The WooSox destroyed the Bulls (Rays AAA) despite getting just six hits on the afternoon. It helped that two of these hits were home runs by Tyler McDonough, and it set the tone that McDonough’s first-inning shot was a grand slam, rising Worcester’s win probability to over 82% with just two outs recorded in the whole game. People make 2021 all about the Mayer pick, but McDonough also fell to the third round that year and could yet be a piece of the platoon in the next, oh, 12-24 months or so. Worcester’s bullpen led by David Sandlin didn’t allow a hit from the third inning to the ninth. Also helping things out with some insurance shots were Max Ferguson, who’s been raking of late, and Abraham Toro, who may see a call-up today (but man, he looks like a AAAA player all of a sudden, doesn’t he?) Worcester’s roster is about to be a bit depleted for a week following call-up day before getting some help before a Portland name or two at the end of their season.
Caleb Bolden went six innings but the Yard Goats (Rockies AA) tagged him for four runs in the fourth, so good for him for pulling it back together and finishing strong. Portland experienced a black hole near the top of their lineup in which their second through fifth hitters went hitless, which didn’t help matters. Brooks Brannon is back playing catcher for Sunday’s game, and he kept Portland in the game offensively, as well, hitting his fifth home run since being promoted and his tenth of the season. Unfortunately, that fourth frame proved to be fatal for the finale in Hartford.
Franklin Arias now has hits in eight of his last ten games, as he had an RBI knock on the night. Also, I alluded to thinking this way a few weeks ago, but I’m going to fully state it now so someone can put me in a Freezing Cold Takes highlight: 21-year-old Maximus Martin is going to skyrocket up the prospect lists in 2026. The Kansas State product and tenth-round draft pick a few months ago drew a walk, scored a run via a Freili Encarnacion home run, and had a knock otherwise. He’s hitting .333 in his first two weeks in Greenville; He was in Salem just a few weeks and apparently very quickly turned heads there, too.
Jose Bello didn’t look super sharp, striking out just one, but the bullpen held the CannonBallers (White Sox A) hitless. Unfortunately, there wasn’t too too much to speak of offensively for Salem, though they did get eight hits on the night, including a 2-out D’Angelo Ortiz RBI knock, but they ultimately stranded ten.