July 1, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Espinoza and Owens pitch well, Basabe leads Lowell
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Rochester Red Wings (MIN) 1, Pawtucket Red Sox 0
The no-hit and shutout bid by Henry Owens both ended in the seventh, as the left-hander picked up his sixth loss of the year. The first hit he allowed was a double to start the seventh, and that runner came around to score on a sacrifice fly. In all, Owens went 7 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out four. He was out-dueled by Ervin Santana, who appears ready to help the Twins as he comes back from an PED-related suspension.
Of Pawtucket's five hits, Jonathan Roof and Luis Martinez accounted for two apiece, while Travis Shaw also added a single. Allen Craig went 0 for 3 with a strikeout, dropping his average to .226 over his last 53 at-bats, with a strikeout rate over 30 percent during that span.
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New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR) 7, Portland Sea Dogs 4
Despite some signs of life from Shane Victorino, the Sea Dogs were not able to overcome Joel Pineiro and the Fisher Cats. Justin Haley dropped to 2-9 on the season after allowing five runs over three innings. Mike McCarthy saved the bullpen with four innings of one-run ball, and Jorge Marban allowed only an unearned run in his two innings.
In his first rehab appearance with the Sea Dogs since the beginning of May, Shane Victorino went 1 for 3 with a double, RBI, and of course, he was hit by a pitch. He showcased some impressive speed, scoring from second base on a sacrifice fly after the center fielder fell down making a catch at the wall. Manuel Margot extended his hitting streak to six games with a single, and Jantzen Witte added his 21st double of the year, which leads the system. The loss dropped Portland's record to 6-21 in June, which as Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald noted on Twitter, is the worst June in franchise history.
Despite some signs of life from Shane Victorino, the Sea Dogs were not able to overcome Joel Pineiro and the Fisher Cats. Justin Haley dropped to 2-9 on the season after allowing five runs over three innings. Mike McCarthy saved the bullpen with four innings of one-run ball, and Jorge Marban allowed only an unearned run in his two innings.
In his first rehab appearance with the Sea Dogs since the beginning of May, Shane Victorino went 1 for 3 with a double, RBI, and of course, he was hit by a pitch. He showcased some impressive speed, scoring from second base on a sacrifice fly after the center fielder fell down making a catch at the wall. Manuel Margot extended his hitting streak to six games with a single, and Jantzen Witte added his 21st double of the year, which leads the system. The loss dropped Portland's record to 6-21 in June, which as Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald noted on Twitter, is the worst June in franchise history.
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Aaron Wilkerson was hit hard as the Hillcats completed a three-game sweep. Wilkerson, who until yesterday had allowed only 11 runs over his last 53 1/3 innings while striking out 57, surrendered six runs on seven hits in only 3 2/3 innings. The loss was his first as a member of Salem. Mike Adams and Kyle Kaminska could not do much to stop the bleeding, as they were tagged for five runs in their 5 1/3 innings of work.
Salem did have 10 hits in the game, led by multi-hit efforts from Derek Miller, Tzu-Wei Lin, Wendell Rijo, and Zach Kapstein. Rijo slugged the team's only extra-base hit, as he notched his 17th double of the season. The double was only Rijo's second extra-base hit in his last 89 plate appearances after he collected 18 over his first 113 plate appearances.
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Hickory Crawdads (TEX) 8, Greenville Drive 1
Not much went right for the Drive last night, as a six-run second inning doomed them from the start. Jeffry Fernandez had a chance to get out of the second inning unscathed, but three straight two-out hits, including two home runs, led to six runs for the Crawdads. The Drive mustered up only three hits, with Mike Meyers, Michael Chavis, and Cisco Tellez each notching one.
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Lowell Spinners 7, Vermont Lake Monsters (OAK) 6
It was more difficult than it needed to be, but the Spinners escaped with a one-run victory in 10 innings. Danny Rosenbaum got the start, allowing two runs, one earned, over five innings. Brandon Show followed him with three scoreless innings, and Daniel Zandona entered the game for his professional debut with the Spinners leading 6-2 in the ninth. Things fell apart quickly, as Zandona gave up a single, home run, and double before being pulled with only one out.
Edwar Garcia came in to put out the fire, but an error by first baseman Josh Ockimey led the tying run score to send the game to extra innings. The Spinners recaptured the lead in the tenth on Luis Alexander Basabe's second home run of the day, and Garcia remained in the game to close it out.
Basabe was the star of the game, going 2 for 5 with a three-run home run in the third and the solo shot in the tenth. Chad De La Guerra added his first professional home run, a two-run blast in the fourth. Those two players drove in all seven runs for the Spinners, as the team improved to 10-2.
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Hickory Crawdads (TEX) 8, Greenville Drive 1
Not much went right for the Drive last night, as a six-run second inning doomed them from the start. Jeffry Fernandez had a chance to get out of the second inning unscathed, but three straight two-out hits, including two home runs, led to six runs for the Crawdads. The Drive mustered up only three hits, with Mike Meyers, Michael Chavis, and Cisco Tellez each notching one.
