Ben Lofy

Let’s see how the Red Sox farm did as this week's series came to a close. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees): 3-3 Season Record: 66-61 The WooSox got back in the win column on Sunday afternoon, claiming a 13-10 victory to secure the series split. John Brebbia took the first inning of a bullpen game that featured seven different pitchers on Sunday. Brebbia allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out another, turning over a clean scoresheet to Max Carlson after the first inning. Carlson earned the win for his outing on Sunday, the longest of any Worcester pitcher. He let up a pair of runs on five hits and struck out another before Devin Sweet took over. Sweet struggled across one and ⅓ innings, letting up three earned runs on three hits. He issued a walk and struck out one as Osvaldo Berrios was called in to finish the sixth inning. Berrios struggled even more than Sweet, allowing four runs on four hits in just ⅔ of an inning. Berrios punched out a pair before Angel Bastardo took the seventh inning. Bastardo was excellent, allowing one hit and issuing one walk as he struck out another. Seth Martinez followed Bastardo in the eighth but didn’t fare as well. He let up one run on two hits, striking out one before Hobie Harris was called upon to close the game. Harris earned his third save of the year for his shutout inning of work. He let up one hit but sealed the much-needed win for Worcester. As Red Sox fans anticipate the call-up of Franklin Arias and the reinstatement of Roman Anthony, many forget about Kristian Campbell. Campbell has quietly put together an excellent season and may have put together his best performance so far on Sunday. Campbell led the team with four RBIs on three hits as Romy Gonzales and Brett Harris chipped in three RBIs each. Campbell got started early, launching a solo homer in the second inning and grabbing a one-run lead for Worcester. In the third, Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove in Vinny Capra and Nate Baez on a bases-loaded single. Later in the inning, with two runners aboard, Gonzalez scored Kiner-Falefa and Arias on a double to center. The WooSox weren’t done scoring; Harris drove in Gonzalez and Campbell on a double to left, giving Worcester a 7-2 lead. In the fifth, Campbell struck once more. With Gonzalez and Nate Eaton in scoring position, he clobbered his second homer of the game beyond the center field fence, bringing the WooSox total to 10 runs. After a seven-run sixth inning brought the RailRiders within one, Allan Castro drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh, scoring Eaton. With the bases loaded yet again, Harris drew a walk of his own, giving Worcester a three-run lead. With a two-run lead in the eighth, Gonzalez put an exclamation mark on the successful day for Worcester, crushing a homer to right field and sealing the win. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series @ Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants): 4-2 Season Record: 64-60 Portland lost on an extra-innings walk-off, narrowly missing out on their fifth straight win. Alex Bouchard struggled through the first three frames of Sunday’s game. He let up five runs on six hits and issued two walks. He struck out three as Richmond took advantage of his struggles. Caleb Bolden took the next three frames and saw much more success. He let up one hit and issued a walk, striking out a pair before Erik Rivera took over. Rivera matched Bolden’s scoreless appearance over two frames, allowing one hit and striking out three. Reidis Sena entered following Rivera and let up one run. Sena issued a walk and didn’t record an out as he was pulled quickly. Steven Brooks took over in Sena’s place and pitched a one-hit inning, walking one. With the bullpen depleted in the tenth, Portland turned to Hudson White to spin a miraculous win. White failed, however, allowing two runs (one unearned) on two hits as he issued two walks across ⅓ of an inning. Portland’s offense kept most of its momentum following Saturday's 14-run onslaught. The Sea Dogs tallied 16 baserunners as Tyler McDonough led the way with three RBIs. Johanfran Garcia posted his second three-hit game in a row, knocking in one RBI as well. In the second, Caden Rose put the Sea Dogs on the board as he drew a bases-loaded walk, scoring Yoeilin Cespedes. Down by four in the third inning, Garcia launched his third homer in two days to left field, cutting the lead to three. An inning later, Ahbram Liendo scored by way of a Nelly Taylor single. With the deficit at two in the top of the ninth, Tyler McDonough played hero. He crushed a fly ball to left field, scoring Rose and tying the game. Cespedes put Portland ahead with a double to left, scoring Garcia. After Richmond tied the game, McDonough gave the Sea Dogs another lead, scoring Liendo on a ground out. However, it wasn’t enough to claim victory as the Sea Dogs fell by one. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Rome Emperors (Atlanta Braves): 3-2 Season Record: 55-67 Greenville secured the series win in walk-off fashion, completing a four-run comeback in the ninth. Jose Bello got the call up to Greenville on Friday and turned in a solid start on Sunday. Across four and ⅓ innings, Bello let up three runs on six hits, issuing one walk and striking out three. Bello was followed by Griffin Kilander who struggled through one and ⅔ innings. Kilander allowed five runs (one unearned) on just two hits as he issued three walks. He struck out a pair before Trennor O’Donnell took the final three frames of Sunday’s contest. Across the seventh, eighth, and ninth, O’Donnell allowed three earned runs on three hits. He issued a walk and struck out three as he did just enough to help Greenville to the win. After losing 12-2 on Saturday, Greenville won with the same number of runs. Luke Heyman had a career night, knocking in five RBIs on three hits as the Drive went an impressive 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Down by four in the fifth, Heyman stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. Heyman drove in all three baserunners, crushing a moonshot grand slam to left-center and tying the game. Givian Sirvania, Jake Schaffner, and Owen Hull all crossed home plate. After Rome responded with six runs, the Drive had their work cut out for them if they wanted to get back into the game. Greenville dug in in the eighth inning. Antonio Anderson got it started, turning on a ball and sending a single to center field, scoring Isaiah Jackson. With the bases loaded, Stanley Tucker drew a walk to close the gap to four. Another walk from Sirvania put the Drive within striking distance as Schaffner stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. A groundout to first scored Nazzan Zanetello. The Drive entered the ninth inning down by three runs, and would need some magic to cap off the comeback. Schaffner stepped up with the bases loaded again, and this time he capitalized. He scored Ronny Hernandez on a single to left before Hull reached on a throwing error as Anderson and Tucker scored, tying the game. Who else would step to the plate but Luke Heyman? After a game-tying grand slam earlier in the game, he played hero once again. With two runners in scoring position and two outs, he smoked a groundball through the gap and into the outfield, scoring Schaffner and winning the game for Greenville. Single-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros): 0-6 Season Record: 52-71 Salem’s losing streak reached eight as the Yaks lost both games of Sunday’s doubleheader. Williams Montero started the first game of the day for Salem, turning in a so-so appearance over one and ⅔ innings. He let up two runs, one hit, issuing two walks and striking out four before Nicolas Judice took over. Judice ended his one and ⅔ inning appearance with a near-identical line. He allowed two runs on one hit, walking three and striking out three. Wuilliams Rodriguez entered last and pitched a similar line. Across two and ⅔ innings, Rodriguez gave up two runs on three hits. He issued one walk and struck out a pair as he earned the loss in the first loss of the day for Salem. The Yaks notched nine baserunners through seven innings as Avinson Pinto and Martin Shelar pitched in two RBIs each. Pinto tied the game in the fourth inning on a line drive double to right field, scoring Kleyver Salazar and Starlyn Nunez. Later in the inning, Shelar gave the Yaks the lead with his first double of the season, scoring Pinto and D’Angelo Ortiz. The Drive’s lead was short-lived as Fayetteville took the lead on a grand slam in the bottom of the inning. The second game of the day was a low-scoring affair as Salem fell 2-1. Berny Ortiz took the first three frames in the second matchup of the day, giving up two runs on three hits and tallying five strikeouts. His efforts weren’t enough, however, as he earned the loss in the close game. Nicolas De La Cruz took the next two and ⅓ innings of the game, letting up three hits and walking two as he kept the Woodpeckers scoreless. He struck out three before Yander Bonaci took the final ⅔ of an inning. Bonaci walked one and let up a hit, but kept the Woodpeckers’ score at two in his first scoreless appearance with Salem. Despite 12 batters reaching base, the Yaks went 1-for-11 with RISP and couldn’t capitalize on the strong bullpen performance. Shelar knocked in his third RBI of the day on his second double of the day, scoring Anderson Fermin. The rest of the lineup was quiet as the Yaks fell for the eighth straight contest. View full article

