Red Sox Minor Lines: Tyler Thornburg rehabs again

Pawtucket W 7-6

Tzu-Wei Lin, SS: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K

Aneury Tavarez, LF: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI, 2 K

Rusney Castillo, CF: 2-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 CS/PO

Ramon Flores, DH: 2-3, 1 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI

Cole Sturgeon, RF: 0-3, 1 K

Tyler Thornburg: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (12 pitches)

Robby Scott: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (15 pitches)

Ty Buttrey: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K (25 pitches)

For as exciting and productive as this game was, Dustin Pedroia was supposed to play on Tuesday but with rain falling and wet field conditions he was removed from the lineup shortly before first pitch. His rehab has taken a hit by weather for the better part of the last week. Thornburg did get to come out for rehab, though, and looked good. We’d still like to see him string a few of these kinds of outings together before we get too excited, but Thornburg is a big potential wildcard for the major-league roster.

Portland L 3-5

Danny Mars, RF: 1-4, 1 BB, 1 K

Chad De La Guerra, 2B: 0-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 3 K

Josh Ockimey, 1B: 1-4, 1 K, 1 E

Tate Matheny, CF: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 K

Luke Tendler, LF: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI

We haven’t talked a ton about Ockimey this year, because unfortunately he hasn’t given us a ton of opportunities. Although he’s never going to be a high-average player, his .231 mark isn’t ideal. However, with a .352 OBP, it’s not the biggest issue. No, the real problem is that he is slugging just .385, once again showing that he still hasn’t quite been able to tap into the raw power. As a first base only player, he’s going to have to find a way to get that power into games if he wants to make the most of his potential.

Salem W 13-11

Brett Netzer, 2B: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI

C.J. Chatham, SS: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 K, 1 E

Bobby Dalbec, 3B: 1-5, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 E

Roldani Baldwin, C: 2-5, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Tyler Hill, RF: 3-6, 3 R, 1 RBI, 2 K

Bryan Mata: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K (87 pitches)

Chatham had a big grand slam in the middle of this game, which is great, but the real encouraging takeaway from his game is that he finally got another start at shortstop. Due to injury concerns, he had been a DH-only player for over a month before this game, and while offense is a bigger question for him than defense it’s still great to see him back in the field. Meanwhile, Mata didn’t quite have the kind of dominant day we’d like to see from him, but this was a solid day that was nearly ruined by his bullpen.

Greenville L 3-5

Lorenzo Cedrola, CF: 2-5, 1 R, 1 CS

Marino Campana, DH: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB

Denyi Reyes: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K (84 pitches)

I think it’s time we start paying more attention to Reyes, who has somewhat quietly put up good numbers both this year and throughout his professional career, which has been going since 2015. In 2018, he has tossed 50 ¹⁄₃ innings through ten appearances (seven of which have been starts) and he’s pitched to a 2.66 ERA with 57 strikeouts and just six walks. At just 21 years old, it’s not imperative that he goes more than just a level per year, but if he keeps pitching like this they’ll have a hard time not at least giving him a taste of Salem at some point.

Player of the Day: There were a few options here, with Chatham and Flores making strong cases, but I think I have to give this one to Reyes. His bullpen would end up blowing his strong day on the mound, but it doesn’t take away from his performance. He’s now in his fourth year with the organization and he’s yet to post an ERA over 3.00 in that time. I suppose this is what happens when you have to try to share headlines with the immortal Kutter Crawford.