Ayden Mason

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (June 11) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 33-30 Worcester had a doubleheader against the Rochester Red Wings that included a makeup game from May 24, but it ended up getting canceled. After jumping on top early, they lost the lead and never came back in the 6-4 seven-inning defeat. Worcester got out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning while facing former Red Sox top prospect Luis Perales. Braiden Ward singled to start the game and later advanced to second base on a poorly thrown pickoff attempt from Rochester's pitcher. Ward showed how much of a threat he can be on the base paths. A failed bunt attempt popped up in the shallow part of the infield in foul territory, forcing the third baseman to go catch it, and no one was covering third base, so Ward tagged up from second and slid head-first safely. That aggression cost him, unfortunately, the next at-bat. Mikey Romero hit a soft ground ball to the shortstop, and Ward was thrown out at home, leaving Romero on first base. After Anthony Seigler drew a walk to put two runners on with two outs, Matt Thaiss did not want to leave the inning empty-handed, launching a three-run homer to right-center off of Perales, the big blow of the game for Worcester. The lead didn't last, Rochester answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the first (3-1), and the Red Wings scored two more runs to tie it 3-3 in the third inning on an RBI single and a run-scoring groundout. Worcester retook the lead briefly in the fourth. Allan Castro hit a jamshot single, then stole his 12th base of the year to put him on second with no outs. Nathan Hickey brought him in after he ripped an RBI double (4-3), but Rochester tied it again 4-4 with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth. The game got away from Worcester in the fifth, reliever Devin Sweet gave up back-to-back singles then allowed a sacrifice fly and an RBI double, giving Rochester a 6-4 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Sweet took the loss and was charged with a blown save. In his second rehab start since April, Patrick Sandoval went just 1 ⅔ innings (3 K’s) with his only hit given up being a hanging slider down the middle of the plate that was taken deep. Zack Kelly gave up two runs in 1 ⅓ innings. Sweet was roughed up for three runs over two innings. Joe La Sorsa was the only WooSox pitcher with a clean inning, tossing a perfect ninth inning with one punchout. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 29-30 Portland dropped its third straight game to the Fightin Phils after losing 5-3. Dalton Rogers started on the mound for the Sea Dogs, giving up four runs in three innings, putting Portland in a hole early. Reading's damage came in the second inning: a solo homer, an RBI double, and an RBI single made it 3-0. The Sea Dogs clawed back with two runs in the third on a Brooks Brannon RBI double, and a Johanfran Garcia groundout made it a one-run game, 3-2. The Fightin Phils extended their lead once again with another solo homer, 4-2. Both teams were scoreless from there up until the seventh when Will Turner went deep, launching his seventh homer of the season to make it 4-3. But Reading answered again with a solo homer off Reidis Sena in the eighth, giving them some breathing room. Portland out-hit Reading 9-10, but their downfall was not being able to convert with runners in scoring position (1-for-13 RISP). Turner, Garcia, and Brannon all registered multi-hit games, putting the offense on their backs. Max Carlson and Erik Rivera were solid in relief, tossing four shutout innings combined, but the early deficit proved too much. Standout Performances: Will Turner: 2-for-5, HR, 2 R, RBI Brooks Brannon: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI Johanfran Garcia: 2-for-5, RBI Max Carlson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 24-33 A rough all-around night for Greenville led to a 9-1 defeat to the Dash at home. Greenville managed just four hits, two from Yophery Rodriguez (2-for-4), one from Yoeilin Cespedes (1-for-5), and one from Antonio Anderson (1-for-3, BB). The lineup drew six walks and had plenty of chances to bring in runs with runners aboard, but couldn't string anything together (1-for-12 RISP). Their lone run came in the eighth when Freili Encarnacion walked, advanced to third on a Rodriguez single, and scored on a Ronny Hernandez double play. On the mound, starter Jojo Ingrassia was the bright spot with three scoreless innings and four strikeouts. Joe Vogatsky (2 ⅓ IP, 2 ER) allowed a solo shot in the sixth. P.J. Labriola got bombarded, giving up six runs on six hits in 2 ⅓ innings. Matt McShane pitched the final 1 ⅓ innings, giving up a solo homer in the ninth. The Dash smacked four home runs total and drew nine walks as a team, too many baserunners to survive. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 24-36 Salem’s losing streak extends to six games, getting blown out 12-5 by the Woodpeckers. A rough night at Carilion Clinic Field, Salem never had a lead, falling behind early and watching it unravel in the middle innings. Fayetteville blew it open with a four-run sixth inning, going up 8-1, then added back-to-back homers in the ninth, making it an official blowout, 12-5. The RidgeYaks showed life in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs on RBI knocks from Avinson Pinto, D'Angelo Ortiz (2 RBI), and an Ilan Fernandez double to cut it to 8-5, but they were shut down the rest of the way. As a team, Salem’s offense only had four hits, 13 strikeouts; they went 2-for-9 with RISP and still scored five runs. Starter Leighton Finley took the loss, throwing 4 ⅓ innings with six strikeouts, but gave up four runs. Reliever Nicolas De La Cruz had a rough outing, not being able to get an out in the sixth inning, and getting tagged for four runs in ⅔ of an inning. View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (June 10) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 33-29 Hardly any traffic on the base paths and a terrible first inning led to a loss for Worcester 5-2 against the Red Wings on the road. After serving most of his time in the bullpen, Eduardo Rivera made his second consecutive start for the WooSox and had a rough outing, not even finishing the first inning. Rivera had no location of the strike zone, throwing 17 of his 38 pitches for strikes while walking four batters. With one out, Rivera gave up a solo shot, then proceeded to walk two straight batters. He recorded a strikeout to make it two outs, giving Worcester hope of getting out of the mess. The bases were jammed after another walk was allowed; a couple of very costly errors from Tsung-Che Cheng and Kristian Campbell put a combined four runs on the board for Rochester, giving them a 5-0 lead to end the first inning. Although the starting pitching was not great, the bullpen was the bright spot. Seth Martinez (2 ⅓ IP 2 K), Osvaldo Berrios (3 IP, 4 K), and Angel Bastardo (2 IP, 4 K) combined for ten strikeouts and one walk in 7 ⅓ scoreless innings, keeping Rochester off the board. Offensively, Mikey Romero carried the lineup, going 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the fourth and an RBI single in the ninth, both of Worcester's only runs. Vinny Capra added a triple in the ninth to set up that final run. Braiden Ward doubled in the third. Beyond that, the bats were quiet: the 4-5-6-7-8 hitters (Campbell, Matt Thaiss, Allan Castro, Matt Lloyd, and Nathan Hickey) went a combined 0-for-16 with seven strikeouts. The bottom line: a disastrous first inning and a couple of bad throwing errors were way too much to overcome, despite some outstanding pitching from the bullpen. Standout Performances: Seth Martinez: 2 ⅓ IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 K Osvaldo Berrios: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 K Angel Bastardo: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Mikey Romero: 2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 29-29 The Sea Dogs struggled with men aboard in their 6-4 defeat to the Fightin Phils. Portland's offense was quiet for most of the night, managing just six hits and striking out 11 times, but Johanfran Garcia was the bright spot, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs. His double in the third inning scored Marvin Alcantara to cut the early deficit to 3–1, and another double in the eighth brought in Arias to make the game 5-2. The Sea Dogs trailed 3–0 early in the first inning when Reading launched a three-run homer. Starter Blake Wehunt gave up five earned runs over 4 ⅔ innings on seven hits, taking the loss. Wehunt settled in after the three-run blow in the first but got stuck in the fifth, giving up a pair of RBI singles that ultimately took him out of the game. Caleb Bolden was solid in relief (3 ⅓ IP, 1 ER, 3 K), keeping Portland within reach and not forcing the game to get out of hand. Portland entered the ninth with a 6-2 deficit and made their best attempt to make a push, scoring once on a Fightin Phils fielding error and a Brooks Brannon RBI groundout to pull within 6–4, but the Sea Dogs unfortunately could not complete the comeback. Franklin Arias and Garcia carried the lineup, combining for five of the team's six hits while the six different Portland batters went hitless. The seven walks drawn kept some rallies alive, but too many strikeouts and the unwillingness to cash in runners in scoring position (1-for-11 with RISP) kept them out of reach. Standout Performances: Johanfran Garcia: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI Franklin Arias: 2-for-4, R, BB High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 24-32 Three long balls for the Greenville Drive were just enough to take down the Dash 7-4. It was a great day at the plate for Greenville, scoring in the first after Yoeilin Cespedes got caught stealing while Justin Gonzales took advantage of that play, taking off for home plate in the process. The big blow came in the second inning when Jack Winnay launched a three-run homer (his 11th) to left-center, turning a 1-0 lead into a 4-1 cushion. Luke Heyman extended Greenville’s lead 5-1 with an RBI single, but got thrown out at second while attempting to snag an extra base. Isaiah Jackson added a solo shot in the sixth to make it a 6-3 game, reaching double-digit homers on the season with his 10th while reaching base three times. Enddy Azocar had the best night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a solo homer in the seventh (his 2nd High-A homer), 7-3. In the eighth inning, Danny Kirwin got into trouble as he was unable to find the zone. With one out, he gave up a double, then