Portland's Yordanny Monegro looks in for the sign during the Sea Dogs' game against the Reading Fightin Phils on Tuesday at Hadlock Field in Portland. Monegro allowed three runs on four hits, while striking out five and walking three. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

Yordanny Monegro, the Portland Sea Dogs starting pitcher Tuesday night, struck out three of the six hitters he faced in an up-and-down first inning. While Monegro scuffled a bit, allowing two hits, an unearned run, and a walk, the strikeouts gave Monegro a leg up on his standing gentlemen’s bet with Connelly Early, another of Portland’s starting pitchers.

The bet started last season when the two pitchers were teammates in Class A Greenville. Whichever of the two gets fewer strikeouts in his start that week owes the other 10 pushups.

“Really low stakes, but obviously we’re all trying to get punchouts because that’s what projects at the big league level. It shows that our stuff’s good enough in the zone, so that’s what we’re going for,” Early said.

In 12 of Portland’s 14 games, Sea Dogs pitchers have struck out 10 or more hitters, and they fanned 18 three times. Granted, pitchers are typically ahead of hitters at this point of the season. That said, Sea Dogs pitchers are missing bats better than any pitching staff in minor league baseball. Portland entered Tuesday night’s game against the Reading Fightin Phils averaging 13.03 strikeouts per nine innings. Not including Brayan Bello, who fanned seven in a 4 1/3 inning rehab start for Portland last week, 12 Sea Dog pitchers average at least 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

“I tell them all the time, strikeouts are just cooler. When you get two strikes, what’s your best whiff pitch? Throw it,” said Juan Rivera, who along with Sean Isaac coaches the Sea Dogs’ pitchers. “Once they’ve got two strikes, go for it.”

Monegro struck out five in 2 1/3 innings Tuesday, leaving the game when he got to 60 pitches. Four relievers combined to strike out nine more for a total of 14, with Reidis Sena getting Reading’s Aidan Miller looking in the ninth inning to complete Portland’s 9-8 comeback win.

It’s not just happening in Portland. Pitching staffs throughout Boston’s minor league system are racking up strikeouts. Worcester (Triple-A), Greenville (High-A) and Salem (Low-A) each entered Tuesday in second place in their league in strikeouts per nine innings.

“This is my fourth year (with the Red Sox), and we’ve never been deeper as an organization,” Rivera said.

Rivera and Isaac knew they’d have a talented pitching staff when they arrived in Portland. Many of Boston’s top pitching prospects are with the Sea Dogs, particularly in the rotation. The high strikeout rate is the result of increased velocity and working in the strike zone, Isaac said.

“Those are two things we hammer home on a weekly basis. We challenge these guys to train velocity during the year. We also challenge them to throw the ball over the plate,” he said. “This is a very talented group. All the credit goes to them for being able to perform when the lights come on.”

Early said increasing his fastball velocity to the mid-90s has helped increase his strikeout rate to 17.72 per nine innings so far this season, up from last season’s 11.98. Early said he’s throwing strikes and trusting his stuff.

“It’s still pretty early for the hitters, too, so I’ll take the punchouts where I can get them for now. Obviously, bats are going to start heating up once it gets a little bit warmer and guys have seen some more live pitching,” he said. “But I’m doing a good job mixing my pitches and keeping the hitters off balance, pretty much guessing at the plate. That’s what I want them to do.”

Portland’s Yordanny Monegro has 20 strikes out in three starts this season. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

Starting pitcher Tyler Uberstine’s strikeout rate is 12.51 per nine innings through his first three starts, up slightly from last season’s 11.57, which was up from 2022’s 9.92 (he missed 2023 because of elbow surgery). Like Early, Uberstine sees more horizontal break from his sweeper, but improved velocity is the key. When velocity is up, everything he throws works better, he said.

“(It’s the) ability to get ahead and use your arsenal. For me, it’s really keeping guys off balance with four pitches in the zone. I’m throwing harder than I did in the past, so everything’s just playing up. Keeping hitters uncomfortable in the box is the key for me,” Uberstine said.

Portland manager Chad Epperson noted that seeing the pitchers dominate with so many strikeouts is fun to watch, but with less work, the defense needs to stay on its toes. The Sea Dogs have 12 errors, including one Tuesday night, leading to 16 unearned runs allowed.

“It can put you on your heels as a defense at times. We’ve shown we’ve been on our heels a little bit,” Epperson said.