2019 Donation Drive - We Need Your Help!

Dear readers,

We're asking for your help to raise $7,000 to keep SoxProspects.com up and running for another year. We have kept the site 100% free for over 15 years now, and we hope to do so for the foreseeable future. As we scout dozens of games first-hand each year, travel costs pile up. Our other costs to run the site often go up on an annual basis as well, and our ad revenue only covers a portion of those costs. So we're reaching out to the community for donations to help us keep the site going. Donations help cover site costs in two primary areas: (1) first-hand coverage travel costs for scouting and player columns; and (2) general IT costs (hardware, software, internet costs, hosting fees, etc.).

Your donations help us travel to Fort Myers in March to cover spring training and in the fall to cover the Instructional League each year, which are vital to get “one-stop shopping” for prospects across the system at levels we can’t see regularly. They also help cover the costs of travelling to affiliate games for regular first-hand coverage. We anticipate that our total costs will exceed $16,000 in 2019. While we may cover about half that from online advertising revenue, your donations help us ensure we can cover those costs in order to keep the site going.

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Cup of Coffee: Lozada, Casas power Drive offense

7/22 Cup of Coffee: It was a split decision on Sunday on the farm, with two wins, two losses, and a suspended contest. While the Salem game was called due to a literal power outage, the term "power outage" could not be applied to Greenville's 22-hit, 16-run onslaught. Everlouis Lozada (pictured) and Triston Casas led a Greenville lineup in which everyone had at least one hit. Erasmo Ramirez and Brian Johnson combined to take a no-hitter into the seventh inning, with the PawSox settling for a victory in both the game and series. Portland staged several rallies but could not dig itself out of an early deficit, while Lowell was handed a rare come-from-behind loss.

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Pawtucket Red Sox 3, Charlotte Knights (CWS) 1

A dominant effort by Erasmo Ramirez helped the PawSox to their first series win of July. Ramirez fired five no-hit innings, striking out six and allowing just one baserunner on a third-inning walk. Brian Johnson followed, continuing the no-hit bid through the sixth before surrendering a double to lead off the seventh inning. The Knights touched Johnson for their only run of the day but the rehabbing lefty struck out four without issuing a walk in his two innings of work. Tanner Houck and Travis Lakins closed things out with a hitless inning apiece. Both hurlers struck out a batter, while Houck issued one walk.

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Cup of Coffee: six scoreless for McGrath; Fitzgerald with clutch RBI

7/20 Cup of Coffee: In what is becoming a common occurrence, Daniel McGrath (pictured) was brilliant for Portland as they downed the Senators. In Salem, a strong outing from Enmanuel De Jesus was rewarded with a late comeback, while in the GCL Brock Bell fired a scoreless inning for the second straight time. Both DSL squads won their competitions today thanks in part to a herculean effort from Bryan Gonzalez and a strong showing from the DSL Red Sox1 pitching staff.

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Charlotte Knights (CWS) 7, Pawtucket Red Sox 5

A late-inning comeback fell just short as the PawSox fell to the Knights. Chris Owings continued to swing a hot bat for Pawtucket as he singled and launched his fourth home run of the season. Joining Owings in the home run column was Gorkys Hernandez, who launched his 13th long ball of the season. Juan Centeno doubled and walked as he drove in two. Kyle Hart got the start and was roughed up to the tune of six earned runs in five innings. Hector Velasquez came on in relief and allowed a run in two frames, while Ryan Brasier and Domingo Tapia combined to toss two scoreless innings. 

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Minor Notes: Cannon debuts for Lowell, Hernandez back in the bullpen

Here are Saturday's minor league notes:

• Thanks to our wonderful readers and listeners, we've reached our goal in this year's site Donation Drive of $7,000. Thank you all so much for your support. Although the Drive is over, we always accept support at https://soxprospects.com/donate.htm and https://www.patreon.com/soxprospects.

• SoxProspects's own Chris Hatfield (@SPChrisHatfield on Twitter) visited Frederick to catch Salem for a pair of games, highlighted by a (shortened) start by Thaddeus Ward. Chris put together a Patreon Game Update for our Patrons containing a first-hand report on Ward and a number of other Salem players. 

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Cup of Coffee: Wilson homers twice, Scherff gets back on track

7/20 Cup of Coffee: A two-home run game from Marcus Wilson was not enough for the Sea Dogs, while Tyler Dearden hit a grand slam in support of Alex Scherff (pictured, right) in Greenville. Brandon Howlett and Nick Decker each had strong nights, while Bryan Mata had an up-and-down performance for Portland. 