the runner moved to third base on a wild pitch. He proceeded to walk two straight batters to load the bases, putting his team in a major hole. Kirwin walked the next batter once again, bringing in a run, which was the end of his night. Steven Brooks came into the game and saved Greenville, striking out the next two batters to get out of the jam with no further damage, 7-4. Dylan Brown started and was solid, tossing four innings, allowing two runs on five hits with an impressive six strikeouts. Brooks locked it down at the end of the game, finishing with 1 ⅔ scoreless innings and three K's, earning his second save of the season. Standout Performances: Enddy Azocar: 3-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI Isaiah Jackson: 1-for-2, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, HBP Jack Winnay: 1-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI Dylan Brown: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Steven Brooks: 1 ⅔ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 24-35 The RidgeYaks dropped their fifth straight game in a close 6-5 defeat against the Woodpeckers. D'Angelo Ortiz got Salem on the board first with his first professional home run, a solo blast to left in the third inning, giving the Yaks a 1-0 lead. Fayetteville answered with a pair of RBI singles and an RBI groundout in the top of the fourth, taking a 3-1 lead. Salem clawed back to tie it in the sixth inning. Anderson Fermin and Givian Sirvania got on base; afterward, Skylar King drove in Fermin with a single, and Kleyver Salazar brought home Sirvania on a sacrifice fly, tying it 3-3. With Louis Andujar at the plate with two outs and runners on the corners, Andrews Opata stole his 29th base of the season, causing the catcher's throw to trickle in the outfield, bringing in Skylar King, giving Salem the lead once again, 4-3. The lead didn't last long. Fayetteville broke through, scoring three runs in the seventh against Jay Allmer, highlighted by a two-run double to make it 6-4. Allmer ended up taking the loss. Salem made it interesting in the ninth, facing a 6-4 deficit. Salazar led the game off with a single, then Adonys Guzman followed with a double, putting runners on second and third with no outs to give the RidgeYaks a good spot to walk it off. Andujar came up to the plate and hit into a devastating double-play: a line-drive comebacker to the pitcher caught the runner on second, slipping, and was thrown out to complete the double-play. Avinson Pinto laced an RBI double to cut it to 6-5, but that is where it ended. What makes the loss more heartbreaking is knowing the Pinto double would have at least tied the game. Joey Gartrell was sharp in his relief appearance, throwing 2 ⅓ innings, giving Salem the best possible chance to make a comeback. View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (June 9) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 33-28 The WooSox pulled out an extra-innings 6-5 victory over the Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals). The Worcester Red Sox climbed out of a three-run hole and won it in the tenth inning on the road. The WooSox spent most of the night chasing, but a late power surge and a little help from the bullpen flipped the game. After a scoreless start through the first four innings, Rochester broke through with a solo homer in the fifth. That was the only run Jack Anderson gave up in his solid start, tossing six innings, giving up just one run on three hits with six strikeouts. Worcester answered in the seventh when Kristian Campbell worked a walk, then came around to score on a Jason Delay single to tie it 1-1, but the Red Wings responded immediately in the bottom half with a two-run shot, then tacked on another run with a solo blast in the eighth to extend their lead to 4-1. Then came the turning point. Allan Castro reached base thanks to a throwing error from the pitcher, and Tsung-Che Cheng drew a walk to put two runners on in the top of the ninth with two outs. Matt Lloyd was the next man up and was hitless so far in the game; that hitless game was ended after he crushed a clutch three-run homer to tie the game 4-4. Wyatt Olds came into the game in the bottom half and had a three-up and three-down inning, forcing extras. In the tenth, Worcester pushed across the go-ahead runs: With the bases juiced, Tyler McDonough scored on a Matt Thaiss double play, then Campbell delivered an RBI single to bring home Braiden Ward, putting the WooSox up 6-4. Noah Song came in for the bottom half with the hopes of closing it out, Rochester scratched one back but thankfully, stranded the tying run. Song earned his second save of the season as Worcester escaped with the 6-5 win. Standout Performances: Jack Anderson: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 K Wyatt Olds: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K Matt Lloyd: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 29-28 The Portland Sea Dogs jumped out early but couldn't hold on, dropping a 7-5 decision at Reading (Philadelphia Phillies). Boston's Double-A club out-hit the Fightin Phils 10 to 7, yet one swing from the other dugout decided the night. Portland struck first with three runs in the top of the first. Franklin Arias led the game off with a single, and Will Turner followed with a walk to put two on with no outs. Arias scored on a Brooks Brannon ground-rule double, then Turner came home on a Johanfran Garcia single, and Brannon scored on a Marvin Alcantara sacrifice fly for an early 3-0 lead. In the bottom half, Arias made a tough throwing error that later led to Reading scoring a run on an RBI single, putting the game at 3-1. The Red Sox star prospect Anthony Eyanson had a very weird outing. He had one unearned run (Arias' error) while throwing five walks and four strikeouts in his 2 ⅔ innings of work. His command was way off compared to usual, especially since he has not walked batters much this season, throwing only 37 of his 68 pitches for strikes. His fastball velocity was down from usual as well, sitting around 91-93 MPH. It was noted that he seemed to focus on throwing his curveball on two strikes; unfortunately, his command was lacking. The game completely flipped in the fourth; the Fightin Phils unloaded a grand slam to right-center, putting them ahead 5-3. Reading struck again in the eighth inning with a two-run homer, stretching the lead to 7- 3. Portland mounted a ninth-inning push: a Caden Rose lead-off solo homer and an RBI groundout from Nate Baez gave the Sea Dogs a little hope, pulling them within two, but that was not enough as they suffered a 7-5 defeat. Outside of Arias, Brannon, and Garcia, who combined for eight of the team's 10 hits, Portland's lineup could not produce many hits when it mattered most. Portland had a ton of chances to put runs on the board with runners in scoring position, but they could not string together hits in the big spots, going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Another recipe for disaster is the four errors the Sea Dogs committed: one error led to a run, and another to the grand slam that ultimately cost them the game. Standout Performances: Franklin Arias: 3-for-5, 2B, R Brooks Brannon: 3-for-5, 2B, R, RBI Johanfran Garcia: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI Caden Rose: 1-for-3, HR, R, RBI High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 23-32 The Greenville Drive trailed three separate times but finally grabbed the lead for an 8-7 win over the Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox). The Dash jumped on the Drive’s starter Devin Futrell early, a two-run single in the first and a two-run homer in the second made it 4-0, putting Greenville in a hole. The Drive struck right back in the bottom of the second with two two-run homers. Luke Heyman drew a walk, setting up Isaiah Jackson to launch his ninth homer of the year. Jack Winnay followed up with a single to keep the line moving. It was Ronny Hernandez's turn at the plate as he clobbered a two-run homer, his fifth in 13 games, tying it up 4-4. From there, both teams scored, but it stayed tight for a few innings. Winston-Salem nudged ahead with a solo homer in the third inning, 5-4. Greenville tied it again, 5-5, in the fourth on a Hernandez RBI single after Mason White hit a double, then the Dash pushed the lead further out in front, 7-5, in the fifth inning with an RBI single and groundout. Greenville owned the seventh: Hernandez and Justin Gonzales led off the inning with back-to-back singles, putting two runners aboard with no outs for Enddy Azocar. Like he has been doing all year (hitting extra-base hits), he roped a double down left field, bringing home two runs to put the Drive one run short of tying it. Yoeilin Cespedes showed he has ice in his veins as he delivered the go-ahead two-run single to make it 8-7. Calvin Bickerstaff was the MVP of the pitching staff, slamming the door with 2 ⅔ scoreless no-hit innings with three strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the season. Standout Performances: Calvin Bickerstaff: 2 ⅔ IP, 0 H, 0 IP, 1 BB, 3 K Yoeilin Cespedes: 2-for-3, 2 RBI Ronny Hernandez: 3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI Enddy Azocar: 1-for-4, 2B, R, RBI Isaiah Jackson: 1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 24-34 The RidgeYaks almost completed an incredible comeback, falling just short 7-6 to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros). Salem dug an early hole, starter Jason Gilman lasted just two innings, surrendering six runs (three earned) on a rough couple of innings that included three costly errors from catcher Adonys Guzman, one of which allowed two runs to score on one play in the first inning, putting the Woodpeckers up 2-0. The second inning was more detrimental: a lead-off homer, an RBI double, and another bad throw from Guzman on a steal attempt led to another run, 5-0. The frustrating second inning got worse when Gilman balked, leading to one more run to cross the plate, extending the Woodpeckers' lead to 6-0. Fayetteville pushed it to 7-0 in the fourth inning with an RBI single, digging Salem in a massive hole to make the game a potential laugher. After tallying just one hit through five innings, the RidgeYaks offense came out of nowhere. Salem drew walk after walk: Louis Andujar, Avinson Pinto, and D'Angelo Ortiz all worked bases-loaded RBI walks. Afterward, Ilan Fernandez lined a two-run single to make it 7-5. They added one more in the ninth when Andrews Opata singled home Stanley Tucker to make it 7-6, but the rally ended there, unfortunately. Knowing that the RidgeYaks came up one run short in a 7-6 game, while the offense finally woke up, but some bad throws helped