Red Sox Minor Lines 7/2: Masataka Yoshida remains at DH despite fielding grounders

Worcester, Game 1: L, 2-5 (BOX SCORE)

Kyle Harrison was trotted out to begin this double-header against the Mets… he did not look great, giving up runs in each of the first three innings he pitched, including home runs by Francisco Alvarez and old friend Pablo Reyes. Wyatt Mills put this game further out of reach by allowing a home run of his own. The only offense this game featured on Worcester’s end was a Vaughn Grissom double and a Trayce Thompson home run. After that homer, the WooSox were sitting decently pretty, but, as in Boston, things went awry pretty quickly.

And speaking of something we can’t defend, er, someone who doesn’t have the scoop, er, someone who is trying to pick up a new hobby (that’s the one!) check out Masataka Yoshida, who DH’d, going 0-for-2 and drawing a walk, taking grounders at first this afternoon, via the Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s Tommy Cassell:

Woof. Besides the fact that Yoshida would be historically small at that position, and that his bat would be a question mark, the form on that last grounder looks horrendous. Which leads to a question: do we hope Yoshida tears the cover off the ball so that someone will take even a fraction of the rest of his contract? Or, does he come up and DH, again plugging up the position in a way Rafael Devers did just weeks ago? Or, even more eerily, does he take the outfield after all, tipping the front office into sell mode, if even just on one outfielder? And then, who goes? Jarren Duran? The white-hot Wilyer Abreu? Either way, you have to hand it to Yoshida for being willing to help in a position of need. It’s just that, if this is any indication of how that experiment will go for the Red Sox, whose defense is already ludicrously bad this season, I don’t want to see the day I see it on a lineup card.

Worcester, Game 2: W, 11-0 (BOX SCORE)

One card I do like looking at though: Robert Stock taking the WooSox 17 outs into a seven-inning game while allowing just one run. Meanwhile, every batter on the team save for Blaze Jordan drew a walk, and the WooSox made the most of it, going 8-for-18 (.444) with runners in scoring position. This game was 7-0 by the third inning thanks to a three-run shot by Karson Simas, a utility man who’s been ping-ponging all over the system this year but enjoys his first home run in Triple-A. The offensive explosion allowed the bullpen some much-needed rest while Robert Stock, who already leads the team by a large margin in strikeouts and innings pitched, adds to his total here.

Portland: L, 1-4 (BOX SCORE)

Eduardo Rivera has had a decently tough time since being brought up to Portland, and the struggles continued in Manchester, NH against the Fisher Cats (Blue Jays AAA). He got rung up for ten hits in five innings, including four earned, and the offense – continuing with the theme as of late – could not match that run production, and though they did manage nine hits, they did not draw a single walk all night, as Fisher Cats pitcher Grant Rogers went 92 pitches and kept the ball in the park for 7 strong innings.

Greenville, Game 1: W, 3-0 (BOX SCORE)

Speaking of keeping the ball in the park, the Drive overcame five walks and five hits allowed across seven innings in a bullpen game to shut ou the Tourists (Astros High-A) at home. Franklin Arias had just his third game with a hit in almost three weeks, but it cleared the bases and made the game 3-0 where it would stay.

Greenville, Game 2: W, 6-3 (BOX SCORE)

The Drive looked at five walks allowed and said “that’s cute”, as they were patient enough to take a base TWELVE times in six innings of offense. thanks to some shaky Asheville pitching. Blake Aita had yet another quality start and looks ready to face Double-A bats, even if he did give up four walks; the same could be said for Isaac Stebens, who has 42 strikeouts in 31 innings despite grabbing just one on Wednesday evening.

Salem: W, 5-2 (F/10) (BOX SCORE)

And finally, Joe Vogatsky earned his first win since being acquired for Enmanuel Valdez by pitching two innings of one-run ball behind a fantastic bottom of the tenth for Salem. Salem walked into extras by Vogatsky allowing a run, but it’s fine, because a Fraymi De Leon knock and a Yohander Linarez triple would set the scene for Justin Gonzales’ third hit of the game. The 18-year-old outfielder now has eight extra-hit games since June 1. Gonna cut this analysis short due to something called sleep after covering two-doubleheaders, but we’ll take a 4-2 Wednesday record on the farm following a rainy Tuesday.

Have a happy Thursday!