Wilson's big night propels Sea Dogs

When he fell behind 0-2 in the count in the ninth inning, Marcus Wilson never expected to see something hittable on the next offering. But sure enough, he got a fastball he could handle and made an already productive night into an even greater one.
The No. 18 Red Sox prospect collected three hits, including a go-ahead three-run homer, to lead Double-A Portland to a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over Bowie on Friday at Prince George's Stadium. He drove in five runs, falling one RBI shy of his career high.

After making an error in the seventh inning that allowed the Baysox to score a run, getting a measure of redemption made the long ball feel even better.
"I got down 0-2 fast, I was trying to get a good pitch to hit," Wilson said. "He left a fastball right down the middle and I just hit it, really. I couldn't tell you what was going through my mind. Rounding the bases I was pretty pumped, giving us the lead again after booting the ball in the outfield."
Gameday box score
Mired in a 1-for-16 funk, Wilson came through with the bases loaded in the first inning. On a full-count offering from Orioles No. 9 prospectMichael Baumann, he singled to center field to produce Portland's first two runs.
Although he has only played 37 games in the Eastern League, Wilson has some familiarity with Baumann from their time in the Carolina League. In a small sample, Wilson went 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs against the right-hander. In having that experience, Wilson gave his teammates a breakdown of what Baumann could do. It helped the lineup, which knocked out the Bowie starter after two-thirds of an inning.
Two innings later against Francisco Jimenez, the 22-year-old ambushed the right-hander's first offering and sent it into left field for his sixth double with Portland. 
"This is a whole new league because I got traded, this is like the first time I'm facing these guys," Wilson said. "So, I'm treating it like a Spring Training at-bat. I have the info on them, but you have to feel them out a little bit."
Wilson struck out in the fifth and eighth but had one more chance to get the Sea Dogs back into the game in the ninth. Tenth-ranked Red Sox prospect C.J. Chatham brought in a run with a single, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Luke Tendler walked, but Joey Curletta fanned for the second out. 
That set the stage for Wilson against right-hander Cristian Alvarado (3-3). Down 0-2, the Los Angeles native deposited the next offering over the left-center field wall to put the Sea Dogs ahead, 7-6. It was his fourth long ball with Portland and first since a two-homer game on July 19 at Harrisburg. 
"I was actually surprised," Wilson said of the two-strike fastball. "That was probably the last pitch I was expecting. But was able to hit it well, and put a good swing on it."

A second-round pick by the D-backs in 2014, Wilson was traded to Boston on April 19 in the deal that sent catcher Blake Swihart to Arizona. In 45 games with Class A Advanced Salem, the outfielder excelled with a 1.016 OPS, although -- on its face -- he's had a harder time in the Eastern League with a .221 average and .731 OPS. For now, the biggest adjustments for Wilson have been getting ready for a good fastball and developing a more solid attack at the plate. 
He hit below .200 through his first 19 games with the Sea Dogs, but has seen a vast improvement over his last 18, batting .294/.403/.569 with eight extra-base hits.
"I love a challenge, it's been fun," Wilson said of his time in Double-A. "Facing better pitching, I've always been told since getting drafted in '14 and in Rookie ball, the older guys were like, 'Yeah man, just wait until you get up to Double-A. It's a big difference.' Like everything else, you've just got to get used to it, get some at-bats. It's fun, I'm coming into my own in this league. It's just fun watching everything develop."
Dedgar Jimenez worked around a hit in the ninth to earn his third save.