Worcester: L, 4-2

Worcester lost to fall to 17-16 on the season, and I feel like I’ve covered half the losses so far. In this one they squandered a lot of scoring chances, thanks in large part to Jorge Alfaro, who went 0-4 with two strikeouts. But hey, at least Alfaro is batting way, way north of .300, at .345. The WooSox were 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position, and Joe Jacques’ inning of relief let the game slip away when he allowed two Bisons (Blue Jays AAA) toscore. The two defensive errors were commited by Alfaro and Caleb Hamilton, a catcher who had a rare game at third on account of Alfaro playing DH with Ronaldo Hernandez behind the plate. Perhaps the brightest spot of the team was Greg Allen with two doubles, but the WooSox’s ten hits were not enough to muster any more than two runs.

Portland: L, 4-5

Give Nick Yorke the player of the game honors in the loss with a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI, a walk and a strikeout. If you’re on Philip Sikes watch on account of my other articles, he went 3-for-4 in another multi-hit game, driving in two runs. He truly is Mr. Sundays and Wednesdays. If you’re on Ceddanne Rafaela watch, he went 0-for-5. If you’re informed on Niko Kavadas having a 16-game on-base streak, that was broken today. If for some reason, you are likening Sterling Sharp, who turns 28 this month, to a Double-A version of Nick Pivetta — who can put the innings in but also give a tepid performance that doesn’t necessarily qualify the team for a win, but doesn’t lose the game for them — know that he did just that, with 5 ¹⁄₃ innings and 4 runs allowed. A loss to the RubberDucks (Guardians AA) drops the SeaDogs to a respectable 19-8, as they split this series with Akron, 3-3.

Greenville: W, 7-3

I know he’s hitting .338, but for those awaiting a monster Marcelo Mayer game, this was it. Seeing the ball well is an understatement in this one; he hit a home run in the first inning and never went back, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. The Drive also didn’t commit a single error, a rarity for games I cover. They beat the Tourists (Astros High-A) and had a three-run 7th inning to avoid anyone having to pitch in a save situation, but for what it’s worth, the bullpen had a good game, allowing just one hit in the last three innings combined.

Salem: W, 5-0

The story of this game was Salem preventing Woodpecker (Astros A) runs from coming in when it counted, as they shut Fayetteville out. Noah Dean allowed four hits, but struck five out in five innings, and the bullpen held its own, as well, even though none of them had a 1-2-3 inning. The important part is: no runs! For what it’s worth, the Sox capitalized on their opportunities, as lead-off hitter Roman Anthony went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs. This game appeared to be pretty low-leverage throughout. At the end of the day, the W is what matters... and at least the low-level affiliates figured out ways to win today!

Have a happy Monday, everyone!