Red Sox Minor Lines: Josh Tobias, Darwinzon Hernandez off to hot starts

Pawtucket W 6-0

Rusney Castillo: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB

Bryce Brentz: 3-4, 1 R, 1 K

Robbie Ross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Kyle Martin: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

With Sam Travis and Blake Swihart colliding yesterday and each drawing blood, they were on the bench for Wednesday’s game. The good news is they should both be fine besides a few stitches and probably a nasty bruise or two. The bad news is, without them, the offense isn’t too exciting in Pawtucket. On the other hand, the pitching staff combined for a shutout and two potential major-league contributors helped that. Ross obviously is a major-league contributor, and was just making a rehab appearance. That went well, and he should be back soon enough. Martin, meanwhile, needed a performance like this after a rough spring and bad start to the Triple-A season.

Portland L 3-4 (F/11)

Aneury Tavarez: 1-5, 1 2B, 1 K

Rafael Devers: 1-5, 1 R, 1 K

Nick Longhi: 2-5, 1 R, 1 K

Teddy Stankiewicz: 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Jake Cosart: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K

Jamie Callahan: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Stankiewicz is repeating Double-A after an underwhelming season there, and the former second round pick seems to be adjusting better to the league this time around. This wasn’t a dominating performance by the 23-year-old, but he was incredibly efficient and consistently pounded the strike zone all day. I think a bullpen role would be the best use of his skillset, as his changeup and curveball lag behind his fastball and slider, but he has a smooth delivery that can work in a spot starter role. There’s not a future star here, but he could easily be in Pawtucket by midyear and that gives him a chance at being a big leaguer relatively soon.

Salem L 1-4

Josh Tobias: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 CS

Josh Ockimey: 0-4, 1 RBI, 1 K

Austin Rei: 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB

Tobias isn’t the most exciting prospect in the system. He was the return for Clay Buchholz in a deal that was essentially just a salary dump. He’s 24 years old and he’s in A-Ball. Typically, those aren’t guys to get too invested in. However, he’s got an interesting skillset with a solid hit tool. It’s no guarantee he can stick at second base, but if he can there is a possible major-league future for him on a team’s bench. At the very least, he’s showing off his offensive potential early on in the minor-league season, hitting .385/.484/.538 through his first six games.

Greenville W 4-1

Santiago Espinal: 0-4, 1 K

Tyler Hill: 1-3, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI

Bobby Dalbec: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 E

Yoan Aybar: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K

Darwinzon Hernandez: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K

Hernandez didn’t make a dent in our preseason top prospect voting, and he is only number 21 on Sox Prospects’ top-60 list. He’s been dominant in his first two starts, though. Although it would be nice if he could go a little deeper into games, the 20-year-old has 15 strikeouts and just three walks through nine innings. It could be just a blip on the radar, but he’ll be a fun one to watch for over his next few starts. On the offensive side of things, this was the third straight game with a home run for Tyler Hill.