July 5, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Ramos hits for cycle, Johnson returns to the hill
7/5 Cup of Coffee: There were some fireworks down on the farm last night, with Henry Ramos (pictured) hitting for the cycle and six other players slugging home runs. Brian Johnson returned to the mound for the first time since May 14 as he began his rehab assignment in the Gulf Coast League, while Kyle Martin and Jake Cosart continued to breeze through the opposing lineups.
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Led by a 15-hit attack, the PawSox took the opening game of the three-game series. Roenis Elias picked up the win after allowing four runs on eight hits over six innings. Roman Mendez followed with two innings of scoreless relief, and Kyle Martin earned his fifth save by tossing a scoreless ninth. Martin has not allowed an earned run over his last five appearances and has struck out 12 over the 8 1/3 innings in that span.
The top five hitters in the lineup came up huge for the PawSox, combining to go 12 for 23 with six extra-base hits. Henry Ramos stole the show, homering for the second straight day as part of a 4-for-5 performance. Needing a single in his last at-bat to complete the cycle, he successfully pushed a bunt down the third base line. He raised his average to .309 after the big day. Chris Marrero went 3 for 5 with a double and a home run, Jantzen Witte went 2 for 4 with a double, and Mike Miller went 2 for 5 with a triple. It was also the second straight day with a home run for Marrero, who now has 14 on the season.
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New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR) 4, Portland Sea Dogs 3
A quality start from Mitch Atkins was not enough as the Fisher Cats took a late lead to beat the Sea Dogs. Atkins went the first six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five. With the score tied in the bottom of the eighth, a walk and a throwing error from Ty Buttrey put the go-ahead run at third base, and the run came around to score on a sacrifice fly. The loss dropped Buttrey's record to 0-7 on the season, while his ERA sits at 5.06.
The Sea Dogs were on the board quickly, as Nate Freiman launched a two-run home run in the top of the first, and they tied the game up in the seventh on a Jake Romanski double. Romanski went 2 for 3 with a walk, and Yoan Moncada went 1 for 3 with his third stolen base for Portland.
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Carolina Mudcats (ATL) 9, Salem Red Sox 6
Salem slugged three home runs, but they could not keep pace with the Mudcats. Travis Lakins struggled through his five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, while walking two and striking out three. The big blow was a two-run shot by the rehabbing Gordon Beckham in the third. He left the game with a 5-2 lead, but Mario Alcantara allowed both of his inherited runners to score and then allowed four runs of his own. He walked the last three batters he faced, two of those coming with the bases loaded, and only recorded two outs before being pulled.
Nick Longhi, Mike Meyers, and Jose Sermo all homered for Salem, with Longhi adding a single and Sermo adding a double. It was the second home run of the season for Longhi, who is hitting .284 but slugging only .388 in the challenging offensive environment. Rafael Devers continued his hot-hitting, going 2 for 4 with a double, giving him six extra-base hits over his last six games.
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Rome Braves (ATL) 6, Greenville Drive 5
A late rally for the Drive came up just short as they fell to the Braves. Logan Boyd was hit hard, giving up six runs on 10 hits over four innings. The bullpen was able to limit the damage from there, as Austin Glorius tossed three shutout innings, and Jake Cosart followed with a scoreless frame. Cosart has stepped up his game over the last month as he has not allowed a run since June 8, and his ERA now sits at 1.79.
Down by three heading to the ninth, Greenville brought it closer thanks to a two-run home run from Luis Alexander Basabe, his seventh of the season. He went 3 for 5 while Luis Alejandro Basabe went 2 for 5 with a double.
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Auburn Doubledays (WAS) 4, Lowell Spinners 2
An erratic pitching staff doomed the Spinners, as they walked eight while being doubled up by the Doubledays. It was a second straight rocky start for Enmanuel De Jesus after he opened the season with two brilliant outings. De Jesus walked five and allowed two runs over 4 2/3 innings of two-hit ball. He struck out five and was helped by Dioscar Romero coming on to get out of a bases loaded jam.
Chris Madera and Tyler Hill combined for four of Lowell's six hits as the team had limited chances to score. Jerry Downs went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI single.
