Cup of Coffee: Johnson continues domination against Bowie

8/6 Cup of Coffee: Edwin Escobar's second start with Pawtucket ended in a loss as the PawSox offense was not able to back him up in a day matinee on Tuesday. Portland nabbed an extra inning victory while Greenville won its second in a row against Augusta. Salem was scorched in a loss while the DSL Sox ended up having their lengthy extra inning affair suspended.

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Columbus Clippers (CLE) 3, Pawtucket Red Sox 1
Escobar had a decent start for Pawtucket, hurling six innings, allowing one run on eight hits and two walks, punching out five. Miguel Celestino added 1 2/3 innings of relief, drawing the loss for allowing two runs on three hits and a walk. Brayan Villarreal tossed a scoreless inning of relief, striking out a  pair. 

The PawSox did not collect a hit until Blake Swihart's two-out single in the bottom of the fifth. Swihart would later come around to score Pawtucket's lone run of the game on Justin Henry's bases loaded walk. Former Red Sox prospect Dusty Brown (CLE) hit two solo home runs to lead the way for Columbus. 

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Portland Sea Dogs 3, Bowie Baysox (BAL) 1, 11 innings

Brian Johnson (pictured, above) was outstanding for the Sea Dogs, spinning eight scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five in a no decision. Jonathan Roof's RBI double in the fifth gave Portland a 1-0 lead that held until the ninth inning. In the ninth, Noe Ramirez was unable to save the game, giving up the game's tying run, allowing a run on a hit and a hit batter. 

The game remained tied until the 11th, when Sean Coyle's RBI double and David Chester's RBI single opened up a 3-1 Sea Dogs lead. Robby Scott picked up the victory for pitching two scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out four. Kelly Johnson appeared in his first game as a member of the Red Sox organization, going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. 

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Lynchburg Hillcats (ATL) 13, Salem Red Sox 5

It was a rough day for Salem pitching, as Simon Mercedes fell to 2-9 on the season, tossing five innings, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks. Jonathan Aro, in just his second game since being promoted to Salem, allowed five runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning. Kyle Martin added two innings of relief, allowing three runs (two earned) on on two walks.

Matty Johnson was 1 for 4 with a solo home run while fellow outfielder Aneury Tavarez was also 1 for 4, adding a two-run home run in the second. Carlos Asuaje went 3 for 5 with an RBI while Jantzen Witte was 2 for 5 with an RBI double.

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Greenville Drive 8, Augusta GreenJackets (SF) 4

Trey Ball picked up his second win of the season, tossing six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks, striking out four. Sergio Gomez pitched the final three innings of the contest, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks to collect his second save.

Manuel Margot was 2 for 5 with a run scored and two RBI, Cole Sturgeon also added two hits, scoring a run and driving in a run. Tzu-Wei Lin, and Jimmy Rider each added a hit and an RBI in the victory.  

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GCL Red Sox vs. GCL Rays (postponed)

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DSL Red Sox 3, DSL Mets1 3, 14 innings (suspended due to rain)

For the second straight day, the Red Sox and Mets battled into extra innings. The game was suspended due to rain in the top of the 14th inning, directly after Pablo Urena was thrown out at home as the Red Sox nearly took the lead. Gerson Bautista continued to pitch well, hurling five innings, allowing a run on four hits, striking out three. The 19-year-old Bautista is now 2-0 with a 0.52 ERA in 11 games (10 starts). Carlos Caceres added three innings of relief, allowing two unearned runs on two hits and four walks.

Carlos Tovar was 2 for 4 with a triple and two RBI. Urena led the Red Sox offense by going 3 for 6 with an RBI from the bottom of the order. 

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Player of the Day: Brian Johnson, who continued to dominate Double-A opponents, tossing eight scoreless innings in Portland's 3-1 victory over Bowie. The 23-year-old left-hander allowed just three hits while striking out five. Johnson is now 9-2 with a 1.89 ERA in 17 starts for Portland. 

Photo Credit: Brian Johnson by Kelly O'Connor

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