Cup of Coffee: Meidroth wins it for Worcester with walk-off walk; Portland's season ends

9/16 Cup of Coffee: Both Worcester and Portland played their final home games of the 2024 regular season on Sunday. Roman Anthony reached base three times while Chase Meidroth drew a walk-off walk as part of an exciting afternoon for the WooSox at Polar Park. Despite getting six scoreless innings from Caleb Bolden, the Sea Dogs were shut out at Hadlock Field and were subsequently eliminated from playoff contention.

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Worcester Red Sox 4, Syracuse Mets (NYM) 3

A four-run ninth inning propelled the WooSox to a come-from-behind win in their final home game of the regular season. Vaughn Grissom and Corey Rosier each went 2 for 4, with the former scoring one run and the latter driving in another. Leadoff man Roman Anthony reached base three times, going 1 for 3 with a game-tying RBI single and two walks. Chase Meidroth came up empty in his first four trips to the plate before drawing a bases-loaded walk-off walk with one out in the bottom of the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Coffey strikes out 10 as Portland stays alive

9/15 Cup of Coffee: Worcester saw its playoff chances continue slipping away as the final week of the Triple-A season approaches. Portland is preparing for its final game of the regular season, and they need to win and get some help to make the playoffs. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 19, Worcester Red Sox 3

The WooSox led this game into the seventh, but Syracuse scored 17 times over the last three innings. Justin Hagenman turned in a quality start, firing six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts. The Worcester bullpen took its lumps from there, with infielder Tyler Miller giving up four runs in the ninth. Kyle Teel reached base in all five plate appearances as he went 2 for 2 with three walks, and Mickey Gasper went 3 for 5 with a double. 

With the loss, the WooSox fell to 4.5 games behind Columbus in the second-half standings. 

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Cup of Coffee: 10-run inning sinks Worcester; 2 extra-base hits for Binelas

9/14 Cup of Coffee: Outside of one inning, it was a solid day for Portland and Worcester as they pursue playoff spots. The problem is the bad frame was one of the worst of the season for the Red Sox, as they allowed 10 runs in the seventh inning to Syracuse, turning a 1-0 ballgame into a laugher as they chase both Columbus and Indianapolis to secure a spot in the International League Championship Series. Portland was much more successful against its Mets affiliate, scoring six runs early and holding off a comeback bid late. Five Sea Dogs had multiple hits, including Alex Binelas (pictured) as he knocked a double and home run as part of a three-RBI day.

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 11, Worcester Red Sox 0

The score in Worcester was 1-0 after six innings. By the time the seventh-inning stretch came around, Syracuse was up 11-0 after a 10-run frame as Worcester pitching lost the zone, walking six and hitting two more Mets. It wasted a good start by Brad Keller, who allowed one run over six innings of work, which came on a solo home run in the first. He surrendered just three hits and walked one more with five strikeouts.

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Cup of Coffee: Dobbins sharp on mound, Anthony reaches base four times

9/13 Cup of Coffee: The two remaining affiliates split their Thursday contests as both remain in second place in their respective divisions. A solid effort by Hunter Dobbins (pictured) and continued excellence at the plate by Roman Anthony led streaking Worcester to another victory. Little went right in Portland, however, as the Sea Dogs managed only two hits, squandering an opportunity to move back into first place.

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Syracuse Mets (NYM) 1

The WooSox won their sixth straight and 10th out of 11 as they continued their playoff push with a rout of the Mets. Hunter Dobbins was excellent in picking up his first Triple-A win, allowing one run on six hits across six innings. He struck out five against one walk, and the lone score came on a rare fifth-inning solo homer. Jose Adames made his return to the Red Sox organization with a scoreless seventh inning. Adames pitched in 35 games with Portland and Worcester in 2021, then spent 2022 with the Dodgers organization and most of the last two seasons in the Mexican League. Wyatt Olds and Chase Shugart went an inning apiece to close out the win.

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Cup of Coffee: Alexander strikes out 11, Grissom homers twice as Worcester stays hot

9/12 Cup of Coffee: Behind strong performances on the mound from Jason Alexander (pictured) and at the plate from Vaughn Grissom, Worcester stayed hot with another win over Syracuse on Wednesday. Portland, meanwhile, dropped its second straight to Binghamton as Blake Wehunt had a rough time in his first start at Hadlock Field.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Syracuse Mets (NYM) 0

Jason Alexander put together one of the best starts of his professional career for Worcester on Wednesday night. The veteran righty allowed two hits and zero walks while striking out 11 of the 22 batters he faced over seven scoreless innings. He threw 82 pitches (59 strikes), eliciting 16 swings-and-misses en route to notching the winning decision. Zach Penrod and Alex Speas combined for three more strikeouts across two scoreless frames of relief to end it.

