Red Sox farm update: July 8th

Sep 24, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman

(70) watches his solo home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox

Final Score: Lehigh Valley IronPigs 9, PawSox 8

Notable Pitchers:

Jonathan Aro (1.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB)

Dayan Diaz (3 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K)

Dalier Hinojosa (3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, ER, 2 BB, 5 K)

Joe Kelly (IP, H, 0 R)

• Kelly only lasted one inning last night before being hit with a line drive and being forced to exit the game. The ball struck off his right forearm and hopefully this doesn’t prove to be a serious injury in what’s been a disappointing season for Kelly.

Notable Position Players:

Jackie Bradley Jr. (0-5, BB)

Garin Cecchini (3-5, BB)

• That makes two straight excellent games for Cecchini, who has now reached base four times in back-to-back contests. He’s still having an awful year by the numbers, slashing only .207/.280/.297 but if he can heat up in the final stretches of the season, he could at least generate some trade value.

Allen Craig (1-5, 2 K)

Daniel Nava (0-4, BB, 2 K)

Sep 10, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of Fenway Park during the seventh inning of the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Final Score: Reading Fightin’ Phils 2, Sea Dogs 1

Notable Pitchers:

Williams Jerez (1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R)

Simon Mercedes (2.1 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 4 K)

Notable Position Players:

Carlos Asuaje (2-4)

Manuel Margot (0-4)

Henry Ramos (1-4, 3B)

• Ramos makes his triumphant return to the Sea Dogs after an injury-riddled start to the year and spending the last couple of weeks in the lower minors on a rehab assignment. The well-rounded outfielder has a chance to make an impact on the Red Sox as a bench player within the next few years and this is a good start as he knocks a triple in his first game back.

Sam Travis (1-3, BB)

Apr 25, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; A detailed view of practice baseballs before the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

High-A Salem Red Sox

Final Score: Carolina Mudcats 4, Red Sox 3

Notable Pitchers:

Trey Ball (6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K)

• This most recent start from Ball isn’t quite as good as a number of starts on his recent run, but it’s hardly a disaster either. Before yesterday, the lanky southpaw hadn’t allowed four runs or more in an outing since May 29th and in that span of seven starts since then, he’s made four shutout performances. It’s important to note that his peripherals don’t exactly believe in his strong results yet, as he has just 49 strikeouts versus 36 walks in 85.2 innings this season, but his 3.68 ERA is still a step in the right direction.

Notable Position Players:

Mauricio Dubon (1-4, K)

Tzu-Wei Lin (2-5, 2B)

Wendell Rijo (0-5, 2 K)

Jun 19, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Florida Gators pitcher

(14) pitched against the Virginia Cavaliers in the ninth inning in the 2015 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Florida defeated Virginia 10-5. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Short Season A Lowell Spinners

Final Score: Spinners 4, West Virginia Black Bears 1

Notable Pitchers:

Jake Cosart (5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 2 K)

Bobby Poyner (1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, K)

• Poyner, drafted in the 14th round out of Florida this season, makes his second appearance out of the Spinners’ bullpen. He was a college senior who signed for cheap, but still was listed as a legitimate prospect on many publications and could develop into a decent reliever a few years down the line.

Notable Position Players:

Victor Acosta (0-3, BB, 2 K)

Andrew Benintendi (0-4, 2 K)

Tate Matheny (0-4, 2 K)

Josh Ockimey (1-3, K)

Austin Rei (0-3, 2 K)

Sep 7, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; General view of Fenway Park prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Gulf Coast League Red Sox

Final Score: GCL Rays 4, Red Sox 0

Notable Position Players:

Yoan Aybar (2-2)

Devon Fisher (1-4)

Trent Kemp (0-4)

Danny Mars (0-1, BB)

Jagger Rusconi (0-3)

• Rusconi, a fifth-round selection this year, has gotten off to a slow start in the Gulf Coast League this season. In his first four games in the system, he’s gone 1-13 without a walk or extra-base hit. Still, this is obviously a small sample size and Rusconi has the skill set to be a useful player with good speed and hit tools.