May 14, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Buttrey continues to throw well, Rusney Castillo injured
5/14 Cup of Coffee: Ty Buttrey received his third win in as many starts with Salem. Eduardo Rodriguez took the loss for Pawtucket but pitched fairly well. Oscar Tejeda (pictured) exploded offensively with four hits for Portland, but it wasn't enough as the Sea Dogs lost a heartbreaker. Rusney Castillo was also removed from Pawtucket's game after turning an ankle.
-----
Amidst speculation that PawSox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez could be called up due to Justin Masterson's fatigue issues, Rodriguez threw five innings and allowed just two earned runs while walking one and striking out five. The Pawtucket offense struggled to get much going, as they managed just eight hits, all singles, and no runs. Deven Marrero had the only multi-hit game. Rusney Castillo went 1 for 2 with two stolen bases, but he turned an ankle at second base and was forced to come out of the game. Castillo walked off the field on his own power.
-----
The Sea Dogs and Thunder went back and forth in the middle innings, exchanging four-run frames in the fourth. Oscar Tejeda led the charge by going 4 for 6 with three doubles and four RBI. Mike Miller also added three hits. It was a tough outing for Luis Diaz, who gave up four runs (three earned) in five innings of work. Portland led 8-6 going into the ninth inning, but the Thunder rallied for three runs off Madison Younginer to take the lead. The Sea Dogs loaded the bases in the bottom half of the ninth, but back-to-back strikeouts and a fly out ended the nail-biter.
-----
Salem broke out for six runs in the second inning and never looked back. Ty Buttrey won his third game for the Red Sox by going five innings and allowing just one earned run. His ERA is now a sparkling 1.62 with Salem in three starts. Jose Vinicio went 2 for 5 with two runs and two RBI. Sam Travis also had three hits and Wendell Rijo and Jake Romanski added RBI doubles. Taylor Grover tossed three shutout innings in relief and Jorge Marban struck out the side in the ninth to seal the victory.
-----
Player of the Night: Oscar Tejeda was the easy choice for player of the night honors. He went 4 for 6 with four RBI and three doubles against Trenton. He is now slashing a very impressive .333/.352/.471 on the season.
Photo Credit: Oscar Tejeda by Kelly O'Connor