Red Sox Minor League Report: Affiliate Teams' Offensive Woes Pile Up Amid Four Losses

Let’s check in down on the farm following Saturday’s action. 

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Series vs. Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays): 2-3
Season Record: 62-52

Worcester put up a fight but was ultimately let down by the bullpen as the WooSox lost in the tenth frame. 

Blake Wehunt took the first five innings of Saturday’s contest, finishing with a respectable line of three runs on five hits. Wehunt allowed two walks and struck out just one, his third consecutive start with one strikeout. Sam McWilliams took the sixth inning, spinning a one-hit frame as he earned his first Triple-A hold of the season. McWilliams punched out two before Noah Song got the call. Song took the next two innings, letting up two runs on two hits, walking two and striking out four as Buffalo took the lead. Tyler Samaniego entered next and staved off the Bisons as Worcester forced extras. Samaniego gave up one hit and struck out one before Wyatt Olds took a high-stakes tenth inning. However, Olds couldn’t answer the call as he gave up two runs (one unearned) on two hits, striking out two as Buffalo took a late lead that proved fatal. 

The WooSox put together an impressive offensive performance despite the late loss, garnering 11 hits and drawing ten walks. Worcester fell far short when it came to driving runs in, going a measly 3-for-18 with RISP and stranding a staggering 17 baserunners. Romy Gonzalez led the way with three RBIs on four hits as he continued to build back to a big league call-up. Gonzalez got the WooSox on the board with an RBI single in the first inning, scoring Mickey Gasper. Down two in the second inning, Brett Harris scored on a wild pitch as Worcester narrowed the gap. Gonzales then drove in Franklin Arias and Nate Eaton as the WooSox took a one-run lead. Down one with runners on the corners in the eighth inning, Mikey Romero blooped a fly ball to shallow left as Mickey Gasper scored, tying the game. Worcester couldn’t compete in the end as they failed to score on multiple occasions, falling by two. 

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Series vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 1-4
Season Record: 58-54

Portland lost by double digits for the second time in five games as its August woes continued to pile up. 

Mike Sansone got the start for Portland, struggling through four frames of shoddy pitching. Sansone let up five runs on six hits and issued three walks. The one positive for the 26-year-old came in the strikeout column, where he compiled six punchouts. Jeremy Wu-Yelland got the ball next, but struggled even more than Sansone. Over one and ⅔ innings, Wu-Yelland let up another five runs on four hits and issued four walks. He struck out two before Steven Brooks took over towards the end of the sixth. Brooks was solid, allowing two unearned runs on two hits as he struck out three in two and ⅓ innings. Erik Rivera took the first two outs of the ninth, allowing two runs (one unearned) on one hit and issuing two walks before outfielder Nelly Taylor took the final out of Saturday’s blowout. 

Portland was just as unsuccessful on the other side of the ball, scoring just twice as they stranded nine runners. Portland’s pair of runs came in the fourth inning as Max Ferguson scored Yoeilin Cespedes on a ground out and Ahbram Liendo scored Mason White on an RBI single. The Sea Dogs were otherwise silent as they fell without much protest. 

High-A Greenville Drive

Series @ Hub City Spartanburgers (Texas Rangers): 2-3
Season Record: 49-61

Akin to their fellow affiliate teams, the Drive struggled with RISP on Saturday, falling 4-2. 

Dylan Brown spun an excellent start on Saturday evening, turning in three one-hit innings as he fended off Hub City. He walked two and struck out four before Shea Sprague took over in the fourth. Sprague struggled across four frames, allowing four runs on seven hits. He issued a pair of walks and struck out three more, exiting following the seventh inning. Trennor O’Donnell took the eighth in one-hit fashion, striking out two as he threw the final frame of Saturday’s game. 

Two-hit games from Justin Gonzales and Carlos Gutierrez marked the headlines in a disappointing day at the dish for Greenville. Going just 1-for-11 with RISP and stranding ten, the Drive couldn’t make it happen in a close game. Both of the Drive’s runs came in the third inning. Gonzales drew a bases-loaded walk before Jake Schaffner grounded out as Antonio Anderson crossed home. 

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Series @ Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles): 2-3
Season Record: 49-62

Just like Greenville, Salem mustered just one hit with RISP as the Yaks stranded 11 runners in a 7-3 loss. 

After spinning a scoreless start last time around, Sadbiel Delzine struggled through a three-inning start on Saturday night. The top prospect let up three runs on six hits as he struck out a pair in his third Low-A start. Barrett Morgan made his first appearance since late June and saw encouraging results. In a two-inning outing, Morgan struck out two and allowed one unearned run on one hit. Cam Padgett made his second appearance with Salem, but was less successful than his first go-around. Padgett let up three earned runs on four hits and issued a pair of walks. He struck out one before Yermain Ruiz struck out two in the final frame of Saturday’s loss. 

Salem compiled nine hits and drew five walks, but fell short when it came time to drive in runners. D'Angelo Ortiz and Anderson Fermin had two hits apiece, and Josue Brito drew a pair of walks. All of Salem’s runs came late, with Wills Maginnis putting the Yaks on the board with his first professional homer in the eighth inning. Franklin Primera stepped to the plate next and launched a solo shot of his own past the right-field wall as Salem cut the lead to five. Colton Coates recorded his first professional RBI as he drove home D’Angelo Ortiz on a sac fly in the ninth inning. 

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