Vaughn Grissom’s four hits were among sixteen in a 13-0 romp by Worcester.
The Red Sox season is circling the drain following a decisive sweep by the much more formidable-looking Arizona Diamondbacks, and as such, many will look at the Triple-A roster and see who needs some 2025 tryouts or arguments that they should be protected on the 40-man roster come November. Well, look no further… Worcester won by 13 runs, but many names who contributed are guys who have already gotten some swings in the bigs in 2024. Still, it can’t hurt but pontificate… let’s get into it!
Worcester: W, 13-0 (BOX SCORE)
Well… uh, that’s certainly a score! The WooSox saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Tides (Orioles AAA) Saturday, so on Sunday, they came out swinging. Nick Sogard finished a triple shy of the cycle, Vaughn Grissom collected four hits (and almost as notably, had no strikeouts) and the both of them plus Bobby Dalbec each scored three times. Kristian Campbell was the only hitter in the lineup to fail to record a hit and even he scored two runs and actually boosted his OPS. On the mound, the WooSox were just as sound, by way of six quality (and scoreless) innings of Justin Hagenman. It’s not normal Hagenman throws this many innings, so this longevity may be worth noting for the not-too-distant future.
Portland: L, 1-4 (BOX SCORE)
Jhonstynxon Garcia seems to be adjusting to Portland and facing Double-A talent decently well (he was the only Sea Dog to not strike out Sunday). So, too, does Connelly Early, striking out nine Patriots (Yankees AA) even though he ran out of gas in the fifth inning. Speaking of the bullpen, which stopped some bleeding, Liam Hendriks pitched again today, testing short rest periods in an effort to give him some 2024 Major League innings. Personally, given this team’s dwindling chances at making the playoffs, I’d tell Hendriks, who struck out both outs he accounted for and allowed a run (albeit not an earned one), to just worry about coming back strong next year, but you gotta love the hustle from the veteran regardless.
Greenville: W, 3-2 (BOX SCORE)
Greenville got no-hit the other night and has overall looked barren since organizational logjams have been getting cleared since the trade deadline, and that more or less continued Sunday, with the team accruing just six total bases on the night. Luckily, that was all they needed behind a gutsy pitching performance started by Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and followed by a capable bullpen. (Can’t quite tell you what that feels like…) The star of this series against the Emperors (Braves High-A), if you were interested, is Bryan Gonzalez, who went 9-for-24 in the series (including two hits today) and is hitting over .350 for the month of August.
Salem: L, 4-5 (BOX SCORE)
Pitching in Salem was fine. Connor Steinbaugh continues to impress, allowing one hit in three relief innings. Hitting was fine, even though eight sox were stranded. Salem scored all of their runs with two outs, signifying a lack of getting things going early in innings. Unfortunately, Danny Kirwin had a rough fifth inning (his fourth of five innings pitched) against the Hillcats (Guardians A), and Salem’s comeback which featured a bases-loaded double by Caden Rose was stopped just one run short. Something off in this game, and things just not going the team’s way… this seems familiar too…
Have a happy Monday!