Cup of Coffee: Lugo and Yorke go deep; Ward tosses 5 scoreless.

8/11 Cup of Coffee: As the big-league club continues to flounder, Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 4-2 on Wednesday. Brian Keller put together another impressive start for Worcester while Ryan Fitzgerald homered in his return to the WooSox lineup. In Portland, Thaddeus Ward twirled five scoreless frames while Tyler Dearden played hero in the Sea Dogs' second straight walk-off victory. Nick Yorke (pictured) went deep for the eighth time this season in Greenville while Brainer Bonaci enjoyed a multi-hit night in Salem's extra-innings loss to Kannapolis. And down in the Dominican Republic, Boston's DSL affiliates swept the competition. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 3, Worcester Red Sox 2

Another strong start from Brian Keller was not enough to lift Worcester to a win on Wednesday night. Keller allowed one earned run on three hits, three walks, and six strikeouts across six innings of work. The 28-year-old has now surrendered one run or less in his last seven starts to lower his ERA on the season to 3.16. In relief of Keller, A.J. Politi worked his way around three hits and one walk in a scoreless seventh inning. Chase Shugart, on the other hand, was charged with the loss and blown save as he gave up the game-tying and game-winning runs in the bottom of the eighth.

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Cup of Coffee: Jordan steals show as he, Mayer join Drive; Romero, Anthony debut

8/10 Cup of Coffee: Tuesday was debut day down on the farm. Boston's top three picks in the 2022 draft all made their debuts in the FCL, which fell despite the continued excellence of Miguel Bleis. Top prospect Marcelo Mayer moved up to High-A Greenville where he was joined by the high-powered debut of Blaze Jordan (pictured). Chase Meidroth helped power Salem in his first full-season appearance. Victor Santos took the loss in his first go with the WooSox, while Portland relied on a group of mainstays in its win.

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Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 10, Worcester Red Sox 2

It was a difficult introduction to Triple-A for Victor Santos. The 22-year-old right-hander went 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits, including a pair of third-inning home runs. Zack Kelly was a highlight out of the bullpen striking out two of the three batters he faced in a scoreless ninth. The Worcester lineup managed just three hits off of former first-round pick Matt Krook and a trio of RailRider delivers. Ronaldo Hernandez had one of those hits, as well as a pair of walks.

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Cup of Coffee: Rookie teams go 3-0, Bleis notches three htis

8/9 Cup of Coffee: It was an undefeated Monday for the system, as the DSL teams and the FCL squad each took home wins while the full-season affiliates had their weekly off day. DSL Blue and Red combined for just eight base knocks over 14 innings, but were able to do just enough to squeak out with a win in a pair of pitcher's duels, with William Colmenares contributing the most impressive outing, as he threw five on-hit frames. In Florida, Miguel Bleis (pictured) was 3 for 5, leading the way to victory for the FCL Red Sox, which held off a late comeback from the Braves.

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FCL Red Sox 9, FCL Braves 4

Miguel Bleis led the way with a 3-for-5 performance with a pair of doubles, driving in two runs as part of a 13-hit attack by the Red Sox. Aside from Bleis, Chase Meidroth, Enderso Lira and a rehabbing Tyler Esplin also recorded multi-hit efforts, while Albert Feliz notched his first home run on the season in the seventh. Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz only completed two innings of work and only surrendered an unearned run, but had plenty of traffic, with three hits and two walks. In earning the win, Jhonny Felix handled the bulk relief, permitting just one runner to cross the plate over four innings, striking out three against a trio of hits and two free passes. 

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Minor Notes: Mayer & Jordan promoted and Bleis wins first POTW

It was a busy week throughout the system with new SoxProspects.com rankings to start the week, the trade deadline coming mid-week, and some of the system's top prospects promoted. 

