Worcester W 7-4
Jarren Duran, RF: 5-5, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI
Christian Arroyo, 2B: 0-2, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Jeter Downs, SS: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Yairo Muñoz, DH: 1-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Jonathan Araúz, 3B: 1-4, 1 BB
Marcus Wilson, LF: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
Jett Bandy, 1B: 2-4, 1 R, 1 K
Raynel Espinal (SP; W): 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K (95 pitches)
Kevin McCarthy: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (16 pitches)
How’s that for a Duran Day? The top outfield prospect in the system is on fire down in Triple-A, and this was absolutely the cherry on top of his most recent run. The two homers were numbers six and seven on the season for Duran, and with five hits he’s up to a .299 average with a 1.061 OPS as well. There are still legitimate concerns with his game — he’s striking out 26 percent of the time right now and there is still some rawness to his defense — that make it defensible to keep him in the minors. That being said, there’s no way he’s not one of the 26 best players right now. There’s just no way. That’s going to only become more obvious as time goes on. I’m still a few weeks away from really complaining about him being down in Triple-A, though. Espinal also deserves a shoutout, and with his performance on the mound he would have been the player highlighted in this section almost any other day.
Portland W 7-6
Jeisson Rosario, CF: 0-4, 4 K
Pedro Castellanos, LF: 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K
Triston Casas, 1B: 2-4, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI
Joey Meneses, RF: 3-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Ronaldo Hernández, DH: 0-5, 2 K
Frank German (SP): 4.2 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K (80 pitches)
This was a pretty wild game for the Sea Dogs, who were down 6-3 heading into the ninth before putting together a big rally in the game’s final inning, a rally that was punctuated by an RBI single from Castellanos to win the game. It was an all-around effort for the offense, too, with Casas, Castellanos and Meneses all having multi-hit games out of the two, three, and four spots in the lineup. Meneses is one of two pro veterans having big years in Portland’s lineup (along with Johan Mieses, who was off in this game) while Casas is obviously the organization’s best prospect. German, meanwhile, continues to struggle in the rotation and one wonders when a shift to the bullpen may come. His ERA on the season is up to 8.03.
Greenville W 3-2
Cameron Cannon, 2B: 0-4, 1 K
Christian Koss, SS: 2-4, 1 3B, 1 R, 2 K
Tyler Esplin, RF: 0-4, 1 RBI
Tyler Dearden, LF: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 K
Nick Sogard, 3B: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Michael Osinski, 1B: 2-4, 1 2B
Jay Groome (SP): 3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 7 K (62 pitches)
Jacob Wallace (SV): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (7 pitches)
This was a big day for struggling pitchers in Greenville, even if Groome wasn’t exactly dominant. It’s been a very tough start to what is a big season for the former first round pick, and he needed a steady start this time out. Control was still an issue, but he only allowed one run and the same number of hits, and it’s a step in the right direction for him considering his other starts this season. If he wants to move up the ladder at any decent pace, though, he needs to make this the start of something, not just a blip. Ditto for Wallace, who has had a tough season so far but had a quick, dominant inning here. Also, shoutout to Dearden who is a man possessed right now and is up to a 1.139 OPS on the year.
Salem W 4-1
Gilberto Jimenez, RF: 0-5, 2 K
Matthew Lugo, SS: 0-5, 1 R, 2 K, 1 SB
Joe Davis, 1B: 2-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI
Nick Yorke, 2B: 1-4, 1 E
Ceddanne Rafaela, CF: 2-4, 1 RBI
Jeremy Wu-Yelland (SP): 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K (34 pitches)
Jordan DiValerio (W): 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (41 pitches)
This was not a banner day for Salem’s offense, and Yorke did make his seventh error of the year, but Wu-Yelland and DiValerio have been combining for strong piggyback outings all year and it continues here. The former was the team’s lowest bonus from last summer’s draft, but he’s been really impressive to start his career. He’s likely a reliever in the future, but he’s been making these three-inning starts all year and has a 1.59 ERA over 11 1⁄3 innings with 14 strikeouts and six walks. Control can be an issue at times for him, but he’s been working around that. DiValerio, meanwhile, was an undrafted free agent from last summer and while he doesn’t project as well as Wu-Yelland he’s yet to allow a run this year over 12 2⁄3 innings with 17 strikeouts and no walks, so this is definitely a run to keep an eye on.
Player of the Day: Jarren Duran