Author Archives: William Hyland

Portland Beats Hartford, Slugs Five Home Runs

Posted on by
Reply

Portland, Maine – The Sea Dogs (44-50) were propelled by a season-high five home runs, as Portland beats Hartford (44-51) 12-6 in the series opener on Thursday night at Hadlock Field. 

portland beats hartford
The win ended the Sea Dogs’ five-game losing streak and also ended the Yard Goats’ six-game win streak.
 
Hartford got off two a hot start on a solo homer by Max White on the second pitch of the game by Elih Villanueva. Two batters later Drew Weeks homered to make it 2-0 ‘Goats.
 
Portland quickly responded in the bottom of the first on a two-run home run by Chad De La Guerra off of Parker French.
 
Jordan Procyshen hit an opposite-field three-run homer in the second to extend the ‘Dogs lead to 5-2, then Portland brought all nine to the plate in a six-run third.  Mike Olt hit a three-run homer, Procyshen pulled a RBI double down the right field line, then Danny Mars hit a two-run blast to make it 11-2.
 
Parker French (7-8) went 2.2 innings and allowed 11 runs on nine hits.  In two starts against Portland this year, French has allowed eight home runs.
 
Hartford started to climb back, adding a run in the fourth and three more on a home run by Stephen Cardullo in the fifth to cut the deficit to 11-6.
 
Villanueva (4-3) allowed six runs on nine hits in five innings while walking one and striking out five in the victory.  Josh Smith (three innings) and Jake Cosart (one inning) combined to pitch the final four innings and did not allow a hit.
 
Jeremy Barfield hit a solo homer in the sixth off of Troy Nieman to make it a 12-6 ballgame.
 
All nine Sea Dogs had at least one hit.  Olt finished a triple shy of the cycle while De La Guerra, Barfield, and Procyshen each had two hits apiece.

The Road Ahead

 Portland and Hartford play a doubleheader Friday at Hadlock Field, first pitch in game one is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
Radio coverage on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network begins at 4:45 PM. MiLB.TV starts at 4:55 PM.

PawSox Relievers Help Extend Streak to Eight Wins

Posted on by
Reply

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Three days after the Red Sox played a 16-inning marathon at Fenway Park, the ripple effects extended to McCoy Stadium, where a wave of PawSox relievers combined on a five-hit shutout in a 6-0 win over the Toledo Mud Hens on Tuesday.

“I’ll tell you what, this bullpen what they did tonight [was great], because we had some moves, some guys go to the big leagues,” Pawtucket manager Kevin Boles said.

PawSox Relievers

With Brian Johnson and Héctor Velázquez promoted to Boston earlier in the day, the PawSox bullpen stepped up to stifle the Mud Hens and power Pawtucket (50-44) to an eighth consecutive win and a 10th victory in the last 11 games. The PawSox notched their 14th shutout win of the season, the most in the International League.

On a bullpen day, PawSox reliever Chandler Shepherd made the spot start and tossed two shutout innings with a strikeout. Ty Buttrey (W, 1-1), who was sent to Double-A Portland over the weekend and returned to Pawtucket on Tuesday, fanned four in three scoreless stanzas of one-hit ball. Jamie Callahan punched out three in two strong frames of his own, and left-hander Robby Scott, who had spent all of the season with the Red Sox until his option Tuesday, got the next four outs before righty Noe Ramirez nabbed the final two.

PawSox right fielder Bryce Brentz (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI) lofted his 20th home run of the season, tied for second-most in the International League, and designated hitter Rafael Devers went 2-for-4 with a line drive single up the middle and a hard grounder through the right side. Left fielder Ryan Court (1-for-3, BB) extended his hitting streak to 16 games, tied for the longest by a Pawtucket player this season.

Rehabbing Tigers starter Daniel Norris (L) logged three innings and surrendered five runs (four earned) on three hits and a pair of walks to go along with four strikeouts.

Pawtucket placed the first two aboard to begin the bottom of the first and, with two outs, third baseman Matt Dominguez yanked a two-run double down the left-field line and then scored himself on a throwing error to make it 3-0.

In the third, Brentz skied a towering two-run homer to the right-center bleachers to stretch the lead to 5-0. Five innings later, he made it 6-0 when he drilled an RBI double off the wall in straightaway center.

The Road Ahead

The PawSox continue their series with the Toledo Mud Hens on Wednesday at 11:05 a.m. at McCoy Stadium. PawSox right-hander Kyle Kendrick (3-6, 6.84) is scheduled to oppose Mud Hens righty Drew VerHagen (6-7, 4.95). Radio coverage on WHJJ (920 AM) and throughout the PawSox Radio Network begins with the PawSox Pre-Game Show at 10:35 a.m.

The seven-game homestand runs through Sunday. Good seats are available, and fans can visit the McCoy Stadium box office, which is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., and during all home games. Fans can also call (401) 724-7300 or log on to PawSox.com for tickets.