Let’s take a look at how the Red Sox farm fared on Saturday evening. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees): 2-3 Season Record: 65-61 The WooSox couldn’t muster much offense for the second night in a row, losing 9-1. Michael Sansone was back in Worcester on Saturday night following a month-long stint with Portland. The lefty turned in five frames of shoddy work, allowing the RailRiders to take a commanding lead. He let up six runs (one unearned) on six hits and issued one walk. He struck out five before Patrick Halligan took over in the sixth inning. Halligan was slightly better, allowing two runs on five hits across three innings. He punched out four and walked one. First baseman Nathan Hickey took the final inning of the blowout loss, letting up one run on three hits and issuing a walk. He notched one strikeout against former Yankees top prospect Jasson Dominguez. After a disappointing showing on Friday, the WooSox bats weren’t much better on Saturday. Tallying seven baserunners, Worcester was able to score just one run as offensive struggles plagued nearly the entire lineup. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has struggled through his rehab stint thus far, led the way with two hits while Mikey Romero knocked in Worcester’s only run. The run came in the first inning, when Romero recorded an RBI knock, driving Kiner-Falefa home and grabbing an early lead. It was the only lead the WooSox would hold, however, falling in blowout fashion. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series @ Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants): 4-1 Season Record: 64-60 Contrary to Worcester’s struggles, Portland’s offensive triumphs kept piling up on Saturday as it won its fourth straight 14-3. Morgan McSweeney turned in his longest, and most successful, start of the season on Saturday. Across five innings, McSweeney let up one run on three hits and issued one walk. He struck out eight, his most this season before Tyler Davis took over. Davis turned in a so-so performance, but held the Flying Squirrels at bay. Davis gave up two runs on four hits across three frames of work. He issued one walk and struck out a pair before Jeremy Wu-Yelland took the ninth inning in perfect fashion, capping off a dominant win. All but one of Portland’s starting nine crossed home on Saturday night as the Sea Dogs racked up 14 runs on 14 hits. Johanfran Garcia notched two homers in the action. Justin Gonzales made it clear that he’s more than ready for the spotlight with a four-hit, two-RBI performance that included an incredible outfield assist in the first inning. The top prospect is batting .441 in Double-A. Surprisingly, the Sea Dogs didn’t put a run on the board until a seven-run outpouring in the sixth inning. Ronald Rosario got the inning started with a two-RBI double to center field, scoring Gonzales. Garcia crossed home shortly after, scoring on Henry Godbout’s first Double-A double. Rosario came all the way home on a wild pitch before Godbout scored on a bases-loaded walk from Caden Rose. A Tyler McDonough walk drove Max Ferguson home before Gonzales knocked in two more on a line-drive single with the bases loaded. Portland pulled ahead in a hurry, and never looked back. In the eighth Garcia would hit the first of two homers, taking his 15th homer of the season way deep to left field. The blast came off the bat at 106 mph and scored McDonough and Gonzales. In the ninth, Nelly Taylor added one more with a solo shot before Garcia went yard again, scoring Rose and Gonzales as the Sea Dogs cruised to a fourth-straight win. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Rome Emperors (Atlanta Braves): 3-2 Season Record: 55-67 After two easy wins, the Greenville offense fell flat as it lost 12-2 on Saturday night. Barrett Morgan turned in a great start, chucking 3⅓ innings of hitless ball as he built back from a month-long IL stint. He walked one and struck out four before disaster struck during Adam Bates’ outing. Bates allowed six runs on four hits in just an inning of work, walking a pair and striking out two more. The bullpen struggled to recover after Bates’ appearance as Rome ran away with the win. Luis Cohen entered after Bates and let up three runs on three hits, issuing one walk and striking out another. Matt McShane took the final two innings of Saturday's game and struggled as well. He let up three runs on four hits, issuing one walk and striking out two more. Nazzan Zanetello was responsible for two of Greenville’s six hits while Isiahah Jackson and Givian Sirviania each recorded an RBI in Saturday’s loss. Both runs came in the fifth inning following Rome’s six-run explosion in the top of the inning. With the pressure on, Sirvania scored Zanetello on a groundout before Jackson scored Skylar King on a groundball single to right field. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros): 0-6 Season Record: 52-71 Salem’s offense went quiet in the late stages of Saturday's game, falling 5-4 in a close contest. Sadbiel Delzine turned in another solid start across three innings on Saturday night. The young star let up two runs on three hits, and recorded seven strikeouts across 13 batters faced. Alex Kranzler followed Delzine with an excellent appearance of his own. Kranzler let up one hit and walked one amid two frames of shutout work. He struck out a pair before Cade Vire took over. Vire struggled, allowing three runs (one unearned) across 1⅓ innings as Fayetteville claimed a slim lead. Vire walked two and recorded a pair of strikeouts before Cam Padgett took over. Padgett shut down the Woodpeckers in an attempt to give the Yaks’ offense a chance to come back. Across 1⅔ innings Padgett let up one hit and struck out another, lowering his ERA to 4.22 in the loss. Andruw Musett was responsible for all three of Salem’s RBIs, tallying three hits during Saturday’s game. The Yaks struggled with runners on, going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Colton Coates got the Yaks on the board first, reaching on a throwing error as Wills Maginnis scored. In the fourth, Musett gave Salem a wide lead with a three-run blast, scoring Louis Andujar and Starlyn Nunez. It was all the Yaks could muster, however, letting up four unanswered runs as they fell by one. View full article

Let’s check in on the Red Sox farm teams through Friday's action. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees): 2-2 Season Record: 65-60 The WooSox fell 2-0 as they struggled to generate offense. John Holobetz got the start on Friday night, looking to give the WooSox a series lead. He turned in a quality start, letting up two runs on five hits and issuing one walk. He struck out a pair before John Brebbia took over. Holobetz earned the loss despite the solid start. Brebbia threw a scoreless sixth inning as the bullpen gave the offense plenty of room to run. Brebbia allowed one hit and walked another. He struck out one before Angel Bastrado took the seventh and eighth in scoreless fashion. He K’d two and walked one before Hobie Harris took the final inning. Harris struck out the side, issuing one walk as he completed a great bullpen outing despite the loss. The WooSox reached base just five times on Friday, tallying three hits and drawing two walks in the loss. Franklin Arias accounted for one of the hits, a double in the ninth. Nate Eaton and Romy Gonzales recorded a single each as Worcester fell without much noise. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series @ Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants): 3-1 Season Record: 63-60 Portland dominated in a 9-3 win behind a solid start from Devin Futrell. Futrell had allowed two runs in his two previous starts entering Friday, and looked to match his solid outings. He did just that, allowing two runs on four hits in six frames of work. He issued one walk and notched seven punchouts before being replaced by Cooper Adams. Adams followed Futrell with a solid appearance of his own, allowing one earned run on three hits. He struck out four before Erik Rivera took over. Rivera was outstanding as he shut down Richmond, striking out two in a perfect ninth-inning close. The Sea Dogs’ offense was unstoppable on Friday, tallying 17 baserunners and taking control of the game early. In the first, Justin Gonzales scored Tyler McDonough on a line drive to right field before Ronald Rosario drove Gonzales home on a two-run blast. In the second, McDonough followed Rosario with a two-run shot of his own, giving Portland a 5-0 lead early. In the sixth inning, Brooks Brannon joined the two-run homer party, scoring McDonough as he touched them all for the 20th time this season. With a 7-2 lead, Will Turner gave Portland some cushion as he scored Brannon and Henry Godbout on a line drive double to right field. