Red Sox minor lines: Dubon breaking out

Pawtucket L 3-9

Brock Holt: 3-4, BB, K
Ryan Hanigan: 1-3, K
Rusney Castillo: 1-4

Henry Owens: 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
Pat Light: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Maybe...Maybe take Owens off the active roster for a bit? Pitching a full start every fifth day sets certain restrictions on a pitcher's schedule.  Those restrictions can't leave him and the Red Sox with the best opportunity to diagnose whatever it is that's taken him from effectively wild to wildly ineffective.

Portland W 9-8

Yoan Moncada: 2-5, 2 K
Mauricio Dubon: 2-3, 2B, BB
Andrew Benintendi: 3-4, 2B, BB

Dubon is now facing pitchers with actual breaking balls and, on occasion, actual control. And so far he's killing them. It's onna take a lot more of this...or something, like, half as good as this...to really make a statement. But that he's even off to a good start in Portland is an unexpected and encouraging sign for his chances to actually be a good contact hitter who can control the strike zone and make things work even without power.

Frankly, it's a little reminiscent of Mookie Betts. Not on nearly the same scale, mind. Dubon is not Betts, Dubon is not Betts, Dubon is not Betts. There, have I stressed that enough? But Betts was a guy who didn't draw too much attention early on because all he was doing was drawing walks. Then he hit full-season ball and started cutting through the minors when a few other numbers started creeping up to meet his OBP. For Dubon, there's little expectation the power will ever get there in any way even close to how it has for Betts. But there's just a lot to like about what he's done of late, and how it reflects on some of the positive performances he produced last year.

Oh yeah, and Moncada and Benintendi are also okay I guess.

Salem W 6-1

Joseph Monge: 1-4, 2B, BB
Nick Longhi: 1-3, BB, K
Rafael Devers: 0-4

Trey Ball: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Hey, it's a legitimately good start from Trey Ball! And the first time we've seen more than four strikeouts from him in a month! I'm sure this is the beginning of a long stretch of success culminating in his arrival on the scene as Boston's ace in 2018.

Stares wistfully at Austin Meadows.

Greenville W 2-1

Michael Chavis: 0-3, 2 K
Luis Alexander Basabe: 1-3, 2B
Austin Rei: 0-2

Roniel Raudes: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Raudes was already one productive outing removed from his eight-run disaster, but this is the real bounce-back game, finding the strikeouts again and keeping runners off the bases. His career in full-season ball is off to a very nice start considering he lacks an overpowering fastball. If nothing else, at least his performance should show he's got a curveball that's worth trying against more selective competition. Though even if the Red Sox don't promote him mid-year, he'll still only be 19 when he heads to Salem.

Lowell L 6-11

Ryan Scott: 0-4, BB, K