June 23, 2018 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Casas and Northcut debut, Esplin drives in five
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A quality start from William Cuevas and a wild Syracuse starter helped the PawSox move back to .500 on the year. Cuevas allowed three runs over his seven innings, walking two and striking out four. After a string of rough starts in May, Cuevas has bounced back and now has an ERA of 2.58 over his last 38 1/3 innings. Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless ninth to pick up his tenth save. The offense managed seven hits, all singles, but also notched eight walks that were the difference in the game. Ivan De Jesus Jr. drew three of those and came around to score twice. Tzu-Wei Lin went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs and Rusney Castillo went 1 for 4.
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A solo home run was all the damage that Matthew Kent gave up, as he improved to 5-4 with six innings of one-run ball. Matthew Gorst followed with two scoreless innings in his Portland debut, picking up where he left off in Salem, where his ERA was 1.59. The 10-hit offensive attack was led by Nick Lovullo, who had a 3-for-3 night while driving in two runs. Josh Ockimey launched a two-run home run, his 11th of the year, and his fifth in 16 games in June. Jhon Nunez also added a two-run home run in the victory.
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Salem Red Sox 5, Frederick Keys (BAL) 3
Salem scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to come back and beat the Keys. Bobby Dalbec hit an RBI double to tie the game, then a wild pitch put the Red Sox ahead. While he did not get the win, Darwinzon Hernandez was great, striking out six and walking two over six innings while allowing two runs. The win went to Jake Cosart, who struck out two without allowing a run over 1 1/3 innings. Brett Netzer raised his average to .316 by going 3 for 4 with a triple, and Jerry Downs went 2 for 3 with a double.
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Asheville Tourists (COL) 6, Greenville Drive 2
A rain delay spoiled what was shaping up to be a strong start from Enmanuel De Jesus, as he left the game after allowing one run over 3 2/3 innings. Durin O'Linger came in after the delay and he was hit hard for nine hits and four runs over 3 1/3 innings. Pedro Castellanos went 3 for 4 as he continued to hit the ball well since his return from the disabled list, and Ryan Fitzgerald hit his first home run of the year to drive in both of Greenville's runs.
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Lowell Spinners 11, Tri-City ValleyCats (HOU) 4
Tyler Esplin drove in five runs, three of which came on his second home run of the year, as he powered Lowell to victory. Devlin Granberg went 2 for 4 with a double and Garrett Benge went 2 for 3 with a walk while the two players combined to score five runs batting in front of Esplin. Cole Brannen went 1 for 4 with a walk and also stole his 14th base in 15 attempts. Yorvin Pantoja got the start and allowed two runs over four innings.
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GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 0
The professional debuts for Triston Casas and Nicholas Northcut did not go as one might hope, as both players went 0 for 3 and the Red Sox managed only two hits in a shutout loss. On the mound, Jose Gonzalez twirled five shutout innings and Yoan Aybar had his first scoreless appearance since converting from the outfield.
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DSL Royals1 3, DSL Red Sox1 2
Jesus Maita got on base three times with two singles and a walk, but he was also caught stealing twice. Despite not recording a strikeout over six innings, Emerson Ortiz limited the damage to two runs. Osvaldo De La Rosa took the loss after surrendering the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth.
DSL Cubs1 5, DSL Red Sox2 4
Danny Diaz continued his boom-or-bust ways by going 0 for 5 with a strikeout, but Angel Gonzalez provided plenty of excitement in his place as he went 2 for 2 with a double, walk, and a steal of home. Miguel Suero struck out six and allowed one run over five innings as his ERA rose to 1.08.
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Player of the Night: Tyler Esplin went 3 for 5 with a home run and five RBI as he continued his strong start to the season. Ranked 37th in the SoxProspects.com rankings, Esplin is known for his raw power, and he has flashed that early on for Lowell with two doubles and two home runs over seven games.
Photo Credit: Tyler Esplin by Kelly O'Connor
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Salem Red Sox 5, Frederick Keys (BAL) 3
Salem scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to come back and beat the Keys. Bobby Dalbec hit an RBI double to tie the game, then a wild pitch put the Red Sox ahead. While he did not get the win, Darwinzon Hernandez was great, striking out six and walking two over six innings while allowing two runs. The win went to Jake Cosart, who struck out two without allowing a run over 1 1/3 innings. Brett Netzer raised his average to .316 by going 3 for 4 with a triple, and Jerry Downs went 2 for 3 with a double.
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Asheville Tourists (COL) 6, Greenville Drive 2
A rain delay spoiled what was shaping up to be a strong start from Enmanuel De Jesus, as he left the game after allowing one run over 3 2/3 innings. Durin O'Linger came in after the delay and he was hit hard for nine hits and four runs over 3 1/3 innings. Pedro Castellanos went 3 for 4 as he continued to hit the ball well since his return from the disabled list, and Ryan Fitzgerald hit his first home run of the year to drive in both of Greenville's runs.
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Lowell Spinners 11, Tri-City ValleyCats (HOU) 4
Tyler Esplin drove in five runs, three of which came on his second home run of the year, as he powered Lowell to victory. Devlin Granberg went 2 for 4 with a double and Garrett Benge went 2 for 3 with a walk while the two players combined to score five runs batting in front of Esplin. Cole Brannen went 1 for 4 with a walk and also stole his 14th base in 15 attempts. Yorvin Pantoja got the start and allowed two runs over four innings.
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GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 0
The professional debuts for Triston Casas and Nicholas Northcut did not go as one might hope, as both players went 0 for 3 and the Red Sox managed only two hits in a shutout loss. On the mound, Jose Gonzalez twirled five shutout innings and Yoan Aybar had his first scoreless appearance since converting from the outfield.
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DSL Royals1 3, DSL Red Sox1 2
Jesus Maita got on base three times with two singles and a walk, but he was also caught stealing twice. Despite not recording a strikeout over six innings, Emerson Ortiz limited the damage to two runs. Osvaldo De La Rosa took the loss after surrendering the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth.
DSL Cubs1 5, DSL Red Sox2 4
Danny Diaz continued his boom-or-bust ways by going 0 for 5 with a strikeout, but Angel Gonzalez provided plenty of excitement in his place as he went 2 for 2 with a double, walk, and a steal of home. Miguel Suero struck out six and allowed one run over five innings as his ERA rose to 1.08.
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Player of the Night: Tyler Esplin went 3 for 5 with a home run and five RBI as he continued his strong start to the season. Ranked 37th in the SoxProspects.com rankings, Esplin is known for his raw power, and he has flashed that early on for Lowell with two doubles and two home runs over seven games.
Photo Credit: Tyler Esplin by Kelly O'Connor