8/23 MiLB Gameday: Are You Ready?

[Cuzittt]

Today's Games:

IL:Pawtucket (Edwin Escobar) @ Buffalo (Kendall Graveman) [7:05pm]
EL: Portland (Brian Johnson) @ New Hampshire (Austin Bibens-Dirkx) [7:05pm]
CL:Salem (Cody Kukuk) vs. Wilmington (Jonathan Dziedzic) [6:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Teddy Stankiewicz) vs. Savannah (Ricky Knapp) [7:05pm]
NYPL: Lowell (Jake Drehoff) @ Aberdeen (TBD) [7:05pm]
GCL: GCL Sox vs. GCL Twins [10:00am]
DSL: DSL Sox vs. DSL Yankees 1 [10:30am]

Notes:

GCL playing two today.

Scoreboard:

Boston Red Sox Minor League Scores

Media:

MiLB TV
MiLB Radio

Local Media:

Pawsox:

Providence Journal
Pawtucket Times

Seadogs: Portland Press Herald

Salem: Roanoke Times

Greenville: Greenville Online

Lowell: Lowell Sun

 

[Cuzittt]

GCL Sox lose game 1, 5-2.

Boxscore

Michael Kopech went 2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk; striking out 3. Javier Rodriguez went 4 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks and a WP; striking out 3. Keivin Heras picked up the final out via strikeout, also throwing a WP.

Derek Miller and Ben Moore each went 2/4; Moore with a double. Josh Ockimey went 1/3. Javier Guerra went 1/4. Victor Acosta went 0/2 with a walk. Rafael Oliveras went 0/2 with a HBP. Rafael Devers went 0/3 with a walk. Michael Chavis and Luis Alexander Basabe each went 0/3.

 

[judyb]

The Pawtucket game is on NESN.

 

[mabrowndog]

Escobar isn't fooling anyone tonight. Six of the first 7 batters he sees reached with hits, including a 3-run jack by Kevin Pillar plus three doubles. They bat around and put up 5 ER as he throws 17 of 31 pitches for strikes.
 
He fell behind 3-0 on the first hitter in the 2nd before yielding a solid opposite-field line drive single to RF. The next guy tattoos one to the left-CF gap, but JBJ was able to catch up to it just shy of the wall. I doubt Escobar's long for this game.

 

[mabrowndog]

Escobar got the final two batters swinging to end the 2nd, but he's right back in trouble in the 3rd. A hard single and a rocket to RF for a double put runners on 2nd & 3rd with 1 out.
 
And he gets no help from Marrero who muffs a routine grounder to short that ends up missing his glove. Both runners score, and it's 7-0 Bisons. And another double to RF puts two more into scoring position. That's 10 hits for Buffalo. Ryan Verdugo getting loose in a hurry.
 
66 pitches now, 38 for strikes, with 7 batters retired.
 
EDIT - Holy shit. A 2-run double CRUSHED past Hassan in LF. It would have been a triple if he hadn't hit it so hard, but it bounced right back to Hassan. It's 9-zip, and here comes Boles.

 

[mabrowndog]

Silver Lining: JBJ guns down Dalton Pompey trying to score from 2nd on a single to CF. A rocket to Swihart.

 

[Cuzittt]

GCL lose game 2, 3-0.

Boxscore

Kevin Steen went 2 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and a WP; striking out 2. Michael Gunn went 2 innings, giving up 2 hits and a walk; striking out 2. Jalen Williams went 3 innings, allowing a run on 2 hits, a walk and a HBP; striking out 3.

Rafael Devers went 2/3 with a double. Luis Alexander Basabe and Rafael Oliveras each went 1/3. Jeremy Rivera went 1/4. Javier Guerra, Michael Chavis, Devon Fisher, Darwin Pena, and Trenton Kemp each went 0/3.

 

[Cuzittt]

DSL Game was cancelled due to fog.

 

[mabrowndog]

At least the Sea Dogs are getting it done. Yet another gem by Johnson with 7 IP, 1 ER on 1 H (a solo HR to Andy Burns). He's got 2 BB and 10 K while throwing 66 of 93 pitches for strikes. Aaron Kurcz coming on for the 8th.
 
Portland's bats kicking ass as well, with 7 R on 3 BB & 13 H including 4 solo HRs (Welch, KDLC, Coyle & Miller).
 
7-1, b-8th.

 

[mabrowndog]

Stankiewicz held Savannah scoreless through 6 innings on 4 H & 1 BB with 4 K. But the Sand Gnats went double, ROE, single in the 7th to send him to the showers after 97 pitches (67 strikes). All three runners came in to score (2 earned) when Ellis Jimenez gave up a pair of singles.
 
Greenville leads 7-3 as they just put a 3 spot up in the b-7th. Everyone but Hector Lorenzana has at least 1 hit tonight. Lin & Rider have 2 apiece, Rijo has a 2-run triple, and Roberson's got a 2-run HR.

 

[Cuzittt]

Lowell holds on, winning 3-2.

