Beeks Takes Loss In First Major League Start
PRAIRIE GROVE GRAD DONS RED SOX UNIFORM
Kelly O'Connor photo/Prairie Grove native Jalen Beeks, shown pitching in an April 21, 2018, for the Pawtucket Red Sox, known as the PawSox, made his Major League Baseball debut on Thursday, June 7, 2018 as starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox against the Detroit Tigers. Beeks was sent back to Pawtucket following the game.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
PRAIRIE GROVE -- The major league debut of Prairie Grove native and former Arkansas Razorback Jalen Beeks on the mound for Boston wasn't what he wanted.
The 24-year-old Beeks, who graduated from Prairie Grove High School in 2011, threw 4 innings, allowing 6 runs in Thursday's 7-2 loss to Detroit.
Tigers 7, Red Sox 2
Detroit^AB^R^H^BI^BB^SO^Avg.
Jones lf^5^0^0^0^0^4^.219
Castellanos rf^5^1^1^0^0^1^.331
Cabrera 1b^3^1^0^0^2^1^.306
V.Martinez dh^4^0^0^0^1^2^.242
Candelario 3b^4^2^2^1^0^1^.272
Hicks c^4^1^2^2^0^0^.278
Martin cf^4^2^2^2^0^2^.259
Iglesias ss^4^0^2^2^0^0^.261
Machado 2b^4^0^1^0^0^0^.215
Totals^37^7^10^7^3^11
Boston^AB^R^H^BI^BB^SO^Avg.
Benintendi cf^5^1^2^1^0^0^.299
Bogaerts ss^5^0^0^1^0^1^.284
J.Martinez rf^2^0^0^0^1^1^.314
Holt rf^1^0^1^0^0^0^.316
Moreland 1b^3^0^1^0^1^2^.303
Nunez 2b^4^0^1^0^0^0^.258
Travis lf^3^0^0^0^1^1^.250
Devers 3b^4^0^1^0^0^2^.228
Vazquez dh^3^0^0^0^1^1^.199
Swihart c^3^1^1^0^1^0^.167
Totals^33^2^7^2^5^8
Detroit^501^000 010—7^10^0
Boston^100^010 000—2^7^0
LOB—Detroit 6, Boston 9. 2B—Castellanos (21), Candelario (15), Iglesias (17), Moreland (13), Swihart (2). 3B—Martin (3). HR—Martin (8), off Beeks; Benintendi (11), off Boyd. RBI—Candelario (27), Hicks 2 (22), Martin 2 (22), Iglesias 2 (23), Benintendi (44), Bogaerts (34).
Runners left in scoring position—Detroit 4 (Jones 2, Candelario 2); Boston 6 (Benintendi, Bogaerts, Nunez 2, Devers 2). RISP—Detroit 4 for 11; Boston 1 for 11.
Runners moved up—V.Martinez, Bogaerts, Swihart. GIDP—Benintendi.
DP—Detroit 1 (Iglesias, Cabrera).
Detroit^IP^H^R^ER^BB^SO^NP^ERA
Boyd, W, 4-4^6 1/3^4^2^2^4^6^101^3.20
Wilson 2/3^0^0^0^0^0^7^4.35
Jimenez^1^2^0^0^1^2^23^2.37
Greene^1^1^0^0^0^0^10^3.38
Boston^IP^H^R^ER^BB^SO^NP^ERA
Beeks, L, 0-1^4^7^6^6^3^4^88^13.50
Johnson^4^3^1^1^0^5^56^4.83
Velazquez^1^0^0^0^0^2^13^1.99
Inherited runners-scored—Wilson 1-0. WP—Boyd 3.
Umpires—Home, Jeremie Rehak; First, Mark Wegner; Second, John Tumpane; Third, Mike DiMuro.
T—2:55. A—36,556 (37,731).