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Rome Emperors (Atlanta Braves): 3-1 Season Record: 55-66 A great day from the pitching staff helped Greenville to a 6-2 win on Friday night. Yordanny Monegro made his first appearance of the season on a rehab assignment from Portland. He threw one and ⅔ hitless innings, issuing three walks and striking out three more. Shea Sprague came in next in a bulk relief role. He hurled five and ⅓ innings to the tune of two runs on three hits. He issued a pair of walks and struck out six as he kept Rome’s offense in check, earning his fourth win of the season. Aaron Nixon took the final two innings of Friday’s game, allowing three hits but hindering Rome any further. He struck out three as he closed out the win. Owen Hull and Luke Heyman drove in two runs each as Greenville’s offense triumphed behind a combined effort. Heyman’s contributions came early as he crushed a two-run homer in the first inning, scoring Hull. Hull would follow in Heyman’s footsteps just two innings later, covering a two-run shot of his own with Jake Schaffner aboard. With a 4-1 lead, Yophery Rodriguez kept the inning going, scoring Maximus Martin on a double to right field. In the eighth, Isaiah Jackson added one more as he scored on a wild pitch. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros): 0-5 Season Record: 52-70 Salem’s losing streak reached five as the Yaks fell 6-2 on Friday evening. Leighton Finley turned in an excellent start to kick things off for Salem, shutting down Fayetteville over six frames. He allowed four hits and issued a pair of walks as he struck out nine, his second-most all season and most since late June. Trouble arose when Carson Revay entered the game. He let up four runs (three unearned) on two hits and a pair of walks as the Woodpeckers pulled ahead. Harry Blum entered to quell the storm but was unsuccessful. He allowed two runs on two hits and a pair of walks in just ⅓ of an inning as Fayetteville claimed a solid lead late. Kleyvar Salazar was responsible for both of the Yaks’ runs on Friday as the offense struggled. After being held scoreless for the first five frames, Salazar took one deep into left field, scoring D’Angelo Ortiz as Salem claimed the first lead of the game. Salem wouldn’t score again as they fell for the fifth straight contest. View full article

Let’s see how the Red Sox farm did in Sunday’s series finales (spoiler alert: not great). Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series @ Syracuse Mets (New York Mets): 1-5 Season Record: 63-58 Worcester was scoreless for the second straight contest as their losing streak reached four. Raymond Burgos, who found success with the big league club last week, turned in an excellent five-inning start on Sunday afternoon. Throughout his outing he allowed four hits and walked three but shutout the Mets. He struck out four before Seth Martinez took over in the sixth inning. Martinez turned in a solid two innings but earned the loss in the low-scoring affair. He allowed two runs (one unearned) on one hit, issued one walk, and struck out another. His afternoon ended when he was replaced by Sam McWilliams in the eighth inning. McWilliams took the final inning of the afternoon, turning in a shutout, one-hit appearance. He walked one and struck out another in the loss. Worcester’s bats were downright lifeless on Sunday, notching just two hits and drawing only two walks. Mikey Romero and Franklin Arias were the only WooSox to reach base, each with a single and a walk. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Reading Fighting Phils (Philadelphia Phillies): 2-4 Season Record: 60-59 Portland was blown out in a game that was abbreviated due to rain in the seventh inning. Morgan McSweeney took the mound to begin Sunday’s series finale, turning in a four-inning start. He was okay, allowing three hits on four runs and striking out six batters. Steven Brooks took over in the fifth, earning the loss as Reading got to him quickly. He allowed two runs on no hits, instead issuing five walks and striking out just one. Brooks’ night came to a quick close as Caleb Bolden entered to finish the inning. Bolden was just as unsuccessful, allowing five runs on five hits in just an inning and ⅔. He walked one and struck out a pair before Cooper Adams entered. Adams walked one and struck out another in ⅔ of an inning before the game was called due to rain. Roman Anthony was hitless in three tries, striking out once on Sunday as offensive struggles plagued the whole lineup. Two of the Sea Dogs' three runs came in the second inning as Henry Godbout and Miguel Bleis launched a pair of back-to-back solo home runs, giving Portland an early two-run lead. The Sea Dogs’ final run would come in the fourth inning, when Tyler McDonough hit a bases-loaded groundout to first base as Bleis crossed home. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox): 2-4 Season Record: 52-65 Greenville lost for the third time in two days as Winston-Salem exploded for ten runs in the seventh. Alex Bouchard started the game for Greenville, turning in a respectable three and ⅔ innings of work. He allowed one run on three hits and issued one walk. He struck out six before Adam Bates took over to close out the fourth inning. Bates hurled two and ⅓ innings of shutout ball, allowing two hits, walking three and striking out one. Things fell apart when Aaron Nixon took the mound. In his third appearance with Greenville, Nixon allowed seven runs on five hits in just ⅓ of an inning. Nixon walked two and struck out one as the Dash jumped out to a large lead. Luis Cohen managed to finish the seventh inning and pitched through the eighth. He allowed three runs on three hits and issued a pair of walks. He struck out four before catcher Hudson White made his second appearance in as many days. He allowed one more run on three hits and struck out one as he closed out a night to forget for the Drive’s staff. The Drive was solid on the other side of the ball, going 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position and putting up a fight early in the game. Nazzan Zanetello led the way with three RBIs as Carlos Gutierrez was the only Greenville batter with a multi-hit game. Down one in the fifth, Antonio Anderson tied the game for Greenville with a single to center field, scoring Gutierrez. Later in the inning, Zanetello crushed a three-run homer to center field, scoring Anderson and Ronny Hernandez. The Drive’s final run came in the eighth as Owen Hull scored on a Gerardo Rodriguez groundout. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series vs. Wilson Warbirds (Milwaukee Brewers): 3-3 Season Record: 52-66 After putting up 15 runs on Saturday, Salem was on the other side of the scoreboard on Sunday, losing 17-8. Jose Bello’s struggles continued on Sunday as he turned in a disastrous start. The only piece of the Rafael Devers return still in the Red Sox organization, the young starter had a 2.55 ERA through the end of July. However, the month of August brought around persistent struggles for Bello, who limped through a four and ⅓-inning start on Sunday. His ERA rose to 4.34 after he let up five runs on nine hits. Bello allowed two walks as he struck out five. Caden Vire took over in the fifth and promptly let up four more runs as he issued four walks. He struck out just one as he closed the inning. Nicolas Judice took the mound next, but the struggles didn’t end with him. He allowed five more runs on two hits and issued three more walks in just ⅔ of an inning. Harry Blum entered to finish the frame and turned in Salem’s strongest appearance of the day. He issued three walks and allowed three hits in a shutout two and ⅓-inning outing. He struck out five before Anderson Fermin closed the game for the second day in a row. Fermin allowed three runs on four hits and issued one walk as Wilson won with ease. The Yaks put up a fight on offense, but couldn’t contend with the 17-run onslaught by Wilson. Down by five in the fifth, Adonys Guzman got the Yaks on the board with a ground ball single as Louis Andujar scored. In the sixth, down a whopping 13 runs, Andujar drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Kleyver Salazar. Andrews Opata drew another walk later in the inning as Colton Coates scored. In the ninth, Andruw Musett scored Starlyn Nunez on a double to left field before Coates reached on a fielding error, scoring Musett and Wills Maginnis. Salem showed flashes of life in the ninth as Salazar and Coates both scored on wild pitches, cutting the deficit to nine. Unfortunately for Salem, they were unable to pull off the miraculous comeback, losing 17-8. View full article

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. View full article

