Holmes leads GCL comeback

6/27 Cup of Coffee: Saturday saw Casey Kelly's ERA balloon to over 5, but his Sea Dogs teammates and the GCL Red Sox had come-from-behind wins that took the stink off a lackluster day for the organization.

Pawtucket starter Kris Johnson got knocked around a bit in a 6-1 loss to Syracuse (WAS). Johnson surrendered 5 runs on 11 hits in 5.0 innings to take the loss, and Chad Paronto added 2.0 innings of scoreless relief before Robert Manuel allowed a run in the eighth. Aaron Bates was 3 for 4 with a double, and Gustavo Molina had a pair of hits and a run scored. Bubba Bell, arguably the PawSox' hottest hitter of late, left the game after being hit by a pitch.

The Portland offense bailed out Casey Kelly with a six-run outburst in the seventh as the Sea Dogs topped New Britain (MIN) 8-5. Kelly allowed 5 runs, 4 earned on 6 hits in 5.0 innings, though he struck out 6. Che-Hsuan Lin and Nate Spears each collected 3 hits, with Spears adding 3 RBI. Ray Chang and Anthony Rizzo had 2 hits and 2 RBI apiece. Santo Luis and Bryce Cox combined to toss 4.0 innings of shutout relief in the win.

Stolmy Pimentel didn't have his best stuff Friday night, allowing 8 earned on 10 hits in Salem's 13-5 loss to Wilmington (KC). Pimentel went 2.1 innings before Zach Hammes took over and allowed 3 runs in 2.2 frames. Tim Federowicz, Ryan Lavarnway and Jon Hee had 2 hits each, while Oscar Tejeda and Drew Hedman drove in a pair each. Lance McClain was charged with an unearned run and Kyle Fernandes threw a scoreless eighth in the loss.

A late offensive surge by Greenville gave the Drive a 9-5 win over Charleston (NYY). Vladimir Frias was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and Will Vazquez was 2 for 3 with an RBI and 3 runs scored. Pete Ruiz was tagged for 5 runs on 7 hits in 5.0 innings, and Jeremiah Bayer got the win with 4.0 innings of shutout relief. Derrik Gibson went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.

Randy Consuegra was wild once again Friday as Lowell fell 8-0 to Tri-City (HOU). Consuegra retired just 1 batter, walking 6 and throwing 2 wild pitches en route to allowing 7 runs. Felix Sanchez was 3 for 4 with a double, and David Renfroe and the debuting Seth Schwindenhammer both went 2 for 4. Keith Couch tossed 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, and Cesare Angeloni was charged with an unearned run in 3.0 innings of work. Armando Zerpa struck out the side in the eighth.

Willie Holmes and Boss Moanaroa homered in a five-run eighth inning as the GCL squad rallied past the Twins 6-5. Holmes was 2 for 4 with a double, home run, and 3 RBI, and Jordan Sallis added a pair of hits. Sergio Gomez struck out 5 and allowed a run on 2 hits in 3.0 innings before Luis Bastardo yielded 3 runs in 4.0 frames. Justin Erasmus struck out 2 in 2.0 perfect frames to get the save, and Roberto Ramos drove in a run in the win.

In DSL action, the Red sox took an early lead but fell 4-2 to the Royals. Dreily Guererro was 1 for 4 with a double, while Curtney Doran and Derward Ruiz drove in a run each. William Cuevas gave up 2 runs on 6 hits in 5.0 innings, and Carlos Pinales took the hard-luck loss, giving up 2 unearned runs in 4.0 innings of relief.

Player of the Night: Willie Holmes was 2 for 4 with a double and a three-run home run in the eighth inning of the GCL Red Sox' 6-5 win over the Twins.

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