Red Sox Minor League Report: Greenville's Losing Streak Reaches Seven

Boston Red Sox Minor League Recap (May 15)

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Series at Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays): 1-3

Season Record: 23-19

Worcester fell for the second night in a row 5-2 in a bullpen game.

Cade Feeney got the start in his first game since being called up from Double-A Portland. He gave up one run on one hit over two innings, walking two. Kyle Keller took the next two, allowing another run on three more hits. He struck out three and gave up one walk. Jacob Webb took the fifth and sixth innings, giving up one more run and two hits, and striking out three. Wyatt Olds took the final two innings, allowing Buffalo to tack on another two runs on two more hits. It was a rough day all around for the WooSox pitching staff as they struggled to find stability.

It wasn’t a very successful night at the plate either for Worcester, who notched just one RBI as they went 2-for-14 with RISP. Jason Delay got the WooSox on the board in the second, driving in Tsung-Che Cheng on a fielder's choice. Worcester's only other run came in the seventh inning when Mikey Romero scored on a wild pitch. Nine batters reached base as Worcester totaled six hits and eight walks, but they struggled to drive runs in.

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Series at Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies): 3-1

Season Record: 17-19

Portland won 2-1 behind strong pitching and timely hitting.

Danny Coulombe made his first rehab start on Friday, turning in an inning of one-hit ball. John Holobetz took the next five innings, working an excellent outing of his own. He struck out four, allowing one run on a solo homer, and limiting the Yard Goats to three hits. Joe Vogatsky pitched the following three innings, allowing a hit and a walk, He punched out three as he earned his first win of the season. Caleb Bolden earned the save for his inning of relief work, sitting down one batter on strikes as he staved off any chance of a Hartford comeback in extras.

Despite having less than ideal numbers with RISP, Portland’s bats were hot. All but one of the Sea Dogs starters got on base at least once, and four batters had multiple hits. Tyler McDonough struck first with an RBI single in the fifth inning, scoring Nelly Taylor. In a 1-1 ball game in the tenth inning, Nate Baez grounded out to second, driving home the winning run in Ahbram Liendo. Max Ferguson was rock-solid at the dish, going 3-for-5 as he bumped up his average, helping Portland to their third straight win.

High-A Greenville Drive

Series vs. Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays): 0-4

Season Record: 14-23

The Drive lost their seventh straight, getting crushed 10-2.

Marcus Philips continued to struggle through the early stages of his professional career on Friday, allowing five runs across just three and ⅔ innings. Philips bumped his ERA to 8.44 as he lost his third game of the year. Shea Sprague took the next three and ⅔, but wasn’t much better. He gave up eight hits, and walked an additional four batters. He allowed four more runs, striking out four. His struggles continued as well as his ERA rose to 5.66. Joey Gartrell took the final inning and ⅓, allowing one more run and three hits. His ERA rose as well, to 6.45.

It wasn’t much better for Greenville at the plate. In the third, Natanael Yuten clubbed his fourth homer of the year, a solo shot to center field that put the Drive in the scoring column. The Drive’s other run also came by way of the long ball. In the sixth inning, Yophery Rodriguez hit his tenth homer of the season. He leads the Red Sox organization in home runs. Outside of Rodriguez and Yuten, the Drive were silent when it came to driving runs in. They went 0-for-11 with RISP and left nine runners on base. Freili Encarnacion was the only one to record multiple hits, hitting a triple in the eighth inning. In the ninth, Justin Gonzales, who started at first base instead of the outfield, hit a triple of his own. However, facing an eight-run deficit, it wasn’t enough to bring Salem back into the game.

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Series at Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals): 1-3

Season Record: 17-20

Salem fell 6-5 despite an outstanding performance from Ty Hodge in a close contest.

Jason Gilman took the first two and ⅔ innings for Salem, allowing a two-run homer in the first inning. It was the only scoring Gilman allowed as he struck out three batters. Dalvinson Reyes was hit with his third loss of the season for his appearance in Friday's game. Over three innings, Reyes walked three and allowed three runs (one unearned) on just one hit. Griffin Kilander took the next inning and allowed yet another hit on three more runs. The pitching staff finally found some steady ground with Wuilliams Rodriguez, who pitched a flawless inning and ⅓. 

Ty Hodge highlighted the RidgeYaks offensive efforts on Friday, collecting three RBIs on two hits. However, it was Skylar King who scored the first run for Salem, reaching home on a throwing error in the third inning. Kleyver Salazar followed King up with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, driving in Starlyn Nunez. Later in the inning, Hodge singled to drive in King, tying the game. Facing a three-run deficit in the eighth, Ty Hodge brought the RidgeYaks within one on a two-run double. However, it wasn’t enough as Salem fell by a one-run margin.

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