July 21, 2015 at 7:04 AM
Cup of Coffee: Another two-homer game for Bradley as PawSox fall
7/21 Cup of Coffee: Some of the hottest bats in the system continued to shine on Monday. Jackie Bradley Jr. (pictured, left) homered twice for the second time in four days, while Andrew Benintendi went deep for the second straight day in Lowell's loss. Portland walked off with a win after an 11-hit attack. There was a scary moment early in Salem's loss when starting pitcher Teddy Stankiewicz was struck by a comebacker and had to exit the game, but the right-hander walked off the field on his own power. Greenville and both DSL squads dropped their contests.
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Jackie Bradley, Jr. continues to deliver for the PawSox. The center fielder carried the Pawtucket offense, with a two-run first inning homer and a solo shot in the third accounting for all of the PawSox run scoring. Bradley also homered twice on Friday, and he has driven in 10 runs in five games since the All-Star break. There was little in the way of offense beyond Bradley. Humberto Quintero doubled as part of a two-hit night, and Quintin Berry led off the game with a walk and came in to score on the first Bradley homer.
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The Sea Dogs picked up the only win by an affiliate on Monday night, and they did so in dramatic fashion. Knotted at four in the ninth, Portland loaded the bases on a pair of walks sandwiching a base hit. Sam Travis hit a ground ball to short, and the Thunder were unable to cut down winning run Tzu-Wei Lin at the plate. Travis was 2 for 5 with a double and a pair of RBI on the night. Manuel Margot also had two hits and a stolen base. Starter William Cuevas got a no-decision despite his solid 6 1/3 inning evening. Cuevas gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits. Simon Mercedes got credit for the win, giving up a run on one hit in 2 2/3.
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It was a scary scene in the bottom of the first inning when starter Teddy Stankiewicz was struck by a line drive in the head. After sitting for a couple minutes following the play, Stankiewicz was able to leave the field and go down to the clubhouse on his own, but he did leave the game. Kyle Kaminska came on in relief and pitched six innings giving up three runs on eight hits and striking out two. Kevin Heller was the lone bright spot at the plate for Salem going 2 for 3 with a pair of singles. Mauricio Dubon hit a first inning home run but otherwise Salem was held in check for the rest of the night.
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SoxProspects.com Director of Scouting Ian Cundall was again at Fluor Field to get a look at some of the high-profile prospects currently with the Drive. You can take a look at his insights and takeaways from the game on Twitter @IanCundall.
Despite the loss, it was a strong performance by several of those top prospects. Michael Chavis and Rafael Devers were both 1 for 4 with a double. For Devers, his 21st two-base hit of the year nearly carried out of the park for a home run. Yoan Moncada was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base, extending his hitting streak to seven games. A day after his own streak was halted, Javier Guerra got back into the groove Monday with a pair of base hits. He now has 12 multi-hit games in July, and is hitting a superb 435/.474/.652 on the month.
Jake Drehoff took a shutout into the sixth inning, but a two-run game-tying homer left him with a no decision. He allowed the two runs on seven hits across six innings, striking out one without issuing a walk. Despite allowing only one earned run in his three innings of relief, Jamie Callahan took the loss. Callahan gave up only two hits and struck out two without walking a batter. Since a conversion to the bullpen in late May, the right-hander has a 3.25 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of over 2.0.
Despite the loss, it was a strong performance by several of those top prospects. Michael Chavis and Rafael Devers were both 1 for 4 with a double. For Devers, his 21st two-base hit of the year nearly carried out of the park for a home run. Yoan Moncada was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base, extending his hitting streak to seven games. A day after his own streak was halted, Javier Guerra got back into the groove Monday with a pair of base hits. He now has 12 multi-hit games in July, and is hitting a superb 435/.474/.652 on the month.
Jake Drehoff took a shutout into the sixth inning, but a two-run game-tying homer left him with a no decision. He allowed the two runs on seven hits across six innings, striking out one without issuing a walk. Despite allowing only one earned run in his three innings of relief, Jamie Callahan took the loss. Callahan gave up only two hits and struck out two without walking a batter. Since a conversion to the bullpen in late May, the right-hander has a 3.25 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of over 2.0.
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While their Double-A counterpart knocked off a Yankee affiliate in a walk-off, Lowell was on the receiving end of a last-at-bat knockout. Starter Jose Almonte got into trouble, allowing four runs (two earned) in his first two inning, but settled in after to keep the game close. He did not allow a hit to any of the last 12 batters he faced, and struck out five while walking only one. Matt Kent followed with three scoreless frames as the Spinners offense chipped away and erased the four-run deficit. However, the Spinners struck for a single run in the bottom of the ninth off of Edwar Garcia to take home the victory.
Scorching-hot Andrew Benintendi hit a solo home run in the sixth, his second blast in as many days. After getting a four-day rest early last week, the Red Sox top draft choice has crushed New York-Penn League competition, hitting .357/.591/.929 in his last five games. Luis Alejandro Basabe also continues to show surprising power. His fifth-inning home run was his league-leading sixth of the season, coming after Basabe hit only one apiece in each of his previous two pro seasons.
Scorching-hot Andrew Benintendi hit a solo home run in the sixth, his second blast in as many days. After getting a four-day rest early last week, the Red Sox top draft choice has crushed New York-Penn League competition, hitting .357/.591/.929 in his last five games. Luis Alejandro Basabe also continues to show surprising power. His fifth-inning home run was his league-leading sixth of the season, coming after Basabe hit only one apiece in each of his previous two pro seasons.
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GCL Red Sox vs. GCL Rays, PPD rain
Where the batters of the Gulf Coast League have failed this season, Mother Nature finally succeeded - stopping phenom Anderson Espinoza. His scheduled start was wiped out due to heavy morning rain. The two teams will make up the games on Tuesday as part of a doubleheader.
GCL Red Sox vs. GCL Rays, PPD rain
Where the batters of the Gulf Coast League have failed this season, Mother Nature finally succeeded - stopping phenom Anderson Espinoza. His scheduled start was wiped out due to heavy morning rain. The two teams will make up the games on Tuesday as part of a doubleheader.
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Coming out of the All-Star break, both Dominican Summer League affiliates had a tough start to the second half. Starting pitcher Edilson Batista took the loss for the Red Sox1. He went 4 1/3 innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits while striking out three. Marino Campana continues to be the highlight of the Red Sox offense, going 3 for 5 with two doubles and two runs batted in and extending his hitting streak to 12 games. Elwin Tejada knocked in the other run. Tejeda was 1 for 3 on the night.
The Red Sox2 squad finished the first half on a six-game winning streak, but kick off the second half in the loss column. After allowing only four earned runs in his first eight starts of the season, Victor Garcia allowed five runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He continues to rack up the strikeouts, punching out six to raise his total to 46 in 38 innings on the year. Stanley Espinal extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-run third inning home run. It was Espinal's third blast of the season.
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Player of the Day: It seems like this honor has gone back and forth between Jackie Bradley Jr. and Javier Guerra, and Monday was no exception. While Guerra made his usual case with another multi-hit night, Bradley gets the nod with a second two-homer game in the last four days. Following up his disastrous 2014 season at the plate, Bradley has bounced back in a big way, posting a .315/.389/.490 slash line while maintaining his typically phenomenal defense.
Photo Credit: Jackie Bradley Jr. by Kelly O'Connor