Red Sox Minor Lines: Gilberto Jimenez is at it again

Pawtucket L 3-4

C.J. Chatham, SS: 2-5, 1 R, 1 K

Rusney Castillo, DH: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K

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

Tzu-Wei Lin, CF: 0-4, 1 K

Teddy Stankiewicz: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (100 pitches)

Jenrry Mejia: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (14 pitches)

Tanner Houck: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (10 pitches)

Trevor Kelley: 1 IP 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K (21 pitches)

This was a tough loss for the PawSox, who were leading for this entire game heading into the top of the ninth. Kelley had himself a rough day on the mound, blowing the save and the game. On more positive notes, Houck had a nice day in relief and now has three straight outings without a walk. That’s a big step in the right direction if he wants to pitch in the majors this year. Speaking of which, Stankiewicz has an outside shot at making that leap. It’s unclear how the Red Sox will utilize their rotation down the stretch, but if they need to dip into the minors for spot starts Stankiewicz is on the shortlist.

Portland L 1-10

Jarren Duran, CF: 1-4

Marcus Wilson, RF: 1-3, 1 K

Joey Curletta, DH: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K

Durbin Feltman: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K (27 pitches)

There’s really not a whole lot to say about this one, where the Sea Dogs were absolutely dominated in every facet of the game. Feltman had been looking a bit better in this month, allowing earned runs in just one of five outings prior to this one. Now it’s five earned runs (plus one unearned) in six outings spanning 6 ¹⁄₃ innings in August. It’s been a disappointing year, and at this point it can’t end fast enough so he can try and figure things out for 2020.

Salem G1 L 1-3

Ryan Fitzgerald, SS: 0-2, 1 RBI

Pedro Castellanos, 1 B: 1-3, 2 K

Devlin Granberg, DH: 0-1, 1 BB

Kole Cottam, C: 0-2, 1 K, 1 E

Zach Schellenger: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (29 pitches)

Salem G2 L 4-5 (F/8)

Ryan Fitzgerald, SS: 2-4, 1 3B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB

Pedro Castellanos, DH: 1-4

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

Logan Browning: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K (5 pitches)

It was a tough doubleheader for Salem, with site favorite Logan Browning giving up the walkoff run in extras for the second game of the day. It was an unearned run, but he allowed a hit and two walks while recording one out, so it’s tough to give him a pass on this one. More positively, we did see a promotion for game one with Kole Cottam getting the start behind the plate. Last year’s fourth round pick has flown a bit under the radar this year but he had a solid showing with Greenville. The catcher hit .255/.377/.411 in 76 games at A-Ball, and the key will be to see how much of that on-base skill carries over against better pitching.

Greenville W 3-2

Brandon Howlett, 3B: 0-4, 1 K, 1 E

Tyler Esplin, RF: 2-3, 1 R, 2 RBI

Triston Casas, 1B: 1-3

Jonathan Ortega, 2B: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 R

Hunter Haworth: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (75 pitches)

This was a nice win for the Drive, with Haworth having a phenomenal day on the mound. A 22nd round in the 2017 draft, he’s not exactly a high-level prospect and hasn’t really had a great year shifting between the rotation and bullpen, but for our purposes on this day, he was phenomenal. Esplin also had himself a nice game as the outfielder looks to end this year with some momentum heading into 2020.

Lowell W 7-3

Gilberto Jimenez, CF: 2-5, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI

Antoni Flores, SS: 1-3, 1 BB, 2 RBI, 2 K, 1 E

Cameron Cannon, 2B: 3-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K, 1 E

Nicholas Northcut, 3B: 1-4, 1 R

Stephen Scott, LF 1-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K

Luke Bandy, RF: 2-3, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

It’s getting kind of old talking about the same guy for this Spinners team seemingly every day, but Jimenez has just been that good. It’s basically a daily occurrence to look at the box score and see multiple hits for the outfielder, often with at least one going for extra bases. Jimenez now has multiple hits in eight of his last twelve games and on the year he’s hitting .361/.389/.479. You can quibble with the lack of walks he’s drawing, but that matters a lot less when you’re hitting .361.