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Pawtucket Red Sox 4, Charlotte Knights (CWS) 3

Josh A. Smith started for the PawSox, and he improved to 4-2 with six scoreless innings, striking out six without issuing a walk. When he left the game the Knights woke up, as Mike Shawaryn absorbed most of the damage. He recorded only one out and gave up three runs as his ERA jumped to 9.18 over his last 16 1/3 innings. The bullpen was solid after that, with Bobby Poyner striking out four in 1 2/3 innings and Trevor Kelley picking up his sixth save with a scoreless ninth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Cannon breaks out; Howlett rips three doubles

7/19 Cup of Coffee: Boston's top pick in each of the last three drafts played prominent roles on Thursday, supplemented by several other top-20 prospects. Cameron Cannon (pictured, right) and Gilberto Jimenez had monster games in the first game of a doubleheader that Lowell would go on to sweep. Triston Casas blasted his 17th homer of the year but was almost a footnote behind the efforts of Brandon Howlett and Brayan Bello. Denyi Reyes has righted the ship for Portland, helping lead a Sea Dogs shutout. Pawtuket dropped its contest despite strong efforts out of the bullpen by 2017 first-rounder Tanner Houck and rehabbing 2018 hero Nathan Eovaldi. The DSL squads swept their contests, led by Bryan Gonzalez and Daniel Belen.

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Louisville Bats (CIN) 4, Pawtucket Red Sox 2

The PawSox offense generated only three hits as they were unable to take advantage of some solid pitching performances. Travis Lakins returned to the PawSox and got the opener assignment, striking out a pair and giving up one hit in a scoreless first inning. Nathan Eovaldi followed, striking out the side sandwiched around a walk in his lone inning of work. Teddy Stankiewicz gave up just three hits in five innings but was snakebitten by the long ball, surrendering four runs on three round trippers. Tanner Houck fired two scoreless innings that featured one strikeout and one particularly nasty slider. 

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Cup of Coffee: 2 hits for Lugo; Tendler launches 10th home run

Cup of Coffee 7/18: The Red Sox system was successful on the evening, with a 4-3 record. Portland scored five runs in a runaway victory against New Hampshire, while Salem fought back late against the Wood Ducks to earn the win. Despite a quality start from Kevin Biondic, the Greenville bats couldn't get going and were shutout. Matthew Lugo continued to heat up in the GCL, as he notched two singles and an RBI to raise his batting average to .265 through 13 professional contests, including five base knocks in his last three games. A trio of Portland hitters grabbed two RBI in Jarren Duran, Jeremy Rivera and Luke Tendler (pictured).

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Louisville Bats (CIN) 8, Pawtucket Red Sox 1
The Red Sox and the Bats were deadlocked at 1-1 heading into the seventh inning, but Domingo Tapia struggled mightily, allowing five runs (four earned) during the fateful top half of the frame after getting through the sixth unscathed. Erasmo Ramirez delivered 2 1/3 scoreless frames to begin the contest, while Jordan Weems allowed just one run during his 2 2/3-inning outing to follow him up. The deficit was large enough where outfielder Cole Sturgeon was called upon to pitch the ninth. Rusney Castillo was the lone bright spot offensively, as he was 2 for 3 with a steal and a double.

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Cup of Coffee: Wade throws seven scoreless innings, Casas hits 16th home run

7/17 Cup of Coffee: Konner Wade (pictured) and Eduard Bazardo combined to throw a four-hit shutout for the Sea Dogs, Triston Casas hit his 16th home run of the year, and Logan Browning continued a dominant stretch for the Drive. 

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Pawtucket Red Sox 5, Louisville Bats (CIN) 1

Home runs from Chad De La Guerra and Rusney Castillo provided more than enough support for Matthew Kent. De La Guerra launched a three-run shot in the seventh, and Castillo had a solo home run in the fourth. Castillo's home run was his 10th of the year as he has already doubled last year's total. Chris Owings went 2 for 4 with a stolen base to round out the offense. 

Kent picked up his first win with the PawSox as he allowed one run over six innings, allowing only three hits. Mike Shawaryn and Travis Lakins combined to toss three scoreless innings, with Shawaryn notching two strikeouts. 

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Cup of Coffee: Corcino powers Salem; Lugo breaks out

7/16 Cup of Coffee: It was an eventful night in the Red Sox system as several players put together strong performances. Edgar Corcino brought the thunder for Salem as he drove in six, thanks to a pair of long balls. In Greenville, Chase Shugart and Devlin Granberg (pictured) continued to be catalysts for the Drive, while Matthew Lugo broke out in the GCL.

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Pawtucket Red Sox 2, Louisville Bats (CIN) 1

The PawSox walked the tight rope as they overcame Louisville. Kyle Hart was on the hill for Pawtucket and tossed six scoreless innings, striking out four. Making his Triple-A debut, Tanner Houck relieved him and pitched a scoreless inning despite walking two. Bobby Poyner earned his fourth save of the season by striking out two in a shut out ninth. Josh Ockimey was the lone Pawtucket batter to collect multiple hits as his RBI double gave the PawSox a lead they would not relinquish. 

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Minor Notes: Sox finish up 2019 draft signings

Here are Monday's minor league notes:

•  Check out the 162nd episode of the SoxProspects.com podcast, where Chris and Ian discuss the Red Sox final push to sign amateur talent, Bryan Mata, Darwinzon Hernandez and Tanner Houck's move to the bullpen, and more.
• We're almost there! Help keep SoxProspects.com free by donating to our donation drive. We are about 92% of the way to reaching our goal of raising $7,000. As always, thank you to all of our readers and supporters. 
• The Red Sox finished up the MLB draft signing period by signing four more draft picks, as 12th-rounder Brendan Cellucci, 25th-rounder Karson Simas, 31st-rounder Feleipe Franks, and 32nd-rounder Bradley Blalock. 

