Lee's arm propels Salem to victory

7/15 Cup of Coffee: The Triple-A and Double-A Eastern League All-Star games highlighted Wednesday evening but Salem and the DSL received solid starting pitching to blank their opponents in impressive victories.

In the Triple-A All-Star game featuring the International League vs. the Pacific Coast League, Pawtucket representative Bubba Bell was 0 for 3 from the lead-off spot as he played center field in the International League's 2-1 victory.

Ray Chang was 2 for 4 playing shortstop and third base, Nate Spears was 1 for 4 with a double and an RBI while Jason Rice recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning as the East Division fell to the West Division 10-3 in the Double-A Eastern League's All-Star game.

A magnificent start on the mound allowed Salem to blank the Winston-Salem Dash (CHW) 4-0. Mike Lee was stellar in his 5.0 inning start, allowing just 4 hits while striking out 4 to pick up his seventh victory of the season. Mark Holliman followed Lee with 4.0 innings of relief, allowing a hit and a walk while punching out a pair. The Red Sox jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, plating a run on Oscar Tejeda's RBI single. The game remained tight until the eighth, when Tim Federowicz smoked a bases clearing RBI double to bring home three, giving Salem a 4-0 advantage. Tejeda and Will Middlebrooks both collected two hits to lead the Salem offense.

Greenville used the late innings to drive away from the Savannah Sand Gnats (NYM) 4-2. Drive starter Drake Britton hurled the first 4.0 innings of the contest, allowing 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 4. Tom Ebert picked up his eighth victory of the season for his 5.0 innings in which he allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6. Jeremy Hazelbaker used his feet to get Greenville on the board in the first, leading off with a single, stealing second, moving to third on a balk and subsequently scoring on a Ronald Bermudez sacrifice fly. With Savannah up 2-1 in the sixth, Hazelbaker stole his second base of the game and scampered home when the Sand Gnats catcher attempted throw got past the third baseman. Vladmir Frias broke the tie in the eighth, smacking his fourth home run of the season to give the Drive a 3-2 advantage. Michael Almanzar's sacrifice fly in the ninth gave Greenville a bit more breathing room. Hazelbaker's two hits led the Drive offense and his two steals give him 39 for the season, good enough for the South Atlantic League lead.

Lowell continued to struggle, dropping the first game of their road trip 12-2 to the Batavia MuckDogs (STL). The Spinners scored a run in both the first and the second to take an early 2-0 lead as Bryce Brentz and David Renfroe poked RBI doubles. Seth Garrison, making just his second appearance of the season, went the first 2.0 innings and did not allow a base-runner. The game got out of hand in the third, as reliever Jay Broughton came on in relief and only recorded one out, allowing 6 runs (5 earned) on 2 hits and 5 walks to pick up the loss. Tyler Lockwood relieved Broughton and went the next 3.0 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits while striking out 2. Kyle Rutter tossed the final 2.2 innings of the contest, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks. Kolbrin Vitek and Miles Head were both 2 for 4 to lead the Lowell offense. The Spinners left 12 men on base and once again had trouble in the field, committing four errors.

Despite outhitting the GCL Rays (TB) 12-11, the GCL Red Sox could not overcome their foes, losing 8-5. Juan Rodriguez went the first 2.2 innings for the Red Sox, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 5. Michael Gleason was next out of the pen and turned in his best performance of the season, going 4.1 innings and allowing just 1 hit while striking out 4. Luis Bastardo tossed the final 2.0 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits while punching out 4. Down 6-0 in the third, the Red Sox got on the board on an Oscar Perez RBI single. A Moko Moanaroa RBI ground-out and a Trygg Danforth RBI single in the sixth brought the Red Sox within three. A pair of RBI singles by Danforth and Jason Thompson brought the Red Sox within one in the eighth, but it was the closest they would get as they left eleven men on base. Heiker Meneses laced three hits to lead the Red Sox offense.

Scoring in five out of eight innings, the DSL Red Sox easily brushed away the GCL Royals (KC) 7-0. Yunior Ortega received the start and was outstanding, hurling an impressive 6.0 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 3 walks while punching out 4. Sully Bonnelly tossed the final 3.0 innings, allowing just 3 walks while collecting 1 strikeout. The Red Sox scored singular runs in the first three innings on a Javier Gutierrez RBI single, a David Sopilka RBI single and a Jair Bogaerts RBI double. The Red Sox continued their scoring in the fifth as Jesus Loya smoked an RBI single to open up a four run advantage. In the seventh, the Red Sox plated their final three runs on a bases loaded walk, Aly Gonzalez RBI ground-out and a Lewis Urena RBI single. Urena, Guiterrez, Bogaerts and Loya each had two hits to lead the Red Sox offense.

Player of the Night: Mike Lee, for his impressive start for Salem in which he went 5.0 innings and allowed just 4 hits while striking out 4 in the Red Sox 4-0 victory over Winston-Salem.

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