the other team, makes this defeat even more frustrating. View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (June 4) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 29-28 After getting blown out, Worcester bounced back in a perfect way, defeating the Bisons 5-1. Worcester jumped on Buffalo early in the second. Allan Castro doubled then advanced to third due to a fielding error, the first of his three hits on the night, then Matt Lloyd drove him in with an RBI single to right to make it 1–0. Tsung-Che Cheng was the next batter coming up to the plate. He proceeded to crush a two-run homer to center to blow it open at 3–0. The third inning added two more, giving the WooSox more breathing room. Braiden Ward led off with a 384 FT solo shot to right, his second of the year, pushing the lead to 4–0. Vinny Capra singled behind him, then stole a base to put him in scoring position. Then Castro came through again with an RBI single, making it 5–0. Worcester was swinging with confidence early in the game, and Buffalo’s starter was getting tagged. From there, the pitching staff took over. Worcester used three relievers to blank Buffalo through the first six innings. They broke up the shutout bid with a solo homer in the seventh to make it a 5-1 game, but that was the only damage allowed. The bullpen was outstanding across the board. Devin Sweet started the game with two clean shutout innings. Osvaldo Berrios earned his first win of the season with three scoreless innings while only allowing one hit and striking out two batters. Seth Martinez gave up the only run but was solid nonetheless, tossing two innings with one hit allowed and two strikeouts as well. Wyatt Olds threw the last two innings of the game with two hits allowed and two strikeouts. Castro was easily the best bat in Worcester’s lineup, getting on base three times with a 3-for-4 day at the plate while registering an RBI. Standout Performances: Allan Castro: 3-for-4, 2B, R, RBI Braiden Ward: 2-for-4, HR, R, RBI Tsung-Che Cheng: 1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 28-25 The Sea Dogs could not string together enough hits, especially when it mattered with runners in scoring position, losing 4-1 to the Yard Goats. Portland was held scoreless through the first five innings. The Sea Dogs could not do anything against Hartford’s starter, although they drew three walks against him; Portland could never string anything together. Marvin Alcantara went 0-for-4, and Ahbram Liendo, who was outstanding with three hits in the previous game, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Hartford broke through in the fourth, singling and crushing a two-run shot to give the Yard Goats a 2–0 lead. Nate Baez provided the only spark, leading off the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer to left, his sixth of the year, pulling Portland within one run, 2–1. It felt like a potential turning point with the middle of the lineup coming up, but that dream of coming back did not happen. But the seventh inning extinguished that hope for good. Two Hartford batters were aboard with no outs, then a ground ball was hit up the middle, deflecting off shortstop Franklin Arias and rolling into shallow center field, two runs scored to make it 4–1. The Sea Dogs had a chance to push runs across the plate in a big moment. Nelly Taylor singled, then stole his 16th base of the season. Caden Rose and Liendo worked back-to-back walks to load the bases for Talk Sox #1 prospect Franklin Arias. Unfortunately, he proceeded to ground into a double play, completely shutting down the rally. Even though he took the loss and gave up two runs, Blake Wehunt was excellent; he just did not have enough run support. Wehunt struck out six batters in his six innings of work while filling up the zone, throwing 70% of his pitches for strikes. Nelly Taylor was the only Portland hitter to record a multi-hit game, recording two of the team's five hits. Taylor went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Standout Performances: Blake Wehunt: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K Nelly Taylor: 2-for-3, BB, SB Nate Baez: 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 21-31 The Drive took a gut-wrenching loss in extras, getting walked off on by the Emperors 5-4. Greenville was shut down early, and Rome's starting pitcher was dominant, going 5 ⅓ innings and allowing just 1 hit. He walked four, giving the Drive a chance with runners aboard, but they couldn't capitalize, while Rome built a 3–0 lead on a two-run homer in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the fifth. The sixth inning made the game interesting. Yoeilin Cespedes drew a lead-off walk, then Gerardo Rodriguez launched a two-run homer that instantly cut it to 3–2. After Luke Heyman popped out, Isaiah Jackson stepped up to the plate to show off his power as well, crushing a solo shot to right, his eighth of the year, tying the game 3–3. That's as electric as it gets from a lineup that had been dormant all night. The game settled in the next two innings with a tense pitchers' duel. Danny Kirwin was outstanding in relief, bringing the game to extras for Greenville. He threw three innings, one hit, one run, and four strikeouts. The Drive had some luck on their side in the ninth when Jack Winnay singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch, then moved to third on a fly out. He proceeded to score after a ground ball that turned into a throwing error from the Emperor's third baseman, which would have been the third out to end the inning. Greenville had the lead 4-3 now. Kirwin sadly ran into a very unlucky situation in the ninth, striking out the leadoff batter on a dropped third strike that put him on first base with no outs. Two straight grounders in the infield advanced the runner to third with two outs, one out away from ending the game. Rome’s potential last batter wasted no time, smacking the first pitch he saw, hitting an RBI double to right field to tie it 4-4. The game headed to extra innings. The tenth inning ended it, with the ghost runner at second, Hartford advanced the runner to third with a single, then lifted a sac fly to center that easily scored the winning run. Greenville's Calvin Bickerstaff took the loss, recording two outs in the tenth before the walk-off. The Drive was so close to pulling off a win with a weak offensive performance. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 24-30 Salem snapped their small two-game losing skid with a monster game from the offense, defeating the Warbirds 12-6 on the road. Salem fell behind early after the Warbirds crushed a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, putting them up 2–0. The RidgeYaks scratched across a run in the second, Stanley Tucker and Ilan Fernandez put together back-to-back singles, setting up Starlyn Nunez with a productive RBI ground, 2-1. Wilson added a two-run single in the second to extend their lead to 4–1. The third inning absolutely blew the game open for Salem. It all started when Adonys Guzman doubled (his first of three hits on the night) and scored on a D'Angelo Ortiz force-out, 2–4. With two outs, Frederik Jimenez got plunked by a pitch, then Tucker drew a walk to load the bases for Fernandez. He then followed in his teammates' footsteps and drew a walk as well, bringing in a run to make it 3–4. That brought up Starlyn Nunez to hit with the bases still jammed, he then crushed a grand slam to right, his 8th homer, to blow the game wide open at 7–4. After going on a brief 0-for-10 slump, Nunez answered with the biggest swing of the week. Salem kept the pressure on, Guzman doubled again in the fourth, and Andruw Musett drove him in with an RBI single to center, 8–4. In the sixth, Musett and Jimenez both reached base, then Tucker ripped a two-run triple to left to make it 10–4. Fernandez added a sacrifice fly to push it to 11–4. Salem was relentless. Wilson scratched two runs back in the seventh, but it did not matter. Guzman added one more run after hitting his third double of the game in the ninth to cap the scoring at 12–6. Standout Performances: Starlyn Nunez: 2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 5 RBI, BB Adonys Guzman: 3-for-5, 3 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB Stanley Tucker: 2-for-4, 3B, 3 R, RBI, BB View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (June 3) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 28-28 It was a nightmare at home for Worcester as they got blown out 12-0 by Buffalo. The WooSox pitching staff imploded in the late innings. The game was scoreless through six, then everything fell apart. Worcester's pitchers issued an astonishing 14 walks on the night, and Buffalo made them pay for every one of them. Four of the five pitchers for Worcester walked three batters each, while the other pitcher walked two. The seventh inning finally started the scoring barrage. Eduardo Rivera, who had kept Buffalo off the board for two innings, was pulled after he lost the zone, hitting a batter, then walking two more batters to load the bases. Angel Bastardo came in and immediately made things worse, giving up two singles and a double that brought in three runs to make it a 3-0 game. The total meltdown happened in the eighth. Bastardo stayed in the game and got shelled. The Bisons' lineup batted around, 12 batters came up to the plate and scored a total of six runs as a group, pushing the lead to 9–0. Runs were scoring on walks, sacrifice flies, deflected grounders, and everything possible was happening in a bad way. It got so bad that catcher Nathan Hickey had to come in to pitch the rest of the ninth (his sixth pitching appearance this season). He gave up four hits, three runs, and three walks in his inning of work, extending Buffalo's lead to 12-0. