Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Beeks Takes Loss In First Major League Start
PRAIRIE GROVE GRAD DONS RED SOX UNIFORM
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.
Beeks started well, fanning the first man he faced before facing one of the hottest hitters against left-handed pitchers in baseball, Detroit’s Nicholas 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 leftsided 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.
“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.”
— Jay Harper Farmington baseball coach