Red Sox Minor Lines: Tyler Thornburg is getting closer

Pawtucket W 4-1

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

Aneury Tavarez, RF: 2-4, 1 R, 1 K

Rusney Castillo, CF: 2-3, 1 BB, 2 R

Adam Lind, DH: 0-2, 2 BB

Sam Travis, LF: 2-4, 2 RBI

Dan Butler, C: 2-3, 1 BB

Justin Haley: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K (85 pitches)

Tyler Thornburg: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (17 pitches)

Ty Buttrey: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (29 pitches)

Bobby Poyner: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (19 pitches)

Thornurg had been rolling in his second rehab outing until his last outing where he imploded for three runs on four hits while only recording one out. The Red Sox gave him four days in between outings after that, but he came back strong. That is a good sign, and while he still has steps to go — he hasn’t thrown on back-to-back days in this second rehab stint — he’s getting closer to a return.

Portland L 1-9

Danny Mars, RF: 0-2, 2 BB

Chad De La Guerra, SS: 0-4, 1 K

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

Jordan Betts, DH: 1-1, 3 BB

Tate Matheny, CF: 0-3, 1 K

Nick Lovullo, 2B: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

A few of the SeaDogs hitters are starting to hit a bit of snag, not that this lineup was ever a juggernaut or anything. Ockimey only has two hits in his last six games, for example. Matheny hasn’t had a multi-hit game since June 3, though he did have a mini four-game hit streak before Thursday 0-fer. Mars has had a stellar month of June, though his last couple of games have been hitless. Still, he’s improved his OPS by 50 points this month, which is something I suppose.

Salem L 1-2

Santiago Espinal, DH: 2-3, 1 R, 1 SB

Brett Netzer, 2B: 1-2, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 E

C.J. Chatham, SS: 0-2, 1 RBI

Bobby Dalbec, 3B: 1-3, 1 K

Jerry Downs, 1B: 2-3, 1 K

Tanner Houck: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (98 pitches)

Joan Martinez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (19 pitches)

Salem comes back after their All-Star break and Houck had a solid night, though some of the command issues remained. The righty allowed eight runners to reach base in five innings, which is not ideal, but he was able to limit the damage. It would still be nice to see him take a next step at some point in the next month or so, but at least he’s avoiding implosion.

Greenville W 6-3

Lorenzo Cedrola, RF: 1-5, 1 R, 3 K, 1 E

Ryan Fitzgerald, SS: 3-5, 2 RBI, 1 K

Michael Osinski, DH: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

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

Tanner Nishioka, 3B: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E

Kervin Suarez, CF: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

I think it’s time to talk about Nishioka. It’s not that I think he’s great or anything, but the 2017 ninth round pick is hitting really well in Greenville this year. Granted, he’s a 23-year-old and has only played in 22 games, but he’s slashing .324/.390/.541 and has 11 doubles. He’s probably a guy who will stall out in the upper levels, but he’s worth keeping an eye on, at least.

Lowell L 3-9

Jarren Duran, 2B: 1-2, 1 BB, 1 CS

Cole Brannen, CF: 0-3, 2 K

Garrett Benge, 3B: 1-3, 1 RBI

Tyler Esplin, RF: 0-3, 1 K

I am officially in on Duran after just four games, none of which I have actually seen. I was intrigued by the seventh round pick coming out of the draft, and he’s started his professional career hitting .385/.529/.846. On the other end of things, it was a disappointing day for the big 2017 draft names with Brannen and Esplin.

DSL 1 L 7-8 (F/10)

Gilberto Jimenez, CF: 0-5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB, 1 CS

Jesus Maita, RF: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 R, 2 K, 1 SB

Carlos Sanchez, 1B: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 CS, 1 E

Fabian Andrade, LF: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R

DSL 2 W 4-2

Nelfy Abreu, CF: 1-2, 2 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB

Angel Maita, RF: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Danny Diaz, 3B: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 E

Jorge Rodriguez: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K

This DSL 2 team is fairly exciting, at least as far as DSL teams go, and most of the focus has been on the lineup. Diaz is showing off his power, Antoni Flores has been solid and Abreu is showing off an all-around game. Rodriguez has been a bright spot on the mound too, though, and this was the best start of his career. The 17-year-old, in his first professional season, now has a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings with 13 strikeouts and two walks.

Player of the Day: This has to go to Rodriguez. There isn’t a ton of information out there on the left-handed pitcher, but I cited the numbers above and they indicate he’s someone worth monitoring as he continues to pitch in the DSL this summer.