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 28-24 A wild back-and-forth slugfest ended in a Sea Dogs 10-7 victory over the Yard Goats. Hartford struck first with a big blow, smashing a three-run homer in the top of the second to put the Yard Goats up 3–0 early. Portland cut the deficit in the bottom half, Will Turner and Nelly Taylor walked, and Caden Rose reached base due to a fielding error from Hartford's shortstop, loading the bases. Ahbram Liendo had one thing on his mind when he stepped up to the plate: being aggressive out of the gate, as he ripped a two-run single on the first pitch to cut it to 3–2. Both teams traded blows in the fifth inning, Hartford blasted another three-run homer to push the lead to 6–2. It felt like Portland was in real trouble, but the Sea Dogs came right back with a massive bottom half of the fifth. Liendo stayed hot, leading off the inning with a solo homer to center field, 6–3. Portland started a two-out rally, Johanfran Garcia singled, Ronald Rosario and Turner walked to load the bases. Nelly Taylor came through in a big moment, hitting a sky-high pop-up to shallow right-center field that dropped in no-man's land, clearing the bases to tie the game 6–6. Some sloppy defense from the Yard Goats led to a balk with Taylor on third base, bringing him across the plate to give Portland its first lead of the game. This was now a brand new ballgame. Hartford retook the lead in the sixth on a solo homer to tie it again, 7-7. But Portland responded yet again in the bottom half. Liendo smacked a double (his third hit of the game), then advanced to third after a fielding error from the left fielder, and Franklin Arias singled him home to take back the lead 8–7. Garcia launched a solo homer to right-center (his ninth of the year), giving Portland some comfort room, 9–7. Turner put the exclamation point on the game in the seventh with a solo homer to center, 10–7. Portland had all the cushion it needed. John Holobetz and Cade Feeney both had rough outings, but Reidis Sena locked it down with two perfect innings of relief to close the game, no hits and walks with three strikeouts, earning his fourth save of the season. Standout Performances: Ahbram Liendo: 3-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI Johanfran Garcia: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI Will Turner: 1-for-2, HR, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB Nelly Taylor: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB Reidis Sena: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 21-30 After the tough loss yesterday, Greenville bounced back on the road by defeating the Emperors 9-3. Greenville got on the board first in the third inning. Yophery Rodriguez led off with a single, Antonio Anderson reached base with a walk, then Enddy Azocar ripped an RBI double down the left field line to score Rodriguez, 1–0. Gerardo Rodriguez followed with a sacrifice fly that brought in Anderson. The Drive had a 2–0 cushion early. Jack Winnay provided the power in the fifth. Before he came up, Gerardo Rodriguez hit an infield single, then Isaiah Jackson grounded into a fielder's choice to put him on first base instead. Winnay stepped up to the plate and took advantage of the first strike he saw, launching a two-run homer to left-center (his ninth of the year) to push it to 4–0. Rome responded in the bottom half with a solo homer and a double that led to a wild pitch, bringing in a run to cut it to 4–2, but Greenville was firmly in control. The sixth inning buried Rome, and Greenville put up a five-run inning that put the game out of reach for the late innings. Yophery Rodriguez collected his second hit of the game with a double, then Antonio Anderson drove him in with a single to right field, 5–2. After Azocar and Justin Gonzales each lined a single to load the bases, Gerardo Rodriguez lined an RBI single to make it 6–2. Isaiah Jackson expanded the lead more after he cracked a two-run double, scoring Azocar and Gonzales, pushing Greenville's lead to 8–2. Mason White added on with an RBI force-out to cap the inning, 9–2. Other than a rough fifth inning, the Drive’s pitching staff dealt with business. Devin Futrell was solid in his 4 ⅓ innings of work, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks while punching out six batters. Ben Hansen continued to look solid ever since he moved to the bullpen, tossing 3 ⅔ innings, striking out four while giving up two hits and one unearned run (throwing error from Winnay). Matt McShane came on in the ninth to close out the game, throwing a perfect inning and striking out one batter. Greenville’s bats were on point in this matchup, multi-hit games coming from Azocar (3rd multi-hit day in four games), Gonzales, Gerardo Rodriguez, and Yophery Rodriguez. The lineup combined for 11 hits and six walks. Standout Performances: Gerardo Rodriguez: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI Enddy Azocar: 2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI Jack Winnay: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB Yophery Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB Devin Futrell: 4 ⅓ IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Ben Hansen: 3 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 23-30 The RidgeYaks lose back-to-back games to start the six-game series against the Warbirds, this time falling just short 2-1. Jason Gilman was the story for most of the game; it was unfortunate that Salem’s bats could not get going. Gilman was absolutely dominant in his start, throwing six innings of two-hit shutout ball with 10 strikeouts and no walks. He kept Wilson completely off balance for more than half the game, giving Salem every opportunity to build on a slim lead. Salem scratched across their lone run in the sixth. Louis Andujar reached base on a throwing error from Wilson’s pitcher, Adonys Guzman singled him over to third, then Frederik Jimenez lined an RBI single to make it 1–0. It wasm't much, but with the way the pitching was going, it felt like it could be enough. The game flipped in the eighth. Jay Allmer relieved the seventh and got out of the inning with no damage, then came back in the eighth and immediately lost the strike zone, walking his first batter. Wuilliams Rodriguez entered and things got worse, failing to field the ball cleanly, putting two runners on, then a single loaded the bases with one out. A bases-loaded walk tied the game 1–1, then an RBI groundout was all Wilson needed to get a 2–1 lead. The offense never gave the pitching staff any margin for error. Salem managed five hits and just one run on the night. Adonys Guzman was the only RidgeYaks player with multiple hits, collecting two of the five hits. They drew six walks, showing the plate discipline, but couldn't string anything together with RISP, going 2-for-13. Standout Performances: Jason Gilman: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 10 K Adonys Guzman: 2-for-3, 2B, BB View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (June 2) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 28-27 The WooSox came back from being down 2-1 in the ninth, walking it off on the Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays) 3-2. Other than one rough inning, Worcester's pitching was dominant all night. Jake Bennett continued his brilliant stretch with another five shutout innings, giving up just one hit while striking out four. Although he walked three batters, nothing came of it. Through five, Worcester was cruising with a 1–0 lead thanks to a Vinny Capra sacrifice fly in the third that scored Allan Castro. The sixth inning was the one blemish. Noah Song came on in relief and immediately ran into trouble. The Bisons laced an RBI double to tie it, then followed with an RBI single to give Buffalo a 2–1 lead. Thankfully, that was the only damage Worcester's pitching allowed all night. From there, the bullpen locked it back in. Zack Kelly was outstanding, tossing two scoreless innings on one hit and three strikeouts. Afterward, Kyle Keller came in and threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. They both kept Worcester within striking distance and gave the lineup one more chance. The bottom of the ninth was pure magic. Anthony Seigler doubled to lead things off, keeping his hitting streak alive, extending it to six games. With one out and a runner aboard, Mikey Romero stepped up and ripped a triple on a sharp line drive to center, scoring Seigler to tie the game 2–2. Tsung-Che Cheng came in to pinch-run for Romero, standing just 90 feet away. Buffalo’s pitcher uncorked a wild pitch, Cheng raced home, and Worcester had the walk-off win 3–2, no hit needed for the winning run. Standout Performances: Jake Bennett: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K Zack Kelly: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Kyle Keller: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K Mikey Romero: 2-for-4, 3B, RBI Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 27-24 The Sea Dogs dominated from top to bottom, shutting out the Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies) 9-0. The pitching staff threw a combined shutout, giving up six hits but zero extra-base hits. Hartford managed six singles and two walks across nine innings and never were seriously a threat to score. Anthony Eyanson earned the win with five shutout innings (his sixth shutout outing this season), allowing five hits but zero runs with three strikeouts. Patrick Halligan was electric in relief, tossing three no-hit innings with one walk and four strikeouts. Erik Rivera bridged the gap with a clean one-inning stint while filling up the zone, throwing 12 of his 15 pitches for strikes, giving up a single but nothing more. The third inning broke the game open. Tyler McDonough drew a walk, then stole his 14th base of the season, putting him on second with no outs. Marvin Alcantara reached base with a hit-by-pitch. Nate Baez followed up and smoked a two-run double to center to make it 2–0. Brooks Brannon crushed a two-run homer (his 8th of the year), blowing the door wide open with a 4–0 lead. Portland kept pouring it on in the later innings. In the seventh, Ahbram Liendo hit a lead-off single and immediately stole his ninth base of the year to give the Sea Dogs a good chance to score again. That did not matter since Franklin Arias started his new month hot by launching a two-run homer to center field, his 13th of the year, pushing the lead to 6–0. The eighth inning brought three more runs: Johanfran Garcia and Will Turner started the inning with back-to-back singles, Miguel Bleis doubled to left to drive in Garcia, then Tyler McDonough ripped a double of his own, this time scoring two runs, capping off the lead to 9–0. The entire Sea Dogs lineup, other than Alcantara, registered a hit in this contest, Garcia and Turner collecting themselves a multi-hit game while Arias, Baez, Brannon, and McDonough each had two RBIs. Standout Performances: Anthony Eyanson: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Patrick Halligan: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Brooks Brannon: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI Franklin Arias: 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI Tyler McDonough: 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB Nate Baez: 1-for-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 20-30 The Drive had the lead under control for five innings but gave it away, losing to the Emperors (Atlanta Braves) 8-2. The Drive came out swinging in the first inning. Enddy Azocar singled to start the game, then raced for second base, stealing his