The Salem Red Sox have a chance to get back in the pennant race this week with a seven-game homestand, including three against Northern Division leader Wilmington.
Following Monday’s off-day the Sox were in fourth place, five and a half games behind Wilmington in the Carolina League Northern Division second half standings. The Sox opened a three game series with Wilmington on Tuesday, and that will conclude with a 7:05 pm game against the Blue Rocks tonight.
On Friday the Carolina Mudcats come in for four. Friday is African-American Heritage Night with a giveaway of a dual bobblehead of Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Famer Larry LeGrande and Negro League great Satchel Paige. Saturday is the second Stars Wars Night and it’s also Mugsy’s Birthday.
Beginning tonight, Salem has 27 games remaining in the second half to try and make the playoffs. Salem returned from their last road trip with Saturday and Sunday wins over Carolina in Zebulon, including a 7-5 win Sunday afternoon. The Sox got a fantastic debut from righty Denyi Reyes, and Josh Tobias clubbed a homer from each side of the plate, but they still had to withstand a furious ninth-inning rally to top the Mudcats.
Salem poured the offense on in the top of the sixth against lefty reliever Nathan Kirby. On a 2-0 count, Tobias pounded a towering leadoff blast over the wall in left for his second dinger of the game, this time as a righty and hitting a prior home run lefhanded. Then, with two outs, Ryan Scott and Chris Madera each earned walks and Tyler Hill singled, loading the bases up. Brett Netzer scraped a walk of his own to score Scott and run the lead to 7-0.
The Mudcats made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Demi Orimoloye belted a fastball high over the left field wall for a grand slam to trim the lead to 7-5 before Algenis Martinez entered to slam the door, getting Cooper Hummel to ground out to first to end the game.
Reyes was dazzling in his debut, allowing just four hits and a walk in 5.2 scoreless frames. Kevin McAvoy gave up juts two walks in 2.1 shutout innings of relief, fanning three. Joan Martinez gave up five runs on two hits and three walks, striking out two for his only outs recorded. Martinez got the only batter he faced to ground out, notching the save.
Salem was 20-22 in the second half after the win.