Cup of Coffee: Mookie doubles twice, Rodriguez K's nine

8/9 Cup of Coffee: Mookie Betts (pictured) wasted no time getting back into the swing of things with Pawtucket, Eduardo Rodriguez was dominant again, and third-round pick Jake Cosart continued to impress in his limited action so far. Greenville and Lowell ended up on opposite ends of walk-off wins, and the DSL Red Sox continued to steamroll the competition.

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Pawtucket Red Sox 11, Charlotte Knights (CWS) 8

Making his first start in the minors since his major league debut last week, Anthony Ranaudo pitched into the seventh while picking up his 13th win for the PawSox. He was touched up for 10 hits in his 6 1/3 innings of work, but limited the damage to only four runs thanks to five strikeouts and only one walk. The bullpen was shaky, with Drake Britton continuing to struggle, allowing three runs while recording only two outs. Miguel Celestino came on to finish off the Knights, getting the final two outs for his third save of the year. 

It was an impressive day for the offense, led by Mookie Betts who went 3 for 4 with two doubles, a walk, and two runs scored. Carlos Rivero also went 3 for 4 with a walk, while Derrik Gibson went 2 for 3 with a double as the second baseman. Blake Swihart made his one hit count, launching his first Triple-A home run, a two-run shot in the fifth. With right-handed power in such high demand, Bryce Brentz is trying to make sure he does not become a forgotten name, as his 2 for 4 performance with a double and a walk raised his batting average to .318 since he returned to Pawtucket on August 2. 

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Richmond Flying Squirrels (SFG) 5, Portland Sea Dogs 1

Eduardo Rodriguez has made himself at home with the Sea Dogs, pitching well in both of his starts so far. On Friday, he tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits and walking three while striking out nine. He threw 66 of his 100 pitches for strikes, and got five ground outs with no fly outs. Wilfredo Boscan picked up the loss after allowing five runs, two earned, in two innings.

Michael Almanzar went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run, and Carson Blair went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. Other than that, there was not much to speak of offensively for Portland.

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The Salem Red Sox were rained out, and the game will be made up as part of a doubleheader today starting at 3 p.m.

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Lexington Legends (KC) 6, Greenville Drive 5
Daniel McGrath struck out six while allowing four runs, three earned, over six innings. The Drive came back to tie the game in the top of the ninth, but Oscar Perez allowed a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth as the Legends walked off with the win.

Cole Sturgeon led the way for the offense, going 3 for 3 with with two doubles and a walk. Manuel Margot also had three hits, including his 18th double of the year, and he has rebounded nicely after a tough July.

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Lowell Spinners 4, State College Spikes (STL) 3
After being down three runs early, the Spinners came back for a walk-off win. Reed Reilly was hit hard in the first two innings, but settled in and went five innings, allowing three runs while walking none and striking out six. Kuehl McEachern threw three shutout innings, and Carlos Pinales struck out two while picking up the win with a scoreless ninth.

Jordan Betts hit a solo home run in the third that tied the game, and Bryan Hudson drove in Mauricio Dubon with a single in the ninth to win it. Betts went 2 for 4, while Raymel Flores went 2 for 3 with but was also caught stealing and committed a throwing error. 

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GCL Twins (MIN) 3, GCL Red Sox 2

In his fourth appearance, Jake Cosart finally allowed his first run, and his ERA now sits at 1.13 after his first eight professional innings. The right-hander allowed one run in three innings on Friday, walking two and striking out one. Luis Ramos followed with four innings of two-run ball, striking out three, but he was the tough-luck losing pitcher as the offense could not touch the Twins pitching. 

Victor Acosta did the most damage, going 3 for 3 with a double and a walk, and Rafael Devers lowered his batting average to .340 as he went 1 for 3, though he did also draw a walk. 

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DSL Red Sox 4, DSL Cardinals (STL) 2
The Red Sox pitching was dominant, led by Shair Lacrus, who allowed only one hit and an unearned run in four innings, striking out four. Alejandro Rodriguez struck out six in three innings, and Algenis Martinez struck out two in two scoreless innings of relief.

The score was tied at two in the bottom of the eighth, when Raiwinson Lameda hit a two-out two-run triple to break the tie. Lameda went 3 for 4 on the day, and is now batting .318 in 157 at-bats. Juan Hernandez also added three hits, while Jesus Perez went 2 for 3 with a triple. Luis Alejandro Basabe was pulled from the game in the second inning after grounding out, so be on the look out for news about a possible injury. 

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Player of the Day: In his first two starts in the Red Sox organization, Eduardo Rodriguez has surrendered only one run in 11 1/3 innings, walking four and striking out 16. While Andrew Miller has been great for the Orioles, this trade is already looking like a great value pick up for the Red Sox, as the young left-hander looks like a back-end starter, with the potential to be a number three starter.

Photo Credit: Mookie Betts by Kelly O'Connor

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