Cup of Coffee: Oviedo makes rehab start, Holobetz shines in relief as Worcester is shut out

9/18 Cup of Coffee: Worcester's three-game winning streak was snapped at the hands of Durham on Thursday. Johan Oviedo struck out four in his rehab start, while John Holobetz (pictured) fanned eight in his first relief appearance at the Triple-A level, but the bats went cold in a losing effort.

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Durham Bulls (TB) 2, Worcester Red Sox 0

Johan Oviedo got the start for Worcester. Making his first appearance of any kind since late March, the rehabbing right-hander went 2 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. He threw 30 pitches (20 strikes) and generated three whiffs. Fellow righty John Holobetz followed out of the bullpen and fared well in his first relief outing at the Triple-A level, scattering two hits and two walks while striking out eight over 4 1/3 scoreless frames. He threw 66 pitches (43 strikes) and generated 20 whiffs. Tyler Samaniego surrendered an additional run in the eighth, while Noah Song put up a zero in the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Castro homers twice as WooSox stay alive

9/17 Cup of Coffee: Worcester won its third straight, as Allan Castro (pictured) twice came up clutch on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the WooSox did not get the help they were looking for elsewhere on the International League schedule, and continue to face an uphill battle for a playoff spot.

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Durham Bulls (TB) 5

Twice Worcester fell into deficits, trailing both 3-0 and 5-3, and both times Allan Castro erased them with a long ball. Castro's two-run blast in the third inning scored Franklin Arias and knotted the score at 3-3. Four innings later, his second two-run homer of the night carried into the right-center field seats and put Worcester up 6-5, a lead it would not relinquish. Arias also singled and drove in a pair. Braiden Ward, who scored on the second Castro long ball, was 3 for 4 with two stolen bases, giving him 60 on the year. 

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Cup of Coffee: Paez deals, Castro hits walkoff single for WooSox

9/16 Cup of Coffee: With the Sea Dogs' season ending on Sunday, the WooSox are the last team standing in the Red Sox system as the Triple-A regular season enters its final week. 

 

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Worcester Red Sox 2, Durham Bulls (TB) 1 (10 innings)

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the WooSox bats were held silent until the eighth inning. The WooSox loaded the bases on a Nathan Hickey walk, a Franklin Arias single, and an Allan Castro walk then scored their first run of the game when Romy Gonzalez drew Worcester's third walk of the inning. That run was enough to push the game into extra innings, where Castro was the hero as he ripped a walkoff single to right field to send the WooSox home with the win. Arias went 1 for 4 with a walk. 

 

WooSox starting pitcher Jedixson Paez allowed a solo shot in his first inning of work but he was in complete control for the rest of his start, throwing six innings of one-run ball. Paez allowed three hits and struck out four batters with no walks. After making two appearances with the Sea Dogs, rehabbing right-hander Tanner Houck had his strikeout stuff working in his first outing of the year in Worcester as he fanned three batters in an inning, walking one. Osvaldo Berrios threw a scoreless inning and Hobie Harris tossed two shutout frames to earn the win out of the bullpen. 

Worcester's win combined with a Rochester loss narrowed their deficit to just two games with five remaining. However, Indianapolis, Scranton, and Syracuse all were victorious ahead of them, tightening an already crowded playoff picture. 

 

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Player of the Day: Allan Castro had the signature moment in a pitchers' duel where the WooSox scored just two runs on six hits, delivering a walkoff single in the bottom of the tenth. Castro went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI, raising his slash line to .247/.322/.370 in 115 games on the season. The 23-year-old Castro is playing in his first season at the Triple-A level and the outfielder is ranked No. 34 in the Red Sox system. 

 

Photo Credit: Allan Castro by Kelly O'Connor

  

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Minor Notes: Houck, Contreras rehab as Portland season ends

The minor league season is in its home stretch. Portland finished up its schedule a day early with Saturday's annual Field of Dreams game (pictured), while Worcester heads into the final week of its 2026 campaign. 