Let's check in on all the action from the Boston Red Sox's farm system on Friday night. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series @ Syracuse Mets (New York Mets): 1-3 Season Record: 63-56 The WooSox struggled to generate offense in a close game, losing on a walk-off. Blake Wehunt took the bump to start the game for Worcester. Wehunt turned in a solid outing across 4⅔ innings. He allowed one run on three hits, and issued four walks. Wehunt struck out four before turning the ball over to Patrick Halligan. Halligan was less successful in a two-inning relief appearance. He let up two runs on five hits and Syracuse took a 3-0 lead. Halligan punched out two before Hobie Harris took over in the middle of the seventh. Harris finished the seventh and pitched through the eighth in a shutout performance. He surrendered one hit and sat down two on strikes before Sam McWilliams entered for the ninth. McWilliams got a quick out before allowing a single and hitting a batter. With two outs, he allowed a walk-off double to left field as Syracuse took a two-game lead in the series. Worcester was even worse on the other side of the ball. The WooSox tallied just three hits and had just nine total baserunners as they struggled to make noise. Franklin Arias led the way with two RBIs, but the 6-9 batters didn’t record a single combined hit. The offense came late, with Arias driving in Nate Baez and Nate Eaton on a line drive double to left field. An inning later, Allan Castro tied the game on a single to center, scoring Romy Gonzalez. It looked like the WooSox had a brief moment to take the lead, but the opportunity was squandered as Syracuse claimed victory. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Reading Fighting Phils (Philadelphia Phillies): 2-2 Season Record: 60-57 Roman Anthony drove in two and Justin Gonzales put up two hits as Devin Futrell turned in a solid start despite a 5-2 loss. Futrell made his longest start in three appearances with Portland, hurling six frames of two-run ball. He walked one and struck out four in his best start at Double-A. Tyler Davis took the seventh and eighth frames as Reading pulled ahead. Davis allowed three runs on two hits as he issued three walks. He struck out two and earned the loss. Erik Rivera took the final frame of the night, spinning a perfect ninth and striking out two as he tried to give Portland room to mount a comeback. Portland drove in just one RBI on Friday, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and generating just seven baserunners. Gonzales led the way with two hits, but the bottom half of the order failed to muster a hit. Anthony was responsible for both of Portland’s runs as he teed off in the fourth inning. He sent a double to center field and advanced to third as Gonzales scored, cutting the lead in half. In the sixth, Anthony struck again. He scored Gonzales once more on a sac fly to center, tying the game 2-2. However, the Sea Dogs were silenced for the rest of the night as they fell. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox): 2-1 Season Record: 52-62 Greenville led through three innings before the game was suspended due to rain. Dylan Brown was three frames into a shutout start before the game was called, and it’s unclear whether he will continue when the game restarts. The Drive were efficient in a short time period, scoring twice in the early stages of the game. In the second, Maximus Martin drove in Carlos Gutierrez on a two-run homer as the Drive jumped out to an early lead. The game will be completed prior to Saturday’s contest, beginning at 4:30 and picking up in the third inning. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series vs. Wilson Warbirds (Milwaukee Brewers): 2-2 Season Record: 51-65 Salem surrendered an early lead and couldn’t recover, falling 7-5. Leghton Finley allowed only one run his last time on the mound, and hoped to carry over that success to Friday’s start. However, Finley fell apart and earned his fifth loss of the season. He allowed seven runs (two unearned) on five hits and issued two walks in 4⅔ innings. He struck out four before Carson Revay made his Low-A debut. Revay allowed three hits and walked one, but kept the Warbirds scoreless across 1⅓ innings. Cam Padgett entered in the seventh and closed the game in dominant fashion. Across three frames Padgett didn’t allow a hit and issued one walk. He struck out three as he completed an excellent bullpen outing from Salem despite the loss. Adonys Guzman led the way with two RBIs on Friday as Salem turned in a solid day at the plate. The Yaks were successful up until it came time to drive runs home, going just 1-for-7 with RISP. Salem dropped the ball throughout multiple chances to make the game more competitive. After a six-run second inning, the Yaks found themselves down seven early. In the fourth, Wills Maginnis put Salem on the board as he scored on a wild pitch. Franklin Primera then scored on an errant pickoff attempt. Guzman scored Starlyn Nunez on a double to center as Salem put up a three-run frame. In the fifth, Primera scored Anderson Fermin on an RBI single as Salem inched closer. In the sixth, Guzman brought the Yaks within two on a solo homer to center field. However, Salem failed to score in the final three frames as they lost. View full article

Let’s see how the Boston Red Sox's farm fared in series finales across the organization. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays): 2-4 Season Record: 62-53 The WooSox fell in the series finale in a rough start for the pitching staff. John Holobetz took the mound in hopes of ending Worcester’s two-game skid, but exited with his head hanging low after a disastrous performance. Holobetz allowed six runs on six hits in just 2⅔ innings as Buffalo got to him early. Holobetz issued two walks and struck out four before turning the ball over to Devin Sweet in the third inning. Sweet wasn’t much better, allowing three runs on three hits in just one inning of work. He walked two and struck out one before Hobie Harris was called in to finish the fourth frame. Harris steadied the ship for the pitching staff in a 1⅓ inning appearance, allowing two hits and striking out one before Seth Martinez entered. Martinez took the sixth and seventh innings, allowing two hits and notching a pair of punchouts in a scoreless outing. With the bullpen depleted, manager Iggy Suarez turned to first baseman Nathan Hickey for the final two innings of Sunday’s game. Hickey was excellent, allowing three hits but closing the game in shutout fashion. Trevor Story returned to the diamond for the first time since mid-May, playing in the first four innings of Sunday’s matchup before being replaced. Story went 1-for-2 with a single and a popup following a nine-pitch at-bat. Facing an early nine-run deficit, Mikey Romero got the WooSox on the board with a two-run homer in the fourth inning, scoring Story. Franklin Arias would strike next for Worcester, scoring Jason Delay on an RBI single in the fifth inning. Arias would score one more in the seventh inning as he drove in Brett Harris on a sac fly in the seventh inning. Tsung-Che Cheng scored Delay in the seventh as Worcester slowly closed the gap. Delay launched a solo homer in the ninth inning in hopes of sparking a late rally, but he was unsuccessful as the WooSox couldn’t generate any more late offense. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 1-5 Season Record: 58-55 A rough night from the bullpen led to Portland’s sixth loss in eight games as the Sea Dogs struggles continued. Reidis Sena started Sunday’s game, but exited after just ⅔ of an inning. Sena let up a home run and issued one walk, recording one strikeout before being replaced by Morgan McSweeney. McSweeney’s second appearance with Portland was a rough one as he gave up four runs on four hits in 2⅓ innings pitched. McSweeney issued a pair of walks and struck out two more before Max Carlson took over in the fourth. Carlson pitched one frame of one-run ball, allowing two hits and issuing a walk as he struck out another. Caleb Bolden took on a bulk relief role as he entered in the fifth inning. Across three innings Bolden let up just one hit as he struck out five of the ten batters he faced. Joe Vogatsky entered in a tie game, but let up two quick runs as Binghamton took a late two-run lead. Vogatsky finished with a line of two runs on two hits in two innings. He issued a pair of walks and struck out one in the loss. The Sea Dogs were able to generate six runs on just four hits, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the Rumble Ponies. Henry Godbout led the way with a pair of RBIs as he continued to adjust to Double-A competition since being called up from High-A Greenville before the series. Will Turner struck first for Portland, driving in Johanfran Garcia on a single in the second inning. Nate Baez drove in Mason White to complete the two-run inning and tie the game. Baez was called up to Triple-A Worcester following Sunday’s game. In the third, Godbout gave Portland a short-lived lead as he drove in Brooks Brannon and Tyler McDonough on a line drive single in the third inning. In the fifth, Brannon cut into the two-run lead with an RBI groundout as McDonough scored. Jack Winnay gave Portland its final run of the afternoon on a game-tying home run in the seventh inning, his sixth of the season. The tie wouldn’t last long, as Binghamton took the lead just a half-inning later and didn’t look back. High-A Greenville Drive Series @ Hub City Spartanburgers (Texas Rangers): 3-3 Season Record: 50-61 Greenville was the lone affiliate team to win on Sunday, clinching a 10-5 win to secure the series split. Matt Duffy started the series finale for Greenville, turning in a solid three-inning performance. Duffy allowed one run on a pair