July 30, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Travis, Owens continue hot stretches
7/30 Cup of Coffee: Henry Owens (pictured) pitched well again, amidst speculation that he could be up in Boston very soon. Aside from the Lowell Spinners, it was a very light night on the offensive side for the Red Sox farm system. Sam Travis stayed hot by collecting a pair of hits and Kevin Heller hit the only home run for the entire system. Salem endured a difficult day at the ballpark by losing a game that was suspended and losing another one that followed that.
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Henry Owens turned in another solid outing after some interesting comments from Red Sox manager John Farrell. Owens, who pitched six innings of one run ball, could be up to Boston in the near future. He allowed just five hits and one run while walking one and striking out three. The loss dropped him to 3-8, but his ERA was also lowered to a crisp 3.16. This was the ninth consecutive start in which Owens has gone at least six innings, and he has just two walks in his last 16 innings pitched. Tim Britton of The Providence Journal notes that Owens showed the ability to bounce back after a walk or a three-ball count, which is something he had not done well in the past. He also induced a lot of weak contact, according to Britton. Dayan Diaz struggled with command, walking three and retiring only one batter. He gave up an earned run and was relieved by Pat Light, who struck out two in 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Jonathan Aro also had a scoreless ninth inning.
The Pawtucket offense struggled, managing just five singles and four walks. They went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Quintin Berry, Humberto Quintero, Deven Marrero, and Garin Cechini each went 1 for 3 with a walk. Berry swiped his 30th base of the year, which leads the International League.
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The Sea Dogs banged out 11 hits, but were only able to scratch across two runs in a 4-2 loss. They went just 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base. Sam Travis stayed hot by going 2 for 4 with an RBI single and a double. He is now batting .306 since being called up to Portland. Tim Roberson went 2 for 3 and has also been scorching at the plate, as he is now 14 for his last 28 (.500). Oscar Tejeda, Kuery De La Cruz, and Anuery Tavarez also had two hits a piece, including a double for Tejeda and a three-bagger for Tavarez.
Mike McCarthy pitched a solid game, lasting 5 1/3 innings and allowing two earned runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out three. After John Cornely pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, the Thunder broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth when Williams Jerez gave up two runs. He had trouble finding the zone, walking three and allowing two hits in the inning.
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Salem picked up where they left off on Tuesday in the fourth inning. The Red Sox were down 3-0 at the time of the suspension, and ended up losing 4-0. The Sox loaded the bases in the sixth, but were unable to capitalize. They managed just four hits in the game, with Danny Bethea recording the only extra-base hit, a double.
Ty Buttrey took the loss, giving up three runs (one earned) in three innings. He walked four and struck out five. Kyle Kraus pitched the remaining five innings and did not allow an earned run. He struck out two and walked two. He still has an ERA of 0.00 in seven appearances with Salem. He's also been with Portland and Pawtucket in 2015.
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The Red Sox tough night continued in a seven-inning affair that followed the suspended game. Teddy Stankiewicz was roughed up, allowing nine hits and five runs (three earned) in five innings. He also walked three and struck out five. Chandler Shepherd came on and didn't fare well either, surrendering five hits and three earned runs in an inning.
Kevin Heller had an impressive offensive day, going 1 for 1 with a solo home run and two walks. Jordan Betts was also 1 for 3 with a double.
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The Spinners outlasted the Crosscutters in a slugfest. They used a seven-run fourth inning to propel them to a victory despite allowing 13 hits, seven runs, and making four errors. Luis Alexander Basabe provided an interesting stat line, as he did not have an official at bat, but did his job out of the leadoff spot, walking five times, stealing a base, and scoring twice. Tate Matheny went 2 for 4 with four RBI, and Andrew Benintendi drove in two runs with a double. Tucker Tubbs went 2 for 4 with a double and Jhon Nunez went 2 for 4 with a triple.
Spinners starter Luis Ramos was roughed up for 11 hits over four innings, which turned into five runs, three of which were earned. The bullpen did a nice job however, as Daniel Zandona allowed just one earned run in three innings and Taylor Nunez pitched two scoreless innings without allowing a hit to earn the win. His ERA is now down to 1.37.
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The GCL Red Sox earned the victory behind another good pitching performance from Josh Pennington. He went the first five innings and allowed just one earned run while striking out four and walking four. He now has 20 strikeouts in 18 innings this year to go along with an ERA of 1.00. Yankory Pimentel finished it off, earning his fifth save of the year by throwing two shutout innings and punching out three.
Yoan Aybar carried the offense for the Sox, going 2 for 2 with a double and an RBI. Jerry Downs also went 1 for 3 and picked up an RBI.
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DSL Rojos (CIN) 6, DSL Red Sox1 3
The Sox started to come back in the ninth inning, but the deficit was too large. Eddy Reynoso and Luis Yovera each had multi-hit games, with Reynoso adding a walk, a double, and an RBI.
Jose Zacarias had an interesting night on the mound. He took the loss and lasted just four innings, but he struck out nine batters. He walked just one, and allowed five hits and four runs (two earned). This marks the second consecutive start in which he has punched out nine, giving him a total of 18 in his last nine innings pitched. Nicolo Clemente allowed two earned runs in three innings, and Roberto Medina tossed a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts.
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DSL Rojos (CIN) 6, DSL Red Sox1 3
The Sox started to come back in the ninth inning, but the deficit was too large. Eddy Reynoso and Luis Yovera each had multi-hit games, with Reynoso adding a walk, a double, and an RBI.
Jose Zacarias had an interesting night on the mound. He took the loss and lasted just four innings, but he struck out nine batters. He walked just one, and allowed five hits and four runs (two earned). This marks the second consecutive start in which he has punched out nine, giving him a total of 18 in his last nine innings pitched. Nicolo Clemente allowed two earned runs in three innings, and Roberto Medina tossed a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts.
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The second DSL Red Sox team dropped a tough one in 10 innings. The Sox received great pitching from Darwinzon Hernandez and Ramses Rosario. Hernandez went the first 4 2/3 innings and allowed just one run (unearned), while Rosario went the next 4 1/3 and did not allow a run. The Braves broke the tie in the 10th off Ritzi Mendoza, who walked two and gave up two earned runs. Warly Guzman recorded the final two outs.
The Red Sox recorded just four hits. Stanley Espinal went 2 for 5 with a run scored.
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Player of the Night: Luis Alexander Basabe is the player of the night by going...0 for 0. That's right, Basabe did not register an official at bat, but there are other ways to impact a baseball game from an offensive standpoint. The 18-year old showed great plate discipline in this one, walking five times out of the leadoff spot. He did his job in each at bat, and added two runs scored and his 12th stolen base of the year. He is now batting .269/.364/.485 this year with Lowell.
Photo Credit: Henry Owens by Kelly O'Connor