Whitlock & Crawford Strong, Fitzgerald & Dalbec Homer in Win

May 16, 2023 – International League (IL) – Worcester Red Sox News Release

WORCESTER, M.A. – A pair of rehabbers on the mound and a trio of home runs gave the Worcester Red Sox (20-20) a 9-4 win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (19-20) on Tuesday night at Polar Park.

Garrett Whitlock got the start for the WooSox, posting the following line: 4 IP, 5 H 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K on 49 pitches (35 strikes). The lone run allowed against him came in the third, a solo shot to Jake Cave. Whitlock reached 95-miles-per-hour on his sinker and recorded four swing-and-misses on his changeup.

Kutter Crawford followed, also on rehab, and delivered a strong outing in relief: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K over 41 pitches (26 strikes). Lehigh Valley’s run against the right-hander also came on a long ball, a solo home run by Jordan Qsar in the sixth. Crawford’s four-seamer topped out at 95.6 miles-per-hour, as he mixed in all five of his pitches. He recorded eight swing-and-misses, including three with his changeup.

Offensively, the WooSox scored in five consecutive offensive innings to take a stranglehold on the game.

Bobby Dalbec opened the scoring in the second, smashing a 112 mile-per-hour, 471-foot home run to center for his fifth of the Triple-A season. Dalbec now has 11 extra-base-hits in 23 games with Worcester.

In a 1-1 game in the third, David Hamilton delivered his team-leading eighth homer, a solo blast to right. Including tonight, Hamilton has 19 RBI in 35 games.

In the fourth, Greg Allen doubled off the Worcester Wall in right, plating Jorge Alfaro. After a walk, Nick Sogard came up with two in scoring position and drove both runners home with a single to center, putting the WooSox up 5-1.

Ryan Fitzgerald drove home two in the fifth with a moonshot of his own, his seventh of the season. Six of Fitzgerald’s seven home runs have come in the month of May, and he has 16 total hits in 12 games.

Worcester made it 8-1 on a wild pitch in the sixth that allowed Sogard to score. Manager Chad Tracy was also ejected in the inning, arguing a foul tip call with Hamilton at the plate.

In the eighth, Hamilton made it his sixth multi-RBI game of the season with a run-scoring groundout.

Out of the bullpen, Cam Booser allowed a run in the eighth on an RBI double play, while A.J. Politi got the final four outs while allowing one run to seal the home team’s win.

The WooSox continue the homestand on Wednesday afternoon at 12:15 p.m. against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, affiliate of the Philadelphia…