Boxscore

Jake Drehoff went 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and 2 walks; striking out 4. Alex McKeon went an inning, giving up 2 hits and striking out 2. Carlos Pinales went an inning, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits.

Deiner Lopez went 2/4 with a HR. Aneudis Peralta went 2/4. Mike Meyers went 1/5. Mauricio Dubon went 0/3 with a sacrifice. Jordan Betts went 0/3 with an intentional walk. Nick Moore went 0/3 with a sacrifice. Joseph Monge and Bryan Hudson each went 0/3 with a HBP. Alixon Suarez went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Pawsox get squashed, 15-2.

Boxscore

Edwin Escobar went 2 1/3 innings, allowing 9 runs (8 earned) on 11 hits (1 HR); striking out 2. Ryan Verdugo went 4 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits (1 HR) and 2 walks; striking out 2. Brayan Villarreal went 1 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on a hit and 2 walks; striking out 3.

Corey Brown went 3/4. Blake Swihart went 2/3 with a walk. Garin Cecchini went 1/3 with a double and a walk. Derrik Gibson, Ryan Roberts, Travis Shaw and Alex Hassan each went 1/4; Roberts with a double. Jackie Bradley went 1/5. Deven Marrero went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Drive win 7-3.

Boxscore

Teddy Stankiewicz went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and a walk; striking out 4. Ellis Jimenez went 3 innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 3.

Tzu-Wei Lin, Jimmy Rider and Tim Roberson each went 2/4; Roberson with a HR. Cole Sturgeon went 1/3 with a walk. Wendell Rijo, Danny Bethea, Franklin Guzman, and Kevin Mager each went 1/4; Mager and Guzman with doubles, Rijo with a triple. Hector Lorenzana went 0/4.

 

[Cuzittt]

Seadogs win 7-1.

Boxscore

Brian Johnson went 7 innings, allowing a run on a HR and 2 walks; striking out 10. Aaron Kurcz struck out all 3 batters he faced in the 8th. Dayan Diaz struck out 2 and walked one in the 9th.

Mike Miller and Michael Almanzar each went 3/5; Miller with a HR. Heiker Meneses went 2/4. Carson Blair went 2/5. Keury de la Cruz went 1/3 with a HR and 2 walks. Stefan Welch went 1/4 with a HR and a walk. Jonathan Roof and Sean Coyle each went 1/5; Coyle with a HR. Ryan Dent went 0/5.

 

[Cuzittt]

No score in Salem after 4 innings.

Boxscore

 

[mabrowndog]

Lowell holds on, winning 3-2.

Boxscore

Jake Drehoff went 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and 2 walks; striking out 4. Alex McKeon went an inning, giving up 2 hits and striking out 2.

 
* In 8 starts through July 23, Drehoff had a 5.71 ERA over 34.2 IP, and the 168 batters he faced racked up a .333/.413/.497/.910 line. In his last 5 starts he's got a 1.61 ERA over 28 IP and a .222/.280/.303/.583 line vs 108 batters.
 
* Catcher Alex McKeon never pitched for Texas A&M International during either of the past 2 seasons, but he did pitch a scoreless inning with 2 walks for Northeastern in 2012. No idea on his high school days. So I'm really curious what spawned his appearance tonight since the starter went 7 innings, it wasn't a blowout, and there were plenty of rested arms available in the Lowell pen.

 

[mabrowndog]

The good news for Cody Kukuk: He had a scoreless 1-hit outing with 6 Ks.
 
The bad news for Cody Kukuk: It was only 3 innings and he walked 4 of the15 batters he faced.
 
Don't know if his apparent wildness prompted his early exit, if it's an injury of some sort, or if it was related to the 2.5-hour delay before first pitch:
 

 

[mabrowndog]

Greenville leads 7-3 as they just put a 3 spot up in the b-7th. Everyone but Hector Lorenzana has at least 1 hit tonight.

 
He may have been skunked in tonight's game, but that wasn't the case in pre-game batting practice. He apparently launched a missile that shattered the windshield of a promotional vehicle provided by BMW (the company has a huge assembly plant in nearby Greer). That prompted this reaction from Greenville's GM:
 

Eric Jarinko @ericsjarinko  ·  3h

Damn you @Heczana12! #smashed #BMW #FluorField
 

 
 

 
The prospect's response?
 

 

Hector Lorenzana @Heczana12  ·  2h

@ericsjarinko my bad!!

 

[mabrowndog]

The heavy rains resumed in Salem, but not before Wilmington got a 3-run HR from Fred Ford off Kyle Kraus in the t-6th. That gave the Blue Rocks a 4-2 lead, but the Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half (Jake Romanski ROE, Jose Vinicio 1B, Matty Johnson BB). And that's where things stood when the umps suspended play.
 
They'll look to finish it up at 2:05 pm tomorrow. #2 hitter Carlos Asuaje will be due up, with Reed Gragnani on deck, Jantzen Witte in the hole, and Mario Martinez waiting in the wings. Those four had 7 of the team's 9 hits tonight.