July 20, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Sea Dogs come away with only victory in a tough day
7/20 Cup of Coffee: It was a pretty tough day all around for the Red Sox farm system, as the Sea Dogs grabbed the only victory. The PawSox and Red Sox offenses were stifled, and both the Spinners and Drive lost in dramatic fashion, although the Spinners saw a nice day from Andrew Benintendi (pictured, right) en route to the loss.
-----
The PawSox mustered just four hits in the loss and were unable to even generate a walk. Quintin Berry, Rusney Castillo, Travis Shaw and Allen Craig each had hits, but only one baserunner reached scoring position.
Zeke Spruill made the start for Pawtucket, going five innings and allowing two runs on four hits and two walks. Edwin Escobar allowed a run in his three innings of work on a solo home run. He otherwise allowed just one hit. Escobar has allowed runs in six of his nine outings for Pawtucket this season.
-----
Mike McCarthy was nearly unhittable in his 5 ⅓ innings, allowing just a single and a walk while fanning two. McCarthy has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen after posting a 6.32 ERA in his first seven starts of the season, but has since been able to trim his ERA down to 3.68 in 11 relief appearances and 10 starts. Williams Jerez allowed two hits in his 2 ⅓ scoreless innings, and Jorge Morban earned his fourth save, allowing one baserunner in 1 ⅓ innings.
Henry Ramos had a big day at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a double and RBI. David Chester also went 3 for 4 with a double, and Sam Travis went 2 for 4 with his fifth double since joining Portland. He’s hitting .302 with a .361 OBP in 23 games with the Sea Dogs.
-----
Aaron Wilkerson did not pitch poorly, by any means, but he took his second loss of the season. Wilkerson permitted just a run on four hits and two walks over five innings. German Taveras had a rocky outing in relief, allowing three runs over two innings, walking three.
The Red Sox offense struggled to get much going with six hits, all singles, on the day. Mario Martinez went 2 for 4 and Forrestt Allday had a hit and a walk.
-----
Two runs in the top of the ninth off reliever Mario Alcantara was the difference for Greenville. Alcantara allowed three runs on five hits and three walks over three innings and was charged with his fifth blown save. Starter Jalen Beeks was solid, going six innings and allowing two runs on five hits, striking out five.
Rafael Devers blasted his ninth home run of the year, a two-run shot, as part of a 2-for-5 day. Devers boosted his average to .302 with a .457 slugging mark over 77 games this season. First baseman Cisco Tellez went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk, and Mike Meyers singled twice.
-----
With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, reliever Bobby Poyner gave up a solo home run to the first batter he faced to give the Yankees a walk-off win. It was the second home run Poyner, who has three saves in five appearances for the Spinners, has given up this season.
Prior to the walk-off, the story of the day was likely Andrew Benintendi, who hit his second home run, a solo shot, and worked two walks. Catcher Jhon Nunez also had a nice day at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a walk.
Jake Cosart bounced back from a tough outing with five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk, though he also hit two batters.
-----
Lorenzo Cedrola led off for the AL and started in center field, but went 0 for 2 at the plate. Samuel Miranda was the AL's sole catcher and one of the few starters to play all nine innings, going 1 for 3 with a single.
Denyi Reyes got the start for the AL, allowing one hit and fanning two in his inning of work. Roniel Raudes pitched a flawless two-thirds of an inning, striking out one.
-----
Player of the day: There aren’t a ton of choices that jump off the page, but Andrew Benintendi’s day stands out. Benintendi has been struggling adjusting to the New York Penn League, but the fact that he’s worked 12 walks in comparison to seven strikeouts is a positive sign. The 21-year-old has drawn seven walks and gone 4 for 9 over his last three games.
Photo credit: Andrew Benintendi by Kelly O'Connor
Photo credit: Andrew Benintendi by Kelly O'Connor