After almost two years of rehab, Patrick Sandoval is back. The idea of paying someone fresh off of Tommy John surgery $18 million to rehab has been met with plenty of criticism, but Sandoval’s 529 strikeouts in 536 career innings with an ERA just over 4 can provide some stability if healthy. I don’t think I want Sandoval in the big league roation, but perhaps some sort of relief role is best for the current club as they deal with injuries and uncertainties in that regard (as our own Jake Roy points out, the current iteration of the bullpen cannot hold a lead).
In his first trip back to a mound, Sandoval dealt with some rust regarding control. Of his 63 pitches, only 35 fell in for strikes. This also led to longevity issues, as he recorded just ten outs, issuing three walks (and letting three runs score from these walks) but striking out three. Seth Martinez brought some balance back to the game, pitching eight perfect outs. This gave the WooSox time to string some runs on the board, resulting from a costly error of the Clippers’ (Guardians AAA) Travis Bazanna on a Braiden Ward grounder. Ward would subseqently break the tie in the eighth, while Kristian Campbell would drive in a run with a bases loaded HBP. A Mikey Romero sac-fly later, the lead was up to three runs, and the WooSox would not let that up.
Franklin Arias continues to start the season strong, as he had two knocks and three RBIs. The team also managed two three-baggers, one each from Marvin Alcantara and Abrham Liendo. That’s about all the good that came from Wednesday night’s game against New Hampshire (Blue Jays AAA).
Four hitters in the Sea Dogs’ lineup are still hitless on the season almost a week in. Also, it doesn’t help that Gage Ziehl, the return for the Jordan Hicks trade, allowed seven runs, five earned, off nine hits in two and a third innings, so this one was done quickly in a fashion in which “get the game to Michael Sansone” doesn’t hit quite the same way as it does with a lead. Sansone was fine, pitching five and a third, allowing the deficit to grow more, but then, since this was the second blowout Portland’s incurred in a week, we were treated to a position player pitching, and, to his credit, Drew Ehrhard put in the best pitching performance of the night.
Everyone in the lineup had a hit against the Spartanburgers (Rangers High-A) on Tuesday, but it was quite the opposite on Wednesday. Hub City had a no-hitter going against the Drive until the sixth, when Jack Winnay drove into right field to advance Justin Gonzales (who led the inning off with a walk) to third; Gonzales would score on a Mason White sac fly. Winnay had the only hit of the night for the Drive, and, if you’re a math person, you know that one hit is usually never going to beat the two home runs Luis Cohen allowed.
It was a bullpen game in Salem, but no matter. Jacob Meyers, Myles Patton, Brandon Neely and Harry Blum may not be aboard the Artemis II by a long shot, but they navigated this game safely and kept the Warbirds (Brewers A) at bay following some early trouble. All in all, Wilson stranded nine batters. The six hits Greenville got as a team were all concentrated among three hitters, but the hits came at the right times, namely Andrews Opata getting two triples to put himself in scoring position and 18-year-old Avinson Pinto tacking on two doubles.
Have a marvelous Thursday!
