Two winners and two second-place finishers on the scoreboard by the Jays affiliates Sunday.
Worcester 8 Buffalo 1
Every Bisons hitter reached base at least once and had 15 baserunners on 11 hits, three walks and a hit by pitch but still wound up losing to the Red Sox. Kevin Smith doubled twice to give him 21 on the season. Tyler White—thrown out at the plate trying to score on a Smith double to end the first—had two hits including an RBI double to bring in an Anthony Morales base hit. The 22 year-old Morales has a hit in all three games with the Herd since being called up from Dunedin. Forrest Wall had a couple of notches in the hit column.
Zach Logue suffered the loss but was betrayed by the Bisons defence when Dilson Herrera threw away a ball from second and White dropped a ball at first. Logue allowed five runs (two earned) on six hits and walk over four inning, striking out only one. He did get seven of his 10 outs in play on the ground. Tommy Milone—the soft-tossing southpaw who is no longer the key to the Jays playoff drive—gave up a run in 1-2/3 innings. Jeremy Beasley gave up two runs (one earned) in 1-1/3 innings while Kirby Snead put up a zero in the eighth.
New Hampshire 7 Portland 6
Nick Podkul's two-run single broke a 3-3 tie as the Fisher Cats got by the Red Sox affiliate in Maine. Podkul had another RBI single and drew two walks in a perfect day at the plate. Kevin Vicuña had a three-hit game, including a double, and stole a base. Tanner Kirwer had two hits with one being a run-scoring double. Chavez Young singled, walked and stole a base and Jordan Groshans had an RBI double. Samad Taylor walked and swiped his 20th base of the year.
Maximo Castillo put up a quality start to improve his record to 8-2. He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings, striking out five and recording seven outs on the dirt. Mike Ellenbest and Fitz Stadler put up a goose egg apiece. Graham Spraker surrendered three runs in two-thirds of an inning but Emerson Jimenez stranded the tying run on base by getting the final out of the game for his first save.
Vancouver 6 Spokane 3
The C's blew a 3-0 lead to the Rockies affiliate but scored three in the ninth to snap a four-game losing skid. Philip Clarke crushed his second homer of the season to highlight a three-hit performance. Zac Cook belted his first home run in a Vancouver uniform to get the C's on the board in the third inning and also stole a base. Spencer Horwitz doubled, singled and walked twice to give him 50 free passes on the year and a share of the High-A West lead. Tanner Morris also had a pair of safeties and is sporting a .409 on-base percentage. Will Robertson singled and was plunked.
Nick Fraze was perfect in his four-inning start, striking out four. Brandon Eisert gave up all three runs in the fifth inning, including a pair of home runs. Adrian Hernandez and Justin Maese delivered two cream cheese bagels apiece with Hernandez striking out four while Maese collected his second win of the year.
Bradenton 4 Dunedin 3
The D-Jays outhit the Pirates affiliate 7-6 but fell short on the scoreboard in the series finale. P.K. Morris homered in the fourth inning and Orelvis Martinez scored a pair with a hit in the eighth. Martinez had two hits along with Wifrann Astudillo, who was on base three times after taking one for the team. Steward Berroa and Miguel Hiraldo singled and walked. Dasan Brown was 0-for-4.
Naswell Paulino was popped for four runs—including a homer—on five hits, a walk and a hit by pitch. He struck out six and and recorded five outs on the grass. Elixon Caballero, Jol Concepion and Juan De Paula threw a shutout frame apiece.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Philip Clarke, Vancouver
2. Nick Podkul, New Hampshire
1. Maximo Castillo, New Hampshire
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