Bogaerts leads DSL offensive explosion

7/1 Cup of Coffee: As June wound to a close, Red Sox affiliates showed their strength and tenacity as they took 6 out of 7 games on Thursday.

The suddenly hot PawSox won their fourth in a row by nipping the Rochester Red Wings (MIN), 6-5. All-Star selection Matt Fox received the start, tossing 5.0 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 4. Tommy Hottovy made his first appearance for Pawtucket since being sent back down from Boston, adding 2.0 scoreless innings of relief, allowing 2 hits and a walk while striking out 2. Hideki Okajima picked up the victory as he pitched 1.0 inning of relief, allowing 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 2. Michael Bowden picked up his seventh save by hurling a scoreless ninth inning. Pawtucket took an early 2-0 lead in the second as they received RBI ground outs from Brent Dlugach and Jose Iglesias. In the third, the red hot Ryan Lavarnway laced an RBI single to extend the PawSox lead to 3-0. The Red Wings retaliated in the fourth, scoring 4 times and taking a 4-3 lead. In the fifth, a pair of solo home runs from Lavarnway and Hector Luna gave Pawtucket a 5-4 advantage. Rochester tied the contest once again in the top of the eighth, but the PawSox would scratch out a run in the bottom half of the inning to claim a 6-5 victory. In the bottom of the eighth, Iglesias walked, stole second, stole third and came home on a wild pitch for the eventual winning run. Lavarnway was 3 for 5 with a home run, run scored and 2 RBI to lead the Pawtucket offensive charge.

Looking to solve a team that has given them fits this season; the Sea Dogs used a 13 hit attack to tame the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR), 10-6. Stephen Fife picked up his ninth victory of the year as he went 6.0 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, striking out 1. Charle Rosario followed Fife and added 2.0 innings of relief, allowing an unearned run on 2 hits while striking out 3. Eammon Portice also provided an inning from the bullpen, allowing a run on 1 hit, striking out 1. In the second, an Oscar Tejeda RBI single propelled the Sea Dogs to a quick 1-0 lead. The very next inning, a Mitch Dening solo home run and an RBI single from Will Middlebrooks gave Portland a 4-0 lead. The Fisher Cats came back in the fourth inning by plating four runs to tie the game at 4-4. RBI doubles by Tim Federowicz and Reynaldo Rodriguez in addition to a Tejeda RBI single in the fifth, opened up the game 8-4 in favor of the Sea Dogs. Ryan Khoury’s RBI triple and Chih-Hsien Chiang’s RBI single provided Portland with their final two runs of the contest in the eighth. Every member of the Sea Dogs lineup, with the exception of Jon Hee, had at least one hit.

Salem used some early muscle and solid pitching to down the Wilmington Blue Rocks (KC), 5-3. Chris Hernandez moved to 6-3 on the season due to his 5.2 innings performance during which he allowed 3 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. Kendal Volz added 2.1 outstanding innings of relief, not allowing a base runner and striking out 5. Will Latimer pitched a perfect ninth inning to record his third save. The Red Sox jumped out to an early start in this one, receiving a three run home run from Bryce Brentz in the top of the first, and held a 3-2 lead after one. In the second, a Shannon Wilkerson RBI single extended the Salem lead to 4-2. In the sixth, a run scoring double play provided the Red Sox with their fifth and final run. Brentz was 2 for 4 to lead the Salem offense.

In an extra inning thriller, Greenville walked off with a 2-1 victory over the Asheville Tourists (COL). Miguel Celestino received the start for the Drive, going 6.2 innings, allowing an unearned run on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. Tyler Lockwood relieved Celestino and provided 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, allowing 2 hits and striking out 1. Garrett Rau picked up the victory as he provided 2.0 scoreless innings of relief, allowing 2 hits and punching out 4. Down 1-0 in the seventh, Greenville broke through to tie the game on a Lucas LeBlanc RBI single. In the eleventh, Brandon Jacobs singled, stole second, stole third and came home on a Michael Almanzar ground out for the winning run.

Lowell used a six run second inning and some outstanding pitching to shutout the Tri-City Valley Cats (HOU), 8-0. Madison Younginer tossed 4.0 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and no walks while striking out 3. Luis Bastardo continued to dazzle, picking up the victory for his 4.0 innings of relief, allowing 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 8. Andrew Jones added an inning of scoreless relief in his Spinners debut. In the second, a Matty Johnson RBI single gave Lowell a quick 1-0 lead. The Spinners opened up the game in the second, plating six runs on a Jose Garcia RBI double, Boss Moanaroa 2 RBI double, a Johnson RBI single, and sacrifice flies by Jayson Hernandez and Drew Turocy. Garin Cecchini’s RBI double in the eighth provided the Spinner’s their eighth and final run of the contest.

After being shutout a day earlier, the GCL Orioles (BAL) got revenge in a 6-1 victory over the GCL Red Sox. Dennys Reyes pitched the first inning for the Red Sox, allowing 1 run on 1 hit. Jacob Dahlstrand followed Reyes with 3.0 innings of relief, allowing an unearned run and striking out 2. Willy Cuevas also added 3.0 innings from the bullpen, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 2. Corey Vogt added 2.0 scoreless innings of relief, striking out 1. The Red Sox scored their lone run of the contest in the fourth on a passed ball. The GCL squad mustered only 3 hits and committed 5 errors in the loss.

The DSL Red Sox put on an offensive clinic as they obliterated the DSL Astros (HOU), 20-4. Pedro Reyes went the first 5.0 innings for the Red Sox, allowing 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 4. Jose Espitia relieved Reyes and added 1.1 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 2 walks while striking out 2. German Tavares also contributed 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. The Red Sox scored every inning except the third and ninth, led by an 8 run barrage in the second inning. Every member of the Red Sox reached base at least once and the offense was led by Ynoel Aguero who went 4 for 6 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI, Deiner Lopez who was 3 for 6 with 3 runs scored, a triple and 4 RBI and Jair Bogaerts who went 3 for 4 with a double, 2 runs scored, a home run and 5 RBI.

Player of the Night: Jair Bogaerts, who went 3 for 4 with a double, 2 runs scored, a home run and 5 RBI in the Red Sox 20-4 mashing of the DSL Astros.

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