Don’t Rush Another Rafael Devers Promotion

Posted on by
Reply

At some point this summer, the Rafael Devers promotion was inevitable, especially considering his dominance of Double-A and the lack of organizational at third base. In Portland, Devers hit an even .300 with 56 RBI and 18 HR in 77 games. Of course, that was more than enough production to gain a call-up to Pawtucket.

Rafael Devers promotion

Thus, the 20-year-old is a stud. No questions asked. But that’s exactly why the Red Sox shouldn’t rush him.

Whenever this topic is brought up, a lot of comparisons are made to Andrew Benintendi (age 21) last season. However, Benintendi had already played two full seasons of D-I college ball in the Southeastern Conference before he was even drafted. Devers, on the other hand, was signed at age 17 and has less than 80 games in the high minors.

Dave Dombrowski vowed in a press conference on Friday that the Red Sox would not put pressure on Devers to contribute during a pennant race.

Ultimately, Devers needs the extra time in Triple-A to develop his defense and mature in all facets before he is rushed to Boston. I believe the Red Sox can invest in the 2017 team and make them competitive for a championship. I also believe they can do this without rushing another Rafael Devers promotion and certainly without trading him.

Best Course of Action

If the Red Sox want to acquire Todd Frazier or Martin Prado on a rental and buy time for Devers then I’m all ears. But Red Sox fans should not want to over pay with prospects and commit to Prado or Frazier long term. Tzu-Wei Lin and Deven Marrero could get the job done as long as the rest of the lineup hits.

The team finally solved their shortstop problem with Xander Bogaerts. Now they need to solve their third base problem with Rafael Devers.

By season’s end, he’ll probably have about 175-225 AB’s with the PawSox. Should he have a phenomenal Spring Training in February, the job could be Devers’ in April.

Although regardless of how this season or the spring pans out, it’s important to not rush young talent. There’s a certain third baseman in Round Rock, TX that could agree, and he shares my name.

Fisher Cats Outlast Sea Dogs in Slugfest

Posted on by
Reply

Manchester, NH – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (35-55) scored six runs in the first inning and never looked back, defeating the Portland Sea Dogs (42-45), 15-8, Friday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. The series is now tied at one game apiece.

Northeast Delta Dental Stadium

Lourdes Gurriel and Harold Ramirez, who each had 4 RBI, led New Hampshire’s 18-hit attack. LHP Shane Dawson (2-9) worked five innings on nine hits and six runs (four earned) to notch the win.
Mike Olt reached base five times for Portland, nailing a two-run double during a 3-run first inning for Portland. New Hampshire sent 10 to the plate in the first, scoring six times off Trey Ball (L, 3-8).  Ball lasted 1+ on nine hits and eight runs, suffering his second loss this month.
Ramirez extended New Hampshire’s lead to 8-3 with a two-run single off Jake Drehoff in the second.  The Fisher Cats added four runs on five hits in the fourth inning off Drehoff.
Portland scored five unanswered runs, and scored seven runs with two outs. In the fifth, Jeremy Barfield led off with a towering homer, his ninth of the season. The ‘Dogs added two runs on a shortstop’s error and a bunt-single from Danny Mars (3-for-6). Cole Sturgeon brought the ‘Dogs within four runs with a two-run double.
New Hampshire put the game away in the seventh, scoring three times off Luis Ysla.
Kender Villegas worked the final three innings on just one hit to earn his first save of the season.

Finishing Up in The Granite State

The Sea Dogs and New Hampshire Fisher Cats play a doubleheader on Saturday night beginning at 6:05 PM from Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. RHP Elih Villanueva and RHP Taylor Grover start for Portland. New Hampshire has RHP Francisco Rios in the opener and TBA for the second game. Radio coverage with Mike Antonellis begins at 5:50 PM.
 
Tickets for Portland’s next homestand on July 17-23 can be purchased at 207-879-9500 and seadogs.com. Press release courtesy of the Portland Sea Dogs.

Jeremy Barfield Walks Off Sea Dogs With Grand Slam

Posted on by
Reply
Portland, Maine – Jeremy Barfield hit a walk-off grand slam off of Justin Shafer and the Sea Dogs (38-43) defeated the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (34-51) 8-7 on Thursday night at Hadlock Field. Barfield is the youngest son of former big leaguer Jesse Barfield.
Jeremy Barfield
Trailing 7-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Deiner Lopez and Mike Olt singled, then Rafael Devers walked to load the bases with one out. Facing an 0-2 count, Barfield sent a hanging slider from Shafer over the Maine Monster in left for the game winner – his seventh homer of the season.
 
Jake Cosart (3-2) earned the win after stranding the bases loaded in a scoreless ninth.
 
Trevor Kelly made his Double-A debut and worked 2.1 innings of relief, also getting out of a major jam in the eighth when the Fisher Cats loaded the bases with one out and only ended up with one run after Kelly induced a 4-6-3 double play from Ryan McBroom.
 