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Cup of Coffee: Priester strikes out seven; Teel goes deep

9/11 Cup of Coffee: The WooSox grabbed two wins and inched closer to the top of the International League standings, led by Kristian Campbell, Kyle Teel, Roman Anthony, and Quinn Priester. The Sea Dogs dropped a tough one, but got a great outing from Wikelman Gonzalez (pictured). 

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Worcester Red Sox 11, Syracuse Mets (NYM) 4 (Game One)

The Sox took care of business in a completion of a suspended game from August 11th. They were down 4-2 in the fifth inning when the game was paused due to rain. After resumption, Worcester grabbed two runs in the fifth to tie it, one in the seventh, and six in the ninth. Kristian Campbell, who was inserted into the game because he wasn't on the team when this game began, went 2 for 2 with a walk and a game-tying two-run single in the fifth. So, technically, that was his first hit as a member of the WooSox. Tyler McDonough finished 3 for 5 with two RBI, while Tyler Heineman and Jamie Westbrook each went 1 for 3 with two RBI. Heineman and McDonough each roped doubles as well. Before the game was paused, Bobby Dalbec belted a two-run homer.

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Podcast Episode #331: Rankings Talk with BA’s Geoff Pontes

Ian is back to talk about September rankings with special guest Geoff Pontes of Baseball America! Ian and Geoff start out by talking about Roman Anthony’s ascension to the top of the BA Top 100, Kristian Campbell’s rise, concerns they have with Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel’s outlook. They also discuss how strong the top 100 is right now and discuss where the Red Sox prospects stack up against others on the BA list. They conclude part one by talking about a few players Geoff saw in Portland recently including Mikey Romero and David Sandlin. After Geoff leaves, Ian stays on to briefly talk about the Red Sox recent moves, including the call-ups of Richard Fitts and Luis Guerrero. Finally, he goes through the new SoxProspect Rankings and discusses the notable risers and fallers and why those moves were made.

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Minor Notes: Fitts and Guerrero make big-league debuts; Story returns

The Red Sox have won three of their last four but are still on the outside looking in when it comes to the American League Wild Card race. On the minor-league front, Worcester and Portland are in the mix for playoff spots while Greenville and Salem wrapped things up for the year on Sunday. Here is a rundown of key events that have transpired within the organization over the last week.

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Fitts, Guerrero make MLB debuts

Right-handers Richard Fitts (pictured) and Luis Guerrero made their major-league debuts in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the White Sox at Fenway Park. Fitts got the starting nod and allowed two unearned runs on six hits, one walk, and two strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. He threw 66 pitches (44 strikes) and induced five swings-and-misses. Guerrero took over for Zack Kelly with one out in the top of the ninth inning and retired the only two batters he faced on a pair of flyouts. He needed just eight pitches (five strikes) to do so.

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Cup of Coffee: Gonzalez crushes 20th homer as season ends for Greenville and Salem

9/9 Cup of Coffee: While Richard Fitts and Luis Guerrero made their MLB debuts at Fenway Park, Boston's affiliates went a perfect 4-0 on Sunday. Roman Anthony and Dalton Guthrie combined for six hits for Worcester. Blaze Jordan collected four RBIs while Mikey Romero homered yet again for Portland. Jedixson Paez piled up the swings and misses while Bryan Gonzalez (pictured) came through late for Greenville. Franklin Arias and Caden Rose led an offensive onslaught for Salem.

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 7 (10 innings)

A three-run 10th inning propelled Worcester to a win in extras. Roman Anthony and Dalton Guthrie led the way offensively by combining for six of their side's 10 hits. Anthony went 3 for 6 with one double, one RBI, one run scored, and one stolen base. Guthrie went 3 for 5 with one RBI and two runs scored. Vaughn Grissom reached base four times by going 1 for 2 with a two-run double and three walks. Tyler McDonough tripled in a run for his only hit of the day while Kyle Teel ripped an RBI single and scored two runs.

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Cup of Coffee: Alvarez's 3-HR, 6-RBI night paces WooSox; Portland rolls in rain-shortened night

9/8 Cup of Coffee: Hey Eddy Alvarez (pictured), how many home runs did you hit today? Yeah, that's what we thought. And he wasn't the only one. Boston affiliates hit nine homers in all while going 3-1 on the night, with Salem surrendering the only loss. Worcester added 12 walks to their ledger in a rout, while Portland prevailed in a rain-shortened contest.

