Red Sox Minor Lines: Josh Winckowski with the start of the year

Worcester G1 W 4-2

Jonathan Araúz, SS: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K

Michael Chavis, 2B: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 3 K

Franchy Cordero, LF: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Marcus Wilson, RF: 0-2, 1 BB, 1 K

Josh Ockimey, 1B: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K

Raynel Espinal (SP; W): 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K (90 pitches)

Brandon Workman (S): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (14 pitches)

Worcester G2 W 4-2

Michael Chavis, 2B: 0-4, 3 K

Marcus Wilson, LF: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K

Yairo Muñoz, 3B: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K

Jett Bandy, C: 2-3, 2 RBI, 1 K

Daniel Gossett (SP; W): 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K (90 pitches)

Kaleb Ort (H): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (19 pitches)

Kevin McCarthy (S): 1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (29 pitches)

This was a very nice Saturday for Worcester on the road, picking up a pair of seven-inning wins in the doubleheader. The pitching certainly ruled the day, though Cordero’s home run in the first game was a highlight as well. Obviously he wants to be hitting those in the majors, but he’ll need a hot streak in Triple-A first. Speaking of someone looking for their next shot in the bigs, Workman has been looking better of late. He struck out the side here in this game, and he hasn’t allowed a run over his last six innings, striking out eight while walking just one and allowing only two hits. My guess is we won’t be waiting much longer before we see him back in Boston’s bullpen.

Full BreakingT Red Sox Collection

Take a look at the entire shirt collection from our friends over at BreakingT, including the one pictured above.

Portland W 4-3

Jeisson Rosario, CF: 2-4

Pedro Castellanos, DH: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K

Joey Meneses, RF: 2-3, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 R

Johan Mieses, LF: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI

Ronaldo Hernández, C: 1-4

Grant Williams, 2B: 2-4, 1 R

Josh Winckowski (SP; W): 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K (84 pitches)

Joan Martinez: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 K

Home run number 11 from Mieses set the tone for this game and gave Portland a lead they would never ultimately surrender, but clearly this one was all about Winckowski. The only prospect to be named so far in the Andrew Benintendi trade, the righty had been having a big year by the results all season, though the peripherals were a bit less impressive than the rest of the package. Well, a start like this will make sure the peripherals were up to snuff too. This outing was just total domination, plain and simple. On the season he has now pitched to a 1.33 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 27 innings to go with nine walks, and he is solidifying his status as one of the better starting pitching prospects in the entire organization.

Greenville L 2-6

Cameron Cannon, 2B: 0-4, 1 BB

Christian Koss, SS: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 R

Tyler Esplin, RF: 1-2, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 PO

Alex Scherff: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K (21 pitches)

This was a tough one for a Greenville offense that has been so good for most of the season, but is hitting a bit of a snag of late. Cannon is right there with the snag, too, as he is in a mini cold streak that he is looking to avoid being a long-term issue. His numbers still look good with a .286 average and .835 OPS, but his last three games have featured just a single and no other hits. The good news for Cannon, who was the team’s first selection in the 2019 draft, is that he had a similar stretch just last week, and came back with back-to-back two-hit games. He’ll be looking for a similar bounce-back coming up here with his next few games.

Salem PPD

Player of the Day: Josh Winckowski

Player of the Day Chart