Patriots Notebook 7/23/24: Rivalry Series Week
Bridgewater, New Jersey – The Patriots proved to have no trouble with the Curve after completing a three-game sweep of Altoona coming out of the all-star break this past weekend. Somerset pitchers allowed just three runs during the series which helped propel the club back into first place in the
Bridgewater, New Jersey – The Patriots proved to have no trouble with the Curve after completing a three-game sweep of Altoona coming out of the all-star break this past weekend. Somerset pitchers allowed just three runs during the series which helped propel the club back into first place in the Northeast division with a 14-7 second half mark, which leads second place Binghamton by 1.5 games heading into action this week. The Patriots concluded their regular season matchups with the Pittsburgh affiliate by finishing 7-2 against them.
The Portland Sea Dogs come to town for the second time this season for a six-game slate as they trail the Patriots by just two games for the division lead. The Red Sox Double-A affiliate on paper has one of the most talented units in minor league baseball, stacked with five of Boston’s top-10 prospects, including three in the top-24 on MLB Pipelines top-100 prospect list. These two teams last met in the first half back in mid-May when they split six games at TD Bank Ballpark when the Patriots outscored Portland 29-22 during that series.
Eric Reyzelman, Luis Velasquez, and Kevin Stevens locking down the wins in our weekend sweep are the @BigChickenShaq Strikeouts of the Week!
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 22, 2024
Over the three-game series vs. Altoona, the Patriots bullpen combined to throw 9.1 shutout IP, allowing only one hit🎟️🥊 pic.twitter.com/8xcICuJCge
Leaning on the Pen: While Somerset pitching allowed just three runs against Altoona during their quick three-game series this past weekend, the Patriots bullpen was spotless, tossing 9.1 shutout frames during the series while allowing just one hit over that stretch. In 21 games in the second half of the season, the Somerset bullpen is 10-1 with 73 strikeouts in 74.1 innings of relief work.
Ben Cowles hits his 9th homer of the season off Pirates top prospect Bubba Chandler to tie the score 1-1!💥 pic.twitter.com/bYZ1NTQQRM
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 21, 2024
Consistent Cowles: Yankees 29th ranked prospect Ben Cowles clubbed his ninth homer of the season on Sunday after hitting a career-high 10 long balls in 109 games last season. The Maryland-alum has been one of the most consistent hitters in the EL this season – he ranks second in hits (93), doubles (24) and fourth in batting (.294). Cowles has the most hits and doubles of any Yankees minor leaguer thus far this season.
Broke out the Nimbus 2000🧹 pic.twitter.com/6H0BQRmtBo
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 21, 2024
Sending a Messinger: Patriots right-hander Zach Messinger allowed just two runs over 5.2 innings against Altoona in the series finale this last Sunday. The right-hander has yielded two earned runs or less in 13 of his 19 appearances this season and the organizations 21st ranked prospect is now the league leader in strikeouts (103) and innings pitched (101.2) while his .222 batting average against and 1.17 WHIP rank fourth and fifth, respectively.
OF Elijah Dunham has hit safely in 21 of his last 22 games and reached base in 25 of his last 26.
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 21, 2024
The reigning back-to-back Eastern League Player of the Week caught up with @Steven_Cusumano to discuss his hot streak🎥 pic.twitter.com/TfQ8q3YbGX
Hot Queso: Outfielder Elijah Dunham stayed hot this past weekend on the heels of being named the EL Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks. Dunham hit safely in all three games against Altoona and extended his hitting streak to five games. The Indiana-product has recorded a hit in 22 of his last 23 games and has reached base safely in 26 of his last 27 games.
Dog Fight: The Sea Dogs come to TD Bank Ballpark this week trailing Somerset by two games for the division lead with an 11-8 record in the second half. The Red Sox affiliate is just six games over the .500 mark overall in 2024 (47-41) despite having one of the most prospect-rich rosters in all of MiLB. Infielder Marcelo Mayer (7), outfielder Roman Anthony (14) and catcher Kyle Teel (24) all rank inside the top-25 prospects in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.
Mayer has been one of the most consistent hitters in the EL this season – the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft is slashing .306/.371/.481 in his first full-season at the Double-A level as a 21-year-old. Mayer’s batting average, 27 doubles and 59 runs scored are tops in the league in their respective categories. He has also stolen 13 bases in 15 tries this season.
Anthony was the 79th overall pick out of Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida just over two years ago and he has already reached Double-A as a 20-year-old. The Red Sox second-ranked prospect is versatile and can do a lot of things both offensively and defensively – he is slashing .244/.348/.453 with 11 homers while also swiping 10 bases in 69 games this season.
Teel is ranked as the Red Sox third best prospect and 24th in all of baseball after landing with Boston 14th overall in last summers draft out of Virginia. The uber-talented backstop is hitting .305 in his first taste of Double-A, which trails only Mayer for the best mark in the EL while his robust .391 on-base mark is third best in the league amongst all qualified batters. The highly touted backstop has clubbed a career-high nine homers and his 51 RBI in 68 games played rank fourth overall in the league.
Series Probable Pitching Matchup:
Tue: RHP Caleb Bolden (0-0, 4.88 ERA) vs. LHP Ben Shields (1-0, 0.73 ERA)
Wed: RHP Wikelman Gonzalez (3-2, 6.47 ERA) vs. TBD
Thu: RHP Isaac Coffey (7-2, 3.58 ERA) vs. RHP Trystan Vrieling ((7-7, 5.21 ERA)
Fri: TBD vs. RHP Bailey Dees (4-5, 4.26 ERA)
Sat: RHP Hunter Dobbins (6-3, 3.89 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Messinger (2-7, 3.90 ERA)
Sun: TBD vs. LHP Ben Shields (1-0, 0.73 ERA)
Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer
Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 12th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.