By Tiffany Williams –
On Tuesday night, Red Sox fans in New England had a lot to smile about. The Boston Red Sox emerged victorious against the San Francisco Giants with a score of 4-0, while the Worcester Red Sox, who are currently on a six-game homestand, also won their game against the IronPigs with a score of 12-5. And, further north of Fenway, the Portland Sea Dogs defeated the Reading Fightin Phils with a score of 9-3.
During the game at Fenway, Rob Refsnyder hit an 88.4 mph changeup from Logan Webb to connect with a single, which brought Tyler O’Neill in and helped the Sox take a lead of 0-1. Then came Jarren Duran, who also connected with an 88.5 mph changeup and hit a single, allowing Reese McGuire to score and extended the Sox lead to 0-2.
Rob Refsnyder continued to play well through the night. In the bottom of the third, he hit an 83.6 mph sweeper to record his second single of the game and drive in Wilyer Abreu, putting the Sox ahead with a score of 0-3. Speaking of Abreu, he has been a remarkable player for the Sox this season, and he showed off his skills in the bottom of the fourth by connecting with an 88.5 mph changeup to grab his first triple of the season, driving in Jarren Duran and extending the Sox’s lead to 0-4.
Abreu has been on a roll lately, recording 3+ hits in 4 of his last 9 games and batting .447 with a 1.277 OPS over that span. He has also recorded an RBI in eight of his last nine games since April 19, and he has reached base in 14 of his last 16 games since April 11.
With the win on Tuesday night, the Sox have now won three straight games and have improved to 7-3 in their last 10 games overall.
At Polar Park in Worcester’s Canal District, the Worcester Red Sox continued their winning streak, defeating the IronPigs 12-5. Richard Fitts pitched a great game, holding on for six innings and throwing 87 pitches, with 62 of them being strikes. Fitts allowed three hits, two runs, walked two, and struck out seven.
In Portland, the Sea Dogs also won their game with a score of 9-3 against the Reading Fightin Phils. Zach Penrod started for the Sea Dogs and went five innings, throwing 86 pitches with 54 of them being strikes. Penrod allowed five hits, two runs, walked two, struck out seven, and gave up a homer to Marcus Lee Sang at the top of the second. From the bullpen, Jonathan Brand threw 17 pitches, 12 of them being strikes. Brand allowed just one hit and struck out one in his one inning at the mound. Ryan Zeferjahn also played for two innings, throwing 27 pitches with 21 of them being strikes. He allowed one hit, struck out one, and Felix Cepeda closed for the Sea Dogs, throwing 11 pitches, with eight of them being strikes. Cepeda allowed two hits and gave up a homer to Marcus Lee Sang at the top of the ninth.
On Wednesday, the Red Sox and Worcester Red Sox will both play midday games, while the Sea Dogs will play at 6:00 p.m.