You probably haven't heard of Daniel McGrath. After all, he's a 25-year old minor leaguer playing for the Portland Sea Dogs — and he's not even ranked among the Red Sox's top 30 prospects.
But maybe you should learn the Australian pitcher's name, because McGrath is on an unbelievable tear in Double-A.
On Tuesday, he held the Erie SeaWolves scoreless over seven innings, but one scoreless start is nothing new for McGrath. Over his last 59 innings with the Sea Dogs, McGrath has allowed a grand total of one — that's right: one — earned run. We'll do the math for you: that's an ERA of 0.15 over 11 appearances.
McGrath was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month in July, and he has a 1.34 ERA this season for the Sea Dogs, holding opponents to a .172 batting average.
Why hasn't he earned a callup, you might ask? He did get called up to Pawtucket once this season, and it didn't go well. McGrath allowed three runs on seven hits over 3.1 innings in a June start before getting sent back to Portland.
So maybe he's not ready for Triple-A yet. Maybe he's not the savior the Red Sox bullpen so desperately needs. Maybe he'll never make the majors.
But in a season that has been such a disappointment for the defending World Series champs and their fans, any morsel of good news is a welcome respite from the misery.
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