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Marcelo Mayer and Blaze Jordan promoted

As SoxPropects.com's Executive Editor Chris Hatfield first reported, shortstop and top-ranked prospect Marcelo Mayer (pictured, right) was promoted from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville. Mayer was narrowly beaten out for this week's SoxProspects.com Player of the Week after posting a .607 OBP with a home run and two doubles, and that type of outstanding performance has been emblematic of his first full season as a professional. His final line with Salem is .286/..406/.504 with 16 steals without being caught, 36 extra-base hits including nine home runs, and 51 walks to 78 strikeouts. He was 1.8 years younger than the average position player in the Carolina League and only 11 of his 308 plate appearances came against a pitcher younger than his age of 19. 

Mayer's Salem teammate, infielder Blaze Jordan, will be making the trip with him up to Greenville after he was promoted as well. Jordan is currently ranked 18th in the system in the latest SoxProspects.com rankings after hitting .287/.357/.446 for Salem. The 2020 third-rounder raked to start the season, hitting .310/.372/.498 with eight home runs through the end of June, but since then he has yet to hit a home run and has slugged only .321 over those 29 games.

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Cup of Coffee: Casas doubles twice; De La Rosa shines in Salem

8/8 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough day on the farm with the four affiliates combining to lose five games. Triston Casas was one of the lone bright spots for Worcester, Stephen Scott and Izzy Wilson each went deep for Portland, newcomers Max Ferguson and Corey Rosier tried to jumpstart Greenville, and Luis De La Rosa (pictured) helped keep things close for Salem. 

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Durham Bulls (TB) 9, Worcester Red Sox 3

Triston Casas went 2 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI in Worcester's loss to Durham. Casas now has at least one double in four straight games. Devlin Granberg also added a double, and Franchy Cordero went 1 for 3 with two stolen bases. Eduard Bazardo allowed just a solo home run over three innings while striking out five. After AJ Politi fired two scoreless innings, three relievers combined to allow eight runs over the next three innings. Kaleb Ort was able to stop the bleeding with a scoreless ninth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Granberg, Yorke with big nights, Jordan clutch for Salem

8/7 Cup of Coffee: Offense shined in the system last night, as five of the seven teams in action last night scored at least six runs. They were led by Devlin Granberg's (pictured) multiple-home-run game and Nick Yorke's big day for Greenville. Alex Binelas also had made a big impact with four RBI, and Blaze Jordan came through for Salem. Tyler Uberstine had a good start for Greenville, and there were multiple terrific performances out of the bullpen. 

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Durham Bulls (TB) 1
Devlin Granberg led the Sox' nine-run offensive attack with three hits including a pair of home runs, a double, and three runs scored. Triston Casas doubled, walked, and drove in a run as well. Ronaldo Hernandez added an RBI single, and Enmanuel Valdez had another good game despite not recording a hit with a pair of walks, a sacrifice fly, and a run scored. Connor Seabold started and lasted just 3 1/3 innings, but he only gave up one run and punched out five. The bullpen was tremendous, led by Geoff Hartleib's 2 2/3 shutout innings, followed by a clean seventh by Durbin Feltman. Frank German closed it out with a couple dominant scoreless innings, striking out four without a free pass. 

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Cup of Coffee: Valdez blast supports Murphy's strong start

8/6 Cup of Coffee: Solid starting pitching and inclement weather were the themes on Friday. Chris Murphy (pictured) highlighted a strong slate of hurlers, going seven innings to lead Worcester's win. Brian Van Belle and Jedixson Paez also turned in solid efforts in wins for Portland and the FCL Sox. Meanwhile, rainy weather postponed Salem's contest, while the two DSL squads had their games suspended. Greenville suffered the system's only loss on the night despite the efforts of Matthew Lugo. 

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Worcester Red Sox 5, Durham Bulls (TB) 1

He didn't quite replicate the no-hitter of the previous night, but Chris Murphy turned in an excellent start, getting support from a couple recent reinforcements. Murphy went seven strong, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out five and walked four as he lowered his ERA to an even 3.00 across two levels. Franchy Cordero gave the WooSox a lead they would not relinquish when he blasted a home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Enmanuel Valdez gave Murphy a cushion when he delivered a three-run shot in the fourth. Triston Casas contributed a double and Nick Sogard stole a pair of bases. 

