Red Sox Minor Lines: Dustin Pedroia restarts his rehab

Pawtucket L 5-7

Mike Miller, SS: 2-5, 1 R

Brock Holt, DH: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K

Dustin Pedroia, 2B: 1-3, 1 R, 1 K

Sam Travis, LF: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K

Rusney Castillo, CF: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI

Josh Ockimey, 1B: 0-3, 1 RBI, 2 K

Jantzen Witte, 3B: 2-3, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 R, 2 RBI

Josh Taylor: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (17 pitches)

Jenrry Mejia: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (11 pitches)

There was a ton of action early in this game, with all of the scoring being done by the end of the fourth inning. Gwinnett plated five runs in the second, and ultimately that big inning was the difference in this game. Beyond the score, though, the difference in this game was the rehabbing infielders. Holt has now played in three consecutive games, though he’s yet to take the field. Pedroia, meanwhile, is trying it again after getting shut down a couple times before this. He played five innings, which is all he was scheduled for. The real test for Pedroia will be when he starts to play in back-to-backs.

Portland L 1-3

Jeremy Rivera, SS: 3-4

Brett Netzer, 2B: 0-4

Bobby Dalbec, 3B: 0-3, 1 BB

Luke Tendler, DH: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Dedgar Jimenez: 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K (92 pitches)

Durbin Feltman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (13 pitches)

This was a tough, late-game loss for the Sea Dogs, who were tied pretty much all night. Both Reading and Portland scored a run in the fourth, and other than that the game was pretty quick throughout. Then, in the eighth, Adam Lau came on for the Sea Dogs and he gave up a big two-run shot to former top ten pick Adam Haseley. That would be the difference in this game. The offense was totally shut down in this game, while Jimenez worked around seven hits for a strong outing overall. It was also nice to see a clean inning from Feltman, who could really use a run of strong outings coming up.

Salem W 9-5

Jarren Duran, CF: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Marco Hernandez, SS: 0-4, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K, 1 E

Ryan Fitzgerald, DH: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K

Garrett Benge, 1B: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Alex Speier reported on Friday afternoon that Bryan Mata was set to make his return from injury for this game, but that didn’t happen. Instead, it was Enmanuel De Jesus, who was originally scheduled for Thursday’s game. We’ll keep an eye on when Mata does come back. Despite that, Salem was able to win with a bevy of doubles. The Red Sox smacked five two-base hits on the day, including one from Duran, and also drew a whopping nine walks on the evening. That was enough to roll to a comfortable victory.

Greenville L 4-10

Tyler Esplin, RF: 0-4, 2 K

Triston Casas, 1B: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 E

Alan Marrero, C: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Korby Batesole, 2B/P: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 K

Brayan Bello: 3 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 0 BB, 4 K (58 pitches)

Rio Gomez: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (27 pitches)

Korby Batesole: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (14 pitches)

Yikes. This was a rough game for the Drive, and for Bello in particular. The young righty made a name for himself last year with a huge season at the DSL and gained some buzz heading into this season. He got off to a great start in 2019, too, pitching to a 1.89 ERA over his first four starts. However, he’s allowed at least seven runs in each of his last three starts, though, and his ERA has skyrocketed up to 8.38 for the year. They will need to find an adjustment for Bello to get back on track.

Player of the Day: There really weren’t many truly standout games on Friday, but I’m going to give this one to Jantzen Witte in a losing effort. The corner infielder for Pawtucket got on base three times in this game including a home run. Witte has been around the organization since 2013 and has stalled out in the upper minors. He likely doesn’t have a major-league future, but that the organization has kept him around this long suggests he may have some kind of future with the team even if it’s not as a player.