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Worcester Red Sox 12, Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 2

Eddy Alvarez, have a day. The second baseman smacked a grand slam in the first inning, then added two more long balls for good measure; he finished 3 for 5 with six RBIs as Worcester cruised to victory. The WooSox needed just seven hits as they drew 12 free passes, four of which went to Vaughn Grissom. Jamie Westbrook and Bobby Dalbec also homered in the rout, and Roman Anthony added a double. On the mound, Brad Keller held Rochester at bay, scattering 5 hits and a walk over six innings of one-run ball, striking out nine. Brendan Cellucci gave up one run in two innings, while Yohan Ramirez closed it out with a shutout inning of his own.

Worcester is tied for first place in the International League East Division with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but is five games behind Columbus for the league's second-half playoff berth.

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Cup of Coffee: Early goes six shutout; Alcantara goes yard in blowout loss

9/7 Cup of Coffee: It was an uneven night for the system, with highs counteracted by lows. Connelly Early had a strong outing for Portland, with just two hits allowed over six shutout innings while striking out nine in the process. However, Worcester wasn't allowed to try and complete its comeback as its game in Rochester was halted with two outs in the top of the eighth. The Drive gave up a run in the top of the ninth that broke a tie, but Bryan Gonzalez had a walk-off single and Max Carlson pitched five innings of relief, surrendering just one run. However, Salem allowed seven runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth to Kannapolis, while its only offense came on the system's only big fly of the night, delivered by Marvin Alcantara. 

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Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 3, Worcester Red Sox 2 (8 Innings)

There was rain all around Rochester, as the game started late due to weather and was halted in the top of the eighth, never to begin again. Kristian Campbell was on first base with two outs. The scoring got done early, as each team had its runs by the end of the second. Baserunners were sparse, as the squads combined to work six walks and register 10 hits, just one of which went for extra bases. It was an uneven night for Hunter Dobbins, who allowed all three runs on six hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings, though he did register four strikeouts. Brian Van Belle handled the final 2 1/3 frames, with just one walk on his ledger. He also struck out five.

Worcester is tied for first place in the International League East Division with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but is in a three-way tie five games behind Columbus for the league's second-half playoff berth.

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Podcast Episode #330: "Yeah, they're doing very well"

After a recap from Ian's week in Greenville, this episode features Ian and Chris reporting back from seeing Worcester, Portland, and Salem! Plus, thoughts on the DSL Red Sox winning a league championship and a bumper crop of your emails!

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Cup of Coffee: Story, Anthony power WooSox in slugfest; Duffy dominates as Salem is eliminated

9/6 Cup of Coffee: It was a split on Thursday night while the major league squad had the night off. Worcester and Portland had good nights in their respective playoff pushes, despite very different approaches. The WooSox banged out 19 hits and got significant help from MLB rehabbers Trevor Story and Liam Hendricks as well as top prospect Roman Anthony. Portland needed only four knocks to slide back into first place. Matt Duffy (pictured) struck out 10 in five shutout innings for Salem, but an extra-inning loss knocked the Sox out of playoff contention in the Carolina League. Greenville, also out of contention, took its eighth loss in nine games.

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Worcester Red Sox 13, Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 10

It was a wild evening in Rochester as the two teams combined for 23 runs and 32 hits. Trevor Story indicated he may indeed be close to a major league return with a monster day at the plate, going 4 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Perhaps more importantly, Story played shortstop for a second consecutive day, a key test in his rehab. Roman Anthony scored three runs out of the leadoff spot, going 2 for 4 with a pair of walks and a stolen base. Kristian Campbell hit yet another home run, a three-run blast in the sixth inning. Bobby Dalbec also went deep, capping off a four-hit effort. Tyler Heineman was 2 for 4 with a walk and a solo blast. 

Jason Alexander turned in a solid start, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings, striking out eight without issuing a walk. Liam Hendriks gave up one hit in a scoreless sixth inning as he continues his rehab from last year's Tommy John Surgery. The Red Wings mounted a major comeback, pulling to within two runs after having been down 12-0, but Wyatt Olds slammed the door with a perfect ninth, striking out all three batters he faced. 

With the win, Worcester moves into a three-way tie for second place in the second-half standings, joining Indianapolis and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre four games behind first-place Columbus.

