July 11, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Moncada named Futures Game MVP
7/11 Cup of Coffee: Yoan Moncada sent a 400-plus foot blast into the upper deck at Petco Park in San Diego and was named MVP of the MLB Futures Game. As for the Sox' affiliates, William Cuevas (pictured) turned in a gem for the PawSox in a win, and Rafael Devers recorded four hits for Salem. Josh Pennington also turned in a nice outing for Lowell.
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The PawSox rode a very strong eight-inning effort from William Cuevas to victory. He gave up just one run on three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. It's his sixth win with Pawtucket, and he lowered his ERA to 3.38. Pat Light picked up his sixth save with a scoreless ninth.
Ryan Court led the way offensively by going 2 for 4 with an RBI double. Chris Marrero also had an RBI double and Mike Miller went 1 for 4 with a walk and an RBI.
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The bullpen stumbled in this one after Salem took an early 4-0 lead. Daniel McGrath was solid for the first 5 1/3 innings, as he allowed just one run on three hits while striking out six and walking two. Jamie Callahan came on and took the loss, getting touched for four runs (three earned) in 1 2/3 innings. Bobby Poyner also struggled, giving up two runs in two innings.
Rafael Devers stayed red-hot by going 4 for 5 with a double and a triple. Joseph Monge and Mike Meyers also added triples. Meyers had two hits and a walk, and Nick Longhi doubled and drove in a pair. Some good defense was played by the Red Sox as well, with Longhi throwing out a runner at home during a rundown and Jordan Procyshen picking off a runner at second.
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The Drive cruised to an easy win behind some great pitching and a 10-hit attack. Trent Kemp got the scoring going with a solo home run in the second inning as part of his 2-for-5 performance. Tate Matheny had a big day by going 3 for 5 with a double and two RBI. Luis Alexander Basabe also enjoyed a nice day at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a walk and two RBI. Jeremy Rivera entered the game for Michael Chavis, who left after being hit by a pitch, and went 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles. Chad De La Guerra also walked three times and scored twice.
Jeffry Fernandez started for Greenville and tossed four shutout innings, giving up just two hits. Trevor Kelley came on to pitch three terrific innings of relief, as he did not allow a run and struck out five without a walk. Jake Cosart struck out the side in the eighth inning, and Adam Lau pitched a scoreless ninth.
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Lowell used a four-run fifth inning to capture a win. Roldani Baldwin had an RBI single in the frame and then scored on Tucker Tubbs' two-run double. Matt McLean, Tyler Hill, and Isaias Lucena each added two hits as well.
Josh Pennington got the win for the Spinners, surrendering just one run in five innings despite allowing four walks. He gave up just two hits and struck out three. Dioscar Romero, Algenis Martinez, and Casey Janssen combined for four scoreless innings of relief, with Janssen getting the save and Martinez throwing two innings.
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The World team took a late lead over the U.S. team when SoxProspects.com's number one prospect Yoan Moncada belted a go-ahead two-run home run into the upper deck at San Diego's Petco Park. The home run was his first this year while batting right-handed. Batting from the left side, Moncada also smacked a line drive single to the opposite field, and then promptly stole second base. He was named the MVP of the game. SoxProspects.com's number two prospect Andrew Benintendi also started and batted leadoff for the U.S. team. He finished the game 0 for 3.
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Player of the Night: William Cuevas gets the nod for his strong performance in a PawSox win. The right-hander completed eight innings for the second time in 2016 and did so on just 95 pitches. He did not put up gaudy strikeout numbers, fanning just two, but he only allowed three hits and walked just two.
Photo Credit: William Cuevas by Kelly O'Connor