Cup of Coffee: De La Cruz does it all for Salem

7/14 Cup of Coffee: It was a quiet night for the affiliates, as only Salem and Lowell came away with victories. Pawtucket and Portland struggled with their star players in New York for the Futures Game, while Salem used a balance offensive attack to defeat Potomac.

Be sure to catch the Futures Game today at 2 PM EST on MLB.com and ESPN 2. Xander Bogaerts is batting third and playing shortstop for the World Team, Anthony Ranaudo is scheduled to pitch fourth for the U.S. Team, and Garin Cecchini will be coming off the bench for the U.S. Team. 

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The PawSox struggled to get any offense going without Xander Bogaerts, falling to the Rochester Red Wings (MIN), 5-1. With Bogaerts in New York, Jonathan Diaz filled in at shortstop, going 2 for 4 with a walk. Alex Hassan went 2 for 3 with two doubles and a walk, and Ronald Bermudez went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Unfortunately only one other PawSox batter got a hit, and they left 10 men on base. 

Chris Hernandez took the loss, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out four. Clayton Mortensen tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and Jose De La Torre allowed a solo home run in his only inning. Will Middlebrooks went 0 for 4 with a strikeout, dropping his average to .256 with the PawSox. 

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The Sea Dogs played two on Saturday, dropping the first game to the Binghamton Mets (NYM), 5-2. Terry Doyle pitched a complete game, throwing all six innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. He threw 65 of his 94 pitches for strikes. The Sea Dogs only had three hits in the game, with two coming from Christian Vazquez and one from Tony Thomas. 

The second game was not any better, as the Sea Dogs were shut out 6-0. Jeremy Kehrt was not sharp, allowing six runs on six hits in five innings. The Sea Dogs only managed four hits on the day, with Travis Shaw's triple being the only extra-base hit. They were without Garin Cecchini in both games, as he was with Bogaerts in New York. 

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Salem is now a game under .500 after defeating the Potomac Nationals (WAS), 3-1 in seven innings. Keury De La Cruz (pictured) hit a two-run single in the third, and then added an RBI single in the fifth to account for all three runs. Deven Marrero, Blake Swihart, and Matty Johnson also added two hits, with Marrero and Swihart adding a double.

William Cuevas had a solid start, allowing one run in five innings, walking two and striking out five. Manuel Rivera earned his first save of the year, pitching two shutout innings.

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The Drive game was suspended due to rain. It will be completed along with the regularly scheduled game today. 

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It was Star Wars night at LeLacheur Park, and the Spinners treated the fans with a 5-4 victory over the Jamestown Jammers (PIT). The Spinners got on the board with three runs in the third, as Kendrick Perkins hit an RBI double, and Jantzen Witte later added a two-run double. The Spinners took the lead in the seventh, scoring a run when Carlos Asuaje was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and they added a crucial insurance run in the eighth, when Perkins drove in Manuel Margot with a single. 

Jamie Callahan allowed three runs in five innings, surrendering eight hits and walking two while striking out four. Jonathan Aro allowed only one run in the final four innings, picking up his second victory and lowering his ERA to 1.88. Margot went 2 for 4 with two runs scored, and Kevin Mager went 3 for 4 with a walk.

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The GCL Red Sox lost a rain-shortened game to the GCL Twins (MIN), 3-1. Daniel McGrath had another strong start, allowing two runs and striking out seven in five innings. The left-hander from Australia now has 30 strikeouts and only six walks in 20 innings, with an ERA of 1.35. Danny Bethea drove in the lone run for the Red Sox on an RBI single.

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The DSL Indians (CLE) scored four runs in the eighth, beating the DSL Red Sox, 7-4. Luis Ramos allowed three runs in four innings, Jervis Torrealba tossed two scoreless innings, and Ender Machuca was hit hard, surrendering four runs while recording only two outs. Javier Guerra went 3 for 4, and Luis Alejandro Basabe went 1 for 2 with a walk and a stolen base. 

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Player of the Day: Keury De La Cruz drove in all three runs for Salem, while also adding a stolen base and an outfield assist. The 21-year-old, who will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft if he is not added to the 40-man roster this offseason, is batting .321 with 22 extra-base hits over his last 57 games. 

Photo Credit: Keury De La Cruz by Kelly O'Connor

Jim Crowell is a Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com

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