This is my 300th article writing for Over The Monster. Insert cake emoji, insert candles emoji. Here’s to another 300! Let’s get right into yesterday’s action.
The WooSox — seeing the Red Sox dig deep into their bullpen and lose 7-3 — maybe got envious and did the same? On a six-pitcher night Cooper Criswell got tagged for three earned runs on five hits in four innings and the offensive output couldn’t match that. It also didn’t help that Brennan Bernardino, resting down in Worcester, didn’t look too great in his inning of work, but he did strike out three, at least. There were even a few bright spots: a bullpen candidate down the stretch in Jovani Moran struck out five while retiring all six Bisons (Blue Jays AAA) he faced, absolutely nails. Kristian Campbell’s hitting streak is now at 15 games following a night off Tuesday and hitting in a DH slot Wednesday. And, finally, Tyler McDonough is sneakily getting three-hit games at the bottom of the lineup. The switch-hitter, although not a Major League bat yet, is versatile in the field and is a player the Red Sox have to decide how to use in pretty short order, as he was drafted in the third round of 2021.
Ronaldo Hernandez has been pretty good since being re-added to the organization, and is a name those tired of the Connor Wong experience will be quick to throw out during the offseason as a possible Quad-A solution, as he was in 2023 without ever actually cracking a Major League lineup card. On Wednesday, his two hits were two of the team’s only five on the night in Harrisburg (Nationals AA), while one of the other three came from Miguel Bleis’ first home run since his promotion. Blake Wehunt didn’t have it in his start tonight but Noah Song at least was clean in his appearance.
How do you combat Isaac Stebens blowing his first save of the year and giving up three runs? Well, you walk it off in the ninth inning, that’s how. This was all thanks to a clutch Franklin Arias single with two outs with the Drive trailing 8-7 and then an ensuing two walks given up by Rome’s (Braves High-A) closer. All told, he Drive treated a three-and-anything count like a game of peekaboo, bad analogy, I don’t care, the Drive drew twelve walks in this one. The game was hectic, but by being patient, the Drive pulled an unlikely win from the jaws of defeat.
