August 24, 2011 at 7:54 AM
Swinson's near perfect outing drives Greenville to win
8/24 Cup of Coffee: The Red Sox affiliates took 4 of 7 games on Tuesday with some noteworthy individual performances throughout the system.
Pawtucket lost to Syracuse (WAS), 4-2. The game was tied at 2-2 until the top of the 6th inning, when the Chiefs scored twice, and were able to keep the Red Sox off the board for the rest of the game. Pawtucket was led by Lars Anderson, who went 2-4 with an RBI, and Hector Luna, who went 2-3 with a walk and a double. Alex Wilson drew the start and took the loss in his second outing since being promoted to AAA. Wilson allowed 5 hits and 2 runs in 4 innings pitched. He walked 4 and struck out 2. Jason Rice relieved Wilson and took the loss. Rice pitched 2 innings, surrendering 4 hits and 2 runs. He walked 2 and struck out 3.
Portland struggled at the plate, losing to Harrisburg (WAS), 4-1. The Sea Dogs collected just 5 hits in this game, 4 of which were singles. Reynaldo Rodriguez was the only member of the lineup to amass multiple hits, as he went 2-4 with a double. Matt Rusch started for Portland and took the loss. Rusch allowed 4 hits and 2 runs in 6 innings of work, walking 1 and striking out 3.
Salem righted the ship for the affiliates, beating Winston-Salem (CWS), 3-2. The Red Sox scored 2 runs in the 1st and 1 in the 2nd, and kept the Dash mostly in check the rest of the way to get the win. Offensively, the Red Sox were led by Heiker Meneses (3-4), Derrik Gibson (1-3, walk, RBI) and Bryce Brentz (1-4, RBI). Anthony Ranaudo took the mound and allowed 3 hits and 1 run in 4 innings of work. He walked 4 and struck out 6. TJ Hose relieved Ranaudo and pitched 3 solid innings of relief to earn the win. He allowed 2 hits, 1 run, walked 2 and struck out 1. Will Latimer earned the save by pitching 2 scoreless innings. He allowed 1 hit, did not walk anyone and struck out 3.
Greenville took the first game of a doubleheader with Charleston (NYY), winning by a score of 5-2. This game was scoreless until the RiverDogs plated 2 in the bottom of the 4th. The Drive immediately answered in the top of the 5th, tying the game on a 2-run shot by Henry Ramos. The score stayed that way until the 7th, when Michael Almanzar launched a 3-run homer to seal the win. Greenville was led by Almanzar (2-3, home run, 3 RBI), Ramos (2-3, home run, 2 RBI) and Xander Bogaerts (2-3, double, 2 runs). Keith Couch toed the rubber for the Drive, and pitched 5 solid innings. Couch allowed 4 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), walked 1 and struck out 4. The righthander has not allowed more than 3 runs in any of his last 10 starts. Andrew Jones relieved Couch and got the win. In 2 shutout innings, Jones allowed 2 hits, walked 1 and struck out 3.
Greenville had an easier go of it in the second game, defeating Charleston, 5-0. The Drive scored 1 in the 1st on a Drew Hedman RBI double, and 4 in the 2nd, highlighted by Brandon Jacobs’ 2-run shot. Greenville was led by Jacobs (2-4, home run, 2 RBI) and Hedman (1-3, double, RBI). Scott Swinson started for the Drive and pitched brilliantly en route to his 4th win of the year. Swinson pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit. He did not walk a batter and struck out 5. The righty had a perfect game until surrendering a single with 2 outs in the 6th, and was promptly replaced by reliever Charle Rosario.
Lowell withstood a late comeback attempt to beat Staten Island (NYY), 6-5. The Spinners held a 1-0 lead after the 1st and added to it in the 6th inning on Moko Moanaroa’s 3-run homer. They added 2 runs in the 8th and held a (seemingly) comfortable 6-2 lead entering the bottom of the 9th. The Yankees plated 3 runs, but their rally came up short. Moanaroa led the way for Lowell, as he went 2-4 with a home run and 4 RBI. Jackie Bradley made his pro debut for Lowell, and went 0-3 with 2 walks as the team’s DH. Luis Diaz was the starting pitcher for the Spinners. Diaz allowed 5 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) over 6 innings to earn the win. He walked 1 and struck out 3.
The GCL Red Sox were 4-hit by the GCL Orioles and lost by a score of 5-1. Jesus Loya and Zach Kapstein each went 1-3 in the losing effort. Francisco Taveras started for the Red Sox and took the loss. Taveras allowed 8 hits and 5 runs in 5 innings of work. He walked 3 and struck out 4.
Player of the Day: Scott Swinson. Swinson threw 5.2 scoreless innings in Greenville’s victory over Charleston in the first game of a doubleheader. Swinson retired the first 17 hitters he faced. Overall, he allowed just 1 hit, did not walk a batter and struck out 5.