PawSox Weekly Notebook: Not This Year But Maybe Next Year

Ryan L. Fox

Hello to all PawSox fans. Welcome to another edition of the PawSox Weekly Notebook, the guide for all those who want to know what’s going on with their favorite local baseball team. There are some good news and some bad news. Bad news is that the PawSox’s playoff were eliminated from playoff contention. The good news, however, is that the team still has a chance to finish over .500 after last year’s 59-85 (.410) record. It may be a hard pill to swallow for the McCoy faithful, but sometimes you gotta take your lumps now before you can enjoy any future success.

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A Week in Review
Continuing their stay down in Moosic, Pennsylvania; the PawSox looked to rebound after Friday night’s loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. However there was a change in the PawSox lineup as Henry Owens was scratched from the start (he was called up to Boston the next day). So RHP Chandler Shepherd was asked to make the spot start. Shepherd ended up going 3.1 IP with 5 hits and 3 runs allowed (all 3 runs were earned) while striking out 4 batters.
 
Unfortunately, the PawSox offense could not provide any support as the team lost 4-0 and were knocked out of the race for the International League North Divisional title. To add more to the mess, the series finale on Sunday was cancelled due to weather.
 
After the ‘day off’ on Sunday, the team headed back to McCoy for a 4-game home stand. However the home stand was split between the Syracuse Chiefs for the 22nd & 23rd and then the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs on the 24th & 25th. After splitting with the Chiefs, the team got set to host the Iron Pigs for a crucial 2-game series that would determine the PawSox’s chances for the wildcard spot. After a 10-4 blowout by the PawSox off the bats of OFs Ryan LaMarre and Chris Dominguez (each had 2 HRs in that game), they looked to close the gap with the Iron Pigs. However the Iron Pigs left McCoy Stadium with a 6-1 and slowly crushing the playoff hopes of the McCoy faithful.
 
Then on the following Thursday (8/25), the PawSox began their final road trip of the season with a 4-game extended weekend series against the Syracuse Chiefs at NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, New York. The PawSox opened up the series with a 3-0 victory on Friday (8/26) as starter Henry Owens kept the Chiefs off the scoreboard with 8 strikeouts through 6 innings pitched. Also that same night, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs lost to the Buffalo Bisons 4-3, giving the PawSox some life to make it into the postseason. However all that evaporated on Saturday night as the team lost to the Chiefs 7-2 while the Iron Pigs crushed the Bisons 12-2. With their loss to the Chiefs and Iron Pigs victory, the PawSox were eliminated from the playoff hunt for the second straight year in a row.
 
But even so, they still had some baseball left to play. In the Sunday matinee game, the PawSox were able to blanket the Chiefs for the second time in the series. This time the score was 6-0 in favor of the visitors. PawSox starter Roenis Elias picked up his club-leading 10th victory of the season in a game as he outdueled rehabbing Washington Nationals SP Joe Ross. Elias went 6 strong innings, giving up just 3 hits, striking out 6 batters, and keeping the Chiefs out of the scoring column. Also in that game, 5 PawSox batters collected multiple hits, including CF Rusney Castillo and SS Deven Marrero, who each had 3 hits apiece.
 
Where They Stand
 
With less than two weeks left in the season, the PawSox are currently at 70-64 (.523). This includes a record of 38-29 at home and 32-35 on the road. They are currently 13.5 games behind division leader Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (79-48 (.622)).

 
Just the Stats Jack
The following statistics are from players currently playing on the PawSox Triple-A squad as of 6/24. This excludes players who were called up, traded, currently on the disabled list, or currently on the temporary inactive list.
 
At the Plate
(*=min. 130 at-bats)
- C Dan Butler leads the team in on-base percentage (OBP) (.409)* and batting average (.311)*
- OF Ryan LaMarre leads the team in hit-by-pitches (7) and stolen bases (15)
- OF Chris Marrero leads the team in games played (123), at-bats (463), runs scored (61), hits (132), total bases (232), home runs (23), RBIs (65), walks drawn (42), slugging percentage (.501)* and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (.845)*
 
Start You Pitchers
(*= min. 70 IP)
- SP Henry Owens leads the team in games played (22), games started (22), hit batters (12), strikeouts (124), strikes per 9 innings (8.9), ERA (3.52)*, and opposing batting average (.220)* He is also tied with teammate SP Justin Haley for team lead in complete game shut outs (1). Both Owens and Haley are tired with teammate SP Sean O’Sullivan, SP/RP William Cuevas, and SP Roenis Elias for team lead in complete games (1).
- Elias leads the team in wins (10)
- Haley leads the team in WHIP (1.19)*
- Cuevas leads the team in innings pitched (128.2)
 
Outta Da Pen
(*= min. 15 appearances)
- RHP Roman Mendez leads the team in holds (6) and is tied with teammate RHP Robby Scott are both tied for team lead in bullpen wins (4)
- Scott also leads the team in innings pitched (77.0), spot starts (6), and WHIP (0.88)*
-RHP Chandler Shepherd leads the team opposing batting average (.186)
- RHP Kyle Martin leads the team in game appearances (34) and strike outs (78). He is also tied with teammate Noe Ramirez in team lead for games finished (20)
- Ramirez leads the team in saves (6).
-RHP Joe Kelly leads the team in ERA (1.64)* and strikeouts per 9 innings (12.0)*
 
 
Player Movement
The following team transaction took place from August 13 to August 29
 
8/21/16
- Received RHP Austin Maddox from Portland (AA)
- Sent SP Henry Owens to Boston (MLB)
 
8/22/16
- Sent OF Chris Young to Boston (MLB) after completing his injury rehab assignment
 
8/23/16
- Received SS Deven Marrero from Boston (MLB) retro to 8/21
- Sent RHP Austin Maddox to Portland (AA)
 
8/24/16
- Received SP Henry Owens from Boston (MLB) retro to 8/24
- Placed INF Jose Vinicio on the Temporary Inactive List
 
8/25/16
- Sent INF Marco Hernandez to Boston (MLB)
 
Rehab Watch
There are no more Boston Red Sox rehabbing in Pawtucket.
 
Upcoming Games
The PawSox will be finishing up their series with the Syracuse Chiefs at NBT Bank Stadium in an early Monday (8/29) evening game. Then the team will be traveling to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to take on the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs for the final time this season from 8/30 to 8/31 to close out the month of August.
 
Then in September, the PawSox will be back home for the last 5 games of the season. The first 3 games of the home stand will against the Syracuse Chiefs (9/1-9/3) and the final 2 games will be against the Buffalo Bisons (9/4-9/5). This also includes the final game of the PawSox 2016 International League season, which will start at 1:05 p.m. against the Bisons on Monday, September 5.