This game may have had a totally different outcome if the WooSox simply left fewer men on base, especially later on. A total of 14 were left stranded in the midst of 11 walks by Sounds (Brewers AAA) pitchers. It also didn’t help that the WooSox found themselves quickly down 5-1 due to ineffective starting pitching. To Worcester’s credit, Nashville was equally as abysmal with runners in scoring position; the Sound were held to 3 for 17 in that stat and stranded a dozen. So, in the end, the result was the result due to some early productivity by the home team, as well as some key extra-base hits when the leverage wasn’t quite so high. The team as a whole, though, looks uninspired at the plate after most started the season mashing. When at least one member is an injury list stint away from playing at Fenway, that’s not a great thing.
Gage Ziehl, the return for getting Jordan Hicks out of here, had some sweet redemption from his last start. He went five strong and scoreless and struck out six. This was enough for the Sea Dogs to get out to a 5-0 lead in the third inning, as they took Altoona (Pirates AA) pitching for a ride via a lead-off home run by Franklin Arias (his second in as many games) and outfielder Will Turner hitting a triple with two on. The Sea Dogs stranded nine and eventually the bullpen let the lead shrink, but early offense and a great start by Ziehl was enough for Portland to stand alone as the only winners on the farm Wednesday.
On Ziehl, whose five innings actually LOWERED his ERA to 6.14: the former Miami Hurricane is still just 22 years of age and is a former Yankees draft pick, which is somehow even sweeter that he’s making moves in the Sox organization. His fastball lacks some velocity (it tops out at 92) but that gives it plenty of room to get tinkered with. Maybe more to come?
I want to acknowledge that the Drive played spotless defense, not committing any errors, while the Hot Rods (Rays High-A). This is usually the other way around, and while an errorless baseball game should be the norm, it’s good when it happens. The starting pitching by Luis Cohen wasn’t as spotless, and so the Drive found themselves at an early disadvantage. The good news is that Greenville hit four home runs on the night, but the bad news is that they were all solo shots, and the potential damage was minimized. If not for Greenville going hitless in seven attempts with runners in scoring position, those four home runs may have spawned a totally different conversation.
The RidgeYaks were subject to a late blown lead despite an otherwise solid 4 2/3 innings of relief by former Texas A&M Aggie Myles Patton, who’s looked really good in the early going. Salem entered the 8th up 4-3 thanks in part to a very early home run by their nine-slot in the lineup shortstop, Ilan Hernandez, but the lead couldn’t be held. That inning got Salem up to a 3-0 lead over the Crawdads (Rangers A) but the lead was given right back via a Hickory double with the bases loaded, which effectively ended starter Jacob Mayers’ day. The game was quiet sans those few high-adrenaline moments, but in the end Hickory simply had more of them.
