Cup of Coffee: Salem shines in win, other affiliates struggle

4/28 Cup of Coffee: Salem, led by standout pitching and hot bats, was the only affiliate to pull off a victory last night in match ups for all the teams in the system.

Brandon Workman (Kelly O'Connor)

Pawtucket traveled down to Columbus and lost 4-1 to the Clippers (CLE). Columbus started things offensively when the scored 1 run off of Pawtucket starter Ross Ohlendorf in the first. Ohlendorf was able to keep them scoreless after that until the sixth when they got another run. Ohlendorf pitched 6 innings with 10 hits, 2 runs and 4 walks. The Clippers homered off of Andrew Miller, who came on in the seventh, adding 2 more runs. Miller pitched 1 inning for 1 hit, 2 runs, and 1 walk. In the eighth inning, Mark Melancon took the mound for the PawSox and pitched 1 inning with 1 hit, no runs, no walks, and 2 strikeouts. The Clippers' pitching kept the PawSox bats fairly quiet, with only Jose Iglesias, Ryan Lavarnway, and Josh Kroeger getting hits. Pawtucket's lone run of the night came when Kroeger homered in the fifth.

The Sea Dogs battled back-and-forth with the Reading Phillies (PHI) in a 5-4 loss at Hadlock Field. Portland got the first tallies of the game when they scored 2 runs in the second. Reynaldo Rodriguez doubled to drive in Bryce Brentz, and then Heiker Meneses singled to drive in Brentz. The Phillies answered in the third when they drove in three runs off of Portland starter Stomly Pimentel. Pimentel pitched 5 innings with 7 hits, 3 runs, and no walks. The Sea Dogs tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Dan Butler singled to drive in Brentz. They took the 4-3 lead in the sixth when Juan Carlos Linares blasted a solo homer. Brock Huntzinger took the mound for Portland in the sixth and pitched 2 solid innings with no hits, no runs, and 1 walk. Huntzinger was replaced in the eighth by Aaron Kurcz, who was credited with the loss. He gave up a run in both the eighth and ninth innings, and overall pitched 2 innings with 4 hits, 2 runs, and no walks.

The Salem Red Sox had hot bats to support great pitching in a 7-2 win over the Carolina Mudcats (CLE) at LewisGale Field. Red Sox pitchers combined to keep Carolina scoreless until the eighth inning when they scored 2 runs. Starter Brandon Workman pitched 6 shutout innings with 3 hits, no walks, and 4 strikeouts. He was replaced in the seventh inning by Manuel Rivera, who was credited with the save. Rivera pitched 3 innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 runs, and no walks. It was also a good night for Salem's offense. The Red Sox drew first blood in the bottom of the second when Christian Vazquez was driven in by a Michael Almanzar single and Felix Sanchez grounded out to score Shanon Wilkerson. Salem picked up three more runs in the fifth inning when Almanzar, Sanchez, and Jackie Bradley  were all batted in. The Red Sox tallied their last two runs of the game in the seventh inning when Vazquez homered to score Travis Shaw and himself. All but 2 Red Sox batters had a hit in the game with Wilkerson and Almanzar each recording 2.

The Drive was shut out by the Delmarva Shorebirds (BAL) in a 6-0 road loss. The game was scoreless until the sixth inning when Delmarva tallied 4 runs. Greenville starter Miguel Pena had a good outing, throwing 4.2 innings with 2 hits, no runs, and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts. With one man on, Pena was replaced in the fifth with 2 outs by Hunter Cervenka. He finished out the fifth by striking out a Shorebirds' batter, but ran into trouble when he came back out in the sixth. Cervenka, who was given the loss, gave up a pair of doubles that each scored 2 runs. He pitched 1.1 innings for the Drive, with 3 hits, 4 runs, 4 errors, and 2 walks. Tyler Lockwood took the mound for Greenville in the seventh and struck out the side, but then let up 2 runs in the eighth when Delmavra's Nick Delmonico hit a 2 run homer. Lockwood pitched 2 innings with 1 hit, 2 runs, and 1 walk. On the offensive side, three Greenville batters combined for 4 hits. Keury De La Cruz had the best night at the plate with 2 hits.

Player of the Night: Salem starter Brandon Workman had a good night on the mound, pitching six scoreless innings with just 3 hits, no walks, and 4 strikeouts. His great start to the game helped the Red Sox on their way to a 7-2 victory.

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