Conner Greene (ND) was excellent in the start for New Hampshire. Greene allowed three earned runs on nine hits and fanned six in the victory.  He also tied a season low with just one walk.  Sea Dogs’ starter Teddy Stankiewicz (ND) allowed six earned runs on a career-high-tying 12 hits in 5.2 innings.  He walked two and struck out two.
 
Tim Lopes set a new season high with four hits and two RBIs, extending his hit streak to nine games in the process.  Guillotte had three hits and a walk and scored three runs, Urena reached base three times and scored twice while driving in two.  New Hampshire had 15 hits including a season-high six doubles by six different players.
 
Jeremy Barfield finished with four hits, four RBIs, and two runs. Henry Urrutia, Chad De La Guerra, Cole Sturgeon, and Deiner Lopez each had two hits apiece.
 
However, Brock Holt finished 0-for-4 in his second straight game on rehab assignment from the Boston Red Sox.

Weekend Series Ahead

Portland opens a weekend series against the Reading Fightin Phils with a doubleheader Friday at Hadlock Field at 5 pm. LHP Trey Ball is scheduled to start for Portland in game one against RHP John Richy of Reading.  Tickets can still be purchased online at SeaDogs.com or by phone at 879-9500.
Listen live on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network beginning at 4:45 PM and watch on MiLB.TV starting at 4:55 PM.

Jhonny Peralta, Sandoval Homer in Pair of Wins

Posted on by
Reply

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Backed by a Jhonny Peralta home run, the Pawtucket Red Sox earned a pair of 5-2 victories over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Saturday night at McCoy Stadium in front of a sellout crowd of 10,032.

Pawtucket smacked three home runs and outhit the RailRiders (49-32), 13-3, in the first game and followed that up with a second win just hours later thanks to a pair of blasts.

Jhonny Peralta

In the first game, Jhonny Peralta debuted at third base and went 2-for-5 with a double and a solo home run to left.

Red Sox utility man Brock Holt (vertigo) began another rehab assignment in the second game, batted leadoff and served as the designated hitter. Holt went 1-for-3 with a soft line drive single over short.

Rehabbing Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval (inner ear infection) went 1-for-8 in the two games with a no-doubt, solo homer yanked to left in the second game.

PawSox outfielder Bryce Brentz continued his recent surge by combining to go 4-for-7 with a home run, two doubles and a walk. Brentz now has 18 home runs this season, including five this week.

First Game

PawSox starting pitcher Jalen Beeks threw the first three innings Friday and stacked up five strikeouts over the three frames of one-hit ball. Right-handed reliever Jamie Callahan (W, 1-1) retired all six batters he faced with a trio of strikeouts, and righty Austin Maddox (S, 2) stranded two in a scoreless ninth.

RailRiders reliever J.R. Graham (L, 0-1) allowed two runs on four hits over two stanzas.

Before the game was suspended Friday, Peralta pulled a one-out double to left in the first inning, and, two batters later, Brentz clobbered a two-run shot to left-center — his 18th homer of the season and his fifth of the week.

After the game’s resumption Saturday, the RailRiders tied the game in the fifth when designated hitter Jake Cave blasted a two-run shot to right-center.

PawSox left fielder Ryan Court, however, pushed Pawtucket back ahead with an opposite-field, two-run long ball in the bottom of the sixth, making it 4-2.

Peralta hit a solo homer to left in the eighth to add an insurance run.

Second Game

Following, Héctor Velázquez (W, 5-1) worked six-plus innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts. Right-hander Brandon Workman (S, 2) entered, fanned two and buttoned up the victory.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre starter Dietrich Enns (L, 0-1) retired the first 10 batters he faced but ceded three runs on four hits and a walk in five frames.

The PawSox broke a scoreless tie in the fourth when Sandoval crushed a solo homer over the left-field bullpen and became the first Pawtucket batter to reach against Enns.

Aneury Tavarez bounced a two-run single up the middle in the fifth to stretch the lead to 3-0.

In the sixth, Pawtucket first baseman Matt Dominguez hammered a two-run blast to center to make it 5-0.

The RailRiders climbed on the board in the seventh on a two-run long ball from left fielder Devyn Bolasky.

The PawSox continue their four-game series Sunday at 6:05 p.m. at McCoy Stadium. PawSox right-hander Shawn Haviland (4-5, 3.86) is scheduled to oppose RailRiders righty Chance Adams (5-2, 2.27). Radio coverage on WHJJ (920 AM) and throughout the PawSox Radio Network begins with the PawSox Pre-Game Show at 5:35 p.m.

The four-game home series runs through Monday at McCoy Stadium. Box seats are sold out for Monday’s game, and other seats are going fast. Fans can visit the McCoy Stadium box office, which is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., and during all home games. Fans can also call (401) 724-7300 or log on to PawSox.com for tickets.