Red Sox Minor Lines: The end of the line

Pawtucket L 1-5

Tony Renda, 2B: 0-3, 1 BB

Rafael Devers, 3B: 2-4

Josh Ockimey, 1B: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K

Michael Chavis, DH: 0-4, 1 RBI

Mike Shawaryn: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K (87 pitches)

Devers is set to be activated on Tuesday and he’s been hitting solidly over the last few games. He’s 5-12 in his last three games with nine total bases. Now, Eduardo Núñez is still hitting extremely well so the veteran could very well get the playing time at the hot corner over the young gun. Still, Devers has the most upside and if they can get him on a hot streak that would be ideal. On the pitching side, Shawaryn finished a really impressive season on Monday.

Portland W 8-7 (F/11)

Esteban Quiroz, 2B: 1-2, 2 BB, 1 R

Bobby Dalbec, 1B: 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 K

Jordan Betts, 3B: 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 K, 1 E

Deiner Lopez, SS: 1-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Trey Ball, DH: 0-5, 4 K

Darwinzon Hernandez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (18 pitches)

It took until the very end of the season, but Trey Ball is finally getting some run as a position player. This is something that many have been calling for over the last year or two, but it didn’t happen until Sunday and Monday for the last two games of the season. For whatever it may be worth I thought they made the right move and believed it had been so long since he hit that there was a better chance of him succeeding as a reliever than a position player. Obviously, the reliever thing didn’t really work out — Ball posted a 7.58 ERA this year — but I’m not exactly optimistic about his position player prospects, either. We’ll have all winter to dream, though.

Salem L 2-3

Carlos Tovar, 2B: 2-4, 1 R, 1 K

C.J. Chatham, SS: 1-4, 1 R

Jerry Downs, 1B: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 K

Michael Osinski, 3B: 2-4

Kutter Crawford: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 5 K (85 pitches)

Durbin Feltman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (10 pitches)

Salem’s roster got much less interesting as the year went on due to both injuries and promotions, but a couple of the year’s biggest pitchers took the mound in the finale. Crawford’s last start didn’t go well, and he started to hit a bit of a wall in High-A. After looking so impressive in Low-A he posted a 4.31 ERA in six starts following his promotion. Time will tell if that was more because of fatigue or struggling at a higher level. As for Feltman, well, he ended on a high note. Look for him to become a focal point in camp next year.

Greenville W 6-4

Jarren Duran, RF: 2-3, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 CS

Zach Sterry, 1B: 2-3, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI

Kervin Suarez, CF: 2-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI

Alex Scherff: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K (81 pitches)

An underrated development in this second half, and really just over the last month, has been Scherff turning things around after his injury. I think blaming the injury for his early-season performance would be convenient and ignore that he simply struggled in his first taste of pro ball. That happens. He’s made four starts with Greenville since returning from the DL, though, and he didn’t allow more than one run in any of them. In all, he allowed three runs in 18 innings (1.50 ERA) with 16 strikeouts and only two walks. That’s a big way to head into 2019.

Lowell W 5-4 (F/10)

Cole Brannen, CF: 0-5

Nicholas Northcut, 3B: 0-3, 3 K

Trey Ganns, 1B: 2-3, 1 2B, 2 BB, 2 R

Tyler Esplin, DH: 2-3, 2 BB

Northcut and Brannen end the year on cold streaks. For the former, it’s not a big deal as we saw the necessary flashes in his first pro season to be at least intrigued heading into 2019. For Brannen, it’s not great because he struggled all year. A hot streak to end the year wouldn’t have cancelled everything else out, but if sure would have made us feel better. Now, he has a massive season ahead of him next year.

Player of the Day: Jordan Betts wins the final Player of the Day, as we all would have expected. Betts has no relation to Mookie and is a 26-year-old with a .681 OPS between Portland and Pawtucket this year. Every once in awhile he puts together games like this, but he’s an organizational piece more than an actual prospect.