Trio of Salem Red Sox pitchers take near no hitter into the 11th inning Friday night
The Salem Red Sox, Boston’s Low-A affiliate, saw tremendous pitching from starter Noah Dean and reliever Trennor O’Donnell. The duo tossed nine scoreless and hitless innings, and reliever CJ Weins threw a clean 10th inning before giving up a hit in the 11th inning.
Salem went on to lose in extra innings 5-4 on a two-run sac fly.
Dean was excellent, tossing five innings and giving up two walks while striking out five. It was the second outing he had this season where he didn’t give up a hit.
The 23-year-old has made five starts this season; his first start of the season and his start on Friday night have been his best outings. The southpaw is 0-2 with 26 strikeouts to 14 walks and a 5.49 ERA over 19 2/3 innings.
The athletic left-hander, who looks very similar to fellow lefty Chris Murphy, throws from a three-quarters arm slot and offers a three-pitch mix. He has a 92- to 94-mph fastball that has topped out at 96-mph. His heater is considered to be an above-average offering with a curveball that sits between 77 and 81 mph and a changeup. Dean’s fastball and curveball are his two best pitches, according to his SoxProspects scouting report.
O’Donnell went four innings where he gave up two walks and struck out one. The 6-foot-7 reliever has been one of Salem’s top relievers this season, posting a 1.35 ERA over 13 1/3 innings.
The Ball State alum has been a strong piggyback hurler this year. The massive reliever went the deepest in an outing all season on Friday night. He’s typically tossed anywhere between two and three innings in an appearance.
Weins allowed an unearned run to score in the 10th inning. He threw a wild pitch that scored the extra-inning automatic runner, knotting the game at 1-1.
Salem took a 4-1 lead into the 11th inning following a two-run inside-the-park homer from outfielder Natanael Yuten.
Weins struggled with his command when he came out for the bottom of the 11th. He walked two batters that loaded the bases, followed by Columbia’s first hit of the game, a two-run double by Chris Britto. After struggling, Salem replaced Weins with Max Carlson, who has been one of their high-leverage relievers this season. He allowed a two-run sac fly that went deep to the wall, allowing runs to score.
