Minor Lines: Impressive Rehab Appearances by Whitlock and Crawford

Woo Sox vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs

W, 9-4

Garrett Whitlock and Kutter Crawford both made satisfying rehab appearances last night. Interestingly, they had similar lines, each striking out four and allowing one homer.

Whitlock used his change-up to ring up his four strikeouts. He clocked 95 MPH on the gun and allowed only the one run. Crawford hit 95.6 MPH and was effective in mixing his pitches.

Bobby Dalbec, David Hamilton and Ryan Fitzgerald each smacked a home run. Nick Sogard also had a good night at the plate, going 2-4 with 2 RBI.

Portland Sea Dogs vs. Hartford Yard Goats

W, 14-1

The offense shone bright tonight. Nico Kavadas slammed two home runs. Nick Yorke went 3-5, while Ceddanne Rafaela, Kavadas and Matthew Lugo were all 2-4. Rafaela added one stolen base to his season total. As a team, the Sea Dogs drew six walks, while Alex Binelas struck out four times all on his own (although to be fair, his one hit was a homer).

The pitching was impressive too; CJ Liu rang up eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

Greenville Drive vs. Bowling Green Hot Rods

W, 10-4

You’re not seeing double: two different Gonzalezes turned in a gem tonight. Wikelman Gonzalez was a star on the mound, with 8 SO, 4H, 3R in 5.2 innings. Bryan Gonzalez went 4-for-4 at the plate, with 2HR and 5 RBI. Helping him out were Brainer Bonaci, who went 2-5 and stole a base and Blaze Jordan who went 2-4. Mayer had a slow night at the plate, going 0-3, though he did contribute a walk.

Salem Red Sox vs. Lynchburg Hillcats

W, 3-0

It wasn’t an exciting show at the plate, with some gentle hitting and no one having a monster night, but the Red Sox got it done. The story tonight may be Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz’s work on the mound. He pitched five innings and won his third game. The ratio of strikeouts to walk is high yet (3 SO to 4 BB on the night) but he’s got time.