Red Sox Minor Lines: A promising debut for Jalen Beeks

Pawtucket W 3-2

Rusney Castillo: 0-4

Blake Swihart: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K

Sam Travis: 0-4, 1 R

Brian Bogusevic: 0-4, 1 RBI

Brian Johnson: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K

Edgar Olmos: 3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K

When we last saw Johnson, he was being lit up in spring training and as a result was among the earliest cuts from major-league camp. He made his 2017 Triple-A debut on Saturday, and things went okay. He was able to get the strikeouts against an impressive Lehigh Valley lineup, but he also was really inefficient. Johnson threw 79 pitches in just four innings of work. It’s not a horrible way to start his season, but the Red Sox could use a little more improvement given the lack of trustworthy major-league options in Pawtucket’s rotation.

Portland W 4-1

Aneury Tavarez: 2-4, 2 R, 1 SB

Rafael Devers: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 E

Nick Longhi: 1-3

Danny Mars: 0-2, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K

Jalen Beeks: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K

Luis Ysla: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Portland’s pitching staff is lacking anything close to a big name, so they could really use someone to step up. They may have found that someone in Beeks. He first made a name for himself early in spring training when he shut down the Team USA World Baseball Classic lineup in a tune-up game, and his first start of the regular season will only help that reputation. It’s unclear if he can stick in the rotation, but his stuff is pretty legit.

Salem L 3-4

Josh Tobias: 2-4, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 E

Josh Ockimey: 3-5, 1 R, 1 K

Gerson Bautista: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

This Salem roster gets pretty depressing pretty quickly. The good news is the notable players who did take part in the action on Saturday came through. Ockimey was even able to connect for a few singles, which is something of a rarity for the all-or-nothing first baseman. Bautista is one of the most underrated names in the organization, but if his year goes anything like his debut, it won’t stay that way for long. He’s being developed as a relief-only arm, which obviously limits his ceiling, but he has the potential to rise quickly through the system.

Greenville L 5-10

Tyler Hill: 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI

Bobby Dalbec: 1-4, 1 BB, 2 R, 3 K

Yoan Aybar: 1-5, 1 R, 3 K

Mike Shawaryn: 2 IP, 7 H, 9 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 E

Stephen Nogosek: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

So, uh, that’s not an ideal start to his full-season career for Shawaryn. The former Maryland ace and last year’s fifth round pick looked great in his pro debut with Lowell in 2016, but his first taste of A-ball went downhill quickly. Much of the damage was done in a 4-run first inning, and then he allowed six straight batters to reach base in the third without recording an out before being replaced. It was a bad all-around day in Greenville, as Dalbec showed off more of that long swing that has so many evaluators worried about his long-term future.