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Houck, Contreras rehab; Oviedo to join Worcester

 

A pair of veterans were in action for the final week of festivities at Hadlock Field. Tanner Houck made a big step in his comeback from 2025 Tommy John surgery, making a pair of appearances for the Sea Dogs. The 2024 American League All-Star returned to the mound in the fifth inning of Tuesday's contest. He faced four batters, retiring two, walking two, and allowing one run. He was more effective on Friday, allowing one run on one hit in three innings of relief, striking out four, walking one, and facing just one batter over the minimum. He will pitch for Worcester this week, aiming to return to the major league bullpen for end of the regular season. Willson Contreras, out since August 30th with a hamstring strain, had a tidy two-game visit to Portland. He went 2 for 7 in two contests, as the designated hitter on Friday and then at first base on Saturday. He was activated for Sunday's major league game, going 2 for 3 with a walk in Boston's 4-1 win over Kansas City.

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Podcast Ep. #429: Portland and Greenville Live Looks

Ian and Chris have been out at the fields to close the season and they got on the horn to discuss what they've seen from the Greenville Drive and Portland Sea Dogs in the closing weeks of the season. Listen in on the latest reports from those two squads!

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Cup of Coffee: It's Worcester's show from here

9/14 Cup of Coffee: It was a disappointing end to the 2026 season for Portland, as the rain that pounded the Northeast on Sunday was enough to wash out the season finale, ending the Sea Dogs' season prematurely. However, Worcester was able to get its contest in and finished its penultimate series in style, as Allan Castro (pictured) was 3 for 5 with two home runs, including the go-ahead blast in the top of the ninth. He hit two of Worcester's four home runs, as Tsu-Che Cheng and Vinnie Capra each left the yard, as well. The win kept Worcester on the periphery of the playoff race with six games to go, all of which are at home against Durham.

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 7

The WooSox scored a pair each in the second and third, but the hosts retook the lead with a four-run sixth. However, Allan Castro played the hero, knocking a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to snag victory from the jaws of defeat. That capped off a 3-for-5 performance for the 23-year-old, two of which left the yard, as he also hit a big fly in the seventh. The top of the lineup did plenty of damage, as Franklin Arias, hitting in the No. 2 hole, as well as leadoff hitter Vinny Capra, had two hits, including a homer for Capra, joining three-hitter Castro's explosion. Tsu-Che Cheng also went yard, with a two-run shot to get the scoring started in the first. Gage Ziehl gave his team length, pitching 5 2/3 innings, as he allowed four runs on five hits. He did not walk an IronPig, but struck out eight of them. Sam McWilliams was credited with the win and he completed the contest, with two clean innings that featured a pair of strikeouts.

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Cup of Coffee: McSweeney sparkles for Portland as Turner goes yard; Ward knocks 3 hits

9/13 Cup of Coffee: It was the final Saturday of the regular season for Portland, as the Sea Dogs close out their season on Sunday, and they made it count, with a pitchers' duel at Hadlock Field. Will Turner (pictured) put his team in front with a solo home run in the first and it was more than enough for Morgan McSweeney, as the local product shoved through seven shutout innings, retiring the last 11 hitters he faced in 2026. It was a bit of a different flavor for Worcester, as the WooSox had a staff day against Lehigh Valley, with plenty more runs scored. Allan Castro and Braiden Ward, who went 3 for 5, both went yard for Worcester, as it attempted to stay in the playoff hunt and extend its season beyond next weekend.

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 7, Worcester Red Sox 5

Worcester also got a solo home run in the first inning, as Allan Castro left the yard with two outs in the frame, but Lehigh Valley scored one in the bottom half and added three more in the following inning, setting a different tone than Portland's pitchers' duel. Worcester got three back in the top of the fourth, but the IronPigs weren't going to go down quietly, responding with two more in the bottom half. The bulk of the home side's runs went on Michael Sansone's tab, as he allowed six runs across 3 2/3 innings of work. He walked four and allowed five hits, two of which were home runs. He also struck out three. Patrick Halligan finished the fourth and didn't allow a run in the fifth, with just a walk on his ledger. However, John Brebbia surrendered a solo homer in the sixth. Hobie Harris finished the game with 1 1/3 clean frames. Braiden Ward also drilled a big fly as part of his three-hit effort, doing so as part of Worcester's three-run fourth. Tsung-Che Cheng was 2 for 3 with a walk.

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Cup of Coffee: Houck, Contreras shine in rehab efforts; Godbout keeps rolling

9/12 Cup of Coffee: White the major league team was losing its third straight, there was encouraging news out of Maine about some coming reinforcements. Willson Contreras had a good night as he kicked off his rehab assignment while Tanner Houck cruised through three innings in his second appearance back with the Sea Dogs. They teamed with Henry Godbout (pictured) to lead Portland's victory. John Holobetz turned in another solid Triple-A start, but the WooSox fell in Lehigh Valley.

