Red Sox Minor League Report: WooSox Drop Third Straight; RidgeYaks Roll

Let’s take a look at Saturday’s Boston Red Sox affiliate team action.

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Series @ Syracuse Mets (New York Mets): 1-4
Season Record: 63-57

The WooSox lost their third straight despite a shutout day from the bullpen.

John Holobetz got the start on Saturday evening and turned in a less-than-ideal outing. Across four frames, Holobetz allowed three runs on seven hits. He issued one walk and punched out four before exiting the ballgame. Osvaldo Berrios entered in the fifth, looking to minimize Syracuse’s lead. Berrios succeeded, turning in a shutout, two-frame appearance. He let up one hit and struck out a pair before Tyler Samaniego took the seventh inning. Samaniego was just as dominant as Berrios, allowing one hit and striking out another. John Brebbia took the eighth and final frame of Saturday’s contest, and closed the loss in perfect fashion. Brebbia struck out two of the three batters he faced, capping off a successful bullpen outing despite the loss.

The WooSox were able to muster just eight baserunners on Saturday, and went an abysmal 0-for-8 with RISP. Trevor Story and Tsung-Che Cheng recorded a single each as Brett Harris went 2-for-4 with a double. Allan Castro recorded a double as well.

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Series vs. Reading Fighting Phils (Philadelphia Phillies): 2-3
Season Record: 60-58

Portland conceded three late runs that gave Reading just enough to win Saturday’s ballgame.

Michael Sansone spun an excellent start on Saturday, shoving six frames of one-run work. He let up two hits and walked three, but struck out six as he slowed the Phils’ offense. The excellent start was succeeded by a solid relief effort from Joe Vogatsky. Over two innings, Vogatsky allowed one run on one hit and issued three walks. He punched out a pair before Reidis Sena entered in the ninth. Sena looked to give Portland’s offense a chance for a walk-off win, but dropped the ball. He allowed three runs in just ⅔ of an inning as Reading took a late lead. Sena issued two walks and struck out one before Griffin Kilander was called in to finish the frame. Kilander struck out the only batter he faced, and Portland’s offense wasn’t able to rectify Sena’s disaster class. 

Despite the loss, the Sea Dogs remained competitive throughout most of the game. Three hits from Mason White led the way as he and Johanfran Garcia had an RBI each. Garcia struck first for Portland, driving Justin Gonzales home on a groundout to third. In the eighth, White tied the game in hopes of sparking a late rally. He drove home Miguel Bleis on a single to right field and gave the Sea Dogs a late opportunity. However, the bats came up short in the ninth as Portland lost in a heartbreaker. 

High-A Greenville Drive

Series vs. Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox): 2-3
Season Record: 52-64

Despite leading through the first three innings, Greenville lost in Friday’s makeup game.

Shea Sprague took over for Dylan Brown when play resumed, allowing two runs through four frames. He let up four hits and walked four more. He struck out four before Brandon Neely took over. Neely’s outing was poor, to say the least as he allowed five runs on three hits in just ⅔ of an inning. He issued a trio of walks before Matt McShane closed the game. McShane earned the loss for his performance, allowing one unearned run on one hit and issuing a pair of walks as the game went to extras. He struck out two in the blown save. 

Greenville’s bats didn’t skip a beat when play picked back up on Saturday, tallying 12 total hits and driving in seven runs. A three-RBI game from Maximus Martin led the way as Gerardo Rodriguez recorded three hits of his own. In the third, Carlos Gutierrez scored Owen Hull on a double to center before Martin scored Rodriguez on a double in the fifth. Later in the fifth, Ronny Hernandez sent Martin home on a single, giving the Drive a 5-0 lead. In the seventh, Rodriguez tacked on two more with a two-run homer to left center, giving Greenville a six-run lead. Unfortunately for Greenville, the pitching staff surrendered the large lead as it fell in the first game of the day.

Matt Duffy got the start in the second game of the evening, turning in a two-and-⅓ appearance. He allowed two runs on two hits and issued one walk. He sat down four on strikes before Barrett Morgan took over. Morgan was nearly perfect as he threw 2⅔ innings of hitless ball. He issued one walk but punched out six of the nine batters he faced, impressing in his first appearance with Greenville. Joey Gartrell entered in the sixth inning and threw two innings. He allowed a pair of runs on three hits and walked one. He struck out another before catcher Hudson White took the final frame of the game. With the bullpen exhausted, White was called in to help in a high-stakes situation. He struggled heavily, allowing four runs (one unearned) on four hits as Winston-Salem took a late lead for the second time on the day. 

The Drive’s bats were just as lively in the second matchup of the day, tallying ten hits and going 4-for-13 with RISP. Down two in the bottom of the first, Isaiah Jackson launched his 19th homer of the season to center field, cutting the lead in half. One inning later, Stanley Tucker scored Nazzan Zanetello on a line drive single, tying the game. A few innings later, Yophery Rodriguez grounded into a force out, scoring Luke Heyman. Down one, Gutierrez scored Tucker on a double to center, tying the game at four runs apiece. However, the Drive faltered for the second time on the day, losing by a wide margin as the bats went quiet late. 

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Series vs. Wilson Warbirds (Milwaukee Brewers): 3-2
Season Record: 52-65

Consistent offense powered Salem to a 15-9 victory as the bullpen held up late. 

Sadbiel Delzine rebounded in a strong way from a rough outing his last time around. In three innings, Delzine allowed just one hit as he struck out five batters. The top prospect lowered his ERA to 2.50 following his start. Alex Kranzler took the mound following Delzine, earning his first win of the season. He allowed three runs on two hits and issued a walk, but struck out three before Yermain Ruiz took over. Ruiz’s outing went as poorly as it could have as he allowed six runs on three hits in just ⅔ of an inning. He walked five and struck out two before Wuilliams Rodriguez entered to do some damage control. Wuilliams was exceptional as he threw three scoreless frames. He let up six hits and walked two, but staved off the Warbirds with two strikeouts. Shortstop Anderson Fermin took the final two outs of the game in uneventful fashion, capping off an easy win. 

The Yaks recorded 15 hits and drove in 15 runs as they absolutely dominated on offense. Every member of the batting order recorded a hit as D’Angelo Ortiz and Colton Coates drove in three runs each. Salem got started early as Josue Brito drove in Kleyver Salazar on a double to right field. Ortiz reached on a fielding error in the second as Andrews Opata crossed home. In the fourth, Andruw Mussett scored Avinson Pinto on a line drive to center before Martin Shelar scored Musett on a single of his own. Coates scored Ortiz and Shelar on a triple to center as Salem took a four-run lead. The Yaks exploded for six runs in the fifth as Andrews Opata scored Brito and Louis Andujar on a double to left. Opata scored on a Pinto single before Pinto scored on a Musett triple. Musett was driven home on a groundout from Ortiz before Coates scored Shelar on a line drive single. In the sixth, Pinto added on one more with a single that scored Opata, bringing the lead to four runs. In the eighth, Ortiz put a bow on the day with a two-RBI single, scoring Andujar and Pinto and bringing Salem to 15 runs.

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