Although the WooSox again had to go to a bullpen game, nearly everyone pitched well and kept the Bison (Blue Jays AAA) off the board. Worcester then subjected Buffalo to death by a thousand cuts, as all nine of their hits were singles, but a good third inning where they nearly batted around the lineup was all they needed to score six runs. The success of this inning, a three-run frame that put them up 4-o, was also thanks to a Buffalo defensive error as well as Braiden Ward stealing his twentieth base of the season already.
Gage Ziehl had his worst start in a while, getting tagged for six runs in five innings, but the bullpen kept the Yard Goats (Rockies AA) within arm’s reach and the Sea Dogs then exploded for five runs in the eighth. That inning included three home runs, including one by Brooks Brannon, whose power has been raising some eyebrows. Miguel Bleis also joined in on the action in a feel-good win where everyone got involved, and Franklin Arias now has nine hits in his last four games.
Greenville has now lost eleven of their last twelve games. They have relievers with ERAs approaching ten, and some with that metric over ten. No pitcher on Tuesday departed the game unscathed from home run balls, in which the Hot Rods (Rays High-A) hit five. Jack Winnay’s home run in the fourth was the closest the Drive got all night as far as winning percentage expected is concerned (8.7%); even then, the game was 6-1.
The RidgeYaks didn’t need much offense in Fredericksburg (Nationals A) to come out on top due to their pitching staff striking fourteen out and the Nats stranding fourteen runners including not getting a hit with nine chances with runners in scoring position. Salem got just enough offensive spark in the nick of time through a two-run, two-out double from catcher Luke Heyman in the eighth inning. The play brought Salem from a 51% chance winning all the way up to 85.4%, a .344 WPA, and Salem wouldn’t look back.
Have a productive Wednesday.
