Red Sox Minor League Report: Mikey Romero, Jason Delay Lead Worcester to Fourth Straight Win

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Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Series at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees): 4-0

Season Record: 27-25

Worcester extended their winning streak to four, winning 6-5. 

Michael Sansone opened the game for Worcester still trying to find his feet in Triple-A. The southpaw has bounced between Worcester and Portland a few times this season and has a 6.20 ERA in five starts for the WooSox. On Friday, he let up four runs on six hits across three and ⅔ innings. In addition to the six hits, Sansone walked four as he continued to struggle to find his feet against better opponents. Across two and ⅓ innings of relief, Noah Song struck out two. He allowed one baserunner on a walk, but was otherwise dominant. It was an encouraging sign from the 29-year-old who has seen his fair share of struggles this season. Zack Kelly made his second appearance since being optioned from the big league club last week. Despite blowing a save on Friday, he earned the win for two innings of work. He let up one run on two hits. Finally, Tommy Kahnle pitched a flawless ninth inning, lowering his ERA to 1.40 and sealing the win for Worcester. 

The WooSox bats were lively as they faced a familiar face in Elmer Rodriguez. Mikey Romero and Nathan Hickey led the way with two RBIs apiece, as Nate Eaton and Allan Castro totalled two hits each. Down by one run in the third, Eaton scored from first on a fielder’s choice. Just one batter later Romero mashed an opposite field two-run homer, scoring Vinny Capra and taking a two-run lead. Nathan Hickey joined in on the fun in the fourth, singling on a ground ball as Tsung-Che Cheng and Matt Lloyd scored. With the game tied in the top of the eighth, Jason Delay hit a ground ball single to left field, scoring Castro from third. Delay’s single proved to be the difference in a close game as Worcester clinched the series.

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Series at Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 3-1

Season Record: 25-23

The Sea Dogs four-game hot streak was snapped as they fell 5-4 in extras. 

Dalton Rogers took the first three innings of Friday evening’s matchup. Rogers struggled with command but was otherwise excellent. He let up one hit but allowed four baserunners via walks. However, he struck out three and lowered his ERA to an impressive 1.42. Cade Feeney took the next three and saw mixed results. He walked just one batter and struck out a season-high five batters. But he allowed four runs on four hits as his ERA rose to 6.85. Portland needed a solid relief outing to follow Feeney, and Reidis Sena delivered. Across another three inning outing he allowed only one baserunner and struck out three as he was nearly perfect. However, it was all in vain when catcher Raudelis Martinez came in to pitch. Martinez was thrust into a high-stakes position for his first career pitching appearance and he couldn't come up clutch. He allowed a walk-off single as Binghamton snapped Portland’s streak. 

At the dish, Nate Baez came up with a two-run homer and Franklin Arias had two hits. It was Caden Rose who got Portland on the board, however. He slapped a ground ball off of the second baseman’s glove for a single as Nelly Taylor crossed home from second. Down by two runs in the sixth Nate Baez hit a two-run nuke to left center, scoring Marvin Alcantara. Tyler McDonough followed this up with an RBI of his own, driving in Brooks Brannon and snagging the lead. The lead was short-lived however, as Portland failed to score over the last three frames. 

High-A Greenville Drive

Series vs. Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros): 3-1

Season Record: 19-28

Like Portland, Greenville’s winning streak was snapped as they lost by five runs. 

Greenville depleted their bullpen on Friday as six pitchers made appearances. Jojo Ingrassia made his first appearance in over a month as he started Friday’s game. It was an excellent return as he allowed just one hit and struck out six across two innings. Shea Sprauge followed with an inning of his own, but it was less than ideal. He allowed six runs on just three hits, walking four as his ERA shot to 7.89. As the Drive desperately needed stability from the bullpen, they turned to Danny Kirwin. Unfortunately, Kirwin couldn’t answer. He allowed one more run and three walks over just ⅔ of an inning. The Tourists offense was temporarily cooled as P.J. Labriola came into the game. Across three and ⅓ innings he allowed one more run and two hits, striking out three. However, Labriola couldn't pitch the rest of the game, turning the ball over to Steven Brooks. Over an inning, Brooks allowed two more runs on three hits. Catcher Hudson White pitched the final inning for Greenville, surrendering another three runs before the game concluded. 

Despite three RBIs from both Mason White and Gerardo Rodriguez, the Drive couldn’t climb back into the game. Enddy Azocar got a hit as well, scoring in the first on a double from Rodriguez who got the scoring started. Later in the first, Mason White clobbered his ninth homer of the year. It was a three-run shot to center, scoring Isaiah Jackson and Rodriguez as the Drive extended their lead. However, by the time the Drive scored again, they faced a six-run deficit. In the eighth, Yoeilin Cespedes scored on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Yophery Rodriguez drew a walk with the bases loaded, scoring Jackson once more. In the bottom of the ninth, G. Rodriguez cut the lead to five with a two-run shot, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the loss. 

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Series vs. Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers): 1-3

Season Record: 21-28

Salem fell by six as their losing streak reached three games. 

Jose Bello earned his second loss of the year for his four and ⅓ innings on Friday. He let up two runs on just one hit, walking four. He punched out three, but it wasn’t enough to limit the Hickory offense. Adam Bates pitched two and ⅔ innings in relief, allowing another two runs to cross home. He struck out four batters as well. The game got away from Salem as Harry Blum took the mound. His ERA hit 10.02 after his appearance, which was poor to say the least. He allowed five more runs on three hits and three walks over just one frame of work. For the final inning of the night, Griffin Kilander put together a near perfect outing. He allowed one walk as he struck out two. As impressive as it was, it did little to rectify the poor performances that came before him. 

Despite a two-hit day from D’Angelo Ortiz, the RidgeYaks only totaled one RBI as they struggled at the plate. Salem’s lone RBI came in the fourth on a Skylar King home run to tie the game at 1-1. In the fifth, Salem scored their other two runs. Stanley Tucker stole home as Starlyn Nunez later scored on a passed ball. It was all the offense Salem could muster, however, as they lost by six.

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