first base of High-A and his eighth of the year. Then, Yoeilin Cespedes drove him in with a single to make it 1–0. Greenville had a lot of traffic on the bases but only came away with one run in the aftermath. Jack Winnay led off the second inning with a walk, and Mason White smoked a double to put runners on second and third. Freili Encarnacion was drilled on the first pitch of his at-bat, loading up the bases with no outs. Yophery Rodriguez brought in Winnay and advanced White to third base with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead 2-0. Unfortunately, Encarnacion got too aggressive on the base paths, getting thrown out while trying to steal second base. With two outs, a flyout ended the rally. For five innings, it looked like that would be enough since Greenville's pitching held Rome scoreless. In a month of May that Marcus Phillips would like to forget, he was outstanding in his first start of June, throwing five strikeouts in 4 ⅓ scoreless one-hit innings. The sixth inning cracked the dam, and a couple of singles from the Emperors brought in two runs to knot it 2-2. Rome exploded in the seventh, putting this game to rest. Joe Vogatsky loaded the bases after giving up two singles and a walk. That was when the game blew open, when the Emperors crushed a grand slam to make it 6–2, then an RBI single and a sacrifice fly made it 8–2. From a 2–0 lead to an 8–2 deficit in the blink of an eye. Offensively, it was very quiet after they scored in the second inning, not registering a single hit through the fourth to the ninth innings. Azocar had two of Greenville’s four hits as a team, while White had the only extra-base hit. Standout Performances: Marcus Phillips: 4 ⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Enddy Azocar: 2-for-4, R, SB Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 23-29 The RidgeYaks collapsed brutally in a 14-7 defeat to the Wilson Warbirds (Milwaukee Brewers). Salem came out hot in the third, putting up a huge five-run inning. Avinson Pinto walked, and D'Angelo Ortiz singled to get things moving. Stanley Tucker lined an RBI single to make it 1–0, then two more runs scored on a Starlyn Nunez groundout when a throwing error by the pitcher let both Ortiz and Tucker come around, 3–0. Skylar King did not want it to end there. With a runner aboard, he crushed a two-run shot, scoring Kleyver Salazar to make it a fast 5-0 lead. Wilson chipped away in the fourth, an RBI double, an RBI groundout, and an RBI single cut it to 5–3. It was concerning at first, but all Salem’s bullpen had to do was hang on. Sadly, the bullpen fell apart, and the seventh inning was a catastrophe. A pitcher combination of Nicolas De La Cruz, Harry Blum, and Adam Bates caused Wilson to score 11 runs, turning a 5–3 deficit into a 14–5 laugher. It started with an RBI groundout and a bases-loaded walk to tie it 5-5. Another bases-loaded walk gave Wilson the lead; afterward, they smacked a two-run single to make it 8–5, then a passed ball by Salem’s catcher brought a run across. A sacrifice fly pushed it to 10–5, and another single brought in another to extend the lead to 11–5. It kept going, the Warbirds crushed a three-run homer to end the carnage at 14–5. Back-to-back homers from Salazar and King came in the eighth inning, shortening the deficit to 14-7, but it did not matter. King did everything he could, putting on a show as he collected three hits, including two homers (3rd home run in three games), while also driving in three of Salem's seven runs. After getting demoted from Greenville to Salem, Luis Cohen threw back-to-back scoreless outings for the RidgeYaks. Although he gave up four walks, he still tossed three scoreless one-hit innings while fanning five batters, giving Salem a chance to win before the bullpen blew it, unfortunately. Standout Performances: Skylar King: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI Kleyver Salazar: 1-for-4, HR, 2 R Luis Cohen: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (May 28) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 26-25 A gem from the WooSox pitching staff prevailed in their 1-0 victory over the RailRiders. One swing was all they needed. Anthony Seigler has been a menace for the entire series, leading off the top of the first with a solo homer to right field, his third of the year and second homer in two games. The bats were quiet otherwise; Worcester collected just five hits and struck out ten times against a solid Scranton pitching effort. Nate Eaton and Jason Delay doubled, Matt Lloyd singled, but none of it led to anything. Other than the homer, the RailRiders starter kept the WooSox in check for 5 ⅔ innings. The story of this game was the pitching. Worcester's staff combined to throw a one-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts and just one walk. That's about as close to a perfect game as a bullpen effort gets. Jack Anderson was sensational in his start on the mound. He set the tone for Worcester by throwing 4 ⅔ innings, giving up no walks and no earned runs on just one hit, while throwing eight strikeouts in the meantime. The bullpen finished it off, Seth Martinez earned the win, going 1 ⅓ innings with a strikeout and a walk, the only free pass Worcester issued all night. Keller threw a scoreless inning with two punchouts and picked up the hold. Wyatt Olds tossed one scoreless inning with one strikeout while recording a hold as well. Tommy Kahnle slammed the door for his fourth save of the year, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning. Standout Performances: Jack Anderson: 4 ⅔ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 K Anthony Seigler, 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 25-22 From being down seven runs, Portland made an insane comeback to win it 10-9 against the Rumble Ponies. Portland drew the first blood, Will Turner reached base on an error to lead off the game and scored on a Marvin Alcantara RBI double, giving the Sea Dogs a quick 1–0 edge. Binghamton tied it in the bottom of the first, then took a 2–1 lead in the third on an RBI groundout, but the game was still very much in hand. Then, the fourth inning flipped the game completely. Binghamton erupted for seven runs against the Portland pitching staff. The Rumble Ponies opened it with a solo homer, then an RBI single made it 4–2. Afterward, they cracked a two-run double to push it to 6–2. They put an exclamation point on the inning after crushing a three-run homer to left-center that made it 9–2. Starter John Holobetz was knocked out during the carnage, and reliever Patrick Halligan couldn't stop the bleeding either, making the game look completely over. The fifth inning flipped the script. Down 9–2, the Sea Dogs scored six runs to make it a game again. Nelly Taylor roped a lead-off double, Ahbram Liendo singled, and Turner walked to load the bases. Alcantara drove in a run with a single, and Nate Baez grounded out to score another. Then Brooks Brannon extended his hitting streak to five games, lining a two-run single to center to make it 9–6. With two outs, Johanfran Garcia launched a two-run homer that pulled Portland within one run at 9–8. It went from a funeral to a fight within one inning. The comeback was completed over the next two innings thanks to some sloppy defense from the Rumble Ponies. In the seventh with two outs and no runners aboard, Garcia reached first base on a fielding error, then advanced all the way to third due to a bad throw, keeping the inning alive. Tyler McDonough ripped a ground-rule double down the left-field line to score Garcia, tying the game 9–9. Afterward, in the eighth, Caden Rose singled and stole second base, then advanced to third on a bad throw from the catcher. He then came across the plate on a Turner RBI groundout, giving Portland a 10–9 lead to complete the monstrous comeback. Cooper Adams and Joe Vogatsky played a big part in the Sea Dogs completing the comeback. Adams was brilliant, throwing two no-hit innings with four strikeouts, earning his fifth win of the season. Vogatsky locked it down with two innings of one-hit ball, striking out two batters for his second save of the year. Standout Performances: Marvin Alcantara: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI Johanfran Garcia: 1-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI Brooks Brannon: 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI Cooper Adams: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Joe Vogatsky: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 19-27 Greenville won its third straight with a walk-off 3-2 victory over the Tourists. The Drive fell behind early and had to claw back twice. Asheville smacked a solo homer in the top of the second to give them a 1–0 lead. Greenville tied it 1-1 in the third when Henry Godbout doubled, moved up to third base after a balk, then scored on a Luke Heyman sacrifice fly. The Tourists went deep off Devin Futrell in the fourth, putting them back on top 2–1. Once again, the Drive needed to respond. The tying run came in the sixth with some help from the Asheville defense. With two outs, Mason White doubled and then scored when Freili Encarnacion reached on a throwing error by the Tourists' shortstop, tying it 2-2. Both pitching staffs took over the next three innings, bringing the game to extras. The walk-off was unconventional but effective. In the bottom of the 10th, Natanael Yuten was the ghost runner on second base and scored on a wild pitch by Asheville's relief pitcher, who recorded just one out before the game ended. Greenville wins it 3–2. Devin Futrell started and went five strong innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs (two mistake pitches led to solo homers) while striking out six with no walks. Ben Hansen took over and was outstanding through four innings, giving up just one hit, no runs, and three strikeouts. Brandon Neely earned the win with a perfect tenth inning, one strikeout, and no damage done with the ghost runner aboard. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 21-27 It was a frustrating night for Salem, as they could not find any runs and could not keep up with the Crawdads, losing 7-3. Salem set the tone early in the first, Starlyn Nunez ripped a lead-off double, and Andrews Opata drove him in with a sharp line-drive single, giving themselves a quick 1-0 lead. That was the last time the RidgeYaks had a lead. Hickory answered back quickly with a two-run homer in the top of the second to grab a 2–1 lead, then piled on two more in the third with a solo shot and an RBI single, making it 4–1. Salem could not capitalize on any rallies; the RidgeYaks managed seven hits on the night, going 2-for-9 with RISP. Outside of the first inning, they only scored twice, both times coming from Frederik Jimenez. He doubled home Adonys Guzman in the fifth to cut it to 5–2, then launched a solo homer to center in the seventh to make it 6–3. Those were the only two bright moments in an otherwise quiet lineup. Without a doubt, Jimenez was easily Salem's best player in this contest. He accounted for two of the team's three runs and reached base in three of his four plate appearances. The RidgeYaks needed someone else to step up alongside him, but nobody did. Standout Performance: Frederik Jimenez: 2-for-3, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (May 27) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 25-25 Five different WooSox batters collected multi-hit games, defeating the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders 8-1. Anthony Seigler set the tone early, leading off the scoring with a solo homer to right-center in the top of the first. The RailRiders tied it up fast 1-1 in the bottom half, hitting a homer, but that was the last time Scranton would score. The third inning blew the game open; Worcester hung a four-spot on the RailRiders' starting pitcher. Braiden Ward legged out a double on a soft hit ball to left field and scored when Nate Eaton hit a double of his own. Seigler followed with an RBI single, making it back-to-back multi-hit games, pushing the lead to 3–1. Kristian Campbell was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with two outs, then Vinny Capra ripped a two-run ground-rule double to left that continued their third inning onslaught, 5–1. They kept the pressure on in the fourth, Eaton smacked his second RBI double of the night on a soft fly that dropped in right field, bringing in Nathan Hickey after he drew a walk. Seigler came through again with another RBI single up the middle, his third RBI of the game, and just like that, it was 7–1. Scranton starter’s day at the mound was done after seven earned runs. Worcester tacked on one more in the seventh on a Matt Thaiss force-out with the bases loaded that scored Capra, making it 8–1. The star hitters of the game for the Sox were Allan Castro, Eaton, Ward, and Capra, who all had two-hit games, while Seigler put up a three-hit game. Jake Bennett was excellent on the mound, pitching five innings, scattering four hits, and allowing just a solo homer for the one earned run. He punched out seven and only one walk to earn his third win of the year. Eduardo Rivera, Devin Sweet, and Angel Bastardo combined to throw four scoreless no-hit innings of relief, striking out five in that stretch. Standout Performances: Jake Bennett: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Anthony Seigler: 3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI Vinny Capra: 2-for-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB Nate Eaton: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 24-22 The Sea Dogs fell behind in the first inning and never trailed the rest of the game in a 6-2 victory over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Although they went 1-for-15 with RISP, the long ball is what prevailed for the Sea Dogs. A shaky start turned around quickly when the Rumble Ponies grabbed a 1–0 lead in the bottom of the first with a little help from a throwing error by Ahbram Liendo, which allowed Jorge Polanco to score. But Portland's response was swift: Will Turner crushed a solo homer to right field in the top of the second to tie it 1–1. The home runs kept coming. Franklin Arias launched a solo shot to center in the third, his 12th of the year, making it a Red Sox organizational lead in home runs, giving Portland a lead, 2–1. Binghamton tied it back up in the fourth 2-2 on an RBI groundout, but Johanfran Garcia answered right back in the fifth inning with a solo blast to left center field (his 7th) to put the Sea Dogs ahead for good, 3–2. Portland broke it open in the sixth. Will Turner led off the inning with a walk, Miguel Bleis reached base on an infield hit, and then Nelly Taylor was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Raudelis Martinez ripped a two-run single up the middle (deflected off the shortstop's glove) that scored Turner and Bleis, pushing it to 5–2. Taylor then scored on a double play hit by Liendo to make it 6–2. Binghamton never recovered. Like he has been all month, Blake Wehunt was outstanding once again on the mound, tossing a season-high six innings, giving up just three hits and two runs (only one earned run due to an error), earning his second win of the season. He has dominated in his last three starts, giving up only one earned run in 14.1 innings, while striking out 26 batters with a 0.63 ERA. Max Carlson was particularly impressive in relief, tossing two scoreless innings with five strikeouts to shut the door. Erik Rivera bridged the gap between them with a clean inning of his own. The pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts and held Binghamton to five hits. Standout Performances: Blake Wehunt: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K Max Carlson: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 K Franklin Arias: 2-for-5, HR, R, RBI Johanfran Garcia: 2-for-5, HR, R, RBI Raudelis Martinez: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI Will Turner: 1-for-2, HR, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB, SB High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 18-27 The Drive scored 10+ runs in back-to-back games against the Asheville Tourists, defeating them 11-5. The second inning got the party started. Jack Winnay drew a walk, and Mason White singled to set the table. Then, Yophery Rodriguez came through with an RBI double, a ball that should have been caught to end the inning was hit sky high, and some bad communication by the Asheville infield forced the ball to drop just behind the second baseman. Ronny Hernandez followed with a two-run double to left, giving Greenville a 3–0 cushion. Asheville punched back hard in the third, they hit back-to-back doubles that brought in three runs, then hit a sacrifice fly that gave the Tourists a 4–3 lead. Suddenly, Greenville was trailing for the first time. In the bottom of the fourth, with White and Rodriguez aboard, Hernandez launched a three-run homer to center that flipped the game right back in Greenville's favor, 6–4. Greenville kept piling on. Yoeilin Cespedes’ sacrifice fly in the sixth made it 7–4. Asheville scratched one back in the seventh on yet another RBI double, pulling it to 7–5. The Drive's response in the bottom of the inning was devastating: with bases loaded, Enddy Azocar came up to the plate and unloaded a monster grand slam, his first homer in High-A, blowing the game wide open, 11–5. Greenville’s pitching staff was forced into a bullpen game after Marcus Phillips struggled. Phillips threw 2 ⅔ innings and got roughed up for four runs in the third inning. P.J. Labriola took over from there with 1 ⅓ scoreless frames to earn his fourth win of the season. Osvaldo Berrios gave Greenville 2 ⅓ solid innings (one hit, one earned run, three strikeouts), and Matt McShane locked it down with 2 ⅔ one-hit innings of relief to pick up his third save, striking out four. Standout Performances: Ronny Hernandez: 3-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB Enddy Azocar: 2-for-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB Yophery Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2B, 3 R, RBI, BB Mason White: 3-for-4, 2 R, BB Single-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 21-26 Salem had a rough time getting runners aboard in their low-scoring 4-2 defeat to the Crawdads. Salem struck fast in the bottom of the first, Andrews Opata drew a walk then stole his 24th base of the season (the Red Sox organization leader in stolen bases), and came around to score on a Skylar King single through the left side, giving them a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, the offense went cold after that. Salem managed just three hits total on the night, Kleyver Salazar accounted for two of them (including a double), and King had the RBI single. Only one walk was drawn as a team. Hickory's pitching staff kept Salem's bats bottled up all night. Salem's pitching kept it close for a long time. The staff held Hickory scoreless from the fourth through the sixth, keeping it tied, 1–1. When the Crawdads got the lead after taking reliever Jay Allmer deep with a solo homer in the top of the seventh to make it 2–1, Salem answered right back. Salazar doubled, moved to third, and scored on an Adonys Guzman sacrifice fly to tie it 2–2. The eighth inning was where it fell apart. Allmer couldn't get out of trouble; he walked two batters and gave up a single to load the bases with no outs, then a Crawdads runner scored on a wild pitch to make it 3–2. A second run also came in on a double-play ball, pushing it to 4–2. Two runs allowed with just one hit, but there could have been more damage if it wasn’t for the double-play. Luis Cohen was excellent in long relief, four innings, two hits, zero runs, and four strikeouts. He kept Salem in the game, giving the offense a chance to score runs. Standout Performances: Luis Cohen: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Kleyver Salazar: 2-for-4, 2B, R View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (May 26) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 24-25 Worcester hopped on the road and defeated the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders (New York Yankees) 6-3. Worcester came out on top first and never trailed in this matchup. They jumped on the Railriders starter early, scoring two runs in the top of the first. Nate Eaton drew a leadoff walk, then Anthony Seigler brought him in after he ripped a line drive single, then Mikey Romero drove in Kristian Campbell with a productive groundout. The RailRiders answered back immediately in the bottom half with a two-run homer to tie it, but that was the last time they would be a threat. Vinny Capra put Worcester back in front in the third with an RBI single, scoring Campbell, who continued to be a pest on the basepaths all night, scoring his second run. From there, the WooSox pitching staff locked things down. Starter Raymond Burgos gave up those two early runs but was pulled after two innings, and Alec Gamboa was phenomenal in long relief, pitching four scoreless innings and giving up just two hits while striking out four. He earned the win, moving to 2-2. Worcester tacked on some insurance runs with Eaton's sacrifice fly in the sixth and then blew it open in the eighth. Eaton crushed a solo homer, his fifth of the year, then Seigler followed later with a sharp RBI double to make it 6-2. Seigler was arguably the best bat in the