Boston Red Sox Pitching Roster As of 6-8-2018
Jersey^Name^B/T^Hgt.^Wgt^DOB
32 Matt Barnes R/R 6’4” 210lbs 6/17/90
68 Jalen Beeks L/L 5’11” 195lbs 7/10/93
79 Ty Buttrey L/R 6’6” 230lbs 3/31/93
65 Justin Haley R/R 6’5” 230lbs 6/16/91
37 Heath Hembree R/R 6’4” 210lbs 1/13/89
66 Williams Jerez L/L 6’4” 200lbs 5/16/92
61 Brian Johnson L/L 6’4” 235lbs 12/7/90
56 Joe Kelly R/R 6’1” 190lbs 6/9/88
46 Craig Kimbrel R/R 6’0” 210lbs 5/28/88
62 Austin Maddox
(10-day DL) R/R 6’2” 220lbs 5/13/91
31 Drew Pomeranz
(10-day DL) R/L 6’6” 240lbs 11/22/88
22 Rick Porcello R/R 6’5” 205lbs 12/27/88
66 Bobby Poyner L/L 6’0” 205lbs 12/1/92
24 David Price L/L 6’5” 215lbs 8/26/85
57 Eduardo Rodriguez L/L 6’2” 220lbs 4/7/93
41 Chris Sale L/L 6’6” 180lbs 3/30/89
63 Robby Scott S/L 6’3” 220lbs 8/29/89
67 Chandler Shepherd R/R 6’3” 185lbs 8/25/92
39 Carson Smith
(10-day DL) R/R 6’6” 215lbs 10/19/89
47 Tyler Thornburg
(10-day DL) R/R 5’11” 190lbs 9/29/88
76 Hector Velazquez R/R 6’0” 180lbs 11/26/88
64 Marcus Walden R/R 6’0” 195lbs 9/13/88
44 Brandon Workman R/R 6’5” 235lbs 8/13/88
35 Steven Wright R/R 6’2” 215lbs 8/30/84
Boston Red Sox Catchers As Of 6-8-2018
Jersey^Name^B/T^Hgt.^Wgt.^DOB
3 Sandy Leon S/R 5’10” 225lbs 3/13/89
7 Christian Vazquez R/R 5’9” 195lbs 8/21/90
23 Blake Swihart S/R 6’1” 200lbs 4/3/92*
*Listed as outfielder on active roster, played catcher 6-7-2018 vs. Detroit.
Boston Red Sox Active Roster vs. Tigers 6-7-2018
Pitchers
Jersey^Name^Bats/Throws^Hgt.^Wgt.^DOB
32 Matt Barnes R/R 6’4” 210lbs 6/17/90
68 Jalen Beeks L/L 5’11” 195lbs 7/10/93
37 Heath Hembree R/R 6’4” 210lbs 1/13/89
61 Brian Johnson L/L 6’4” 235lbs 12/7/90
56 Joe Kelly R/R 6’1” 190lbs 6/9/88
46 Craig Kimbrel R/R 6’0” 210lbs 5/28/88
22 Rick Porcello R/R 6’5” 205lbs 12/27/88
24 David Price L/L 6’5” 215lbs 8/26/85
57 Eduardo Rodriguez L/L 6’2” 220lbs 4/7/93
41 Chris Sale L/L 6’6” 180lbs 3/30/89
76 Hector Velazquez R/R 6’0” 180lbs 11/26/88
44 Brandon Workman R/R 6’5” 235lbs 8/13/88
35 Steven Wright R/R 6’2” 215lbs 8/30/84
Catchers
# Name B/T Ht Wt DOB
3 Sandy Leon S/R 5’10” 225lbs 3/13/89
7 Christian Vazquez R/R 5’9” 195lbs 8/21/90
Infield
# Name B/T Ht Wt DOB
2 Xander Bogaerts R/R 6’1” 210lbs 10/1/92
11 Rafael Devers L/R 6’0” 237lbs 10/24/96
12 Brock Holt L/R 5’10” 180lbs 6/11/88
18 Mitch Moreland L/L 6’2” 230lbs 9/6/85
36 Eduardo Nunez R/R 6’0” 195lbs 6/15/87
59 Sam Travis R/R 6’0” 205lbs 8/27/93
Outfield
# Name B/T Ht Wt DOB
16 Andrew Benintendi L/L 5’10” 170lbs 7/6/94
19 Jackie Bradley Jr. L/R 5’10” 200lbs 4/19/90
28 J.D. Martinez R/R 6’3” 220lbs 8/21/87
23 Blake Swihart S/R 6’1” 200lbs 4/3/92
June 2018 Boston Red Sox Roster Moves
Date^Transaction
6-1-18^placed right fielder Mookie Betts on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 29, 2018. Left abdominal strain.
6-2-18^placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 30, 2018. Left knee inflammation.
6-2-18^sent right-handed pitcher Austin Maddox on a rehab assignment to Pawtucket Red Sox.
6-2-18^signed free agent first baseman Adam Lind to a minor league contract.
6-2-18^recalled left-handed pitcher Bobby Poyner from Pawtucket Red Sox.