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Portland Sea Dogs 4, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR) 2

It was a very different type of contest in New Hampshire, as Portland needed only four hits to reclaim first place. The Sea Dogs took advantage of some sloppy Fisher Cat play in the seventh as two walks, a hit batsman, and an error led to three scores. Elih Marrero singled and drew a pair of walks, including the one at the center of the rally. Following his free pass to load the bases, Max Ferguson grounded what looked to be an inning-ending 5-3 double play. But the throw sailed past the first baseman, allowing Marrero to score. 

On the mound, Juan Daniel Encarnacion turned his best performance since his midseason promotion to Double-A, giving up two hits across four scoreless innings, striking out two, and walking one. Jacob Webb got credit for his 10th win of the season, going 2 1/3 hitless innings and surrendering one run as he walked two and struck out three. Alex Hoppe struck out three as he allowed one run in two innings, and Reidis Sena got the final two outs of the contest to pick up the save.

The win, combined with a loss by Somerset, moves the Sea Dogs back into the division lead. Portland holds a 1/2-game advantage with nine games remaining on the schedule. 

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Winston-Salem Dash (CWS) 4, Greenville Drive 3

The Drive held an early 3-1 advantage, but the Dash clawed their way to the come-from-behind win. Bryan Gonzalez and Miguel Ugueto hit back-to-back solo homers in the second to give the Drive the lead. Both players had two hits on the night, as did the recently promoted Fraymi De Leon. Justin Riemer had a single, walk, and stole a pair of bases. Dalton Rogers turned in a strong start, allowing just one unearned run on six hits in five innings, walking three against three strikeouts. Isaac Stebens went 1 1/3 and surrendered one run, taking the loss. 

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Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (CWS) 7, Salem Red Sox 3

Matt Duffy turned in a dominant start, but the bullpen struggled in the 10th inning to officially eliminate Salem from playoff contention. Duffy scattered four hits across five scoreless innings, striking out 10 of the 19 batters he faced without issuing a walk. It was a tough loss for Trennor O'Donnell, who went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs in the seventh and another three in the 10th. Caden Rose led the way at the plate, going 2 for 3 with two doubles, a walk, and a run scored. Daniel McElveny and Andruw Musett had two hits apiece. 

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Player of the Day: It was a tough way for the Salem playoff hopes to end, but it was no less an impressive performance by Matt Duffy. The 2023 fourth-round pick out of Buffalo's Canisius College went five scoreless to finish the season with a 2.83 ERA and an even 100 strikeouts across 98 2/3 innings. The ERA is the second-best mark in the organization among players with at least 80 innings, behind only Elmer Rodriguez. Duffy is currently holding the 60th slot in the SoxProspects.com rankings.

Photo Credit: Matt Duffy by Kelly O'Connor

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Cup of Coffee: Priester fans 8 over 6 scoreless innings; Romero homers again

9/5 Cup of Coffee: Boston's affiliates went 2-3 on Wednesday. Quinn Priester (pictured) and Roman Anthony headlined Worcester's shutout win over Rochester. Mikey Romero homered again as Portland was swept in its doubleheader against New Hampshire. Hayden Mullins and Jeremy Wu-Yelland provided length out of the bullpen as Greenville was blanked by Winston-Salem. Albert Feliz came through with some late-game heroics in Salem's tight victory over Kannapolis.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 0

Quinn Priester turned in his best start since joining Worcester earlier this summer. The righty scattered four hits and zero walks with eight strikeouts over six scoreless innings. He finished with 69 pitches (47 strikes) and induced 14 swings-and-misses en route to securing the winning decision. In relief of Priester, Yohan Ramirez and Bailey Horn preserved the shutout by combining for three additional scoreless frames out of the bullpen.

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Cup of Coffee: Coffey fans nine for fourth time in five starts

9/4 Cup of Coffee: It was a quiet night in the minor leagues for the Sox, as Portland and Greenville were the only teams in action. The two squads combined for just one run, but Portland got some great pitching led by Isaac Coffey (pictured). 

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New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR) 2, Portland Sea Dogs 1

Isaac Coffey took the tough-luck loss in this one, as he allowed just two runs over six innings of work. He punched out nine and walked only one. The righty has no struck out at least nine hitters in four of his last five starts, tallying 46 strikeouts in 26 innings over that five-start span.  Jonathan Brand was also very good out of the bullpen with two shutout innings and just one hit allowed. Blaze Jordan and Jhostynxon Garcia combined for four of Portland's six knocks, as Jordan went 2 for 3 with his 19th double and Garcia went 2 for 4 with a pair of singles Alex Binelas and Philip Sikes each went 1 for 3. 