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Podcast Ep. #257: Buy/Sell/Trade

Buy? Sell? Get you a CBO who can do both? Chris and Ian had plenty to analyze from the trade deadline. The guys broke down Christian Vazquez's exit, the arrivals of Eric Hosmer and Tommy Pham, and of course, had the scoop on the newest crop of Sox prospects.

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Cup of Coffee: WooSox combine for no-hitter; DSL teams explode offensively

Cup of Coffee 8/5: On a night when there were a bevy of options for Player of the Day, five of Boston's seven affiliates won -- some with significant margins of victory, others with momentous efforts -- as the future of the franchise shone brightly. The WooSox drubbed Durham for 17 hits and 12 runs, a feat overlooked by a combined no-hitter, while Salem pitched a shutout and Boston's DSL teams combined for 24 runs and a pair of wins. And as Boston continues to search for long-term pitching answers, a refreshing return from Thaddeus Ward (pictured) provided a much-needed spark despite a Portland loss.

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Worcester Red Sox 12, Durham Bulls (TB) 0

Three pitchers combined for a no-hitter in a dominant effort against Durham. Michael Wacha contributed 4 2/3 innings on a rehab stint as Worcester jumped out to an early and insurmountable lead thanks in part to a six-run third inning. Worcester's 17-hit barrage to Durham's none was extra salt in the wound of this matchup, led in large part by Abraham Almonte's 4-for-5 outburst with three RBIs and three runs scored.

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Cup of Coffee: Mayer keeps rolling; Keller fans 10

8/4 Cup of Coffee: For the second straight day, all four full-season affiliates were swept, and for the second straight day it was not any fault of Marcelo Mayers. Shane Drohan and Brian Keller turned in solid starts for Greenville and Worcester, respectively, and the two prospects acquired in the deal that sent Christian Vazquez to San Diego both made their Red Sox system debuts. 

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Durham Bulls (TB) 3, Worcester Red Sox 1

Worcester managed only four hits against a parade of six Durham hurlers, wasting a solid outing from Brian Keller. The 28-year-old righty, taken last December in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, allowed just one run on two hits in six innings, striking out 10 and walking two. Keller has a 1.59 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings going back to the start of June. Eduard Bazardo took the loss, giving up two runs in 1 2/3. Bazardo has given up multiple runs in four of his last five outings, following a 10-appearance run in which he gave up just one run total. The newly-acquired Enmanuel Valdez made an impact in his first appearance in a WooSox uniform. Batting cleanup and getting the start at second base, Valdez blasted a fourth-inning solo home run.

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Cup of Coffee: Bleis stars in FCL Sox romp on deadline day

8/3 Cup of Coffee: It was a tumultuous trade deadline Tuesday that saw the departure of longtime top-20 prospect and 2016 first-round pick Jay Groome. Despite some unsightly team results, there were several notable individual performances. Miguel Bleis (pictured) was a dynamo for the FCL Sox in their victory, while top-ranked Marcelo Mayer had a big day in Salem's loss. Triston Casas was one of the few bright spots in Durham's drubbing of Worcester, and Brent Kennedy had a strong start as Portland finished on the short end of a 1-0 outcome.

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Durham Bulls (TB) 16, Worcester Red Sox 0

The game was not without positives. For one, Triston Casas was on base twice, with a single and a walk, as the heir apparent to Eric Hosmer is 7 for 20 with three walks and three strikeouts in his last five games. Also, Darwinzon Hernandez struck out the side in a perfect seventh inning. Finally, at no point during the day did the WooSox trade Juan Soto, guaranteeing that at least one team had it worse.

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Minor Notes: Vázquez traded to Astros for pair of prospects, Northcut promoted to Portland

While the deadline for clubs to sign the majority of their draft picks has passed, MLB trade deadline day is now upon us. The Red Sox were able to sign 18 of their 21 selections from last month's draft. Two of the three who did not sign (13th rounder Gavin Kilen and 14th rounder Travis Sanders) will honor their commitments to their respective colleges. Austin Ehrlicher, selected in the 18th round, has until next July to sign since he is a JuCo product who was taken after the 10th round and is therefore a draft-and-follow player. 

