Red Sox Minor Lines: Jalen Beeks dominates in Pawtucket

Pawtucket W 6-0

Rusney Castillo, CF: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 K, 1 SB

Ramon Flores, LF: 1-4, 1 3B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Sam Travis, DH: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI

Dan Butler, C: 1-1, 1 2B, 3 BB, 1 R

Jalen Beeks: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K (98 pitches)

Bobby Poyner, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (10 pitches)

Brandon Workman: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (11 pitches)

Williams Jerez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (21 pitches)

Holy moly, the PawSox pitchers were feelin’ it on Friday. An incredible outing for Beeks against Ronald Acuña and the Gwinnett Striper as the lefty looks to prove that he is absolutely ready for a role in the major leagues whenever a spot opens up for him. Poyner was on the mound for a nice and easy rehab outing, Workman continues to recover from a rough start and Jerez continues a quietly strong start to his year. This isn’t the most exciting Triple-A roster imaginable, but they have some interesting arms and they can always put together nights like this. On offense, shoutout to Butler for a perfect day at the plate.

Portland L 1-3

Cole Sturgeon, RF: 0-4, 1 BB, 1 SB

Danny Mars, LF: 1-5, 2 K

Esteban Quiroz, 2B: 1-5

Josh Ockimey, 1B: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K

Tate Matheny, CF: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB

Dedgar Jimenez: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (91 pitches)

Jake Cosart: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (36 pitches)

It was a frustrating day for the SeaDogs on Saturday as they outhit Trenton but only managed to get one run on seven hits (all singles) and seven walks. I’m not even sure how it’s possible, but sure. The takeaway for me from this game was Cosart, who is still an intriguing arm with a big fastball and if he’s throwing strikes he is really effective out of the bullpen. I’ve seen him probably five or six times in person and he’s never had control when I’ve seen him, but then he puts up nights like this and my faith is mildly restored. Until the next time I see him in person.

Salem L 3-4

Santiago Espinal, SS: 3-3, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB

Brett Netzer, 2B: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K

Bobby Dalbec, DH: 0-4, 2 K

Tyler Hill, RF: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB

Jhon Nuñez, C: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB

Roniel Raudes: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K (89 pitches)

Joan Martinez: 0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 0 K (16 pitches)

It was a real tough loss for Salem on Saturday as they entered the bottom of the ninth with a 3-1 lead before Martinez coughed it up with a really rough outing. The righty was arguably the most exciting relief prospect heading into the year, but he’s failed to make good on that potential this year with an ERA over 8.00 to go with nine strikeouts and nine walks on the year. More positively, Espinal had a big game at the plate and Raudes had what was probably his best outing of the year. The latter still seems like a good bet to be promoted by midseason as long as he keeps pitching like this.

Greenville L 0-7

Frankie Rios, 2B: 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K

Cole Brannen, CF: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 CS

Michael Osinski, 3B: 1-4, 1 K

Pedro Castellanos, 1B: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 K

Victor Acosta, RF: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 K

Alex Scherff: 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K (71 pitches)

Lukas Young: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (19 pitches)

Much like Tanner Houck in Salem, it has been a rough start to Scherff’s professional career. The 2017 draftee is up to a 10.22 ERA through three starts this year, though the good news is that he limited his free passes in this one. Obviously patience has to be used for a high school pitcher, even one on the older side like Scherff, but it’s hard to be anything but discouraged early on. On the other side of things, Brannen had an extra-base hit and Castellanos had a nice little game the day after I talked about his recent struggles.

Player of the Day: Espinal certainly deserves a shoutout here, but Jalen Beeks has to be the guy this time around. The lefty was outstanding on Saturday as he’s been many times over the last couple of years. If you’ve been reading me over the last couple of years you know I’m among the highest on Beeks, and nights like this are the reason why. He’s now got a 0.64 ERA over 14 innings in his first three starts with 26 strikeouts and just five walks. Pretty good! He’s also the first player to take two of these fake awards.