Meet the Portland Sea Dogs pitcher who is ready for a promotion; Has ‘video game-like' numbers
Left-hander Brendan Nail has been putting up video game-like numbers for the Portland Sea Dogs in 2023.
The 27-year-old has pitched in 14 games this year, 5 of which he has started. Over his 27.1 innings of work, Nail carries a 0.99 ERA. The low ERA is due to only allowing 3 earned runs over those 27 innings He gave up one earned run in the month of April and two earned runs in the month of May. Nail ranks fourth in all of Double-A for pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched in ERA. He sits third in all of Double-A in the least amount of earned runs given up.
Nail has had most of his dominance come out of relief. Opponents hold a .114 batting average and an OPS of only .325. He has been even more dominant against lefties as he has an opposing average of .103 this season. The OPS that lefties hold is only .344, which is one of the lowest in all of Double-A.
“I really spent extra time learning my mechanics this offseason” Nail said about his excellent start to the season. “This is my seventh year in the system, so I knew I had to come out being consistent and reliable.”
The former Western Carolina alum has been in the Red Sox organization since 2017, when he was signed as an undrafted free agent. He caught the attention of Boston after a strong Cape Cod League showing for Yarmouth-Dennis that summer. The lefty had a 1.04 ERA over 16 games.
After seeing time in Lowell, Greenville, Salem, and Portland, a trip to Worcester should be in the near future given the outings this season and the struggles happening for the WooSox.
The WooSox pitching struggles have been on full display over the past month. The team has a 5.61 team ERA enter play on Saturday and are showing signs of needing new arms as the troubling outings continue to go on. The first new waves have come with Theo Denlinger and Rio Gomez being promoted in the past week.
Nail knows this season would be a breaking point for him, as he is due to become a free agent once the 2023 season ends.
“Im an older guy and undertand it’s make or break time.” Nail added. “I’m here to prove that I’m healthy and ready for that chance.”
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