of hits as he issued a walk and struck out one before Alex Bouchard took over. Bouchard earned the win for his four-inning relief role. He allowed three runs on five hits and issued two walks. Bouchard struck out four before Brandon Neely got the call in the bullpen. Neely was solid as he closed out the win for the Drive. He allowed one run on one hit as he struck out a pair of Hub City batters. To say that Sunday’s offensive performance was excellent would be an understatement. Led by Justin Gonzales’s first career multi-homer day, the Drive scored ten times on fourteen hits in a sustained performance. In the second inning, Carlos Gutierrez crossed home as Yophery Rodriguez reached via error, giving Greenville an early lead that it wouldn’t relinquish. In the third, Owen Hull scored Gonzales on a fly ball double as Gerardo Rodriguez advanced to third. In the fourth, Y. Rodriguez made his mark yet again. He launched a homer to right center, his 14th of the season. With runners on the corners later in the inning, Jake Schaffner hit a ball between the infield gap as Antonio Anderson scored easily. Then with the bases loaded, Gutierrez drove home G. Rodriguez and Schaffner on a single right up the middle, giving Greenville a 6-0 lead. In the sixth, Gonzales clubbed his first homer of the night, going the opposite way on a ball that was absolutely demolished over the right field wall. An inning later, Anderson brought the lead to four on an RBI single that scored Maximus Martin before Gonzales stepped to the plate once more. Gonzales proceeded to smoke a line drive homer to left center as Anderson crossed home, capping off the ten-run game. Gonzales was promoted to Double-A Portland following the game. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles): 2-4 Season Record: 49-63 Another poor start and less than timely offense led to Salem’s second straight loss. After posting a 1.56 ERA in the month of July, Jose Bello has struggled in August. His last three starts have been less than ideal as his ERA rests at 9.24 for the month. He entered Sunday’s start looking to turn things around, but failed to do so. Bello completed four innings, and pitched to two batters in the fifth before being pulled. He allowed six runs on eight hits and walked a season-high five batters, more than he allowed in the months of June and April. He struck out just one batter before Nicholas Judice took over. Judice’s second appearance back from injury went much better than his first as he allowed one run and issued one walk while striking out three in 1⅔ innings. Caden Vire took over at the end of the sixth, allowing one hit and walking two over 1⅓ frames of work. He struck out a pair before Harry Blum took the ninth inning. Blum allowed one final run and issued one walk in the ninth, striking out two as he completed the game. Multi-hit games from Kleyver Salazar and Josue Brito kept Salem afloat despite the loss. Brito gave Salem an early lead as he scored Franklin Primera on an RBI double in the first inning. Primera scored again in the third by way of a balk, tying the game at 2-2. In the fourth, Adonys Guzman tied the game again, this time by scoring Andrews Opata on a sac fly. Down by four in the seventh, Salazar cut the lead in half as he homered on a deep ball to left field, scoring Primera for the third time in the afternoon. View full article

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. View full article

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays): 2-2 Season Record: 62-51 Worcester fell 6-2 amidst a rough night at the plate. On the other side of the ball, Gage Ziehl made his second Triple-A start. He turned in a five-inning, three-run effort as he let up six hits. Ziehl issued one walk and struck out five batters before being pulled as his ERA rose to 2.53. Angel Bastardo took the sixth inning, but was pulled after just two outs. Bastardo allowed one run on three hits, issued two walks, and struck out one before being replaced by John Brebbia. Brebbia struggled as well, but he was able to put together a multi-inning appearance. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked one, and struck out another across two and ⅓ innings. Finally, Raymond Burgos came in for a near-perfect ninth inning. He allowed one hit as he struck out two and closed out a loss for Worcester. The WooSox mustered six hits and drew four walks on offense, but fell short when it came time to drive runs home. A 1-for-6 mark with runners in scoring position was good for just two runs as the WooSox lost by four. The team's pair of runs came early. In the first, Romy Gonzales put the WooSox ahead with a sac fly, scoring Braiden Ward. The lead was short-lived as Buffalo led by two the next time Worcester scored. Nate Eaton drove in Tsung-Che Cheng by way of a sacrifice double play as Ward was thrown out at second after a leaping grab by the Buffalo second baseman. Ward stole two bags throughout Friday’s action, ending the day with 53. Ward is just shy of the Worcester record set by David Hamilton with 57 bags stolen in 2023. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 1-3 Season Record: 58-53 Portland snapped a three-game skid with a resounding 10-3 win behind a solid start from Devin Futrell. Futrell made his second start at Double-A on Friday evening, turning in a five-inning outing with a solid final stat line. He allowed two runs on five hits, displaying excellent command as he didn’t issue a walk. In addition, Futrell sat down eight on strikes before Cooper Adams took over. Adams pitched through two smooth innings before running into trouble in the eighth. He was pulled after allowing one run on four hits and notching two strikeouts as he was replaced by Tyler Davis. Davis was excellent as he finished the eighth and closed the ninth, allowing one hit and striking out another as he sealed the convincing win. All but one of the Sea Dogs batters recorded a hit on Friday, but each batter reached base safely at least once. Jack Winnay led the way with three hits and two RBIs, and Nelly Taylor backed him up with a three-RBI performance. After Henry Godbout tallied his first Double-A hit in the first inning, Winnay drove him in with a two-run homer. Yoeilin Cespedes tacked on one more as he drove in Brooks Brannon on an RBI single later in the first. Nate Baez capped off the early onslaught with a sac fly to center, scoring Miguel Bleis. Owners of a two-run lead in the fourth, the Sea Dogs pulled way ahead with another four-run inning. Tyler McDonough got it going with a solo shot to lead off the inning before Bleis drove in Winnay on an RBI double. Leading 6-2, Cespedes drove home his second RBI of the night with another single, scoring Bleis. With the bases loaded, Taylor drove in his first run of the day as he drew a walk, scoring Cespedes. Taylor made his mark again in the seventh, crushing a two-run homer to right field as Max Ferguson rounded the bases, capping off the Sea Dogs’ best offensive showing of the series. High-A Greenville Drive Series @ Hub City Spartanburgers (Texas Rangers): 2-2 Season Record: 49-60 An eight-run offensive pop in the fifth inning carried the Drive to an 8-3 win. Jason Gilman turned in a four-inning appearance in his second start at High-A as he struck out seven for the second straight start. Gilman allowed two runs on three hits and issued two walks, but it was a slight improvement over his first start with Greenville. Luis Cohen entered in the fifth inning in search of his first win of the season. He went home happy after earning the win for his bulk relief appearance. It was a deserved win for Cohen, who allowed one unearned run on one hit as he struck out four in one of his most successful appearances of the season thus far. Calvin Bickerstaff took the final two frames of Friday’s contest. Bickerstaff was flawless through the eighth and ninth as his perfect appearance helped secure Greenville’s first win in two games. Stanley Tucker, Gerardo Rodriguez, and Isaiah Jackson all recorded two RBIs on Friday night as Greenville was especially effective with RISP, finishing with a 3-for-5 mark. Maximus Martin got the Drive on the board in the fifth inning, cutting into Hub City’s two-run lead as he drove in Jackson on a groundout to first. Tucker grabbed the lead for Greenville later in the inning, driving in Martin and Yophery Rodriguez on a line drive single to right field. Justin Gonzales kept the momentum going as he scored Tucker on a line drive single of his own. G. Rodriguez scored Gonzales and Carlos Gutierrez with a single to center. G. Rodriguez was then driven home as Jackson capped off the eight-run assault with his 18th homer of the season to right-center. The Drive’s offense stopped altogether after the fifth inning, but it was more than enough to hand them the easy win. