July 12, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Marrero wins Home Run Derby, Ball struggles
7/12 Cup of Coffee: It was a rough night for the affiliates, as they went 2-5 with a couple tough losses. Chris Marrero (pictured) made up for some of that by winning the Triple-A Home Run Derby, and Jacob Dahlstrand and Joe Kelly each had strong rehab appearances for the Spinners. Trey Ball had a rough night for Salem, and the first DSL squad showed off their team speed with double-digit stolen bases.
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After a tremendous June that saw him pitch to a 2.52 ERA over 25 innings, Trey Ball has struggled in July, and that continued last night. He allowed four runs on eight hits and four walks in only 3 1/3 innings while striking out four. Anyelo Leclerc was able to keep Salem in the game with 3 2/3 innings of one-run relief, and Jorge Marban picked up the save with two shutout innings.
Salem benefited from a wild Lynchburg pitching staff, as they drew 11 walks to help push the six runs across. Reed Gragnani drew three of the walks while going 1 for 2, and Jordan Betts and Bryan Hudson each had two walks with Betts adding a single. Nick Longhi was the only player with a multi-hit game as he went 2 for 4 with an RBI.
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A great performance from Jacob Dahlstrand was wasted as the Spinners fell to the Yankees. Dahlstrand went the first six innings, allowing one run on six hits while walking one and striking out three. He has found his footing as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery, allowing just two runs over his last 12 innings. He should be returning to Salem soon, where the 6-foot-5 right-hander will look to show that he has not lost a step after undergoing surgery. Joe Kelly made his third appearance out of the bullpen with the Spinners, firing two scoreless innings while striking out two.
The Spinners only managed four hits, the top four batters in the order all collecting one each. Tyler Hill went 1 for 2 with two walks and a stolen base to raise his average to .367, and Ryan Scott went 1 for 4 with a double and an RBI.
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Poor defense and untimely hitting ultimately doomed the Red Sox in the first game of a doubleheader. Yorvin Pantoja gave up three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out five over four innings. He fell to 0-2 on the season despite his 2.08 ERA. Jared Oliver came on in relief and allowed three runs on three hits over two innings, striking out four without walking a batter. The defense committed three errors on the day that led to two unearned runs, and the offense was not able to overcome that.
The team collected nine hits, four of which were from Juan Barriento, who went 4 for 4 with an RBI. Despite going 0 for 3 in the second game of the doubleheader, Barriento is still second in the league in batting average. Raiwinson Lameda went 1 for 3 with a double and a run scored, and Brandon Magee went 1 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout.
It was another sloppy game for the Red Sox as they dropped below .500 on the season. Angel Padron walked four and allowed five runs over three innings to fall to 1-2 on the season. Hunter Smith allowed only two unearned runs in his two innings of work, and Marcos Lantigua followed by allowing two runs in one inning.
The offense was stagnant except for a two-run home run from Alan Marrero, his first as a professional. Marrero finished the day 2 for 3 after entering the game 0 for 11 to start his career. Chad Hardy made his professional debut yesterday, going 1 for 2.
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The first DSL squad had 11 runs on 11 hits and 11 steals to easily dispatch the second Dodgers squad. Edilson Batista struggled with his control, but only allowed one run despite walking four in two innings. Ramses Rosario went the next three innings allowing two runs on four hits, and Antonio Police earned the win by allowing one run over three innings. Juan Florentino struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning.
Ricardo Cubillan had a ridiculous stat line yesterday, going 0 for 1 with four walks and five stolen bases, as he scored three runs. Kervin Suarez tried to keep pace, but only managed three steals while going 2 for 4 with three runs scored. Ramfis Berroa went 2 for 4 with a triple and a stolen base, Eddy Reynoso went 3 for 5 with three runs batted in, and Carlos Pulido went 2 for 5 with a stolen base.
Completing a suspended game from June 28, the Phillies2 easily took care of the second Red Sox squad. The game was stopped in the second inning and Andres Jimenez took the hill when the game resumed. He gave up three runs n 2 2/3 innings, and Ronald Gutierrez followed with three innings of three-run ball.
Both Yeison Coca and Pedro Castellanos went 2 for 4, and Eduard Conde went 1 for 2 with a triple and a walk. The 18-year-old Conde has been one of the stars offensively in the DSL, as he is currently batting .323/.389/.462 in 65 at-bats.
The Phillies2 kept the pedal to the metal, crushing the Red Sox2 in the second game of the day. Rayniel Moreno and Victor Familia were the only two pitchers the Red Sox2 used over the seven-inning game, and each pitcher allowed six runs. Moreno allowed six hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings, and Familia allowed seven hits and two walks in his 3 1/3 innings. Reinaldo Ugueto was the only player to do anything of note on offense, going 2 for 2 and getting hit by a pitch.
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Player of the Night: While he may not be hitting the ball as far as Giancarlo Stanton, Chris Marrero won the Triple-A Home Run Derby with 44 home runs over his three rounds. Marrero hit 10 in the first round, and then followed with 16 in the second round and 18 in the final round. Marrero is the first Pawtucket player to ever win the Home Run Derby, and he still had a minute to spare when he passed Kyle Jensen who had 17 home runs in the final round. Marrero has 16 home runs so far this season, and four of those have come over his last seven games.
Photo Credit: Chris Marrero by Kelly O'Connor