Worcester L 1-7
Jarren Duran, DH: 0-3, 1 K
Christian Arroyo, 2B: 0-3, 2 K
Franchy Cordero, LF: 0-3, 1 BB, 3 K
Josh Ockiemy, 1B: 0-1, 2 BB, 1 K
Jeter Downs, SS: 2-3, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI
Kyle Hart (SP; L): 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K (84 pitches)
Austin Brice: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K (20 pitches)
Stephen Gonsalves: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K (20 pitches)
Brad Peacock: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K (20 pitches)
This was a tough game for Worcester, with the two rehabbing players at the top of the lineup each struggling. The one positive from the game was Downs, who has not really been a positive for most of the year. Coming into the year as the number two prospect in the system, he’s been probably the most disappointing player in the system with a season OPS below .600. That said, he is looking better of late and this was his second homer in three games. It’s too late to really salvage this season, but he can get some positive momentum to bring into the offseason. Also, how weird that all three relievers had exactly 20 pitches!
Portland W 7-2
Pedro Castellanos, RF: 2-5, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 K
Devlin Granberg, LF: 2-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K
Triston Casas, 1B: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Ronaldo Hernández, DH: 2-5, 1 RBI
Hudson Potts, 3B: 1-5, 3 K
Kole Cottam, C: 3-4, 2 R, 1 K
Jeisson Rosario, CF: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 R
Cameron Cannon, 2B: 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 E
Josh Winckowski (SP; W): 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K (73 pitches)
Andrew Politi: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (13 pitches)
Zach Schellenger: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (22 pitches)
Winckowski was really good in Portland for most of this season, though it has appeared he’s been getting a little fatigued down the stretch with his performance taking a hit over the second half. But he’s looking to finish strong and came through here on Friday, despite a relative lack of swing and miss. Offensively, Castellanos is also finishing things strong, and he’s got his OPS up over .800 after this performance. He came into this year looking to prove his late-2019 power was no fluke, and while he hasn’t been a home run machine or anything his .166 Isolated Power is better than we saw early in his career.
Greenville L 0-1
Nick Yorke, 2B: 1-4, 1 2B
Christian Koss, SS: 0-4, 1 K
Tyler Dearden, DH: 0-4, 3 K
Joe Davis, 1B: 0-4, 2 K
Stephen Scott, C: 1-4
Yusniel Padron-Artiles (SP; L): 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (57 pitches)
Casey Cobb: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (60 pitches)
Really nothing to talk about from the offense here, which wasted what was really a solid pitching performance. Padron-Artiles has been pretty quietly good in the second half, but it’s Cobb I want to focus on. We’ve talked about him a bit of late, and he’s earned every bit of it. An undrafted free agent last summer, he spent the bulk of the year with Salem before a recent promotion up to Greenville. Serving mostly as a multi-inning reliever, often in piggyback games like this, he’s pitched to a 1.95 ERA over 73 2⁄3 innings, striking out 82 and walking 16. He’s 25, so be cautious getting too excited about these numbers, but it will be interesting to see what kind of role he’s in next year after what he’s shown with his opportunities in 2021.
Salem L 4-13
Tyler McDonough, 2B: 0-4, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 CS
Ceddanne Rafaela, CF: 1-4, 1 K
Tyler Miller, 3B: 2-3, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 CS
Nick Decker, LF: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 3 K
Matthew Lugo, SS: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K
Nicholas Northcut, 1B: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 K
Nathan Hickey, DH: 1-4, 1 K
Wilkelman Gonzalez (SP): 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K (72 pitches)
Gonzalez will get lost in the shuffle here because of the final score, but he was not really to blame. In fairness, he wasn’t totally sharp here, not only walking the three in four innings but also giving up a homer. That said, the stuff was clearly playing with his seven strikeouts. His second-half performance has been among the best in the system, and he’s started to get a lot of praise from scouts. Don’t be surprised to see him as a consistent figure in the team’s top 15 prospects when lists start rolling out over the winter and into the spring.
FCL G1 W 10-2
Marcelo Mayer, SS: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 R, 2 K, 2 SB
Miguel Ugueto, LF: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB
Eduardo Vaughan, RF: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB
Phillip Sikes, CF: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB
Freddy Valdez, DH: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 K
Karson Simas, 2B: 3-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB
Juan Daniel Encarnacion (SP): 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K
FCL G2 SUSP
There was a whole lot going on in this box score, with the FCL team just beating down on the Twins’ squad. Boston’s side not only got the homer from Sikes, who is just frankly too advanced for the complex, but also added seven doubles as well as seven steals. And then on the mound, Encarnacion was electric with eight strikeouts and no walks. He’s had a really good season down in Florida, pitching to a 2.96 ERA over 45 2⁄3 innings, striking out 56 and walking 11.
DSL Red L 1-8
Luis Ravelo, SS: 2-5, 1 2B
Miguel Bleis, CF: 0-2, 2 BB
Francis Hernandez (SP; L): 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
DSL Blue L 3-4
Juan Chacon, CF: 1-5, 1 K
Jhostynxon Garcia, RF: 1-3, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K
Jedixson Paez (SP): 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Not a whole lot to report from this day down in the DSL. Ravelo, who is known more for his glove than his bat, is having a nice September, hitting .333/.419/.407. Meanwhile, Garcia is red hot, now getting his OPS up to .974, while Paez, despite the loss, is showing off good strikeout stuff.
Player of the Day: Phillip Sikes