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Cup of Coffee: Mata rolls again; Ward exits early

7/15 Cup of Coffee: Offense was hard to come by on Sunday. Two affiliates accumulated just three hits apiece, including Lowell, who was the only affiliate to come away with the win on the day. Bryan Mata (pictured, left) was solid in his third Double-A outing despite getting no offensive support. Thaddeus Ward came out strong but departed in the third inning several pitches after taking a comebacker off of the hand. With the major league squad playing on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, Pawtucket got the NESN treatment, with fans treated to a back-and-forth contest and a look at Darwinzon Hernandez. Greenville fell despite the efforts of Tyler Esplin and Grant Williams, while Salem was efficiently shut out. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 4, Pawtucket Red Sox 3

The PawSox dropped the rubber game of their five-game set as Darwinzon Hernandez surrendered his first run since moving to the bullpen at the beginning of the month. Unscored upon in his four previous outings, Hernandez entered with the score knotted at three in the eighth inning. The 22-year-old lefty issued a walk and hit a batter while inducing a couple of fly outs, but then gave up an RBI single that gave the Bisons a one-run lead. Hernandez struck out the next batter to limit the damage, but the PawSox offense failed to rally. Josh Smith got the start for Pawtucket, giving up three runs on seven hits in six innings. Jordan Weems and Trevor Kelley tossed a scoreless inning apiece.

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Podcast Ep. #162: I'm recording this podcast while drinking orange juice

The draft signing deadline has passed, and the Red Sox were busy. Chris and Ian took a look at the organization’s final push to add amateur talent and sized up the 2019 class. Plus, a new month means new rankings and a chance to discuss some promotions and moves to the bullpen, as well as some recent looks at the Lowell Spinners. And we close, as always, with a heaping helping of your emails!

Listen in!

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Cup of Coffee: Bello strikes out 13 over six innings

7/14 Cup of Coffee: A 13-strikeout performance from Brayan Bello was the highlight of the night as the Red Sox affiliates combined to go 6-0 on the day. Three of the games were won in extra innings, with Oscar Hernandez's walk-off home run lifting Pawtucket. C.J. Chatham had another good game for the Sea Dogs, while Garrett Benge helped Salem mount an impressive comeback. 

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Pawtucket Red Sox 7, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 5 (10 innings)
Oscar Hernandez launched a walk-off two-run home run with two outs in the 10th inning to win it for the PawSox. Pawtucket was down by two entering the ninth, and they ultimately tied the game with two outs when Tzu-Wei Lin scored on a wild pitch. Hernandez provided the fireworks in the 10th, and Sam Travis hit a two-run home run earlier in the night. Travis has been hot to start July, with his current line sitting at .342/.400/.553.

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Cup of Coffee: Diaz continues hot streak for Salem

7/13 Cup of Coffee: A whopping 11 games were played throughout the system last night, as Pawtucket and Salem played doubleheaders while Portland completed a suspended game along with a regularly scheduled game. Jhonathan Diaz (pictured) continued his recent dominance for Salem, while Tanner Houck and Darwinzon Hernandez made some noise as relievers. Youngsters including recent draft pick Jaxx Groshans showed off offensively for Lowell.

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 4, Pawtucket Red Sox 3 (Game 1)

The PawSox fought back after being down 4-0, but it wasn't enough in game one. Janzten Witte and Chris Owings led the way offensively, as Witte went 2 for 2 with a double and Owings belted his third long ball of the year. Erasmo Ramirez took the loss but went the distance, surrendering four earned runs with four strikeouts and just one walk. 

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Cup of Coffee: Weber, Bastardo shine in no-hit bids

7/12 Cup of Coffee: It was a day of impressive pitching performances, even in games where the affiliates did not prevail. Ryan Weber (pictured) carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning for the PawSox, as did the DSL Red Sox1 team highlighted by Angel Bastardo. Matt Kent matched up evenly with a first-round pick, while Chris Machamer and Hunter Haworth teamed up for an impressive outing for the Drive. Rain affected affiliates from Binghamton to Buena Vista. The second game of Portland's doubleheader was suspended, while Salem's doubleheader and the GCL Sox' contest were postponed. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 5, Pawtucket Red Sox 4

The PawSox opened their second half schedule with a brutal come-from-behind loss after a masterful effort by Ryan Weber. The right-hander fired 6 1/3 no-hit innings before giving up a single in the seventh, followed by a sacrifice fly to end the shutout. Through his first six frames he faced the minimum 18 batters, with both walks allowed ultimately erased on double plays. Weber departed after those seven frames with a 4-1 lead, the Bisons showed their immediate relief. Travis Lakins came on and surrendered a single and pair of walks without retiring a batter. Trevor Kelley followed, getting the shallow fly ball out that he needed, followed by a sacrifice fly that cut the lead to two, but the lead was then erased with a two-out three-run homer. 

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