Worcester L 1-4
Jarren Duran, CF: 0-4, 1 K
Jonathan Araúz, 2B: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
Danny Santana, LF: 2-4, 1 2B
Yairo Muñoz, 3B: 2-4, 1 K
Marcus Wilson, DH: 0-4, 3 K
Jeter Downs, SS: 1-3, 1 BB, 2 K
Chris Hermann, C: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Stephen Gonsalves (SP; L): 5 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 8 K (93 pitches)
John Schreiber: 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K (35 pitches)
Caleb Simpson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (16 pitches)
Brandon Brennan: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (15 pitches)
This was a pretty slow day for Worcester, with just a few of the bats showing up in this matchup en route to the loss. One of them was Santana, who I think may have gotten his final Triple-A at bat in this game. I would not be surprised if they send him on his way to meet the team in Philadelphia for this weekend. Muñoz also had a two-hit game, which was nice to see. I was excited about him coming into the year after he looked good in camp and provided a spark last year, but it’s been a tough start to the season. Even this two-single game doesn’t change too much, as he’s been fine at getting hits (.271 average) but it’s been a bit empty, as he is sitting with a .572 OPS. He’s missing the boat on his chance to be called back up.
Portland W 3-2
Jeisson Rosario, CF: 0-3, 2 BB, 1 RBI
Pedro Castellanos, LF: 1-4, 1 RBI, 2 K
Triston Casas, 1B: 0-3, 1 K
Johan Mieses, DH: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Ronaldo Hernández, C: 1-4, 1 K
Roldani Baldwin, 3B: 2-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K
Enmanuel De Jesus (SP): 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K (64 pitches)
Matt Kent (W): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (54 pitches)
Mieses just continues to hit the ball out of the ballpark, with his homer in this game not only proving to be the game-winner for Portland but also coming in as his seventh of the year. That is a remarkable total, and puts him tied with Orlando Arcia (Triple-A with the Braves organization) for the most across all four levels of the minors. Mieses is likely just organizational depth, but he’s doing everything in his power to put himself and his power stroke on the map.
Greenville L 3-6
Cameron Cannon, 2B: 3-4, 1 RBI, 1 CS
Christian Koss, SS: 0-4, 1 K
Tyreque Reed, DH: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 3 K
Brandon Howlett, 3B: 0-4, 4 K
Kole Cottam, C: 1-2, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K
Chris Murphy (SP; L): 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K (83 pitches)
It was a tough day for Murphy on the mound in this one, as the lefty just couldn’t keep the ball in the yard. Three of the five runs he allowed were on a trio of solo home runs, including back-to-back homers in the fourth inning, and that was the difference in his start, and really the game. Murphy’s command is the biggest issue for him moving forward, as he’s always going to be able to get his strikeouts, but typically those command issues manifest in walks, not home runs. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back from this, particularly considering the first two starts of his season were solid.
Salem W 5-2
Gilberto Jimenez, CF: 1-5
Matthew Lugo, SS: 0-5, 1 K
Nick Northcut, 3B: 1-4, 1 R
Jaxx Groshans, C: 3-4, 1 2B, 2 R
Nick Yorke, 2B: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E
Bradley Blalock (SP): 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (58 pitches)
Jorge Rodriguez (W): 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (59 pitches)
It’s been nice to see the way Rodriguez has bounced back after a brutal first start in which he allowed five runs without even completing a full inning. In his last two outings since then he’s allowed just a single unearned run over eight innings of work on nine hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Rodriguez doesn’t have a massive ceiling, but he is advanced for his age and he has the potential to really put himself on the map as a potential future back-end arm if he keeps pitching well this year. Also, a shoutout to Groshans for his three-hit day as he’s flying under the radar a bit with a solid start to his year, putting up a .318 average with a .967 OPS. We should also mention another throwing error for Yorke, though it’s his first in a couple weeks so hopefully it’s not the start of a new trend.
Player of the Day: Johan Mieses