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August 17, 2015 at 7:00 AM

Cup of Coffee: William Cuevas strong in PawSox win, Spinners' offense falters


8/17 Cup of Coffee: The PawSox offense finally lent some run support to starter William Cuevas (pictured) as the righty earned his first win for Pawtucket, backed by seven runs. Otherwise, offense was hard to come by on Sunday for the Red Sox farm teams, as the Spinners managed just four hits in 13 innings on Sunday, as they completed Saturday's suspended game and played a shortened seven-inning game for the nightcap of an unconventional doubleheader, while the Salem Red Sox were rained out after three innings.

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Making his third start for the PawSox, William Cuevas looked very strong on Sunday, going six innings and allowing just one run on six hits and a walk, fanning six. Robby Scott followed up with his finest outing since earning a promotion, tossing three shutout innings and permitting just two hits, earning the save.

The PawSox led 3-1 when they grabbed some insurance runs off of former Pawtucket reliever Dalier Hinojosa, scoring four times in the seventh on three singles, two walks and a wild pitch. Marco Hernandez smacked his third home run of the season, a solo shot, and Allen Craig went 2 for 3 with a walk, double and RBI. Deven Marrero went 1 for 3 with two walks atop the PawSox lineup, scoring twice. Catcher Sandy Leon doubled in a run, and Jonathan Roof had two hits from the nine hole.

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Making a spot start, Heri Quevedo lasted four innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits and a walk. But the Portland bullpen faltered as Williams Jerez allowed a run in the sixth (and took the loss) and John Cornely gave up two runs in the ninth. 

The Sea Dogs offense was unable to get much going, scattering five hits. Catcher Tim Roberson went 1 for 2 with a double and two walks, but was stranded on base three times. Manuel Margot had the Sea Dogs' only other base hit, a double to left. The bottom four hitters in Portland's lineup combined to go 0 for 13 with a walk.

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The Red Sox and Dash had their contest cancelled due to wet grounds. The game was called in the third inning, with the Dash up 1-0. However, since the two teams are not scheduled to meet again this season, the game will not be made up and the stats from the first three innings will not count.

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The Drive managed just five hits, all singles, as they struggled to push across runs. Mike Meyers, who was promoted to Salem following the game to make room for Andrew Benintendi, went 2 for 4 with two singles, as did Danny Mars. Greenville went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

Starter Dedgar Jimenez was rocked, as he allowed 11 hits, but some how managed to somewhat limit the damage, giving up five runs (four earned). Jimenez struggled right out of the gate, allowing doubles to the first two hitters, and giving up three runs in the first inning before stranding two runners on base to get out of the inning. Jimenez seemed to settle in, pitching a clean third and fourth innings, but couldn't get out of the sixth. Reliever Kuehl McEachern was solid, pitching the final 3 1/3 innings and giving up one run on three hits. 

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After Saturday's game was suspended in the top of the fourth inning, the Spinners had to wait a day to complete the victory. Matt Kent took over where Rick Porcello left off on Saturday, and allowed two runs on four hits over 3 1/3 innings. Reliever Bobby Poyner got the save, his seventh, despite a dicey ninth inning in which he allowed a run on three singles, but managed to work out of a two-on, two-out jam.

The Spinners added a run to their lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks to hits from Andrew BenintendiLuis Alexander Basabe and Chad De La Guerra. But that would be the only offense coming from the Spinners' lineup for the rest of the night.

It turned into a rough evening for the Lowell offense after getting one-hit by a combination of four ValleyCats pitchers over seven innings. The Spinners were helpless against Tri-City pitching on Sunday, as Chad De La Guerra managed the Spinners' only hit, a single. Luis Alexander Basabe walked twice, but other than that, the Spinners were stymied.

Starter Jose Almonte took the loss, his third of the season, permitting two runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings. Reliever Logan Boyd was sharp, finishing out the 2 1/3 innings and giving up just one hit and one walk.

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Player of the day: William Cuevas has been a fine addition to the Pawtucket rotation since his promotion earlier this month. He hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his three starts, and has struck out more batters (15) in his 18 innings of work than he's allowed hits (12). However, Cuevas' record certainly doesn't reflect his strong performances; the righty earned his first Triple-A win on Sunday after starting his Pawtucket career 0-2. Much like he did in Portland, Cuevas continues to shut down righties, as same-handed hitters have gone just 4 for 31 against Cuevas in Triple A.

Photo credit: William Cuevas by Kelly O'Connor