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 4, Worcester Red Sox 1

A strong effort by John Holobetz went for naught as the WooSox missed a chance to move up in the International League playoff chase. All four Lehigh Valley runs came via solo homer. Holobetz cruised for five scoreless frames before the IronPigs reached him for a leadoff shot in the sixth. He finished with one run allowed on four hits in 5 1/3, striking out seven against one walk. Seth Martinez surrendered three blasts, one in the sixth and two in the seventh, suffering the loss. Devin Sweet threw a scoreless eighth inning, striking out one. The lone Worcester run came in the fifth, when Nate Baez plated Max Ferguson with a double. It was the first start for Franklin Arias since August 18 that he did not record a hit. 

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Cup of Coffee: McDonough clubs 20th homer of season; White finishes triple shy of cycle

9/11 Cup of Coffee: Boston's affiliates went 2-0 on Thursday. Tyler McDonough hit his 20th home run of the season, while Blake Wehunt struck out four over six quality innings in Worcester's win over Lehigh Valley. Elsewhere, Mason White (pictured) nearly hit for the cycle, while three others also homered in Portland's win over Binghamton.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 4

Franklin Arias and Tyler McDonough accounted for half of Worcester's eight hits. Arias went 2 for 4 with two RBI, one run scored, one stolen base, and one walk. McDonough went 2 for 4 with his 20th home run of the season overall, two RBI, and two runs scored. Nathan Hickey also drove in two runs, adding a run and a walk. Braiden Ward drew two walks, scored one run, and stole his 57th base of the year, tying him with David Hamilton for the Red Sox' Triple-A organizational record. 

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Cup of Coffee: Scorching Arias reaches base four times in WooSox win

9/10 Cup of Coffee: It's been a sterling home stretch of the 2026 for shortstops Franklin Arias and Henry Godbout, who both again turned in multiple hit games on Wednesday night. Arias powered Worcester to the win to jump a pair of teams in the playoff hunt. Godbout supported another strong Hayden Mullins outing, but the Sea Dogs' loss officially knocked them from contention. 

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 3

The WooSox pounded out 14 hits as they make their push in the International League playoff race. Franklin Arias was once again the headline, reaching base four times as he went 2 for 3 with a double, two walks, and a run scored. In six September contests, Arias is 14 for 27. Vinny Capra was 3 for 5 with a pair of runs scored, including one on a solo homer in the ninth. Allan Castro also had a three-hit effort, swiping his 20th base of the year. Tyler McDonough and Mikey Romero had two hits apiece. 

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Cup of Coffee: Houck begins rehab assignment, Garcia doubles twice for Sea Dogs

9/9 Cup of Coffee: The minor league season is beginning to wind down, as Greenville and Salem's seasons ended on Sunday and the Sea Dogs enter their last week of the season. With only two Red Sox affiliates still active, the WooSox were walked off in their series opener in Lehigh Valley while the Sea Dogs came away with a win on the night of Tanner Houck's return to the mound. 

 

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 5, Worcester Red Sox 4 (10 innings)

Top prospect Franklin Arias drove in the first two runs of the game for the WooSox, hitting a sacrifice fly in the first inning and floating an RBI single to right field in the fifth. Arias was 1 for 3 on the night and is now hitting .328 in 33 games since his promotion to Worcester. Mikey Romero also recorded an RBI single in the fifth inning as part of a 3-for-5 game. Allan Castro walked three times and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the tenth. Braiden Ward went 3 for 5 and scored two runs.   

 

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Minor Notes: Houck set to begin rehab assignment; Godbout's power surge continues

The minor league season continues to wind down as the playoff chances dwindle for the affiliates. Portland fans will be treated to two appearances by Tanner Houck (pictured, right) next week, while  Jedixson Paez had a start to forget in his first action with Boston. 

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Season ends for Greenville and Salem

Despite being in the playoff race for much of the second half, both Greenville and Salem fell short of the postseason. Their last game was on September 6. Leighton Finley was rewarded with a start for Greenville after tossing 96 innings with the RidgeYaks. He struck out seven over 4 2/3 shutout innings in the finale for Greenville. The season-end rosters for both squads are posted to our 2026 Season-End Rosters page. 

Playoff chances in the upper minors

With Portland entering its last week of play, they need to essentially win-out and get some help. They are in fourth place and 4.5 games behind Reading. Worcester has a better shot, as they are just two games back with two weeks to play. 

