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MLB

OF Rusney Castillo, LHP Brian Johnson, and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez All Promoted to Pawtucket for the Governors' Cup Finals

By
September 9, 2014

The Boston Red Sox today promoted three heralded players to Pawtucket from Double-A Portland and all three will be active and on the PawSox Governors' Cup Roster. OF Rusney Castillo, LHP Brian Johnson, and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez will be with the PawSox when they begin the Governors' Cup Finals vs. the Durham Bulls tonight at McCoy Stadium. Castillo will lead-off for the PawSox tonight and play CF. Johnson will start Game 2 tomorrow night in Pawtucket and Rodriguez will start Game 4 (if necessary) Friday night in Durham.  

Games 1 & 2 of this best 3 out of 5 championship series will be tonight and tomorrow night both at 7:05 pm at McCoy. The series will move to Durham for Game 3 on Thursday at 7:05 pm with Games 4 & 5 if necessary on Friday & Saturday also in Durham at 7:05 pm. 

Rusney Castillo, 27, signed a seven-year major league with Boston on August 23 after defecting from Cuba in December of 2013. He made his Red Sox organizational debut with the Gulf Coast Rookie Red Sox during their Championship Series victory over the Yankees playing in Games 2 and 3 of that series on August 31 and September 1 (going 1-for-5 with a walk and RBI in those two games). Rusney (pronounced roos-NAY) was assigned to Double-A Portland this past Wednesday (September 3) and he appeared in four games for the Sea Dogs during their playoff semi-final series loss to Binghamton, 3 games to 2. Castillo played in Games 1, 3, 4 and 5 going 5-for-14 (.357) with 2 2B, 1 BB, 2 RBI, 1 SB, and 4 runs scored. He played 3 games in CF and was the DH in Game 5.

The 5'9", 205 lbs. Castillo last played in Cuba during the 2012-13 season when he hit .274 with 6 HR & 29 RBI in 68 games for Ciego de Avila in Cuba's major league, Serie Nacional. He spent all five seasons with his hometown team, Ciego de Availa, hitting .319 with 75 2B, 11 3B, 51 HR, and 76 SB in 360 career games. In 2011-12 he hit .342 in 113 games with 21 HR to lead Ciego de Availa to the Series Nacional Championship. In 2011, Castillo also represented Cuba in the Baseball World Cup and the Pan American Games. He established residency in Haiti before signing with the Red Sox.

Brian Johnson, 23, was 10-2 with a Double-A best 1.75 ERA in 20 starts for Portland this season. His ERA was the lowest in the Eastern League since 1985 when Brad Arnsberg of Albany led the league with a 1.59 ERA. Johnson finished the season as the Sea Dogs' franchise leader in single season and career ERA (both records were held by Jon Lester). Brian began this year with Single-A Salem (3-1, 3.86 in 5 GS) so overall was 13-3 with a 2.13 ERA in 25 starts this season. He pitched Game 1 of the Eastern League playoffs on September 3 at Binghamton leaving with a 5-2 lead after 7-innings in a game the Mets came back to win, 8-5 - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO. 

Johnson was a sandwich pick of the Red Sox between the 1st and 2nd rounds (31st overall) in the 2012 June draft out of the University of Florida (where he was a star pitcher and 1B/DH) as compensation for the Red Sox losing Jonathan Papelbon to free agency. Last season he posted a 2.54 ERA in 19 starts spent mainly at Single-A Greenville. This season he was brilliant for Double-A Portland allowing 2 earned runs or less in 19 of his 20 starts. From July 12 through the end of the regular-season he allowed 1 earned run or no runs in each of his final 8 starts going 3-0 with a 0.68 ERA (4 ER in 53.1 IP). His final line with Portland - 10-2, 1.75 ERA in 20 GS with 2 CG - 118 IP, 78 H, 29 R, 23 ER, 32 BB, 99 SO, .189 opponent average.

Eduardo Rodriguez, 21, was acquired by Boston from Baltimore (Double-A Bowie) on July 31 in exchange for LHP Andrew Miller. Eduardo was outstanding after joining Portland going 3-1 with a 0.96 ERA in 6 starts for the Sea Dogs (all during the month of August) - 37.1 IP, 30 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 8 BB, 39 SO - holding opponents to a .222 average. He allowed 1 run or less in all 6 starts pitching at least into the 6th-inning in all as well. Rodriguez also started Game 3 of the Eastern League semi-finals at home against Binghamton on September 5 receiving no-decision in a 6-3 Portland win - 6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO.   

Rodriguez entered the 2014 season as the #3 prospect in the Orioles system behind only pitchers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman. He was the Opening Day starter for Double-A Bowie this season (April 3rd) and went 3-7 with a 4.79 ERA in 16 starts for the Baysox before being dealt to Boston. The Venezuelan native appeared for the World Team in the 2013 MLB Futures Game at Citi Field in New York. In five professional seasons he has a career ERA of 3.26 along with 418 strikeouts in 486.1 innings pitched.