May 26, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Stankiewicz fires eight-inning gem to lead Salem
5/26 Cup of Coffee: All four affiliates were in action on Monday, and all were treated to strong starting pitching. Each team's pitcher turned in a quality start. Two of the hurlers, Salem's Teddy Stankiewicz (pictured) and Mike Augliera of Portland were not scored upon in their victories. Jalen Beeks got the win for the Drive, and Henry Owens was the tough-luck loser for Pawtucket.
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Henry Owens turned in his third consecutive start with one or fewer runs allowed, but it went for naught as the PawSox bats fell silent. Owens struggled some with his control, issuing four walks, but he again proved tough to hit and was helped out by some strong defense behind him. After loading the bases with a single and a pair of walks in the second, Owens gave up an RBI base hit, but Bryce Brentz cut down a potential second run at the plate to end that inning. Overall, Owens allowed the one run on four hits in six innings, walking and striking out four. He lowered his ERA to 1.98 in May, and opposing batters are hitting just .183 against Owens on the season.
Offense was hard to come by for the PawSox. They did not have a hit until Travis Shaw delievered a single with one out in the fifth inning, and they did not have a baserunner advance beyond second all evening.
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It was a strong all-around win on Monday for the Sea Dogs, highlighted by a two-homer day from Carlos Asuaje. The second baseman took the 2014 draft's seventh pick Aaron Nola (PHI) deep for a solo homer in the third inning, then delivered a three-run blast in the seventh. Since his on-base streak was halted in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Asuaje has been 6 for 12 with four extra-base hits. David Chester also went deep for the Sea Dogs, his third of the season. Marco Hernandez had a big game from the leadoff spot, going 2 for 3 with a walk, double, run scored, and an RBI.
The offensive outburst was more than enough support for starting pitcher Mike Augliera. The right-hander turned in his strongest outing of the season, scattering four hits across seven scoreless innings, striking out three and walking one. Augliera has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts, lowering his ERA from 6.65 to 4.44
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Teddy Stankiewicz turned in the strongest outing of his professional career to lead Salem. The 2013 second-round pick shut out the Dash over a career-high eight innings, giving up only two hits while striking out four and walking one. He earned his first win of the 2015 season, slicing over a half-run from his ERA in the process. German Taveras struck out two in a hitless ninth to finish off the win. The Salem staff has thrown 26 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
At the plate, Kevin Heller fell a home run short of the cycle, going 3 for 3 with a double, triple, walk, and two RBI. Tzu-Wei Lin was 2 for 3 with a walk, and Wendell Rijo doubled as part of his two-hit afternoon.
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The Drive plated three runs in the first inning and never looked back to take the series opener in Augusta. Jalen Beeks returned to the mound for the first time in ten days, and the lefty picked up where he left off with his third consecutive quality start. Beeks allowed three run on seven hits in his six innings, with two of those scores coming on a two-run homer in his final frame. Williams Jerez followed Beeks and continues to impress. The converted outfielder fired three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four while issuing one walk.
Mauricio Dubon paced the offene with a 4-for-5 night, adding a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Derek Miller was 2 for 3 with a walk and a pair of runs. Jordan Procyshen and Joseph Monge also had two hits apiece.
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Player of the Day: There were several worthwhile candidates on Monday, but a sterling outing by Teddy Stankiewicz gets the nod. While the right-hander has had some hiccups in his first go-around in the Carolina League, his control has remained impressive. He has walked only nine batters in 53 2/3 innings this year, and has a walk rate of far below two per nine innings throughout his career.
Photo Credit: Teddy Stankiewicz by Kelly O'Connor