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Podcast Ep. #428: New month, new rankings

Chris and Mike got together to discuss the newest #SP60, but not after first recapping the last few weeks in the organization, including the reintegration of Roman Anthony and Trevor Story, the change in focus following the Yankees series, Jedixson Paez's MLB debut and the return of Yordanny Monegro. Plus, another crop of listener emails!

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Cup of Coffee: Godbout homers again; season comes to an end for Greenville and Salem

9/7 Cup of Coffee: A heartbreaking loss for Worcester did not help the playoff picture despite strong games from Kristian Campbell and Franklin Arias. Henry Godbout hit his fourth home run of the week, and Leighton Finley had a strong showing in Greenville's season finale. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 8, Worcester Red Sox 7

Seven runs in the seventh doomed the WooSox as they lost a pivotal game to Buffalo. Starter Gage Ziehl cruised through five innings, needing just 56 pitches as he left in line for the win. But the Bisons got to Angel Bastardo for five runs and then Tyler Samaniego for two runs to take the lead. The heart of Worcester's offense did its part, led by Kristian Campbell who went 3 for 4 with a double, walk, and two RBI. Both Franklin Arias and Romy Gonzalez went 3 for 5, with Arias notching an RBI double while Gonzalez had two run-scoring singles. 

Worcester is now in fourth place and two games out of a playoff spot with two weeks to play. 

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Cup of Coffee: Comebacks abound, Campbell homers

9/6 Cup of Coffee: It was a big day for comebacks across the system, as Worcester and Salem each scored three in the eighth to take the lead, while Portland doubled up the two squads in the penultimate frame, adding six to take the lead. Greenville got it done a bit earlier, as its big inning came in the sixth, with a four-run inning. Kristian Campbell (pictured) had a huge day for Worcester, going 3 for 4 with a two-run homer in the eighth. He was joined in the three-hit club by Tyler McDonough and Ronny Hernandez, the latter of whom was perfect on the day. Barrett Morgan also threw four shutout innings.

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Worcester Red Sox 4, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 2

Worcester had some theatrics on Saturday night, as the WooSox went from down 2-1 to up 4-2 in the top of the eighth with a three-run frame, including a two-run homer by Kristian Campbell, who was 3 for 4. He and Anthony Siegler accounted for five of their team’s eight hits. It was a strong start for Michael Sansone, who struggled with control, walking four over five innings, but got results, as he allowed just one run. Devin Sweet pitched a clean eighth, while Sam McWilliams recorded his first save for Worcester this season, working around a hit with two strikeouts in the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Capra, Arias power WooSox sweep; Salazar powers RidgeYaks

9/5 Cup of Coffee: It was a full day of action down on the farm, with all four full-season teams in action and Worcester getting some extra baseball. The WooSox got a de facto sweep, as Vinny Capra homered in the 10th inning of the restart of Thursday's suspended contest before Franklin Arias and John Holobetz slaughtered the Bisons in the regularly scheduled game. Salem was also victorious on Friday, led by another big night from Kleyver Salazar (pictured). Greenville saw its postseason hopes dashed in an extra-inning walk-off loss, while Portland fell in Eastern League action. 

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 4 (Game 1)

On Thursday night, Buffalo had just staged a comeback to send the contest to extra innings when the skies fully opened. Shortly after the restart on Friday, Vinny Capra blasted a three-run bomb in the 10th to give Worcester the win. It was the third hit of the game for Capra, who was also hit by a pitch and stole a base. Romy Gonzalez was 4 for 5 with an RBI, while Mikey Romero doubled and drove in a run as part of a 3-for-5 effort. Franklin Arias finished with a pair of hits. Blake Wehunt had gone six innings, allowing one run on seven hits, earning a no decision. The Capra homer made a winner of Hobie Harris, who had surrendered the tying run in the ninth on Thursday. Seth Martinez allowed the automatic runner to score on a base hit in the 10th but struck out a pair to secure the save. 

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Cup of Coffee: Godbout homers twice as Portland bests Eyanson, Chesapeake

9/4 Cup of Coffee: Excluding Worcester's suspended contest against Buffalo, Boston's affiliates went 1-2 in three tightly contested games on Thursday. Henry Godbout (pictured) homered twice in Portland's win over Chesapeake. Ronny Hernandez, Nazzan Zanetello, and Givian Sirvania all went deep as Greenville fell to Bowling Green. Cole Tolbert worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings as Salem was shut out by Hill City.