6-2-18^recalled first baseman Sam Travis from Pawtucket Red Sox.
6-5-18^placed left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to June 2, 2018. Left biceps tendinitis.
6-5-18^sent right-handed pitcher Tyler Thornburg on a rehab assignment to Pawtucket Red Sox.
6-5-18^recalled right-handed pitcher Brandon Workman from Pawtucket Red Sox.
6-7-18^optioned left-handed pitcher Bobby Poyner to Pawtucket Red Sox.
6-7-18^recalled left-handed pitcher Jalen Beeks from Pawtucket Red Sox.
6-8-18^optioned left-handed pitcher Jalen Beeks to Pawtucket Red Sox.
6-8-18^selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Justin Haley from Pawtucket Red Sox.
Beeks started well, fanning the first man he faced before facing one of the hottest hitters against left-handed pitchers in baseball, Detroit's Castellanos, who smacked a double off Beeks to record his 28th hit against a lefty this season.
Beeks induced a fly-ball which was caught for a second out, but the Tigers exploded for 5 runs before he could get out of the inning. Leonys Martin homered off Beeks in the first.
Beeks left after four innings. Beyond that it was simply a matter of if the Red Sox could generate enough offense to keep Beeks from suffering a loss. Andrew Benintendi nailed a solo home run when the Red Sox came up to bat and Boston picked up a run in the fifth, but could get no closer.
Local Memories
Farmington baseball coach Jay Harper, who grew up and graduated from Prairie Grove, acknowledged watching Beeks on the mound against Detroit Thursday brought back memories of coaching against Beeks when he was a high school pitcher at Prairie Grove.
"I thought he was a great pitcher when we faced him," Harper said. "We were fortunate to beat him one time, but he's not the same pitcher now that he was then. He's more polished. He's got more strength. He's got more pitches. The guy we faced is not the guy who pitched the other night. He did have a rough outing on Thursday night, but he's going to bounce back and do a tremendous job for the Boston Red Sox. He's that kind of pitcher."
"Being from Prairie Grove, it brought a great sense of pride for the community," Harper said. "I feel so happy for him and his family."
Meshing With Catcher
One factor Beeks dealt with was working with utility player Blake Swihart, who was making his catching debut simultaneous with Beeks' first start in the majors. According to mlb.com, catcher is Swihart's natural spot, but he plays elsewhere around the infield as well as the outfield. Swihart has appeared in 12 Major League games with 6 starts since 2016, but none prior at catcher.
The two weren't totally unfamiliar. Swihart caught Beeks at Pawtucket, but the tandem hasn't played together for awhile. Swihart was in the position of just trying to remember what he could. Many of Beeks' pitches in the first inning were of the 90 m.p.h. variety and the Tigers went after them. Beeks became more effective as the game progressed by mixing in off-speed pitches.
Pitching Competition
Beeks' toughest competition may have come from within the ranks of the Red Sox organization. On Friday Boston actived right-handed pitcher Justin Haley and sent Beeks back to Pawtucket.
Coming into Friday, the 26-year-old Haley has made 11 starts for Pawtucket this season. His record at Pawtucket for 2018 is 3-6 with a 3.18 ERA, but he was hot in May. During a 7-game stretch, Haley allowed no more than two runs in a game. Haley was selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Unlike Beeks, who has spent his entire professional career as part of the Red Sox, Haley played briefly last season for the Minnesota Twins. He was active on opening day a year ago appearing in 10 Major League games as a Twin for the first time in his career.
Haley was returned to the Red Sox on July 24, 2017, in accordance with rules of the Rule 5 Draft, and spent the remainder of the 2017 season in Pawtucket.
Razorback Rivalry
An injury to former Razorback, Tigers' catcher James McCann, spoiled a showdown between Arkansas' alumni. McCann felt a tweak in his back during a rundown on June 3, and suffered what the Tigers described as a left-sided intercostal spasm.
As of Friday, McCann was hitting .243 this year with 4 home runs and 20 RBIs. He has been in a slump his last 7 games (2-for-23) and went 0-for-6 in the first two games of the series at Boston before sitting out Thursday's game.
On April 5, 2018, McCann tweeted, "I sign all my autographs with the verse Mark 10:27 -- a promise God's given me and that He's proved time and time again in my own story. From day one, man said I wouldn't be here, but here I am."
Beeks, regarded by many as an undersized pitcher at 5-11, 195 pounds, could say the same.
Sports on 06/13/2018