July 25, 2010 at 8:22 AM
Lowell snaps losing streak
7/25 Cup of Coffee: Lowell prevented their losing streak from sliding to 12 games with a big win Saturday night, while Kyle Weiland and Ryan Pressly gave their teams 7.0 innings of shutout ball.
Mike Lowell was a perfect 4 for 4, but Pawtucket ultimately dropped a 12-7 decision to Columbus (CLE). Felix Doubront was tagged for 6 earned runs on 7 hits in 3.0 innings of work, and Tommy Hottovy dug the PawSox a deeper hole by yielding 4 runs in 2.1 innings of relief. Lowell had 3 doubles and a pair of RBI, while Gustavo Molina hit a three-run home run in the eighth to cut the deficit to 4. Ryan Kalish added 2 hits, including a double. Dustin Richardson allowed a run in 1.0 inning, as did infielder Gil Velazquez, who took the hill in the eighth.
After seeing their winning streak snapped last night, Portland couldn't capitalize on an outstanding Kyle Weiland start in a 2-1 loss to Harrisburg (WAS). Weiland allowed a first inning double and proceeded to retire the next 15 in order on his way to 7.0 innings of shutout, one-hit ball. He struck out 8, but Jason Rice allowed 2 runs in the eighth to take the loss. Mitch Herold tossed a scoreless ninth. Nate Spears doubled and scored on an Anthony Rizzo single in the fourth to account for the Sea Dogs' lone run.
Salem had similar offensive woes as the Sea Dogs, collecting just 2 hits in a 3-0 loss to Lynchburg (CIN). Brock Huntzinger allowed 3 runs on 7 hits in 5.2 innings before Zach Hammes, Lance McClain, and Pat Ryan combined to keep the Hillcats off the board for the rest of the game. Pete Hissey singled in the first and Alex Hassan doubled in the second for the futile Red Sox offense.
Where Salem imitated Portland's bats, Greenville's Ryan Pressly followed Weiland's lead in the Drive's 7-4 win over Rome (ATL). Pressly struck out 3 and allowed just 3 hits in 7.0 innings of work, but Chris Court put his lead in jeopardy by surrendering 2 runs in the eighth and ninth before Dennis Neuman notched the save. Chris McGuiness was 2 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI, while Shannon Wilkerson had a pair of hits and an RBI in the win.
After quite the futile stretch, Lowell finally put a a notch in the win column with an 11-5 win over Vermont (WAS). Seth Schwindenhammer, Miles Head, Kolbrin Vitek, and Jayson Hernandez each had 2 RBI, with Scwindenhammer also homering in the win. Roman Mendez and Stephen Fox went 4.0 innings each, with Mendez allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and Fox giving up 2 runs on 5. Vitek tripled and had 2 hits, while Felix Sanchez knocked a pair of singles and scored twice. Tyler Lavigne pitched a scoreless ninth in the win.
In the first game of a double header, the GCL Red Sox lost to the cross-town rival Twins 3-1. Keury De La Cruz and Oscar Perez had two hits each, with De La Cruz driving in the team's only run. Jason Garcia went the first 3.0 frames, holding the Twins scoreless and allowing just 1 hit, and Swen Huijer combined with TJ Large for 3.0 perfect innings of relief before Scott Swinson gave up 3 runs on 4 hits to take the loss.
The second game was suspended after 5.0 innings with the Twins leading 5-1. Sergio Gomez was touched for 3 runs on 4 hits in 2.0 innings, and Raynel Velette allowed 2 runs in 1.2 innings of relief. Mike Hacker retired the only batter he faced in his debut. Jason Thompson had 2 hits and an RBI, while Trygg Danforth and Leonel Escobar had the only other hits for the Red Sox.
In DSL action, Raul Alcantara was touched up for 7 runs on 11 hits in a 9-4 loss to DSL Yankees 2. 5 of the 7 runs were earned, with Alcantara going 3.2 innings before Nefi Ogando allowed a pair of runs in 2.1 frames. Eddie Loya was a home run shy of the cycle, while David Sopilka had 2 hits and an RBI for the Red Sox. Xander Bogaerts and Dreily Guererro also drove in a run apiece. Pedro Reyes and Israel Perez each tossed a scoreless inning in the loss.
Player of the Night: Kyle Weiland, who sat down 15 batters in a row while pitching 7.0 innings of shutout ball. He struck out 8 and improved his ERA to 3.82.