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Worcester Red Sox 3, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 3 (Suspended in 10th inning)

This game was suspended in the top of the 10th inning due to rain. It will resume at 5:05 p.m. ET Friday evening and be followed by Friday's regularly scheduled nine-inning contest.

Before the skies opened, Blake Wehunt put together a solid start for Worcester, allowing only one earned run on seven hits, one walk, and six strikeouts over six quality innings. He threw 84 pitches (62 strikes) and generated eight whiffs. In relief of Wehunt, Angel Bastardo tossed a scoreless bottom of the seventh, while John Brebbia and Hobie Harris each gave up a run in their respective innings of work. 

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August Players of the Month: Franklin Primera and Dylan Brown

The fifth full month of the minor league season is complete. With that, it is time to present the SoxProspects.com Players of the Month awards for August to catcher Franklin Primera (pictured, left) and left-hander Dylan Brown (pictured, bottom right). Both prospects are currently ranked within the organization's top 25, having each climbed more than 30 spots since Opening Day.

Primera, the No. 3 prospect in the system behind only Franklin Arias and Justin Gonzales, is a SoxProspects.com Player of the Month honoree for the second time this season. The right-handed hitting 19-year-old batted a stout .382/.535/.592 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs, 15 RBI, 19 runs scored, two stolen bases, 16 walks, and eight strikeouts in 22 August games (101 plate appearances) for Salem. He was recognized as the Carolina League Player of the Week for August 10-16, then drove in a career-high seven runs on August 18.

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Cup of Coffee: Hull, Schaffner lead Greenville; Mullins dominates for Sea Dogs

9/3 Cup of Coffee: Affiliates won two out of three games on Wednesday evening as both Class A affiliates look to close out the season strong. Greenville kept its playoff hopes alive on the continued hot bats of Owen Hull and Jake Schaffner. A late rally made winners of the RidgeYaks, who have won two in a row after suffering a sweep in last week's series. Hayden Mullins (pictured), fanned 10 in six shutout innings for Portland, but a late comeback in Bowie dropped the Sea Dogs in extra innings. Wild weather in Western New York postponed Worcester's contest. 

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Worcester Red Sox @ Buffalo Bisons (TOR), postponed   

With heavy rains and a tornado warning rolling through Buffalo, Wednesday's contest was postponed. They'll try for a doubleheader on Friday. 

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Chesapeake Baysox (BAL) 5, Portland Sea Dogs 4

A late rally culminating in a 10th-inning walkoff spoiled an outstanding effort by Hayden Mullins. The left-hander dominated for six innings, allowing just one hit, walking one, and fanning 10 of the 20 batters he faced. Chesapeake shortstop and 2025 first-round pick Wehiwa Aloy blasted a pair of two-run homers in back-to-back innings off of Tyler Davis to knot the contest at 4-4. Erik Rivera suffered a tough-luck loss, as the only baserunner he allowed in 1 2/3 innings was a two-out ground ball single in the 10th that plated the automatic runner. Max Ferguson led the way at the plate with a 2-for-4 evening with three RBI that included a two-run homer in the sixth. Reigning Eastern League Player of the Week Johanfran Garcia also went deep for the Sea Dogs. Brooks Brannon and Ronald Rosario had two hits apiece, with Rosario ripping a double.

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Cup of Coffee: Schaffner hits first professional homer, Romero records four hits

Cup of Coffee: On the night that Jedixson Paez made his major league debut at Fenway Park, there was plenty of action for prospect watchers down on the farm as well. Mikey Romero and Romy Gonzalez had big games in a blowout win for the WooSox, while Henry Godbout homered in a Sea Dogs loss. The Drive and RidgeYaks both had exciting wins, as Yophery Rodriguez (pictured) blasted a go-ahead home run in the ninth for Greenville and Adonys Guzman sent the Salem fans home happy with a walkoff single in the tenth. 

 

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1 

Mikey Romero led the charge in a huge night for the WooSox lineup, as he drove in a pair of runs with a double in the third inning as part of a 4-for-4 game. Romy Gonzalez homered in his second consecutive game, ripping a two-run homer to center field in the seventh inning. Franklin Arias went 2 for 4 with a walk and scored three runs. In his first game since being optioned to Worcester, Anthony Seigler drove in two runs with a double in the ninth and went 1 for 5 on the night. 

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