August 21, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Moncada steals 40th, GCL Sox on brink of division
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A rough second inning for Danny Rosenbaum put the Sea Dogs in an early hole they could not climb out of. The Curve touched up Rosenbaum for six runs (four earned) in the frame as he was lifted after just 1 1/3 innings. A bases-clearing double was the nail in the coffin for the 27-year-old lefty, who fell to 0-6 with the Sea Dogs. Manuel Margot went 3 for 5 with a run and Tzu-Wei Lin had a 2-for-4 game with a two-run triple, but those were the only offensive highlights for Portland. The Sea Dogs left ten men on base.
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Trey Ball was lit up in four innings of work, surrendering eight runs on eight hits in his outing. Ball gave up a pair of home runs to Mudcats hitters with a solo homer in the second and a three-run shot in the fourth. He walked two and struck out one. Credit the Salem bullpen, however, as Taylor Grover and Mike Adams allowed just one walk and one hit, respectively, in relief. Salem's offense was held to just four hits in the game, thwarting any hopes of a comeback. Deiner Lopez had two of those hits, going 2 for 4 out of the nine hole.
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Yoan Moncada reached an impressive milestone, swiping his 40th base of the season in a 1-for-4 game. A RBI single by Rafael Devers and a Javier Guerra sacrifice fly briefly put Greenville ahead in the third, but Delmarva used a six-run fourth to put the game out of reach. Guerra also committed his 26th error of the season. Andrew Benintendi went 1 for 3 with a walk and a RBI. Jeffry Fernandez lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits, including a home run. Because first-half winner Savannah is winning the Southern Division in the second half as well, Greenville still has a shot at a playoff spot. They fell back to 1 1/2 games behind Asheville for a wild card berth with 17 games left to play.
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Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM) 4, Lowell Spinners 3 (11 inn.)
The Spinners had two chances to put the Cyclones away, but the bullpen could not hold on either time in a heartbreaking loss. After 3 1/3 innings of dominant relief by Daniel Gonzalez, Trevor Kelley let the Lowell lead slip away in the bottom of the 9th. Tyler Spoon put the Spinners back on top in the top of the 11th on a RBI single, scoring Luis Alexander Basabe. Still pitching in the 11th, Kelley could not retire a batter in the inning. He let up two doubles and a single to tie the game, intentionally walked a batter to load the bases and then hit a batter to plate the winning run for Brooklyn. Jhon Nunez went 2 for 2 with one RBI. Tate Matheny drove in a run, but went 0 for 4. Javier Rodriguez pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, striking out four, walking three and allowing three hits.
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GCL Red Sox 4, GCL Rays 3 (10 inn.)
A dramatic walk-off win reduced the Red Sox magic number to clinch their fourth straight GCL South Division title to two. After the Rays took the lead in the top of the ninth, Yomar Valentin laced the game-tying single in the bottom of the frame. Valentin, who entered the game as a defensive replacement, tied the game with the Sox down to their final out. Chris Madera scored the winning run in the tenth on a Rays throwing error. Jerry Downs went 3 for 5 with a double. Trent Kemp had a 2-for-4 day with a triple and a run scored. Logan Allen had another terrific outing, allowing one run on three hits in four innings pitched. He struck out six and walked just one. The 2015 eight-round draft pick's ERA sits at 1.13 in 16 innings pitched. The GCL Sox lead the GCL Orioles by seven games and can clinch the division on Friday with a win and an Orioles loss.
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DSL Red Sox1 3, DSL Rojos 0
Alejandro Rodriguez and Hildemaro Requena combined for the shutout for the first DSL team. Rodriguez picked up the win with five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. He struck out one, but did walk four. Requena picked up the save with four shutout innings, allowing three hits, striking out two and walking none. Left fielder Marino Campana went 1 for 4 with a RBI double.
