Worcester, MA – The Worcester Red Sox clicked on all cylinders on Thursday night at Polar Park routing the Buffalo Bisons, 10-3 to win for the 17th time in their last 21 games. The WooSox pounded 13 hits led by Franklin Arias with a single, double, home run, and 3 runs scored, while Kristian Campbell & Mickey Gasper both had 2 doubles & 2 RBI. Nathan Hickey was the DH and had 2 hits & 3 RBI and then made his 11th relief appearance of the year pitching the 9th inning to close out the victory.
With the victory, Worcester improved to 62-50 on the year to equal their season-high of 12-games over .500 including a 26-15 record in the 2nd half. The WooSox remain ½-game behind Indianapolis for the best 2nd half record in the entire International League
The big inning came in the 4th when the WooSox scored 5 runs after the first two batters were retired. Brett Harris worked a 2-out walk and Vinny Capra followed with a single setting the stage for DH Hickey who sent both home with a triple to the centerfield wall. Arias, the 20-year-old #2 prospect in Minor League Baseball, smacked a single up the middle to drive in Hickey and then rode home when Nate Eaton crushed a 2-run HR (#9) 421-feet onto the berm in left center to extend Worcester’s lead to 8-0.
For the fifth time in just over a month, the WooSox welcomed a new young pitcher from Double-A Portland to make his WooSox and Triple-A debut. This time it was 22-year-old RHP Jedixson Paez who was promoted from Portland on Wednesday. Worcester has now won each of the first five times a Portland starter debuted with the WooSox…LHP Hayden Mullins on July 8, RHP Blake Wehunt on July 22, RHP John Holobetz on July 30, RHP Gage Ziehl on August 8, and Paez on August 13.
Paez, who was taken from the Red Sox by the White Sox in last December’s Rule 5 Draft, made his Major League debut with Chicago at the beginning of this season and did not fare well. He was returned to the Red Sox organization on April 4 and had been with Portland since going 2-3 with a 4.41 ERA in 17 games (7 starts) with 3 saves – 49 IP, 45 H, 25 R, 24 ER, 5 BB, 56 SO. His 5 walks compared to 56 strikeouts were among the best ratio in the Minor Leagues.
Paez wasted little time in making his presence known with a 1-2-3 top of the 1st inning that ended with consecutive back-to-back swinging strikeouts. He was even better in the 2nd striking out the side around a 2-out walk. After a 2-out double by Buffalo LF Rudy Martin Jr. in the 3rd, Paez got some defensive help by Capra, the WooSox shortstop, who made a diving stop and throw to get Josh Kasevich at 1st base to end the inning. His final line – 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO – on 60 pitches (40 strikes).
The WooSox offense also wasted little time in making an impact. The 1st-inning has been their most productive all year and it began this time with a lead-off double to the right centerfield wall by Arias. Arias moved to 3rd on a sac bunt by Eaton and came home on a sac fly by Gasper.
Worcester made it 3-0 in the 2nd. Allan Castro led with a walk, stole second, and cruised home when Kristian Campbell ripped a double into the left centerfield gap. Campbell, who is batting .352 (37-for-105) in his last 32 games, scored on a two-out single by Hickey.
Patrick Halligan (1-0), promoted from Portland earlier in the day, was outstanding in relief to get credit for the victory in his second-ever game with the WooSox. Halligan allowed just 1 run on 3 hits over 3.2 innings with 4 strikeouts. He threw one more pitch than Paez (61 including 41 for strikes).
Arias, playing second base for the 4th time in his 15 games with Worcester (he’s played shortstop in 9 games), capped his fine night by drilling a solo HR over the wall in right center in the 6th inning. He has 4 HR & 17 RBI in his 15 games with the WooSox and 23 homers overall on the year. Gasper doubled and scored Worcester’s 10th and final run of the night on an RBI single by 1B Romy Gonzalez.
Game 4 of the series is tomorrow night (Friday) at 6:45 pm at Polar Park. RHP Gage Ziehl (1-0, 0.00), who fired 5.2 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts to win his WooSox debut last Saturday vs. Lehigh Valley, makes his second start for Worcester against Bisons John Klein (2-4, 5.94). The game is on tape delay on NESN+ but can be heard live on NASH 98.9 FM. After the game, fans will be treated to UniBank Fireworks set to Karaoke Hits – fans can sing along!