lineup, going 2-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs. Zack Kelly earned the hold, pitching the seventh and eighth, allowing just one run, then Tommy Kahnle slammed the door in the ninth for his third save. Key Performance: Anthony Seigler: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB Nate Eaton: 1-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB Kristian Campbell: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB Alec Gamboa: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 23-22 The Sea Dogs won it on the road in a tight, low-scoring game but broke open with a four-run inning to end it 7-3 against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets). Portland got off to an early start in the first inning. Marvin Alcantara, who is currently riding a five-game hitting streak and batting .421 in that span, hit an infield single and stole a base, then Brooks Brannon hit a single to bring him in. But the lead didn't last too long; Binghamton tied it in the third on a solo homer, then took the lead with an RBI double. The Sea Dogs were staring at a 2-1 deficit through four innings. However, they clawed back in the fifth, Tyler McDonough roped a single and scored on a Caden Rose line drive single, knotting it at 2-2. The Rumble Ponies retook the lead after hitting a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning. Portland's bats went quiet again up until the eighth, when Nate Baez lifted a sac fly to right to score Alcantara and tie it at 3-3. Caleb Bolden had an outstanding relief appearance, throwing three shutout innings, including the ninth to force extras. The tenth inning is where the Sea Dogs' bats woke back up. With Miguel Bleis as the ghost runner at second base, McDonough ripped an RBI triple to break the tie. Franklin Arias followed with an RBI double to earn his 30th RBI of the year, then Alcantara collected his second hit of the game with a single to left and advanced to third base due to a throwing error from the pitcher, making it a 6-3 game. Brannon capped the rally with another RBI double. Four runs on four hits put the game out of reach, 7-3. Anthony Eyanson was tagged a little bit, giving up three runs, but he still looked terrific. Eyanson struck out eight batters in four innings while also generating 14 whiffs. The bullpen combination of Cade Feeney and Bolden shut Binghamton down over the next five frames. Reidis Sena pitched great as well, tossing a scoreless tenth inning while working around two base runners with no outs. Key Performances: Anthony Eyanson: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Caleb Bolden: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 K Marvin Alcantara: 2-for-4, 3 R, BB, 2 SB Tyler McDonough: 2-for-4, 3B 2 R, RBI Brooks Brannon: 2-for-5, 2 RBI High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 17-27 With some new additions to the team, the Greenville Drive crushed the Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros) 10-2. Greenville scored two runs in the first inning to start the slugfest. Enddy Azocar drew a walk in his first High-A at bat, then Yoeilin Cespedes hit his 10th homer of the year with a two-run shot, giving the Drive an early 2-0 lead. Asheville cut the deficit with a solo home run in the top of the second, afterwards in the bottom half, for Luke Heyman’s first Greenville at bat since his promotion, he smacked a solo homer to make it a 3-1 game. The Drive got some comfort room in the third inning, scoring three runs. It all started when Cespedes hit a single and advanced to second on a passed ball, then advanced to third due to a disengagement violation. Gerardo Rodriguez brought him in with an RBI single to left. In the next at-bat, Heyman put on a good impression for the new squad, hitting a two-run blast, his second home run of the game, giving Greenville a 6-1 lead. The Tourists made it a 6-2 game in the fourth, but the Drive did not flinch. Henry Godbout belted a solo homer to lead off the fifth inning. Rodriguez roped a double to left field and advanced to third on a pitch, then Heyman hit him in to earn his fourth RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly. Turning the lineup over, Godbout came back up and hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Rodriguez once again. Azocar got his first High-A hit to lead off the eighth, hammering a ball past a diving center fielder and legging out a triple, his fourth of the year. Cespedes brought him in with a single to put the game way out of reach, 10-2. Other than the homer he gave up, Tyler Uberstine pitched well in his first rehab start and his first outing since April 14, tossing 1 ⅓ one-hit innings and striking out four batters. Danny Kirwin had a scoreless appearance to finish off the second inning for Uberstine. Dylan Brown was outstanding in relief, giving up four hits, one unearned run, and striking out nine batters in 4 ⅓ innings. Steven Brooks finished the last 2 ⅔ innings and had a scoreless appearance as well, while striking out three. Key Performances: Luke Heyman: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI Yoeilin Cespedes: 3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI Henry Godbout: HR, 2 RBI Gerardo Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI Dylan Brown: 4 ⅓ IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K Single-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 21-25 Salem took the victory in a game that ended in the middle of the sixth inning due to rain, 3-1, against the Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers). The RidgeYaks got started early in the first inning when Andrews Opata hit a single and was a pest on the bases, stealing second and third base, his 22nd and 23rd of the year, the third most in the Carolina League. A perfectly timed error by the Crawdads' first baseman gave Salem a free run, putting them on top 1-0. Hickory answered back quickly, hitting an RBI single to tie it up 1-1. It was uneventful up until the fifth inning when Frederik Jimenez worked a lead-off walk, then Stanley Tucker crushed a two-run homer, giving Salem a 3-1 lead just in time for the umpire crew to call the game in the sixth. Barrett Morgan has continued to look incredible this season, earning his third win of the year, throwing four strikeouts in five innings of work while giving up just one run, lowering his ERA to 1.98 and WHIP to 0.95. Wuilliams Rodriguez gave up a lead-off single, forced a groundout, and recorded a strikeout, then was one out away from a scoreless inning until the game was called; however, he earned his first save of the season. View full article

Enddy Azocar has been on a heater to begin his 2026 campaign for the Salem RidgeYaks, while also getting recognized as the Carolina League Player of the Week for going 9-for-21 (.429) with a homer, three doubles, four RBIs, three runs scored, and one stolen base in that span. Azocar was part of the Boston Red Sox's 2024 international class, signing for $40,000 out of Venezuela as a 16-year-old outfielder, the 20th-highest-paid player out of the Sox's class that year. He was seen as a very athletic player who moved well and had a lot of raw power for his age, but making consistent contact with the ball was a work in progress. In 2024, he turned 17 years old a month after he was signed and made his debut on June 3 in the Dominican Summer League. He played well for his first season, slashing .266/.397/.309 with 11 RBIs and a 15.5% walk rate while striking out 12.9% of the time. Azocar had a tough time finding his footing in his 2025 season. The outfielder showed flashes in the Red Sox Florida Complex League, posting a .385 batting average and 1.006 OPS in 14 games, thus deserving a promotion to Salem. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily against older competition in his first taste of Single-A ball. In 71 games, he slashed .202/.273/.314 with a strikeout percentage of 23.3%. He was only 18 years old at the time; he was still ahead of his development, as the average age in Low-A is 21. Now 19 years old, 2026 so far has been Azocar’s year. Adding weight and muscle seems to be the key to his success; while being listed at 170 LBS, he now weighs closer to 190 LBS. He displayed his defensive ability in the outfield during spring training and the spring breakout game, showing off his range and making some highlight reel catches. Azocar has shown five-tool potential, forcing the Red Sox front office to finally promote him. To begin the year, he was not ranked among the top 20 prospects on TalkSox and many other lists; now he is the 15th-ranked Red Sox prospect on TalkSox, and (spoiler alert) his rank will continue to rise. Although he has struck out just as much as in 2025 (22.2%), he has been crushing the ball, either matching or surpassing a lot of stat categories from last season in Salem. Through just 39 games, the 19-year-old has slashed .295/.344/.530 with six home runs, 26 RBIs, 15 doubles, three triples, and seven stolen bases, while also posting a .235 ISO, 125 wRC+, and an outstanding .394 wOBA. To put how good he's been in perspective, this is how he compared to other Low-A players before his promotion: In all of Low-A, he was tied in first with the most doubles and tied in second with the most extra-base hits. For all of the Carolina League, Azocar led in total bases and was top ten in triples, runs, hits, home runs, ISO, and SLG. Also, noting that the Carolina League is mostly pitcher-friendly, that makes what he has done this season even more impressive. Another big part of his game he improved in was elevating the ball and not hitting it on the ground. In 2025, nearly half the balls he hit in play were on the ground, a 44.3% ground ball rate and a 22.8% line drive rate. So far in 2026, he has lowered the ground-ball percentage to 35.2% and improved the line-drive rate to 28.7%. The only major hole in Azocar’s game is his plate discipline and making consistent contact, but he has shown that when he makes contact with the ball, great things happen. A 19-year-old dominated in Low-A, where the average player is significantly older than him. Now, he'll be entering a very pitcher-friendly league in Greenville, the South Atlantic League. He will be facing older competition than he did in Low-A and will also have to deal with better pitching prospects and the bizarre field dimensions that make it pitcher-friendly. Anyone doubting him, though, may be in for a rude awakening. View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (May 21) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 23-23 The WooSox fell 9-4 to the Red Wings (Washington Nationals) after a hot start. Worcester came out swinging in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of Rochester's wild starting pitcher. Braiden Ward led the inning off with a hit-by-pitch, then stole his 23rd base of the year. Nate Eaton walked, then Kristian Campbell drew a walk as well to load the bases. Anthony Seigler made the Red Wings pay with a bases-clearing double to right field, and Allan Castro followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 4-0. Jacob Webb kept it clean through two innings on the mound, but the third inning unraveled quickly. Rochester strung together a double, a single, and a walk to load the bases with no outs. Two sacrifice flies and an RBI single to cut it to 4-3. In the fourth, Rochester had taken the lead 5-4 on a pair of singles. It continued to be a frustrating fourth inning as Worcester loaded the bases with two outs and did not capitalize, scoring no runs. Alec Gamboa was a bright spot out of the bullpen. He was the only WooSox bullpen pitcher to throw at least one scoreless frame, spinning two scoreless, hitless innings in the fifth and sixth to keep it within reach. But the offense stayed cold, and Angel Bastardo's control issues let Rochester push the lead to 7-4 in the seventh. Kyle Keller gave up a two-run double in the ninth to make it 9-4, and Worcester went three up and three down to end it. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 20-21 The Sea Dogs' pitching staff steamrolled the Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies), shutting them out 1-0 and combining for an outrageous 20 strikeouts. After battling through a hamstring injury early in the year, Blake Wehunt had his best start of the year for Portland, setting the tone with a dominant five-inning shutout start, four hits allowed, and eleven strikeouts. He was virtually unhittable, punching out batters at a relentless clip. Patrick Halligan picked up right where Wehunt left off, striking out six in two innings of one-hit relief, including fanning the side in the seventh. Cooper Adams then slammed the door with a perfect eighth and ninth while striking out three batters to earn the save. Marvin Alcantara was the offensive standout for the Sea Dogs, having himself a 3-for-4 day at the plate, his sixth multi-hit game of the year. Alcantara had three of Portland's four hits in this contest. The lone run came in the bottom of the third inning; Will Turner was hit by a pitch, Alcantara laced a single to right field to put runners on the corners, and Nate Baez drove Turner home on a fielder's choice. Although they went 0-for-7 with RISP and had just four hits as a team, that one run was all Portland needed. Key Performances: Blake Wehunt: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K Patrick Halligan: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Cooper Adams: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K Marvin Alcantara: 3-for-4 High-A Greenville Drive Game postponed: Rain, makeup on May 22 Single-A Salem RidgeYaks Game postponed: Rain, makeup on May 22 View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (May 20) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 23-22 Great pitching performances went to waste as Worcester gave up five runs in the 11th inning to lose 7-2 to the Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals). Jake Bennett was dominant, striking out 11 batters, tying the WooSox franchise record for the most strikeouts in a game. Bennett tossed five innings of one-run ball, generated 15 whiffs, and a 49% chase rate. The curveball was filthy, creating 10 whiffs, and the velocity on all his pitches was up by +2 mph. 35-year-old Tayron Guerrero lit up the radar gun in his two shutout innings, his fastball maxed out at 102.6 mph while having a 63% whiff rate on the heater, generating five whiffs on eight swings. The bullpen held it down after Bennett for the rest of the game, up until the 11th inning came along. In the meantime, Guerrero, Eduardo Rivera, and Tommy Kahnle combined for four scoreless innings after Bennett. Kyle Keller allowed a run from a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give Rochester a 2-1 lead, but Worcester clawed back afterwards. Wyatt Olds came in for the 11th, and the floodgates opened. The Red Wings had themselves a five-run inning to blow the game open, giving Worcester no chance to come back with the way their bats had looked prior. Offensively, Worcester couldn't get much going, managing seven hits and just two runs across 11 innings. Matt Lloyd's solo homer in the fifth tied it at 1-1, and Nate Eaton drove in Tsung-Che Cheng with a clutch groundout in the bottom of the 9th to force extras at 2-2. Beyond that, the lineup was quiet, no extra-base hits besides Lloyd's blast as the lineup altogether went 0-for-8 with RISP. Key Performances: Jake Bennett: 5 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K Tayron Guerrero: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 19-21 On Roman Anthony’s bobble head day, the Sea Dogs jumped on the Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies) early and never looked back, defeating them 9-4. Johanfran “The Username” Garcia was the star on offense for Portland. The catcher collected two hits with a walk, scored three runs, and had two RBIs, including a solo homer in the fifth to push the lead to 8-2. Hayden Mullins was impressive in his outing. The 26-year-old lefty only let up one hit while allowing two runs, striking out seven in his five innings of work. Mullins now holds a 3.58 ERA as opponents are batting just .140 off him. Portland got off to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Will Turner walked, and Nate Baez hit a double to left field to put two runners on. Garcia followed up with an RBI single to bring in Turner. Marvin Alcantara came up to the plate and brought in Baez with a sacrifice fly, then Nelly Taylor roped an RBI double to give the Sea Dogs the early lead. After Reading made it a one-run game in the second, the Sea Dogs exploded with a four-run inning in the bottom half. Raudelis Martinez smacked a lead-off single, and Ahbram Liendo reached base on a throwing error by the pitcher, advancing both runners an extra 90 feet. That set up Franklin Arias to bring in Martinez with a sacrifice fly, making it 4-2. Turner made a productive groundout count to push the lead 5-2. With two outs, Baez hit an infield single, and Garcia worked a walk, then Alcantara capped off the four-run inning with a base-clearing RBI double, giving the Sea Dogs a big 7-2 lead entering the third. Johanfran Garcia launched a solo bomb in the fifth, giving them an 8-2 lead. The Fightin Phils tried to claw back by scoring two runs in the sixth, but it was not enough. Liendo made it a 9-4 game in the eighth with a sacrifice fly, giving Portland a comfortable lead to finish the last inning. Cade Feeney pitched well in the last two innings, tossing two shutout innings, giving up one hit and no runs while striking out three. Key Performances: Hayden Mullins: 5 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Johanfran Garcia: 2-for-3, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB Nelly Taylor: 2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, SB Nate Baez: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 R High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 16-25 The Greenville Drive’s bats were not quite on point, despite a late comeback attempt in the ninth, losing 6-4 to the Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles). Justin Gonzales kept his hitting streak alive, now reaching eight games. The 19-year-old phenom still awaits his promotion to Portland, slashing .315/.420/.534 for Greenville this season. The Drive offense was largely silenced through the first six innings by Frederick’s starter. Greenville managed baserunners in the second inning, a hit-by-pitch, a single, and a walk loaded the bases; unfortunately, they could not push anything across the plate. Adonys Guzman broke the shutout in the seventh with a solo homer to right field, his third home run of the year, cutting it 2-1. But the Keys answered emphatically in the bottom half of the seventh, reliever Osvaldo Berrios and Joey Gartrell got roughed up as Frederick scored three runs on an RBI single and a two-run single to blow it open 5-1. Down 5-1, the Drive showed some fight in the eighth, drawing three straight walks to load the bases with no outs, but the Keys got two outs very quickly with no damage, a run was forced in when Yophery Rodriguez walked with the bases loaded to make it 5-2, but Greenville left the bases juiced when a strikeout ended the threat. In the ninth, Yoeilin Cespedes crushed a two-run homer, his eighth of the year, scoring Henry Godbout to pull the game closer 6-4. Sadly, a lineout with a runner on ended the game. Single-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 18-23 Other than a couple of errors, Salem took control of both sides of the ball in the 8-3 victory over the Hill City Howlers (Cleveland Guardians). Enddy Azocar tallied a double, his 15th of the year, to extend his hitting streak to six games, while D’Angelo Ortiz and Luke Heyman each had themselves a multi-hit game. The Howlers scored early in the first inning with a sacrifice fly, but Salem tied it up 1-1 in the second inning when Anderson Fermin roped a one-out triple, then Stanley Tucker put the ball in play and caused an error, scoring Fermin to tie it. A bad-timed error in the bottom half from the RidgeYaks gave up a run, losing the lead 2-1. Salem exploded in the fourth inning, scoring four runs on five extra-base hits. Andrews Opata kicked things off by launching a solo homer to center, his third of the year, to tie it 2-2. From there, the RidgeYaks just kept hammering doubles: Ilan Fernandez lined one to center to score Ortiz, Azocar doubled to right to bring in Fernandez, and Starlyn Nunez roped an RBI double to left field to make it 5-2. In the fifth, Opata reached on a fielder's choice, then stole his 20th base of the season. Fermin drew a walk, and Tucker delivered the knockout blow with a two-run single to right. Ortiz followed with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 8-2. The Howlers managed one more unearned run in the bottom half, but the game was effectively over with how efficient Salem’s pitching staff had looked. Barrett Morgan started on the mound and went 4 ⅓ innings, allowing one earned run, on one hit with one strikeout and three walks. Wuilliams Rodriguez and Harry Blum combined to shut the door over the final innings, keeping the Howlers to just three hits total on the night. Key Performances: D’Angelo Ortiz: 2-for-3, 2 2B, R, RBI Andrews Opata: HR, 2 R, RBI, SB Stanley Tucker: 1-for-4, R, 3 RBI, SB View full article