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Transactions

Vazquez traded to Astros for pair of prospects

The longest tenured member of the Red Sox organization was traded to the Astros for a pair of minor-leaguers on Monday night. Christian Vazquez (pictured, right), who Boston selected in the ninth round of the 2008 amateur draft, was dealt to Houston for infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez and outfielder Wilyer Abreu. 

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July Players of the Month: Brainer Bonaci and Luis Perales

A late surge propelled Brainer Bonaci past the field, edging out an attempt by Niko Kavadas to earn  Player of the Month recognition for a second straight month. Bonaci, who turned 20 on July 9, had shown solid contact and on-base skills throughout the season but had not hit for substantial power. The extra-base power showed up last month as he delivered a .324/.448/.581 line in 96 plate appearances. 

Through June, Bonaci had shown impressive command of the strike zone as he worked 46 walks against 48 strikeouts in 269 plate appearances. He did this despite racking up just eight doubles, three triples, and no home runs, just an .063 isolated slugging percentage. Once July came, Bonaci ripped nine doubles, two triples, and his first two homers of the year. He was particularly productive during a seven-game hitting streak from July 22 through 29 going 14 for 26 with eight extra-base hits and five walks, a .539/.594/1.077 line. The stretch has brought his on-base percentage for the season up to .395, fourth in the system among stateside players with at least 150 plate appearances.

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Cup of Coffee: A trio of one-run games; two hits for Lyonell James

8/2 Cup of Coffee: It was nailbiters galore for Complex Monday, as all three affiliates played to one-run contests, though only DSL Blue finished with a win. Lyonell James (pictured) did his best for the FCL team, tying the game at 5-5 in the eighth as part of a two-hit day, but the FCL Rays would take a walk-off win, as did DSL Colorado in extra innings over Red. The DSL teams combined for just 11 hits over their 19 innings of baseball, going cold offensively.

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FCL Rays 6, FCL Red Sox 5

The Rays walked it off in the bottom of the ninth to spoil a three-run comeback by the Red Sox in the eighth, including RBI knocks by Johnfrank Salazar and Lyonell James. James had two hits on the day, as did Allan Castro. The eighth and ninth hitters in the order represented 2/3 of their team's offensive output. However, the Red Sox did walk eight teams, including three free passes issued to Juan Chacon. On the mound, Yordanny Monegro struggled, surrendering four runs (three earned) on six hits in 1 2/3 innings of work, though he was picked up by Jhonny Felix. The right-hander scattered just a hit in 2 1/3 frames of work and was the only Red Sox pitcher to not allow a run.

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Cup of Coffee: Casas homers; Mata strikes out seven

8/1 Cup of Coffee: With Salem rained out, Triston Casas was the top prospect to play on Sunday. He made his mark with a solo home run, one of three home runs that the team hit. Bryan Mata was homer-prone but still turned in his longest outing of the season. Nick Northcut and Nick Decker (pictured) hit home runs, and David Hamilton swiped two more bases. 

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Worcester Red Sox 4, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1

Five Worcester pitchers combined to stifle Buffalo. AJ Politi was the opener and struck out three in two scoreless frames. Durbin Feltman and Chase Shugart added two scoreless innings apiece, and Frank German converted the save with a scoreless ninth. Triston Casas got the scoring started with a long solo home run to right field, and Deivy Grullón and Christin Stewart each went deep later in the game. Devlin Granberg went 2 for 5 with a stolen base out of the leadoff spot, and José Peraza went 2 for 4. 

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Cup of Coffee: Potts, Koss with big offensive nights for Portland

7/31 Cup of Coffee: It was a rough night for the system, as Worcester and Portland both lost late leads, while Greenville and Salem combined to score one run. Hudson Potts (pictured) and Christian Koss were offensive bright spots for Portland, each grabbing three hits and a home run. Triston Casas picked up two hits for Worcester, and Brian Van Belle had nine strikeouts for the Sea Dogs. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 5, Worcester Red Sox 3

Ronaldo Hernandez put the Sox ahead in the fourth inning with a two-run single, but the bullpen surrendered that lead in the eighth. Triston Casas went 2 for 5, while newly reacquired Jose Peraza singled, doubled, and scored a run. The team was just 1 for 18 with runners in scoring position. On the mound, Connor Seabold started and went the first four, giving up two earned runs with four strikeouts and no walks. Jake Thompson tossed a pair of scoreless innings before the wheels fell off in the eighth for Eduard Bazardo, who gave up three runs. 

