Groome was beaten up for eight runs (seven earned) in five innings for High-A Greenville against Hickory on Tuesday.
He now owns a 2-8 record, 5.35 ERA, 1.322 WHIP and 100:31 K:BB in 75.2 innings. It's been an awfully tough season for Groome, but he'd actually been pitching noticeably better before this last outing -- over his prior nine starts, he'd posted a 3.74 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Obviously, his strikeout ability is tantalizing, and considering that Groome is coming back from a series of injuries, the simple fact that he's mostly stayed on the field this season is a major win. With his injury history, the Red Sox will likely continue taking a slow and steady approach to his development.