Cup of Coffee: Raudes strikes out eight over six scoreless frames

5/24 Cup of Coffee: All three affiliates suffered tough losses on Monday night, with their bullpens letting them down late in the game. Roniel Raudes (pictured) was nearly unhittable for Greenville, striking out eight without walking a batter over six innings. Sean Coyle launched his third home run of the season, while Andrew Benintendi and Josh Ockimey each had rough nights at the plate. 

-----

Harrisburg Senators (WAS) 6, Portland Sea Dogs 5

Portland's rested bullpen could not maintain a late lead, as the Sea Dogs fell in their first game since Friday. Aaron Wilkerson battled through five innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out two. He threw 92 pitches, and his scoreless streak ended at 21 innings. Williams Jerez allowed one run in his two innings of relief, and with Portland up one in the eighth, Luis Ysla gave up two runs on two walks and two hits as he picked up his second loss.

The Sea Dogs looked to be in control after a four-run fourth inning that was highlighted by a Sean Coyle two-run home run, but they scored only one run over the final six innings. Coyle went 1 for 4 with a walk and three strikeouts, Rainel Rosario went 3 for 4 with a double, and Henry Ramos, Jake Romanski, and Tzu-Wei Lin all had two hits. Andrew Benintendi continued to struggle, going 0 for 4 with a strikeout, though he did steal a base. 

-----

Winston-Salem Dash (CWS) 5, Salem Red Sox 3
A three-run third inning was all Salem could muster up as it fell to Winston-Salem. Matt Kent was able to limit the damage, despite letting 13 men reach base, as he gave up four runs over his six innings of work. Yankory Pimentel fired two innings of scoreless relief, and the Dash added an insurance run off of Taylor Grover in the ninth.

Mike Meyers recorded three of Salem's eight hits, as he went 3 for 4 with two RBI. Franklin Guzman went 2 for 3 with a double, and Jordan Betts went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. Yoan Moncada was hit by a pitch for the second consecutive game, but he remained in the game. There were some reports of a possible injury after he was hit on Saturday night, but he was back in the leadoff spot playing second base yesterday. 

-----

Asheville Tourists (COL) 3, Greenville Drive 2

A tremendous start by Roniel Raudes was wasted, as the Drive fell below .500 with a loss to the Tourists. Raudes went the first six innings, allowing only three hits while striking out eight. The six innings represent the longest outing of his professional career, and the eight strikeouts tie a season-high. Victor Diaz followed with two innings of three-run ball, picking up his fourth loss of the year.

The Drive threatened to tie the game in the ninth, as Roldani Baldwin singled and came around to score on a Trent Kemp double with only one out. Chad De La Guerra and Joseph Monge followed with strikeouts to leave the tying run in scoring position. Kemp was the only player to record multiple hits, going 2 for 4, and Jayce Ray went 1 for 3 with a walk. It was a tough night for Josh Ockimey, who went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts before being ejected for arguing balls and strikes. 

-----

Player of the Night: With six shutout innings, Roniel Raudes lowered his ERA to 2.61. The 18-year-old from Nicaragua has walked only eight batters in 38 innings this season while striking out 38. It has been an impressive full-season debut for Raudes, who entered the year as the second youngest player in the South Atlantic League. The only player who is younger is teammate Anderson Espinoza, and Raudes has outperformed him in most statistical categories. While his stuff is not in the same league as Espinoza's, Raudes' poise and command are very advanced for his age. 

Photo Credit: Roniel Raudes by Kelly O'Connor

Tweet