Dalbec, Kavadas, Meidroth homer; Gonzalez and Valdez combine for seven hits

WORCESTER, MA – The Worcester Red Sox (16-16) earned their sixth win in seven games and worked their way back to .500 for the first time since April 5 with an 11-1 rout of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (12-18) on Sunday afternoon at Polar Park.

Worcester’s new-look lineup, featuring Red Sox rehabber Romy Gonzalez, Bobby Dalbec, and Enmanuel Valdez, pounded out 12 hits over the first seven innings, including five doubles and three homers. Eight WooSox reached base at least once, and the team went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Enmanuel Valdez led the way with a 4-for-4 effort, drilling three doubles to match a Triple-A career high and stealing two bases in a game for the first time since July 1, 2018. Valdez also played third base for just the third time in his WooSox career; he started a 5-4-3 double play in the sixth and hanlded the first and last out of the ballgame on grounders to the hot corner.

In his third rehab game with Worcester (left wrist sprain) Romy Gonzalez went 3-for-5 with three singles, two runs scored, and a two-run hit to cap the scoring in the top of the seventh. He also made a nifty sliding play at second to rob Jose Godoy of a fifth-inning single.

Bobby Dalbec got the WooSox rolling with a leadoff homer in the second inning. He battled Max Castillo (L, 0-3) for eight pitches, and eventually launched a 3-2 fastball an estimated 444 feet to left. Dalbec’s second long ball of the season (and the 40th of his WooSox career) left his bat at 107 miles an hour, and crash landed on top of a hospitality tent beyond the University Dental Group Berm. Dalbec walked in each of his next three plate appearances and finished 1-for-2.

Lehigh Valley answered with a Simon Muzzioti RBI single in the top of the third to tie it at 1-1, but the IronPigs were held to one hit and two walks the rest of the game thanks to Richard Fitts (3.2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K), Luis Guerrero (2.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K), Bailey Horn, (1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K), and Melvin Adón (2 IP, 4 K).

Guerrero (W, 2-1) bridged the gap between Fitts and Horn – two former teammates at Auburn University – as Horn tossed a hitless seventh in his WooSox debut after being acquired from the White Sox for cash considerations.

Chase Meidroth homered to left center on Castillo’s first pitch of the third inning to give Worcester a 2-1 lead, and the offense cruised from there. Meidroth jumped on an elevated sinker and drilled a frozen rope 394 feet for his second homer of the year. He also delivered an RBI double in the fourth and finished 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Later in the fourth inning, Niko Kavadas broke the game open with a three-run tape-measure blast to right center. After Gonzalez reached with a single and Dalbec worked his second walk, Kavadas demolished a 2-2 sinker from Tyler McKay that sailed 425 feet and put Worcester in front 9-1. Kavadas went 1-for-5 with a game-high 4 RBIs, including a run-scoring groundout in the third inning.

The WooSox now begin a pivotal stretch against some of the top contenders in the International League over the next three weeks, traveling to Buffalo (18-14) next Tuesday through Sunday before a 12-game homestand against first-place Scranton (22-9) and defending champion Norfolk (16-16).