Red Sox Minor Lines: Tanner Houck is back

Worcester W 3-2

Jarren Duran, RF: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Marcus Wilson, LF: 0-1, 3 BB, 1 K, 2 SB

Franchy Cordero, DH: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 SB

Yairo Muñoz, 1B: 0-4, 1 K

Jeter Downs, SS: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI

Jonathan Araúz, 2B: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K

Tanner Houck (SP): 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (45 pitches)

Matt Hall: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (28 pitches)

Austin Brice (BS): 2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K (31 pitches)

Kaleb Ort (W): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (28 pitches)

This was a rare low-scoring affair at Polar Park, and the Worcester starter took center stage. This was Houck’s first outing since being injured early in May, and he looked like he hasn’t missed a beat. Obviously he didn’t go super deep into the game, but the righty got the job done while he was out there and by all accounts looked like he’s ready to get back into action. The Red Sox have been walking a tightrope with their pitching depth, hoping they wouldn’t need to find an extra starter. They still hope that, of course, but if and when they need even just a spot start, they can feel better knowing Houck is once again available. We should also shout out Ort, who seems to be moving his way up to the reliever depth chart, with a lack of a 40-man spot being the biggest case against him right now.

Portland W 4-1

Jeisson Rosario, CF: 0-3, 1 K

Tate Matheny, RF: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Triston Casas, 1B: 0-2, 2 BB, 1 R

Joey Meneses, DH: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI

Hudson Potts, 3B: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI

Ronaldo Hernández, C: 0-4, 2 K

Grant Williams, 2B/SS: 2-3, 1 2B

Enmanuel De Jesus (SP; W): 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (67 pitches)

Denyi Reyes (H): 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (54 pitches)

It has been quite the week so far for Matheny, who is not much of ap respect at this point. Now 27 years old, he made his way fairly quickly through the lower levels thanks to high make up and athleticism, but some of his short comings have caused him to stall out a bit higher up the ladder. But he’s somewhat quietly putting together a nice year in Portland with a .961 OPS in a part-time role. These last few games have been a big part of that, with hits in each of his last four games including a homer in each of his last two. We should also give a shout out to Potts, who is still struggling a bit having just come off the injured list, but he did hit his first homer in the Red Sox organization here on Thursday.

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Greenville W 3-1

Christian Koss, SS: 1-3, 1 R, 2 K

Cameron Cannon, DH: 1-4, 1 RBI

Tyler Esplin, CF: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Brandon Howlett, 3B: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K

Chris Murphy (SP): 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K (79 pitches)

Alex Scherff (W): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (23 pitches)

This was a big-time start for Murphy, who all season has appeared on the verge of a real breakout. After a big pro debut in 2019, he was definitely a guy to watch this season but the lefty has been a little up and down. The results have been solid for his last four starts now, not allowing more than two runs in any of them, but prior to this outing his stuff was more good than great. Murphy is the kind of lefty who can definitely miss bats, but his control is typically his biggest issue. For this start, though, everything was working nearly perfectly. On the season, he now has a 3.46 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 39 innings.

Salem L 1-5

Nick Yorke, 2B: 1-3, 1 BB, 2 SB

Gilberto Jimenez, CF: 0-4, 1 K

Jaxx Groshans, DH: 0-3, 1 BB, 3 K

Nick Northcut, 3B: 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 E

Jack MacKenzie, SS: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 E

Bradley Blalock (SP; L): 2 IP, 2 H, 2 E, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (52 pitches)

Jorge Rodriguez: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K (61 pitches)

Back in May, Jimenez’s lines weren’t really standing out on a night-to-night basis, but overall his performance was really solid, especially considering he was a 20-year-old in his full-season debut. The month of June has not been so kind. After this 0-fer, his line for June is down to .218/.232/.255. I’m certainly not worried about his long-term future based on these last few weeks, but it is always interesting to see how top prospects deal with adversity and bounce back from slumps. Speaking of slumps, Rodriguez has been mired in one of his own, pitching to a 7.36 ERA over his last five outings, although he does have a nice 18 to three strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 ¹⁄₃ innings.

Player of the Day: Chris Murphy

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