out of it.

The RidgeYaks' pitching staff was not necessarily bad, but the offense did not do them any justice. Madison Frias started on the mound, in 5 ⅓ innings of work, and he gave up only two hits, three earned runs, and struck out four. The bullpen started out with Adam Bates, who finished the sixth inning for Frias and came back out in the seventh and took care of business by throwing a hitless frame. Williams Rodriguez was the last pitcher in the game for Salem. In the bottom of the eighth, he walked a batter, and he ended up scoring on a throwing error, giving Rodriguez an unearned run at the end of his outing.

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