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Lowell Spinners 7, Vermont Lake Monsters (OAK) 6
It was more difficult than it needed to be, but the Spinners escaped with a one-run victory in 10 innings. Danny Rosenbaum got the start, allowing two runs, one earned, over five innings. Brandon Show followed him with three scoreless innings, and Daniel Zandona entered the game for his professional debut with the Spinners leading 6-2 in the ninth. Things fell apart quickly, as Zandona gave up a single, home run, and double before being pulled with only one out.
Edwar Garcia came in to put out the fire, but an error by first baseman Josh Ockimey led the tying run score to send the game to extra innings. The Spinners recaptured the lead in the tenth on Luis Alexander Basabe's second home run of the day, and Garcia remained in the game to close it out.
Basabe was the star of the game, going 2 for 5 with a three-run home run in the third and the solo shot in the tenth. Chad De La Guerra added his first professional home run, a two-run blast in the fourth. Those two players drove in all seven runs for the Spinners, as the team improved to 10-2.
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The GCL Red Sox stretched their winning streak to eight as they dispatched the Orioles. Making his second stateside start, prized right-hander Anderson Espinoza dazzled once again, firing four innings of shutout ball. He scattered three hits and one walk while recording five strikeouts, with every other out coming via a groundout. SoxProspects.com Forum member steveofbradenton reported that a scout behind home had Espinoza at 94-96 with his fastball, touching 97. Kevin Steen with four more innings of scoreless ball, walking two while striking out three.
Rehabbing outfielder Henry Ramos led the way with a 2 for 3 performance while adding a walk. After appearing as a designated hitter in his first five rehab starts, Ramos started this game in left field, though he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth. Isaias Lucena also had two hits and a walk, while 11th-rounder Nicholos Hamilton made his professional debut, going 1 for 3 with a walk.
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DSL Red Sox1 6, DSL Orioles (BAL) 2
Three pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout, snapping the team's three-game losing streak. Roniel Raudes was dominant yet again, allowing five hits while striking out nine without walking a batter over five innings. Raudes has yet to issue a free pass this season over 29 1/3 innings, and he has now struck out 20 batters over his last 10 innings. Shair Lacrus and Marcos Lantigua combined to throw four perfect innings of relief to lock down the win.
Catcher Samuel Miranda went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk, and Reinaldo Ugueto added two hits and two walks. Batters two through five in the lineup went 9 for 17 with three walks, while the rest of the starters combined to go 0 for 17.
DSL Mets2 (NYM) 6, DSL Red Sox2 4
The second DSL squad has been unstoppable this year, but they are now 0-3 against the DSL Mets2. Darwinzon Hernandez did everything he could to beat the Mets, firing six scoreless innings, allowing only four hits while striking out six without walking a batter. Having entered the game walking more batters than he was striking out, this start represented strong progress for the 18-year-old.
Carlos Pulido and Stanley Espinal each had a single and a triple, while Ramfis Berroa added his third home run of the year, tying him with Juan Barriento for the most by a Red Sox player in the DSL.
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Player of the Night: Two home runs, including the go-ahead blast in extra innings, makes Luis Alexander Basabe the most deserving on a night where several players had strong performances. Basabe is currently holding his own in Lowell despite being more than three years younger than the average player in the New York-Penn League, and after starting the season 0 for 8, he is now 12 for his last 37 with five extra-base hits.
Photo Credit: Luis Alexander Basabe by Kelly O'Connor
Three pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout, snapping the team's three-game losing streak. Roniel Raudes was dominant yet again, allowing five hits while striking out nine without walking a batter over five innings. Raudes has yet to issue a free pass this season over 29 1/3 innings, and he has now struck out 20 batters over his last 10 innings. Shair Lacrus and Marcos Lantigua combined to throw four perfect innings of relief to lock down the win.
Catcher Samuel Miranda went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk, and Reinaldo Ugueto added two hits and two walks. Batters two through five in the lineup went 9 for 17 with three walks, while the rest of the starters combined to go 0 for 17.
DSL Mets2 (NYM) 6, DSL Red Sox2 4
The second DSL squad has been unstoppable this year, but they are now 0-3 against the DSL Mets2. Darwinzon Hernandez did everything he could to beat the Mets, firing six scoreless innings, allowing only four hits while striking out six without walking a batter. Having entered the game walking more batters than he was striking out, this start represented strong progress for the 18-year-old.
Carlos Pulido and Stanley Espinal each had a single and a triple, while Ramfis Berroa added his third home run of the year, tying him with Juan Barriento for the most by a Red Sox player in the DSL.
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Player of the Night: Two home runs, including the go-ahead blast in extra innings, makes Luis Alexander Basabe the most deserving on a night where several players had strong performances. Basabe is currently holding his own in Lowell despite being more than three years younger than the average player in the New York-Penn League, and after starting the season 0 for 8, he is now 12 for his last 37 with five extra-base hits.
Photo Credit: Luis Alexander Basabe by Kelly O'Connor