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles): 2-2 Season Record: 49-61 Salem’s bats were hot throughout the evening as the Yaks claimed a 9-3 victory. Salem’s bats weren’t the only thing that went well for the RidgeYaks on Friday. The pitching staff was solid from start to finish as they conceded just three runs. Leighton Finley got the start and hurled four one-run frames, striking out three. Finley issued four walks and allowed five hits, but kept the scoring to a minimum before Nicolas De La Cruz took over. De La Cruz earned the win for his two and ⅔ inning relief job. He allowed two runs on four hits, issued three walks, and struck out a pair as he claimed his fifth win of the season. Wuilliams Rodriguez closed out Friday’s matchup for Salem, walking one and allowing a hit across two and ⅓ innings of outstanding work. The Yaks tallied nine hits and drew seven walks, going 6-for-12 with RISP as they cruised to a dominant win. Andruw Musett led the charge with three RBIs as Kleyver Salazar and Anderson Fermin followed up with two hits apiece. Musett’s RBIs came early as he gave Salem a three-run lead in the second inning. With Andrews Opata and Skylar King aboard, Musett cranked a three-run blast to center field, his third of the year. Salazar added onto the early lead with an RBI single later in the inning, scoring Wills Maginnis from second. In the fifth, Opata made his mark as he drove Salazar home on a standup triple to the gap in right-center. Opata scored as King reached on a fielder’s choice later in the inning. Fermin scored King on a line drive single to cap off the three-run spurt. Maginnis scored Fermin in the eighth inning on a groundball single to left field before Maginnis scored on a Franklin Primera double, rounding out a solid offensive showing. View full article

It was another busy Sunday for the Boston Red Sox's farm system. Let's recap all the action. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies): 4-2 Season Record: 60-49 The WooSox squandered a five-run lead late as they dropped the series finale. Blake Wehunt got the nod to kick off Sunday’s contest and turned in a respectable appearance. Across 3⅓ innings, Wehunt allowed one run on two hits and issued one walk. He struck out another before turning the ball over to Osvaldo Berrios in the fourth inning. Berrios was just as successful as Wehunt, allowing one run across 2⅔ innings. Berrios sat down four on strikes. John Brebbia, who recently signed a minor league contract with Boston, made his first appearance in a Worcester uniform. Brebbia got his WooSox tenure off to a strong start, throwing a perfect seventh inning as he struck out one. The game slipped away as Wyatt Olds took the bump in the ninth inning. After throwing a scoreless eighth, Olds allowed five runs (three unearned) on three hits in the ninth as Lehigh Valley took a late lead. Angel Bastardo entered to clean up the mess and allowed one hit, but it was too little too late. The WooSox momentum carried over to Sunday afternoon as a solid offensive performance was spoiled by the bullpen. In the third inning, Vinny Capra tied the ballgame at one run apiece on a soft bunt single, advancing to second on a throwing error as Kristian Campbell scored. One inning later, Nate Eaton put the WooSox on top with a line drive single to center field, scoring Mikey Romero. In the fifth, Romero tacked on another with a bases-loaded single that scored Campbell. With the bases still loaded, Mickey Gasper drove in Capra and Braiden Ward with a single. Worcester wasn’t done as Eaton stepped to the plate. He drove Romero home again as Worcester jumped on a five-run lead. Despite batting an impressive 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position, the WooSox couldn’t respond to Lehigh Valley’s five-run ninth inning as they fell by a thin margin. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays): 3-3 Season Record: 57-50 Led by Mason White’s four RBIs, Portland avenged its brutal loss on Saturday with a hard-fought effort on Sunday. Jedixson Paez started the afternoon for Portland, turning in three innings of solid work. Across three frames, Paez let up two runs on four hits as he struck out four batters. Caleb Bolden got the ball in the fourth inning and earned the win for his two-inning effort. Bolden allowed three runs (one unearned) on two hits. He issued two walks and struck out two more before turning the ball over to Joe Vogatsky. Vogatsky allowed one run and issued one walk, but left New Hampshire hitless as he struck out three in two innings. Max Carlson took the final two frames of Sunday’s ballgame, allowing two hits and striking out one as he sealed the win and secured the series split. The Sea Dogs went 3-for-6 with RISP as multi-hit games from White and Ronald Rosario helped pave the way for Portland’s win. White gave the Sea Dogs a one-run lead early as he clubbed his second homer of the year to right center in the second inning. After New Hampshire tied the game, Ahbram Liendo put the Sea Dogs back on top with an RBI single in the third, scoring Max Ferguson. Will Turner drove in Liendo and Miguel Bleis with his 13th homer of the season as Portland got out to a four-run lead. In the fourth, Ferguson added one more run, grounding out to first as White scored. In the fifth, White put the game firmly out of reach with his second homer of the game. The towering blast to right field scored Rosario and Brooks Brannon as White tacked on three more runs. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees): 2-4 Season Record: 47-58 The Drive fell in extra innings amidst a high-scoring showdown, losing 15-12. Matt Duffy started the afternoon for Greenville, but was pulled after just ⅔ of an inning. In his short appearance, Duffy allowed three runs on two hits and walked three as the Renegades jumped out to an early lead. Griffin Kilander provided some stability from the bullpen in an early relief appearance. Across 3⅓ innings, Kilander allowed two hits as he shut out Hudson Valley, striking out three. Luis Cohen made an appearance next, allowing one run on four hits and two Ks across one and ⅔ innings. Calvin Bickerstaff got the call following Cohen, and saw moderate success. He allowed three runs (two unearned) on two hits, issued one walk, and struck out two as he kept the Drive in the game. Trennor O’Donnell made a bulk appearance next, but the game began to slip away towards the end of his outing. Across four innings, O’Donnell allowed eight runs (three unearned) on six hits. He issued two walks and struck out a pair, but Hudson Valley was too much for the righty as he let the game get away. Catcher Hudson White took the final out of the game in uneventful fashion as Greenville lost in a marathon game. Luke Heyman and Ronny Hernandez recorded three RBIs apiece as Greenville was able to stay in the game late. Hernandez got the Drive on the board in the second inning, cutting a three-run deficit to two with a fly ball single to left field. Heyman and Carlos Gutierrez scored on the hit. Hernandez then tied the game two innings later as he drove Gutierrez home on another single. With the bases loaded in the fifth, Gutierrez, who was recently acquired alongside Erik Miller, drew a walk that scored Gerardo Rodriguez. In the sixth, Owen Hull drove in Antonio Anderson on a sharp single to right field before Heyman scored Justin Gonzales and Jake Schaffner on a double to left. Down by two runs in the ninth, Gonzales brought the Drive within one after he scored Stanley Tucker on a single to center. Facing an 0-2 count with two outs and the bases loaded, Hull tapped a ball to second base that should have ended the game. Instead, however, the throw pulled the first baseman off the bag as Anderson scored, tying the game and forcing extras. After Hudson Valley put up two in the eleventh, Anderson responded with a two-run shot, tying the game at 11 runs each as Tucker crossed home. Facing a four-run deficit in the 12th inning, Heyman scored Rodriguez as the Drive inched closer, but it was all Greenville could muster as they lost late. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series vs. Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros): 4-1 Season Record: 47-59 Salem’s Sunday afternoon matchup was postponed due to inclement weather. A make-up date hasn’t yet been provided. View full article

