The Worcester Red Sox continued their long homestand in the third week of the Triple-A East season, taking on the Buffalo Bisons and looking for a little payback from their 2-4 series loss in the opening week of the campaign. Things started out pretty well on Tuesday with a WooSox 9-4 victory.
After a scoreless opening frame Worcester took command in the second inning. Jeter Downs singled and Jonathan Arauz followed with a double. Downs scored on a Cesar Puello groundout, and Arauz added a run on Michael Gettys’ RBI single. Jarren Duran then crushed one to center to make it 4-0. Buffalo scored one in the top of the third, but Danny Santana got that one back in the home half on a line shot over the left-field fence. In the fourth Arauz and Gettys both homered to make it 7-1. The Bisons tried to make a game of it with three in the sixth, but Downs’ two-run single in the eighth sealed the deal. Daniel Gossett evened his record at 1-1 with the win, allowing seven hits and striking out six in six innings.
The WooSox entered Wednesday’s game looking to extend their five-game winning streak, but the Worcester bats couldn’t figure out Buffalo starter Alek Manoah as the WooSox struck out 15 times in a 4-1 loss to the Bisons.. Chris Herrmann solo shot to center in the second was the only highlight for Worcester. Stephen Gonsalves took the loss despite allowing just three runs in five innings. He had eight punchouts in the game.
Thursday saw the WooSox trying to get back into the win column, and while their bats weren’t great their pitching picked up the slack in a 4-1 victory. Worcester took the lead in the bottom of the first when Jaren Duran scored on a throwing error, and Michael Gettys’ homer in the second made it 2-0. In the fourth Marcus Wilson tripled and scored on Cesar Puello’s RBI single. Two batters later Jack Lopez singled in Puello. Those four runs were more than enough for the WooxSox pitchers, with starter Kyle Hart getting the win with a solid seven inning stint, allowing just three hits while striking out six. Brandon Workman pitched a decent eighth frame, and Kaleb Ort notched his fifth save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
To call Friday’s 6-4 loss a heartbreaker for Worcester might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was a game the squad should have won, and they didn’t. The WooSox had a 4-2 lead after seven innings on a second-inning Chris Herrmann RBI single, a Jonathan Arauz RBI double and Jack Lopez RBI single in the fourth, and a Jeter Downs solo shot in the seventh. The Bison grabbed a run in the eighth, and in the ninth Worcester reliever Marcus Walden imploded allowing five hits and three runs to take one out of the win column.
The good thing about baseball is there’s almost always a game the next day to help put a bad loss behind you, and Worcester took full advantage and put up four home runs in a 7-4 victory over the Bisons. After Buffalo manufactured a run in the top of the first the WooSox did the same thing in the bottom of the frame when Jarren Duran doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Christian Arroyo’s sacrifice fly. But that wasn’t all for the frame as Jeter Downs and Yairo Munoz then went back-to-back for the 3-1 lead. In the second they added two more runs on a Duran RBI single and an Arroyo RBI groundout. In the fourth Duran homered to right, and he did it again in the sixth to cap the scoring for the WooSox. Duran finished the game going 5-5 with 3 RBI. Raynel Espinal improved his record to 2-1 with the win, striking out nine and allowing just two hits and one run in five innings.
Sunday’s matinee was all about Worcester’s pitching as four WooSox combined for the shutout in a 4-0 win in the series finale. Daniel Gossett earned his second win on the season, scattering four hits and striking out five in six innings. John Schreiber, Brandon Brennan, and Brandon Workman each followed with one solid inning of relief. For the bats, Jett Bandy knocked in the first run of the game with an RBI single to center in the second, and then he did it again in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. In the fifth back-to-back doubles by Christian Arroyo and Yairo Munoz added a third run, and after some Little League defense in the eighth by Buffalo Tate Matheny made it 4-0 with an RBI single to center.
210Sports’ WooSox of the week
Pitcher: Daniel Gossett is the easy winner this week, with two wins and 11 strikeouts in 12 innings of work.
Batter: Jeter Downs is this week’s pick, going 8-22 with two home runs. Had added four RBI, three runs, and two stolen bases.
Last week’s transactions
Monday, May 17: Boston optioned Jonathan Arauz to Worcester
Friday, May 21: Boston selected Danny Santana from Worcester and placed Christian Arroyo in Worcester on a rehab assignment.
Sunday, May 23: Placed Eduard Bazardo (right lat strain) on the IL.
This week’s schedule
at Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia)
Monday: off
Tuesday: 7pm
Wednesday: 7pm
Thursday: 7pm
Friday: 7pm
Saturday: 6:35pm
Sunday: 6:35pm
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