July 24, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Marrero and Devers homer, Dalbec debuts
Cup of Coffee 7/24: It was a night of lackluster performances throughout the Red Sox organization as Salem, the GCL Red Sox, and the DSL Red Sox2 were the only affiliates to emerge victorious. Rafael Devers powered Salem to the win column despite an unremarkable start by Michael Kopech. Chris Marrero and Luis Alexander Basabe turned in strong games for Pawtucket and Greenville, while Bobby Dalbec made an impression in his Spinners debut.
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It was a rough night for PawSox starter William Cuevas in a blowout loss in Columbus. Cuevas allowed ten runs (eight earned) on 11 hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings pitched. Noe Ramirez followed him with a dominant relief appearance, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless frames and fanning six while allowing only a hit and a walk. Pat Light allowed two hits in a shutout inning.
Chris Marrero got the PawSox off to a quick start, homering in the first inning as part of a 2-for-5 game which also featured a double. The PawSox actually took a 5-4 lead with a three-run fourth inning which included RBI singles by Ryan LaMarre and Marco Hernandez. However, the bats then fell silent until Mike Miller scored Jantzen Witte with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Witte was 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and three runs scored.
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Starting pitcher Jalen Beeks struggled on the mound for the Sea Dogs in a tough loss at Hadlock Field. Beeks tossed five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and five walks, striking out four. Ty Buttrey allowed two unearned runs on two hits and two walks in two innings of relief. Southpaw Williams Jerez struggled with his control out of the bullpen, walking three and allowing two runs in two innings.
The Sea Dogs scored their first run on an RBI groundout by Andrew Benintendi, who started in left field for the second consecutive night. Benintendi was 1 for 3 with a walk. Tim Roberson drove in a pair of runs with a double in the sixth inning. Ryan Court had a strong night at the plate, going 2 for 2 and walking twice. Yoan Moncada was 0 for 4 on a quiet night for the top-ranked prospect.
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Fifth-ranked prospect Michael Kopech took the hill for Salem on Saturday night but struggled with his control. The hard-throwing righty lasted only four innings, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks while punching out four. Kopech sat 95-98 mph but leaned heavily on his fastball, throwing few sliders and only one change per SoxProspects.com editor Chris Hatfield. Mario Alcantara picked up his eighth win of the season with three shutout frames and Jamie Callahan closed out the win with two scoreless innings of his own.
The Red Sox lineup got their work done early, scoring two runs in the first when Joseph Monge scored on a balk and then Mike Meyers ripped an RBI single to right. Salem's next run came in the third inning on a home run by Rafael Devers, his second blast in as many nights. Danny Mars gave Salem another run in the fourth, leading off the inning with a long ball of his own.
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The Greenville bats were unable to get going on Saturday night in Asheville, picking up just one run on six hits. That single run came via an RBI single in the second inning by Luis Alexander Basabe, who was 2 for 4 with a walk. Daniel Gonzalez tossed the first five innings for the Drive, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while punching out four. Austin Glorius threw two innings of scoreless relief, striking out three, and Trevor Kelley pitched one shutout frame.
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Fourth-rounder Bobby Dalbec led the charge for the Spinners in his professional debut, kicking off the scoring with an RBI double in the fourth. Dalbec scored Lowell's only other run of the game in the ninth, crossing the plate on a single by Carlos Tovar. Starting pitcher Dakota Smith struggled, allowing four runs on nine hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Dioscar Romero followed him with three runs in 1 2/3 innings before sixth-round selection Steve Nogosek pitched two electric innings, fanning four while allowing only a hit and a walk.
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The GCL Red Sox edged the Twins in an exciting ten-inning affair, scoring the winning run when Juan Carlos Abreu crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Juan Barriento got the scoring started with an RBI double in the first inning as part of a 3-for-4 day in which he also contributed a two-run single in the ninth. Rafael Oliveras was 3 for 6 and scored two runs. Jhonathan Diaz made a shaky start, lasting five innings and allowing four runs on three hits and five walks. Jared Oliver picked up his first save of the season.
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Edilson Batista made a solid start, going 5 1/3 shutout innings and allowing only three hits and a walk, but the Red Sox bats could never get going in a low-scoring loss. The Red Sox scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the first when Eddy Reynoso drove in Carlos Pulido with a single. Ramses Rosario threw two innings, allowing one run, after Batista's exit and Oddanier Mosqueda allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings to finish out the game.
It took them twelve innings but the DSL Red Sox2 finally completed a thrilling win on Saturday. Juan Hernandez had the key hit, driving in Kleiber Rodriguez with a go-ahead single to make it 4-3 in the top of the twelfth inning. Rayniel Moreno started on the hill and tossed five shutout innings, giving up just two hits and two walks while whiffing one. However, Victor Familia blew the lead, allowing three runs to score in three innings of work. Gary Calvo earned the win with three shutout innings and Warlyn Guzman picked up the save with one perfect inning.
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Player of the Night: Chris Marrero is in the midst of an excellent season in Pawtucket and he added another great game to the ledger on Saturday night. Marrero was 2 for 5 with a homer and a double in a loss to the Columbus Clippers. The 28-year-old first baseman is now hitting .289/.345/.516 in 93 games with the PawSox. Marrero was signed to a minor league contract in August 2015.
Photo Credit: Chris Marrero by Kelly O'Connor