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies): 4-1 Season Record: 60-48 Saturday was a tale of two debuts and an electric performance at the plate as Worcester dominated in a 19-0 rout. Gage Ziehl made his first start in Triple-A and exceeded expectations. Ziehl turned in five and ⅔ innings of shutout, two-hit ball as he racked up eight strikeouts. He paved the way for the offensive onslaught before being replaced by Devin Sweet. Sweet finished the sixth inning and took the seventh as well. Sweet allowed one hit, issued one walk, and sat one batter down on strikes. Tyler Samaniego pitched through an uneventful eighth inning, walking one and striking out another. Nathan Hickey, the WooSox regular catcher, took the ninth inning of the blowout and hurled a perfect inning of work. It was a masterclass from the WooSox staff, who allowed just five baserunners all game. Adley Rutschman made his Red Sox organizational debut as Mikey Romero achieved a feat no Worcester player has achieved before him. In an abbreviated five-inning rehab appearance, Rutschman went 1-for-2 and drew two walks. His first hit as a Red Sox? An RBI double to the corner in right field that scored two. Romy Gonzales got the scoring started early, driving in Rutschman with a single in the first inning. Allan Castro kept it going, scoring Romero on a soft liner to center. Gonzales came around to score on a wild pitch before Tsung-Che Cheng scored Castro and Kristian Campbell on a single to right field. In the second, Romero recorded his second hit of the evening. He hit a towering home run to right-center that drove home Nate Eaton. Romero went an astounding 6-for-6 as he drove in two runs in a historic afternoon, becoming the first player in WooSox history to record six hits in a game. In the fourth, Cheng was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, advancing Romero home. The next batter, Braiden Ward, was hit as well, and Castro scored. Rutschman’s double scored Cheng and Vinny Capra before Eaton scored Ward and Rutschman, giving Worcester a 13-run lead. Campbell’s fifth homer of the year scored Castro and tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Castro drove in Eaton on a sac fly, and in the seventh, Jason Delay drove in Capra the same way. In the eighth, Campbell scored Romero via a groundout before Castro scored as Ward was hit by another pitch. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays): 2-3 Season Record: 56-50 Portland was on the other side of a rout, losing 14-0 in a disappointing game all-around. Mike Sansone got the start on Saturday night and looked good through four innings. However, it all fell apart in the fifth as Sansone let up four runs. He exited the game after allowing six earned runs on nine hits, issuing one walk and punching out three. Steven Brooks, who was recently assigned to Portland, made his first appearance with the Sea Dogs, but it was one to forget. Brooks allowed three runs on five hits in his debut before being replaced by Erik Rivera in the eighth inning. Rivera struggled in just ⅔ of an inning, allowing three runs on no hits as he walked two. Second baseman Ahbram Liendo was called in to finish the game as Portland waved the white flag. Liendo allowed two runs on two hits in his ⅓ of an inning-long appearance before finally getting the last out of Saturday’s disaster. Portland was nearly nonexistent at the plate, generating just six baserunners as they were shut out. Singles from Nate Baez, Matt Turner, Jack Winnay, and Nelly Tayler as well as a double from Ronald Rosario made up all the action on Saturday as the Sea Dogs fell without a whimper. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees): 2-3 Season Record: 47-57 A dismal day from the dish and a shaky outing on the rubber left Greenville complacent as they fell 8-2. Dylan Brown struggled in the first few frames of his five-inning start, but smoothed things out in the final two innings. Brown lost his seventh game of the year as he allowed five runs on nine hits despite notching nine strikeouts. Shea Sprague entered in relief but struggled as well. He allowed two more runs (one unearned) on four hits as Hudson Valley started to run away with the ballgame. Sprague struck out five and issued two walks in two and ⅔ innings. Matt McShane took the final one and ⅓ frames of Saturday’s contest, allowing one more run on four hits as he struck out two amid a game to forget for the Drive’s staff. Greenville wasn’t silent at the dish, but they struggled heavily when it came to driving runs home. Yophery Rodriguez and Stanley Tucker recorded two hits apiece, and Isaiah Jackson drew two walks. Greenville struggled with runners in scoring position, going an abysmal 0-for-15 when it mattered the most and stranding eight runners. Single-A Salem RidgeYaks Series vs. Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros): 4-1 Season Record: 47-59 An excellent bullpen performance and a three-hit outing from Louis Andujar helped Salem to a 6-2 victory. Leighton Finley turned in a solid start on Saturday night, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out five as he lowered his ERA to 4.87 and won his sixth game of the season. Caden Vire was the first pitcher called from the bullpen, and he didn’t disappoint. He allowed two hits and issued two walks through one and ⅓ innings before Nicolas De La Cruz entered. De La Cruz finished the seventh and completed the eighth without much trouble. He issued three walks and struck out two but preserved the win for Salem. Harry Blum sealed the victory for good with his ninth-inning performance. He issued one walk and struck out another as Salem won its second consecutive game. Andujar led the way for the RidgeYaks with three hits as Andrews Opata drove in two. Andruw Musett got Salem on the board in the second inning with a single to center field as Andujar scored. Musett then scored via a balk as Salem took a one-run lead. Andujar drove in Franklin Primera on a double to left field in the third inning. Opata drove in Adonys Guzman and Andujar on a single later in the inning as Salem extended its lead. A double steal by Henry Godbout and Starlyn Nunez in the fourth inning put an exclamation point on Salem’s win as Godbout stole home. View full article

It's trade deadline day! Before we welcome any newcomers or say goodbye to any old friends, let's recap all of the Boston Red Sox's minor-league action from Sunday. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series @ Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles): 5-1 Season Record: 55-47 An excellent day from the pitching staff helped Worcester to victory amid a subdued offensive effort. Raymond Burgos took the first five innings of Sunday afternoon’s matchup, pitching to the tune of one run on three hits. Burgos struck out four as he won his third game of the season. Eduardo Rivera got the ball for the sixth and seventh innings, issuing two walks amid a shutout appearance. Rivera struck out three as he lowered his ERA to 2.61. Seth Martinez followed Rivera with a perfect inning of ball before Tyler Uberstine hurled a perfect inning of his own. Uberstine closed the game with two strikeouts as Worcester won yet again. Franklin Arias sat on Sunday afternoon and the rest of Worcester’s lineup struggled. The WooSox recorded just five hits and two RBIs, but were able to draw six walks. Mikey Romero accounted for one of Worcester’s RBIs in the third inning. He scored Braiden Ward on a line drive single as Worcester grabbed an early lead. Ward drove in two more in the fifth, scoring Tsung-Che Cheng and Vinny Capra on a single to center. In the seventh, Ward scored once more on a wild pitch as Worcester was able to steal a win from Norfolk. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals): 3-3 Season Record: 53-47 An excellent afternoon on the mound and a potent offensive showing led Portland to a 12-2 drubbing of Harrisburg. Gage Ziehl rebounded from a shaky start last time around with six innings of one-run ball. The 23-year-old nabbed his sixth win of the season as he struck out eight across six frames. He allowed six hits and issued one walk, but kept the damage to a minimum. Tyler Davis got the ball in the seventh and turned in a two-frame outing, allowing one run. Cooper Adams completed the win for Portland with a near-perfect outing. He issued two walks but struck out a pair in an inning of closing work. Every batter in Portland’s lineup reached base for the second straight contest, and Yoeilin Cespedes recorded his first Double-A knock. Matt Frazier and Ronald Rosario drove in three runs apiece as they led the Sea Dogs. Max Ferguson drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth, scoring Rosario. Frazier then doubled, clearing the bases and scoring Mason White, Will Turner, and Ferguson. Turner added to the three-run lead with an RBI double in the sixth, scoring Nate Baez. Turner and Ferguson were then driven home on a Tyler McDonough single to right field. Cespedes tacked on two more with a single to left, scoring Frazier and McDonough. After Brooks Brannon reached later in the inning, Ronald Rosario capped off an eight-run outburst with a three-run homer as Portland won in easy fashion. High-A Greenville Drive Series @ Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros): 6-0 Season Record: 44-54 Greenville completed the six-game series sweep as the 2026 draftees continued to get off to a hot start. Matt Duffy got the start in the series finale on Sunday afternoon, turning in an abbreviated start. Across 3⅔ innings, Duffy allowed three runs on three hits and issued two walks. On the bright side for Duffy, he struck out six batters as he set a season high. Adam Bates took over following Duffy’s exit but struggled from the start. Bates allowed four runs on two hits as he walked four. He struck out two before Matt McShane took over. McShane steadied the game for Greenville, throwing 2⅓ innings of shutout, one-hit pitching. He walked two and struck out a pair as he earned the win. Calvin Bickerstaff took over in the eighth and went the distance, closing out the win for the Drive. He allowed two hits but staved off the Tourists as Greenville rolled to another win. Greenville’s bats stayed hot on Sunday, scoring 11 runs for the second consecutive game. Jake Schaffner and Maximus Martin had three RBIs each as Owen Hull led the team with three hits. Enddy Azocar started the scoring for the Drive, driving in Stanley Tucker on a solo home run in the third inning as the Drive took the lead. Martin struck next, scoring Hull and Ronny Hernandez in the fourth on a three-run jack, his second of the year. Down by two runs in the seventh, Schaffner stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He was unfazed despite the high-pressure situation, tripling to right field and clearing the bases as Tucker, Azocar, and Justin Gonzales all scored. Schaffner was then driven in on a Gerardo Rodriguez double as Greenville grabbed a two-run lead. In the ninth, Hull added an insurance run as he scored Gonzales on a double. Hernandez then drove Hull in on a single, capping off another great offensive effort from Greenville. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): 2-4 Season Record: 43-58 It was the same story on a different night for Salem as the bullpen faltered despite a solid offensive effort. 18-year-old Williams Montero got the ball in his second start for Salem, turning in an excellent performance. Across 3⅓ innings, the young pitcher allowed just one baserunner as he struck out four. Despite the solid start, Leighton Finley was disappointing as he relieved Montero in a bulk role. Finley kept Kannapolis scoreless until the seventh, when he allowed two runs. Then, in the eighth he allowed two more before being pulled. Finley finished with a line of four runs, six hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Caden Vire was called in from the bullpen, but struggled in his second appearance with Salem. He allowed four more runs on two hits, walking two and striking out one in a brief ⅓-inning appearance. Luis Cohen entered to close the eighth and allowed one hit as he struck out one. The Yaks recorded nine hits on offense, but struggled to drive runners home as they went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Salem struck first with a pair of homers in the third inning. Franklin Primera went yard with Henry Godbout aboard before Skylar King left the yard, giving Salem an early 3-0 lead. Salem wouldn’t score again until the ninth inning when Godbout scored on a Kleyver Salazar single. View full article

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series @ Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles): 4-1 Season Record: 55-47 With Franklin Arias starting at second for the second straight night, Worcester won its fourth straight in an extra-innings thriller. Alec Gamboa took the mound to start Saturday’s matchup with Norfolk, turning in a solid effort across four and ⅔ innings. He allowed one run on four hits, issuing one walk and striking out four. Gamboa turned the ball over to Devin Sweet with two outs in the fifth. Sweet contributed two innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits and walking one. Tyler Samaniego finished the seventh inning and pitched through the eighth following Sweet’s exit. Samaniego allowed one hit and walked one across his appearance, striking out one before Hobie Harris entered the game. Harris closed the game strongly in extras, allowing one run and striking out two as he helped Worcester to its fourth straight win. Worcester saw limited offensive production and a lowly 1-for-9 line with runners in scoring position but was able to capitalize late. Early in the first inning, Andrew Knizner put the WooSox in front as he reached on a fielder’s choice, sending Nate Eaton home. After a four-RBI showcase on Friday, Arias showed no signs of slowing down. In the second, Arias doubled to left field, scoring Kristian Campbell. After Norfolk tied the game in the seventh, Eaton stepped to the plate with one out in the tenth. With Braiden Ward standing at second, Eaton launched a ball to left field, clearing the wall. His late blast put the WooSox ahead as they won on his heroics. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals): 2-3 Season Record: 53-47 Portland won behind a four-run sixth inning and a clutch bullpen performance from Michael Sansone. Jedixson Paez started the contest for the Sea Dogs, who were playing as the Maine Whoopie Pies. Paez ran into trouble early, allowing four runs in the first three innings of the contest. He steadied himself later, however, exiting the game after five frames. He allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out four. Down one run in the top of the sixth, Portland needed Michael Sansone to lock the game down. Sansone delivered, allowing three hits across a four-inning shutout relief appearance. Sansone issued two walks and struck out two as he closed the game. Every batter reached base at least once for Portland amidst a solid day at the dish. Johanfran Garcia led the way with two hits and an RBI. Down by four in the third inning, Brooks Brannon got the Sea Dogs on the board with a sac fly scoring Tyler McDonough. Later in the inning, Miguel Bleis drove in Jack Winnay on a single as Portland slashed the deficit in half. Two innings later Garcia inched the Sea Dogs closer with a sac fly that scored Winnay. After Will Turner drew a leadoff walk to begin the sixth inning, Max Ferguson drove him home with a bang. Ferguson tripled into the corner of left field as Turner crossed home, tying the game. One batter later, Ahbram Liendo drove Ferguson home on a double as Portland took the lead. Once it gained the lead, Portland didn’t look back. Mason White tacked on one more as he drove Liendo in on a single to right field. Winnay completed the offensive surge as he drove in McDonough on a double play. The burst was enough to lift Portland to a hard-fought win. High-A Greenville Drive Series @ Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros): 5-0 Season Record: 44-54 Greenville cruised to its sixth straight win in the professional debuts of top draft picks Owen Hull and Jake Schaffner. Dylan Brown, a 2025 draft pick, turned in one of his best starts of the year on Saturday evening. Brown went the distance, pitching into the seventh inning. He allowed two runs (one unearned) on three hits and issued a walk. Brown struck out nine batters, the most in over a month, before being replaced by Shea Sprague with one out in the seventh. Sprague closed the game without much trouble. He allowed one run on three hits and issued three walks as he struck out three. His effort sealed the win for Greenville as they sit ten games under .500. An offensive outpouring that included a hit from every Greenville batter was more than enough for a win on Saturday night. In his third game with the Drive since returning from injury, Nazzan Zanetello went 4-for-6 with an RBI. The Red Sox’s most recent draftees showed up as well. Hull went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a walk as Schaffner went 2-for-3 with an RBI, scoring three times. Schaffner made his impact felt early, scoring Enddy Azocar in his first professional at-bat on a groundout to second. In the second, Zanetello scored Yophery Rodriguez on a double to left field. Zanetello scored on an RBI single from Stanley Tucker later in the inning. With the bases loaded, Hull came up big. He swung on a ball low in the zone that snuck through the infield, driving in Justin Gonzales and Jake Schaffner. One inning later, Hull reached again on a throwing error as Schaffner scored once more. Gerardo Rodriguez crossed home later in the inning on a Luke Heyman double to right field. In the sixth, Hull made his mark again, scoring Schaffner on a ground ball single to center. With a six-run advantage in the seventh, Azocar added to the lead with a solo homer, his 11th of the season, to right field. Just an inning later, Azocar stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He delivered a single to center, scoring Heyman. Gonzales completed the 11-run evening later in the eighth with a sac fly, scoring Y. Rodriguez. The Drive tallied 19 runs and drew four walks in one of the most successful offensive days of the season. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): 2-3 Season Record: 43-57 Despite reaching base 16 times, Salem never led on Saturday and fell behind a rocky start from Jose Bello. Bello, who has been successful throughout the season, limped through a three and ⅓ inning start on Saturday evening. He allowed five runs (one unearned) on seven hits, and he registered just one strikeout. Harry Blum entered and pitched one and ⅔ innings of hitless relief following the quick exit. Blum issued three walks and struck out three before Wuilliams Rodriguez took over. Rodriguez allowed two runs on three hits over two innings as the game slipped further out of reach. He walked two before Nicolas De La Cruz took the final frame of the night. Across the inning, De La Cruz walked three and allowed a run on one hit, striking out two. D’Angelo Ortiz and Franklin Primera had three hits apiece, and Kleyver Salazar drove in two as the Yaks came up short at the dish. Salazar got the Yaks on the board in the fifth. Facing a five-run deficit, Salazar scored Primera and Starlyn Nunez on a line drive to left field. Three innings later, Skylar King scored Primera on a sac fly before Ortiz scored Adonys Guzman on a double to left field. Guzman reached on an error in the ninth as Ilan Fernandez scored, capping off a disappointing day for Salem as they fell by three. View full article