June 27, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Dubon, Miller shine in Salem debuts
6/27 Cup of Coffee: All eight affiliates were in action on a busy Friday night. On the day after it was at the center of a wild roster reshuffle, Salem was firing on all cylinders to pick up the win. The GCL Red Sox remain undefeated on their young season, Lowell continues to cruise, and the DSL Red Sox2 picked up their 11th consecutive win. The DSL Red Sox1 were not as successful as their counterparts, while Portland and Pawtucket fell in shutout losses. Greenville was only able to get in two innings before its contest was suspended due to rain.
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The PawSox couldn't have asked for much more out of Steven Wright in his return to their rotation. The knuckleballer took the loss despite tossing a complete game, allowing a run on four hits. Wright struck out five without issuing a walk. He had gone through eight shutout frames before Gwinnett rallied for a single run in the top of the ninth. Unfortunately for Wright, a trio of Braves arms combined for the one-hit shutout. Only a one-out single from veteran catcher Matt Spring in the fifth inning came between Gwinnett and a no-hit bid.
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Very little went right in the Sea Dogs' visit to Manchester. The stage was set early, as Reed Gragnani committed an error on a grounder by the leadoff batter, leading to a three-run first inning. Keury De La Cruz was the first Portland batter with a base hit, registering a single with two outs in the fifth inning. The Sea Dogs managed only five hits on the night, including one off the bat of Manuel Margot. The Fisher Cats scored four runs, three unearned, off of Kyle Kraus in his second start of the season and first since May 7, then four more in the fifth, chasing Simon Mercedes before he finished his first inning of work.
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Salem's contest was almost a mirror image of Portland's, as while almost nothing went right for the Sea Dogs in their loss, the Sox had everything go their way to blow out Frederick. Starter Ty Buttrey tossed six strong innings, allowing a run on four hits, striking out five and walking only one. Kyle Kaminska and Mike Adams combined for three shutout frames out of the bullpen to close out the win.
The offense provided more than enough support for Buttrey and company, led by the trio of players promoted from Greenville on Thursday. Derek Miller was inserted straight into the leadoff spot and served as the table-setter, reaching base four times via two singles and two walks. Mauricio Dubon (pictured, above) chipped in with a two-run single and a walk. Fellow newcomer Jordan Procyshen joined in, going 2 for 4 with a walk and two RBI. Not all of the damage was done by players who were in Greenville when the week began, however. Wendell Rijo, one of the squad's "elder" statesmen with 50 High A games under his belt (despite still being the youngest player on the roster by more than a year), doubled and drove in a pair as part of a 2-for-5 night.
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Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers both singled in a two-run first-inning rally to give the Drive the early lead. Reed Reilly had allowed a hit over two shutout innings when the rain came to Greenville. The two teams will complete the game on Saturday in lieu of the regularly-scheduled contest, play their scheduled Sunday game, then play a pair on Monday at 4:30 pm.
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In his follow-up to a fantastic 2015 debut, Jake Cosart struggled with his control in start number two. Cosart walked five batters in three innings, giving up two runs despite allowing only one hit. He did strike out three, and he now has 14 in seven innings across his two starts. The Spinners bullpen did an excellent job to pick up Cosart, shutting down Aberdeen for six innings. Seventh-round draft pick Ben Taylor tossed two hitless frames in his professional debut, striking out one and walking one. Matt Kent picked up the win, scattering four hits across three scoreless innings, striking out three and walking one. Edwar Garcia gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth.
At the center of Lowell's 13-hit outburst was 17th-round pick Chad De La Guerra. The second baseman notched three doubles, scoring two and driving in a pair. Jhon Nunez chipped in with a three-hit night, and Victor Acosta was 2 for 3 with a walk an two runs scored. Tucker Tubbs doubled as part of his 2-for-4 night, as the ninth rounder is off to a 7-for-20 start to his professional career.
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The GCL Sox remain undefeated, moving to 5-0 on the season. Cleanup hitter Roldani Baldwin slammed his first home run of the year, scoring twice and driving in two more on the day. Yoan Aybar added two RBI of his own, going 2 for 4 with a double. Henry Ramos continued his rehab assignment, going 2 for 3 with a walk, scoring twice.
Daniel McGrath began a rehab assignment, and the lefty-hander struck out one as part of a perfect first inning. He was followed by Enmanuel De Jesus, the highly-touted pitcher out of Venezuela making his stateside debut. De Jesus allowed two hits in three scoreless innings, striking out three without walking a batter. The 18-year-old lefty was signed to a $787,000 bonus in July 2013 and posted a 3.15 ERA in the Dominican Summer League last season. Carlos Garcia followed with three hitless innings, striking out three and walking one. The Twins finally got onto the scoreboard with a ninth-inning run off on Adam Lau. Lau, a 37th-round pick out of Alabama-Birmingham, allowed a run on two hits in two innings, striking out three.
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The Red Sox1 squad continues to struggle to keep their opponents off the scoreboard. They entered Friday allowing 7.35 runs per game, near a run more than any other team in the Dominican Summer League. The Yankees1 added to those woes, pounding out 14 runs on 17 hits. Starter Eduard Bazardo took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits in three innings. Eduard Conde provided the highlights on offense, going 2 for 2 with two walks, a run scored, and an RBI.
It was the 11th consecutive victory for the Red Sox2, who run their record to 18-5 on the season. The team had a 15-hit outburst, highlighted by the three hits off the bat of Gerardo Carrizalez. Ramfis Berroa was on base four times, going 2 for 3 with two walks on the day, and four others delivered multi-hit games.
Sixteen-year-old Jose Gonzalez picked up his first professional win in his first start. He allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits in five innings, walking one and striking out a pair. Jervis Torrealba notched the four-inning save, giving up a run on two hits, striking out three.
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Player of the Day: There were numerous candidates on a busy Friday, including a bevy of newcomers to Salem and tough-luck losing pitcher Steven Wright, but the nod goes to Lowell second baseman Chad De La Guerra. The 17th-round pick out of Grand Canyon (Ariz.) Universty delivered three doubles as the Spinners improved their record to 7-1. After going 0 for 9 in his first two professional starts, De La Guerra settled in with his three-hit, two-run, two-RBI performance.
Photo Credit: Mauricio Dubon by Kelly O'Connor