Red Sox Minor Lines: Marcelo Mayer’s season gets underway

Worcester W 5-1

Jeter Downs, SS: 1-5, 1 2B, 1 K

Rob Refsnyder, DH: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 2 K

Franchy Cordero, CF: 3-5, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 K

Ronaldo Hernández, C: 1-5, 1 R, 1 RBI

Johan Mieses, RF: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI

Yolmer Sánchez, 2B: 1-3, 1 BB, 2 K

Brian Keller (SP): 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (62 pitches)

John Schreiber (W): 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (34 pitches)

Tyler Danish: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K (24 pitches)

Durbin Feltman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (37 pitches)

It’s been a successful opening week for Worcester, this time pairing a few good performances at the plate with strong pitching to get the win. On offense, Cordero not only got a start in center with Jarren Duran out after testing positive for COVID, but he added three more hits to his season tally. It’s been a scorching start for Cordero, whose OPS is up to 1.197. On the mound, it was a nice organizational debut for Keller, who was picked in the minor-league Rule 5 Draft this past winter. Schreiber also had an impressive day as he looks to get back to the majors after a brief stay last summer during the big-league squad’s COVID outbreak.

Portland L 0-3 (F/6)

David Hamilton, SS: 0-2, 1 BB, 1 SB

Christian Koss, 2B: 0-3, 1 K

Pedro Castellanos, 1B: 1-2, 1 BB, 1 E

Brandon Howlett, RF: 2-2

Victor Santos (SP; L): 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (70 pitches)

Weather got in the way a bit in Portland for the second game of the season, and it ended in a six-inning loss. Honestly, not a ton to talk about in this one. It’s notable that Howlett not only got two hits, but also some time in right field. He hadn’t played anywhere besides third base previously in his career, so that they’re trying out new positions is interesting. Howlett’s shown some flashes at the plate, and the first summer he was drafted he looked like a late-round steal, but he’s flattened out a bit since then and this is a big year for his future stock. On the mound was Santos, who looked good in the second half with Portland after being acquired from the Phillies last July. He was hurt by defense in this game, but also only struck out one in five innings.

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Greenville L 6-8 (F/10)

Tyler McDonough, LF: 0-5, 3 K

Ceddanne Rafaela, CF: 2-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Nick Yorke, 2B: 1-4, 1 BB, 2 R

Alex Binelas, 3B: 1-3, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB

Matthew Lugo, SS: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 K, 1 E

Shane Drohan (SP): 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 K (78 piyches)

Michael Gettys: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Joe Davis: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (20 pitches)

It was a wild one in Greenville on Saturday, with big Joe Davis — a first baseman and organizational folk hero — getting on the mound. It ended up in a loss, but how can you not enjoy big Joe Davis on the mound? We also saw Michael Gettys, who was an outfielder up until midway through last season when he made his full-time conversion to pitching. On offense, both Rafaela and Lugo are off to hot starts, and the latter in particular is intriguing. He got a little helium this spring after a down year, most notably with Keith Law ranking him in the top 10 in the organization. I’d still say that’s too high, but his first two games have started him on a path to justify it.

Salem G1 W 11-8

Brainer Bonaci, 2B: 0-1, 4 BB, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB

Eddinson Paulino, 3B: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 3 RBI

Marcelo Mayer, SS: 2-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI

Blaze Jordan, 1B: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E

Nathan Hickey, C: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 R, 2 K, 1 E

Niko Kavadas, DH: 2-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 2 K

Phillip Sikes, CF: 2-4, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB

Wilkelman Gonzalez (SP): 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (47 pitches)

Salem G2 W 4-3

Brainer Bonaci, 2B: 2-3, 1 BB, 1 E

Marcelo Mayer, SS: 3-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Blaze Jordan, 1B: 1-3, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Miguel Ugueto, LF: 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI

Niko Kavadas, DH: 1-2, 1 BB

Angel Bastardo (SP): 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K (60 pitches)

Miguel Suero (W): 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (30 pitches)

There were two for Salem on Saturday, with the first game picking up where Friday left off after that one was suspended two innings in. That explains the short outing for Gonzalez, for anyone worried about a potential injury issue there. That said, it’s not great to need 47 pitches for two innings. But some of the biggest names on the offensive side had nice starts to their season, including 2021 first rounder and arguably the organization’s top prospect, Mayer. The shortstop had five hits between the two games with a pair of doubles, and is not easing into his full-season debut. Also nice to see a home run from Jordan right off the bat, too.

Player of the Day: Marcelo Mayer

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