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Cup of Coffee: Rafaela does it all in Portland victory

7/30 Cup of Coffee: If you're into offense, Ceddanne Rafaela (pictured) was the player to watch on Friday night. If you enjoy defense, your eye would be on another highlight-reel play by Ceddanne Rafaela. And if you enjoy players making an impact on the bases, Ceddanne Rafaela would have been the player for you. Portland owed its victory largely to the versatile Curacao native who continued to make his presence felt in a variety of ways. Elsewhere, Worcester and the FCL Sox both fell to one-run losses despite home runs off of top prospects Triston Casas and Miguel Bleis. Niko Kavadas continued to rampage the South Atlantic League despite a tough night for Greenville, while Salem was the victim of a late rally, suffering a comeback loss.

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 7, Worcester Red Sox 6

Worcester staged a five-run rally in the eighth but fell short on Friday night. Abraham Almonte hit a grand slam as part of the comeback attempt, adding to his single and walk earlier in the evening. Triston Casas had staked the WooSox to an early 1-0 lead on a solo home run in the first, his seventh of the year. Chris Murphy took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in four innings. He walked four, struck out two, and was taken deep twice by leadoff hitter Otto Lopez. Darwinzon Hernandez struck out two batters in a perfect seventh inning, throwin nine of his 12 pitches for strikes. Zack Kelly followed with a scoreless ninth, giving up one hit and striking out a pair.

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Podcast Ep. #256: Dawn of the deadlines

The draft signing deadline is coming up. So is the trade deadline. And you all sent us so many emails we had to cut them from the last episode and put them in this one. Sounds like we've got ourselves a podcast!

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Cup of Coffee: Barnes, Hill rehab with Portland; Kavadas belts walk-off homer in Greenville

7/29 Cup of Coffee: Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 4-3 on Wednesday. Brian Keller and Ronaldo Hernandez played key roles in Worcester's win over Buffalo, Tyler Dearden homered for the second consecutive night in Portland's win over Hartford, and Niko Kavadas (pictured) played hero in Greenville's walk-off victory over Bowling Green. Additionally, Kier Meredith enjoyed a productive day at the plate in Salem's loss while Johnfrank Salazar extended his hitting streak down at the complex. 

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Worcester Red Sox 3, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1

Some early action in Buffalo to kick off the afternoon. Brian Keller led the way on the mound by tossing five innings of one-run ball in his 14th start of the season for Worcester. The 28-year-old right-hander allowed just one run on three hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts on 84 pitches (49 strikes). He finishes his month of July having posted a 1.35 ERA across 22 innings of work. Out of the Worcester bullpen, Geoff Hartlieb and A.J. Politi each earned holds while Franklin German notched his third save of the season by stranding a pair of base runners in a scoreless ninth inning. 

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Cup of Coffee: Bonaci drives in eight, Northcut clubs first Double-A homer

7/28 Cup of Coffee: While the big-league club fell under .500 for the first time since early June, Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 3-2 on Wednesday night. Jay Groome made his third start of the season for Worcester in a loss to Buffalo, Tyler Dearden and Nick Northcut both homered in Portland's win over Hartford, Alex Erro enjoyed a three-hit night in Greenville, and Brainer Bonaci (pictured) collected six hits in Salem's doubleheader sweep of Fredericksburg. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 7, Worcester Red Sox 2

In his third start since being promoted to Worcester earlier this month, Jay Groome allowed three runs on seven hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with five strikeouts over five innings of work. The 23-year-old left-hander threw 95 pitches while raising his ERA at the Triple-A level to 3.94. James Norwood took over for Groome and yielded just one hit across two scoreless frames. The same cannot be said for Chase Shugart, who got shelled for four runs on four hits while only recording the first two outs of the eighth; Durbin Feltman got the third to end the inning.

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