August 2, 2014 at 6:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Devers drives in winning run as GCL Sox walk off
8/2 Cup of Coffee: As the calendar flipped to August, a full slate of games were on tap. After leading the GCL Red Sox in almost all categories in July, Rafael Devers (pictured) opened August without missing a beat, driving home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Lowell scored three in the ninth to complete its comeback, while the DSL Red Sox staved off a late rally. Salem used a 13-hit attack to come away victorious. Playing with a depleted roster, Pawtucket dropped its chance to take sole possession of first place. Portland only managed two hits in its loss, and Greenville continues to slide.
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Pawtucket and Syracuse entered the night in a virtual tie for first place, but it was a tall order for the PawSox, having sent five players to Boston earlier in the day. John Ely, regularly a member of the Pawtucket bullpen, made his first start of the season. Ely allowed three runs (two earned) in three innings, striking out five while walking only one. Mike McCarthy, received from Portland earlier in the day, followed, giving up one run in his three innings of work. Drake Britton continues to struggle, allowing a pair of solo home runs in 2 1/3 innings. Britton has allowed at least one run in 19 of his 36 appearances this season, and hasn't had consecutive scoreless outings since May 11 and 14.
Corey Brown, who was a member of the Chiefs from 2011 to 2013, ripped a second-inning solo homer off his old squad. Carlos Rivero and Dan Butler had two hits apiece for the PawSox. Butler was taken out of the game in the seventh inning, following a play during the major league game where David Ross limped off with a foot injury.
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Portland managed two hits while falling to Trenton for the second straight night. One of the two hits came off the bat of Sean Coyle in the form of his 13th home run of the season. Wilfredo Boscan took the loss for the Sea Dogs, allowing four runs on four hits, including a pair of home runs, in his six innings of work. Pete Ruiz allowed a run on three hits in three innings out of the bullpen.
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Jacob Dahlstrand led the Red Sox in his second appearance and first start since being promoted from Greenville. The 6-foot-5 right-hander allowed a run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking three. Kyle Martin followed, giving up a pair of runs in 3 1/3 innings to pick up the save. Martin struck out three without issuing a walk, and has an impressive 65 strikeouts against only 11 free passes on the year.
The lineup cranked out 13 hits on its way to the win. The big blast was a two-run homer off the bat of Matty Johnson in the sixth inning. Jantzen Witte had four hits and drove in a run for the Sox, while Jordan Weems was 2 for 3 with a double and pair of runs scored.
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The Drive remain in reverse, losing their fourth straight and 12th in their last 15. Jamie Callahan fell to his 10th defeat of the season, giving up three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out a pair. Jason Garcia was impressive out of the bullpen, firing 3 2/3 hitless innings, striking out four and walking one. The offense had several opportunities, putting 15 men on base, but went only 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Wendell Rijo was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Cole Sturgeon drove in the lone run as part of a 2-for-4 night.
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After Staten Island jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second inning, Lowell pitching shut its lineup down the rest of the way. Reid Reilly gave up all three runs, surrendering six hits in three innings while striking out four. Rob Smorol tossed three hitless frames striking out three and walking one, as Lowell evened the game with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Chandler Shepherd followed with two innings, allowing only one baserunner on a hit batsman. He struck out two and picked up his second win. Carlos Pinales had a scoreless ninth to pick up his New York-Penn League leading 11th save.
The offense took advantage of four Staten Island errors, managing to score six runs with only four hits. Half of the Spinners hits came off the bat of Danny Mars, who was 2 for 5 to raise his average to .347 on the year.
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The GCL Sox prevailed in a walk-off, and it is little surprise that Rafael Devers delivered the winning hit. After a double by Trenton Kemp and a walk to Derek Miller, Devers lined a single to right that brought home Kemp with the decisive run. Javier Guerra had a pair of hits for the Sox, and Ben Moore drove in two runs as part of his 1-for-4 afternoon.
Dedgar Jimenez got the start for the Sox, giving up two runs on seven hits in four innings. Gabe Speier was fantastic in relief, dealing four shutout innings. He allowed just one base hit, and struck out five without issuing a walk. In 12 innings since his return from elbow surgery, Speier has given up only two runs and eight hits. Pat Goetze pitched a scoreless top of the ninth, striking out a pair, to get credit for the win.
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Four of Boston's clubs were playing against Yankees teams on Friday, including the major league squad. The DSL team was one of three to come away with a victory. Starting pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus was the star for the Sox, with his strongest outing of the season. De Jesus scattered four hits across five shutout innings, striking out eight without issuing a walk. At the plate, Yoan Aybar has taken over the role as the centerpiece of the offense since the promotion of Devers to the Gulf Coast League. Aybar was 2 for 4 with a double and run scored. The double was his 11th of the season, leading the team. Samuel Miranda also had a two-hit day, and Luis Benoit knocked his first home run of the season.
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Player of the Day: On a day with several strong performances, the excellent start by Enmanuel De Jesus deserves mention. He struck out a career-high eight batters while tossing five shutout frames. Signed for $787,500 out of Venezuela in 2013, the 6-foot-3 left-hander leads the DSL Red Sox staff with 45 strikeouts. It was the second time in three starts that De Jesus has thrown five shutout innings, and he has a 2.36 ERA across his last six outings.
Photo Credit: Rafael Devers by Kelly O'Connor