Thanks to a beautiful pinch-hit decision by manager Chad Tracy and some Roman Anthony heroics.
Garrett Crochet had a spectacular outing against his former team on Sunday, which stopped me and several other Red Sox fans from going into meltdown mode. Speaking of melting down, the snow in Maine is finally going away due to gorgeous sunshine today, but sadly, inclement weather postponed Sunday’s game for the second consecutive day. Meanwhile, the other teams were all in action, and Roman Anthony keeps hitting behind perhaps one of Liam Hendriks’ last rehab starts. Let’s get into it.
Worcester: W, 8-5 (BOX SCORE)
Thanks to a four-run eighth by the WooSox, they improved to 5-8 in this finale against Columbus (Guardians AAA). Vaughn Grissom opened up the rally and Phillip Sikes (pinch hitting for Seby Zavala) and Roman Anthony had back-to-back clutch hits. The WooSox struck out just five times and batted .454 with runners in scoring position on the afternoon.
Hunter Dobbins had an uneasy night after following a Liam Hendriks opening inning. Dobbins’ rough performance may have been caused, in part, by the fact that he’s not used to relieving, but if that’s a role he will play for the Red Sox in any capacity following a solid MLB debut as a starter, it may warrant some caution. Special shout out, by the way, to a masterclass in substitutions by Chad Tracy. The move to use Sikes to pinch hit for Zavala, a catcher, would normally be risky. But Tracy was able to switch Nathan Hickey in behind the dish and move the versatile Nick Sogard from right field back into the infield. Always good when things like this move seamlessly and don’t cost the team.
Portland: Postponed to rain
At least it’s not snow like it was on Friday night into Saturday, right? The Sea Dogs’ last three games being postponed (and four total on the season) will have a major implication on the bullpen in particular when they visit the Fisher Cats (Blue Jays AA) in Manchester, NH in three weeks, as they’ll play eight games, albeit four seven-inning contests, in five days.
Greenville: L, 2-8 (BOX SCORE)
Another great night at the plate in Asheville (Astros High-A) for the return on the Quinn Priester trade, Yophery Rodriguez, who’s quickly becoming one of my favorite Red Sox prospects. This comes on a rare day when Nazzan Zanetello had a tough outing, striking out three times. Rodriguez had two hits and drew a walk on the night. Sadly, the Drive pitchers gave up eight runs, five of which came in during Erik Garcia’s 68-pitch shift in relief, and two of the others coming on a shorter-than-usual Jedixson Paez start. Eight hits should have been enough to match that lackluster defense, but the runs simply did not come across the board.
Salem: L, 4-5 (BOX SCORE)
Franklin Arias had a rare hitless night, but his OPS is still hovering around 1, even with a lack of home run power. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Freili Encarnacion had his second homer of the season and now leads the team in that category. The biggest pain point for Salem against the Nationals, though, is a familiar one for the Red Sox: they committed four defensive errors, including one that led to a run; in a one-run-game, that could be conceived as all the difference. There was no scoring after the sixth inning, though, so who’s to say.
Have a happy Monday!