With the loss, the Sea Dogs' second half lead over Somerset in the Eastern League Northeast shrunk to 1 1/2 games. They are now 36-21 in the second half. 

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August Players of the Month: Kristian Campbell and Yordanny Monegro

Kristian Campbell and Yordanny Monegro have been named SoxProspects.com's Player and Pitcher of the Month for August. Campbell is the system's fifth-ranked prospect, and Monegro is 25th. It is Campbell's third Player of the Month award this season after winning in May and June. Monegro last won a Pitcher of the Month award in June 2023. 

Campbell was in a tight race with teammate Roman Anthony this month, but Campbell was able to pull away at the end. Campbell started the month by hitting .309/.424/.636 in 14 games with Portland and then hit .306/.419/.611 in nine games after his promotion to Worcester. He led Boston's minor league affiliates with seven home runs and 22 RBI in August, and he also went seven-for-nine in steal attempts. He walked (17) more than he struck out (16) and was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for August 5-11. The 22-year-old has three months with an OPS over 1.000 and has walked more than he has struck out in two straight months. After opening the season in Greenville, Campbell is already knocking on the doors of the majors. He has played mostly shortstop in Worcester with Marcelo Mayer on the injured list.

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Cup of Coffee: Fitts stymies Red Wings; Salem storms to comeback

9/3 Cup of Coffee: The calendar has turned on another season of Complex League Mondays, but two full-season affiliates had rare Monday contests to celebrate Labor Day. It was the appropriate holiday to celebrate an outstanding effort by Richard Fitts (pictured), the organizational leader in innings pitched. Salem worked for its victory, punching in a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth led by Caden Rose and Andy Lugo to walk off with the win. 

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Worcester Red Sox 3, Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 1

Richard Fitts was dominant to lead Worcester in the series opener. Fitts turned in his first scoreless effort since June 22, giving up just two hits across six innings. He struck out five, threw 55 of his 77 pitches for strikes, and brought his ERA back down to 4.17. Wyatt Olds went two scoreless innings of relief, striking out four and walking one. Luis Guerrero surrendered one run in the ninth on his way to the save, snapping a stretch of nine appearances without allowing a run. 

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Cup of Coffee: Romero stays hot for Portland; Teel swats first Triple-A homer

9/2 Cup of Coffee: While the big club fell to Detroit in disappointing fashion, Boston's affiliates went a perfect 4-0 on Sunday. Kyle Teel headlined Worcester's power surge by clubbing his first Triple-A home run. Speaking of the long ball, Mikey Romero (pictured) went deep for the third time in five games with Portland. Yordanny Monegro was solid yet again on the mound for Greenville while Brooks Brannon and Fraymi De Leon homered for Salem.

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Worcester Red Sox 11, Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 6

Jamie Westbrook enjoyed a monster day at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a double, a grand slam, and two runs scored. Three other Worcester hitters (Kyle Teel, Vaughn Grissom, and Bobby Dalbec) went deep. Teel went 2 for 4 with his first Triple-A blast, two RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk. Grissom cranked a three-run shot for his lone hit of the afternoon. Dalbec went 2 for 4 with his 17th big fly of the season and one walk. Trevor Story doubled and scored a run as part of a 2 for 4 showing in the first game of his rehab assignment. Roman Anthony drove in one run while Kristian Campbell scored twice.

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Cup of Coffee: DSL Red win the championship; Rodriguez strikes out seven

9/1 Cup of Coffee: The DSL Red Sox Red convincingly won the DSL Championship as they shut out the Angels. Kristian Campbell finished a tremendous August by reaching base twice for Worcester, while Phillip Sikes went deep for Portland. Elmer Rodriguez (pictured) was excellent in a tough loss for Greenville, and Salem's bullpen impressed in a loss to Delmarva. 

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 6, Worcester Red Sox 0

The WooSox bats have gone cold as they have scored just three runs over their last three games. Kristian Campbell was one of the few bright spots as he went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. Jamie Westbrook went 2 for 3 with a double, and Tyler Heineman went 1 for 2 with a walk. The Mud Hens chased Justin Hagenman after five innings as he allowed four runs including two home runs in the first inning. Bailey Horn was dominant out of the bullpen as he struck out the side in the ninth. The Red Sox are currently third in the International League East, just one-and-a-half games behind first-place Rochester.

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