August 17, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Castillo powers the PawSox, Shawaryn strikes out seven
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Pawtucket Red Sox 11, Louisville Bats (CIN) 5
A 17-hit attack that included three home runs paced the PawSox. Rusney Castillo was the star of the day, going 4 for 5 with two doubles and his 15th home run of the season. Bryce Brentz launched a two-run home run, his 28th of the year, as part of his 2-for-5 night. Brentz is now one home run away from the International League lead. Matt Dominguez also joined the party, going 3 for 5 with a solo home run.
In what has become too common of an occurrence for Brian Johnson, his night was cut short after being hit by a comebacker. The ball hit him in the leg and he was able to record the last out of the first inning, but he did not return for the second inning. Edgar Olmos was great in relief, striking out six and allowing one run over four innings.
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Portland Sea Dogs 6, Altoona Curve (PIT) 1
Another strong start from Dedgar Jimenez helped lead the Sea Dogs to victory. Jimenez improved to 4-0 with the Sea Dogs after he fired 6 2/3 innings of one run ball. He struck out only one but he did not walk a batter and allowed seven hits. SoxProspects.com Director of Scouting Ian Cundall was in attendance, and he tweeted that Jimenez topped out at 92 with his fastball while also mixing in a curveball, slider and changeup. Cundall also got to see Ty Buttrey, who struck out one over 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Buttrey topped out at 98 while mixing in an average slider. Bobby Poyner threw another scoreless inning, dropping his ERA to 0.28.
The offense was again led by Jeremy Barfield, who went 2 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI. Barfield has been on fire over the last six weeks, raising his OPS over 200 points during that stretch. Michael Chavis went 1 for 4 with a double, Henry Urrutia went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk, and Josh Ockimey went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs.
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Salem Red Sox 8, Potomac Nationals (WAS) 4 (10 innings)
Two home runs from Jose Sermo and a solid outing from Mike Shawaryn pushed Salem past Potomac. Shawaryn went the first five innings, striking out seven and allowing two runs. It was a nice rebound for the former fifth-round pick who had allowed 12 runs over his last 10 2/3 innings. Sermo drove in all four of Salem's runs and also walked and singled. The big hit was a three-run home run in the top of the eighth when Salem was down 2-1.
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Charleston RiverDogs (NYY) 5, Greenville Drive 2
The RiverDogs got to Hunter Smith for five runs in the bottom of the eighth to stun the Drive. Darwinzon Hernandez tossed five shutout innings, allowing only one hit while striking out five and walking three. This was the sixth start of the year where Hernandez did not allow a run, and the left-hander lowered his ERA to 3.67. Jerry Downs went 2 for 4 to lead the offense, while Bobby Dalbec went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, and he has now struck out in 47 percent of his at-bats since returning from the disabled list.
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Vermont Lake Monsters (OAK) 7, Lowell Spinners 4
Vermont's offense was too much to overcome as Lowell's three-game winning streak came to an end. Enmanuel De Jesus and Devon Fisher each allowed three earned runs, while Durin O'Linger held the Lake Monsters scoreless over his 1 1/3 innings. Zach Sterry accounted for three of Lowell's nine hits, and Frankie Rios went 2 for 4 with a walk.
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Despite an impressive effort from the heart of the order. the Red Sox fell to the Orioles. Pedro Castellanos led the way, going 2 for 5 with two doubles and an RBI. Castellanos is currently leading the Gulf Coast League in hitting, batting .376, and he has struck out only 10 times in 141 at bats. Everlouis Lozada went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and Kervin Suarez went 2 for 4 with a walk and scored two runs. The struggles continued for Oddanier Mosqueda who went 4 2/3 innings and allowed four runs while walking four, and his ERA is now 10.34 over his last five starts.
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A pair of strong pitching performances helped the Red Sox outlast the Dodgers. Rafael Gomez got the start and allowed one run on three hits over five innings, and the 19-year-old has allowed only two runs over his last 22 innings. Luis Rivero took sole possession of the most wins in the Dominican Summer League on Wednesday as he improved to 9-1 with four innings of shutout ball. He allowed one hit and walked one while striking out four. Keibert Petit went 1 for 3 with two walks, and Marcos Martinez won the game in the bottom of the 12th with a sacrifice fly.
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Player of the Night: Rusney Castillo had a season-high four hits, including two doubles and a home run, in Pawtucket's win on Wednesday. This has been the best season Castillo has had since signing with Boston back in 2014, as the outfielder is now batting .315 with 37 extra-base hits in only 86 games with the PawSox. He has also stolen 14 bases while playing solid defense in center field. The combination of a strong outfield in Boston and a large contract will likely keep Castillo off the 40-man roster this year, but the 30-year-old has done a lot to help his stock in 2017.
Photo Credit: Rusney Castillo by Kelly O'Connor
Photo Credit: Rusney Castillo by Kelly O'Connor