Red Sox Minor Lines: Another strong day for Bryan Mata

Pawtucket W 3-2

Rusney Castillo: 2-4, 1 CS

Sam Travis: 0-3, 3 K

Bryce Brentz: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI

Steve Selsky: 1-2, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Kyle Martin: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Austin Maddox: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

I haven’t had a chance to talk much about Maddox this year, but he’s been really solid with a 1.33 ERA. His peripherals don’t exactly match up with that performance, but he’s upped his strikeout rate considerably since his promotion to Pawtucket in late May. He’s likely a bit down on the bullpen depth chart, but he has a chance to move his way up.

Portland W 10-7

Danny Mars: 4-5, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 CS

Tzu-Wei Lin: 1-4, 2 R, 1 K

Nick Longhi: 2-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI

Josh Tobias: 0-4, 1 R, 2 K

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

A day off for Devers makes this day a little less exciting in Portland, but the guys who did play made the most of it. Specifically, Mars had a great day and continues to look like a guy who can play a major-league bench role. It’s also nice to see multiple extra-base hits for Longhi, who appears to be coming around after a prolonged slump.

Salem W 11-1

Tate Matheny: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 K

Michael Chavis: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 R, 3 RBI

Josh Ockimey: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 K

Another day, another home run for Chavis. It’s starting to become pretty apparent that he has figured out this level, and it’s soon going to be time for a promotion to Portland. The issue is where he will play, but the DH slot should be open for him at least.

Greenville L 1-2

Lorenzo Cedrola: 0-4, 1 K

Tyler Hill: 1-4, 1 E

Roldani Baldwin: 0-3, 1 K

Bryan Mata: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K

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

The offense, still without Bobby Dalbec and C.J. Chatham, is still a bit of a snooze most days in Greenville. The pitching can be exciting, though, and Mata is the most exciting of this group. The 18-year-old now has an incredible 1.71 ERA in his first four full-season starts with 20 strikeouts and only five walks. It seemed aggressive to call the young righty up to full-season ball this early in his professional career, but he’s proving it was the right call.