Worcester: L, 2-9 (BOX SCORE)

This was pretty close until late in the game, when it simply got away from Worcester, who started the game with a lead and carried it into the fifth. Brandon Walter came perhaps the closest he could have gotten to his first win of the year, which in itself is pretty shocking and upsetting. Offensively, the bats were asleep, recording just five hits, two of which came from leadoff hitter David Hamilton. Chase Shugart simply had a bad outing on the mound, as the Bats (Red AAA) got five runs off of him in the eighth inning. I guess, as far as organizations go, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree....

Portland: L, 2-4 (BOX SCORE)

Another Red Sox affiliate that could only muster two runs. Brian Van Belle has proved he can go deep into ball games, throwing 96 pitches in 7 innings, and though the fact that only 56 of those were strikes leaves more to be desired, it’s nice to know a double-A pitcher is trusted to go almost the full game. Those looking for a stat to blame in this game need to look no further than the Sea Dogs’ abysmal 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position against the Patriots (Yankees AA.)

Marcelo Mayer is still looking for his first hit in double-A, striking out twice and going 0-for-5 in his debut in Portland (well, in Somerset New Jersey, but you get what I mean.) We might be able to blame this on the morning start, honestly. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. In all seriousness, I’m not alarmed if you’re not alarmed, and you shouldn’t be; the 20-year-old will be just fine. He figured out High-A pitching incredibly quickly after an early stumble. Give him a good couple of months to be challenged and figure out double-A pitching, too. And if you want to ponder upon the future of our middle infield based on one game, then you need to at least rejoice in the fact that at least Nick Yorke got 3 of the team’s 5 hits in this loss.

Greenville: W, 10-7 (BOX SCORE)

Greenville, being the only minor league affiliate to play at home tonight, definitely had to fight for this win against the Hickory Crawdads (Rangers High-A.) The Drive scored six runs in the eighth inning, seeing what Worcester let happen to them in their eighth inning tonight and hitting their opponent with a “no, u” or an Uno reverse card, whatever is more applicable, forcing the Crawdads’ Jackson Kelley into a blown save. I’ll be honest: without Marcelo Mayer, this team should be boring to recap, but Brainer Bonaci’s stat lines make me excited. He’s hitting .344 with many multiple hit games under his belt recently; he had three tonight including a home run. With some possible DFAs, some players becoming healthy, and Christian Koss getting the call to Worcester somehow, and, oh yeah, Mayer, there will be lots of room for upward mobility in the middle infield in this organizaiton in the next 12 months. If Bonaci, who is 5 months older than Mayer, can prove his bat matches his positional versatility, who knows, maybe he’ll be taking a flight to Maine sooner rather than later, as well. Also notable is outfielder Eduardo Lopez, 21, getting three hits on the night. Plenty to feel good about despite the pitching staff getting shelled when the offense thrives and records 15 hits!

Salem: W, 3-0 (BOX SCORE)

Salem was the lone affiliate with an easy win, as the pitching staff absolutely did its job. The bats weren’t very hot, either, recording just five hits, but they did not have to be, because 19-year-old Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, a guy who may be seeing Greenville gear by the end of the season, had yet another commendable performance, allowing just 4 men on base (3 hits, 1 walk) in 6 innings. He struck out six and held the Pelicans scoreless, and the bullpen finished the job. It may be important to know that the Sox were no-hit through five innings by Michael Arias, but got to Erian Rodriguez for all three of their runs by way of a triple from Roman Anthony in the sixth that scored two, and on the very next batter, Allan Castro drove Anthony in. Myrtle Beach (Cubs A) just did not have an answer for the Salem Red Sox in the sixth frame, and for that reason Salem improves to 22-23.

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Please let me know if the text is still not working for you all... and reminder, you can click on the pictures of the box scores to get a closer look... I also provide a link! I have fun with minor lines, because it gives me a chance to see the future, but it’s only useful if you guys can read them! Have a happy Thursday everyone!