Worcester: W, 9-1 (BOX SCORE)
With a depleted pitching staff, the WooSox needed an extremely effective outing out of Gage Ziehl and they got it, as Ziehl pitched into the seventh allowing just one run on four hits and didn’t walk anyone. He got those twenty outs with just 73 pitches, and Noah Song and Sam McWilliams kept Buffalo (Blue Jays AAA) off the board. The WooSox were in a pretty close game even with that outstanding Ziehl start until they scored three each in the seventh and ninth innings and turned this one into a laugher.
The bottom four slots of the lineup went 0-for-14, but it didn’t matter because the top four each had multiple hits. Romy Gonzalez hit a home run and Mikey Romero went 4-for-4 with a double. At this point, four years after the infielder went in the first round and a couple short days after some returning players on this year’s Red Sox roster shared a lineup card with Romero, it seems easier to point out reasons why Romero wouldn’t fit organizationally in 2027 and beyond than reasons why he would, but he may at least play a part in a good return in the offseason (or after the lockout) if the front office feels the same way. With Romero being just 22 years of age until January 12, it’s possible other front offices – like the one employing the man who drafted him – may feel the same. Still, there’s something to be said for a resilient infielder who hits to contact and is as good as he is running the bases. Whether that something to be said is ever spoken with a promotion remains to be seen.
Portland: L, 6-4 (BOX SCORE)
Noah Rogers did what most would describe as “shoving” as he also pitched over five innings and struck out seven, though he did give up three runs. Cooper Adams allowed that same amount over the last eight outs, though, and that sixth inning where the guard changed was where the BaySox (Orioles AA) scored five of their six runs. Ultimately, strikeouts did the Sea Dogs in, as they saw strike three 15 times on the night.
Greenville: W, 13-11 (BOX SCORE)
Greenville has now given up eleven runs in each of their last three games and has won two of those games. This includes the opener of the final series of 2026 against the Hot Rods (Rays High-A.) Brady Tygart may have let up seven runs, but he also struck out ten and stayed in the game long enough for a four-run top of the ninth.
This game was bookended by great home runs; Jake Schaffner made this a 5-1 game in the second inning with his first professional home run (he’s not much of a power guy and is more known for contact, so this is a big deal) and Yophery Rodriguez completed a 3-for-4 day with a three-run shot in the top of the ninth. Nazzan Zanetello hit his second home run of the week just for good measure.
Salem: L, 7-8 (F/10) (BOX SCORE)
The day of the Howlers’ trek from Hill City (Guardians A, and “the Hill City” in question is Lynchburg, Virginia, not, to my dismay, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, a truly hilly city deserving of the moniker) ended with the RidgeYaks walking them off and turning a coin flip game into a win in two at-bats. Andrews Opata scored from second on a single, doing what he does best, as he also stole his 54th base of the season earlier on in the contest. Adonys Guzman, the walk-off hero, continues to see the ball very well lately. And, most importantly, the whole team saw the ball well with men on, going 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position.