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DSL Braves 3, DSL Red Sox2 2
The second DSL team was five outs away from clinching at least a tie in the San Pedro de Macoris Division, but the bullpen could not hold on. Angel Padron walked two batters in the eighth and Luis Rivero gave up a two-run double to the first batter he faced. The next batter put the Braves ahead with a RBI groundout. That ruined a stellar outing from Yorvin Pantoja, who hurled six innings of shutout ball. He gave up just three hits and two walks while striking out four. Left fielder Juan Hernandez went 3 for 4. The second DSL Red Sox now has just a one-game lead over the DSL Cubs and the second DSL Mets squad with two games to play. The Sox finish off the regular season with two games against the DSL Tigers, against whom the Sox have won 5 out of 6 against in the season series.
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Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM) 4, Lowell Spinners 3 (11 inn.)
The Spinners had two chances to put the Cyclones away, but the bullpen could not hold on either time in a heartbreaking loss. After 3 1/3 innings of dominant relief by Daniel Gonzalez, Trevor Kelley let the Lowell lead slip away in the bottom of the 9th. Tyler Spoon put the Spinners back on top in the top of the 11th on a RBI single, scoring Luis Alexander Basabe. Still pitching in the 11th, Kelley could not retire a batter in the inning. He let up two doubles and a single to tie the game, intentionally walked a batter to load the bases and then hit a batter to plate the winning run for Brooklyn. Jhon Nunez went 2 for 2 with one RBI. Tate Matheny drove in a run, but went 0 for 4. Javier Rodriguez pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, striking out four, walking three and allowing three hits.
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GCL Red Sox 4, GCL Rays 3 (10 inn.)
A dramatic walk-off win reduced the Red Sox magic number to clinch their fourth straight GCL South Division title to two. After the Rays took the lead in the top of the ninth, Yomar Valentin laced the game-tying single in the bottom of the frame. Valentin, who entered the game as a defensive replacement, tied the game with the Sox down to their final out. Chris Madera scored the winning run in the tenth on a Rays throwing error. Jerry Downs went 3 for 5 with a double. Trent Kemp had a 2-for-4 day with a triple and a run scored. Logan Allen had another terrific outing, allowing one run on three hits in four innings pitched. He struck out six and walked just one. The 2015 eight-round draft pick's ERA sits at 1.13 in 16 innings pitched. The GCL Sox lead the GCL Orioles by seven games and can clinch the division on Friday with a win and an Orioles loss.
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DSL Red Sox1 3, DSL Rojos 0
Alejandro Rodriguez and Hildemaro Requena combined for the shutout for the first DSL team. Rodriguez picked up the win with five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. He struck out one, but did walk four. Requena picked up the save with four shutout innings, allowing three hits, striking out two and walking none. Left fielder Marino Campana went 1 for 4 with a RBI double.
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DSL Braves 3, DSL Red Sox2 2
The second DSL team was five outs away from clinching at least a tie in the San Pedro de Macoris Division, but the bullpen could not hold on. Angel Padron walked two batters in the eighth and Luis Rivero gave up a two-run double to the first batter he faced. The next batter put the Braves ahead with a RBI groundout. That ruined a stellar outing from Yorvin Pantoja, who hurled six innings of shutout ball. He gave up just three hits and two walks while striking out four. Left fielder Juan Hernandez went 3 for 4. The second DSL Red Sox now has just a one-game lead over the DSL Cubs and the second DSL Mets squad with two games to play. The Sox finish off the regular season with two games against the DSL Tigers, against whom the Sox have won 5 out of 6 against in the season series.
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Player of the Night: On a night nearly devoid of standout performances, Yoan Moncada's 40th stolen base earns him Player of the Night. It was Moncada's 18th stolen base of August. Moncada needed just 68 games to reach 40 stolen bags. Perhaps the most impressive part of Moncada's feat, however, is that he only had one stolen base through his first 20 games.
Photo Credit: Yoan Moncada by Kelly O'Connor
Photo Credit: Yoan Moncada by Kelly O'Connor