A quality start from Mitch Atkins was not enough as the Fisher Cats took a late lead to beat the Sea Dogs. Atkins went the first six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five. With the score tied in the bottom of the eighth, a walk and a throwing error from Ty Buttrey put the go-ahead run at third base, and the run came around to score on a sacrifice fly. The loss dropped Buttrey's record to 0-7 on the season, while his ERA sits at 5.06.
The Sea Dogs were on the board quickly, as Nate Freiman launched a two-run home run in the top of the first, and they tied the game up in the seventh on a Jake Romanski double. Romanski went 2 for 3 with a walk, and Yoan Moncada went 1 for 3 with his third stolen base for Portland.
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Carolina Mudcats (ATL) 9, Salem Red Sox 6
Salem slugged three home runs, but they could not keep pace with the Mudcats. Travis Lakins struggled through his five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, while walking two and striking out three. The big blow was a two-run shot by the rehabbing Gordon Beckham in the third. He left the game with a 5-2 lead, but Mario Alcantara allowed both of his inherited runners to score and then allowed four runs of his own. He walked the last three batters he faced, two of those coming with the bases loaded, and only recorded two outs before being pulled.
Nick Longhi, Mike Meyers, and Jose Sermo all homered for Salem, with Longhi adding a single and Sermo adding a double. It was the second home run of the season for Longhi, who is hitting .284 but slugging only .388 in the challenging offensive environment. Rafael Devers continued his hot-hitting, going 2 for 4 with a double, giving him six extra-base hits over his last six games.
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Rome Braves (ATL) 6, Greenville Drive 5
A late rally for the Drive came up just short as they fell to the Braves. Logan Boyd was hit hard, giving up six runs on 10 hits over four innings. The bullpen was able to limit the damage from there, as Austin Glorius tossed three shutout innings, and Jake Cosart followed with a scoreless frame. Cosart has stepped up his game over the last month as he has not allowed a run since June 8, and his ERA now sits at 1.79.
Down by three heading to the ninth, Greenville brought it closer thanks to a two-run home run from Luis Alexander Basabe, his seventh of the season. He went 3 for 5 while Luis Alejandro Basabe went 2 for 5 with a double.
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Auburn Doubledays (WAS) 4, Lowell Spinners 2
An erratic pitching staff doomed the Spinners, as they walked eight while being doubled up by the Doubledays. It was a second straight rocky start for Enmanuel De Jesus after he opened the season with two brilliant outings. De Jesus walked five and allowed two runs over 4 2/3 innings of two-hit ball. He struck out five and was helped by Dioscar Romero coming on to get out of a bases loaded jam.
Chris Madera and Tyler Hill combined for four of Lowell's six hits as the team had limited chances to score. Jerry Downs went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI single.
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Making his first rehab appearance since going on the temporary inactive list in late-May to seek treatment for anxiety, Brian Johnson allowed two runs on four hits over three innings as the Red Sox fell to the Orioles. Johnson walked the first batter and later allowed three straight hits as he gave up two runs in a shaky first inning. He settled in after that, allowing one hit the rest of the way while striking out the last three batters he faced.
The offense could not get much going against the first-place Orioles, with Rafael Oliveras collecting two of the team's four hits. Stanley Espinal went 1 for 2 with a walk as he continued his tremendous start to the season. Brandon Magee also started a rehab assignment yesterday, as the former NFL player went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
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A solo home run from Kervin Suarez in the top of the ninth was enough to push the first Red Sox squad past the Phillies. Juan Perez was impressive over his six innings, allowing only one run on three hits and a walk while striking out two. Geraldo Perez earned his second win with three scoreless innings of relief, as only one runner reached base.
Suarez led the offense, going 2 for 4 with his first career home run. The only other run scored on a Ricardo Cubillan sacrifice fly, as the shortstop went 1 for 3 to raise his average to .211.
Another day, another sweep for the two DSL teams, as the second Red Sox squad shutout the Mets. Andres Jimenez got the start, going the first four innings and allowing three hits and a walk while striking out three to lower his ERA to 0.47 over 19 innings this season. Victor Familia followed with three scoreless frames, and Roberto Medina fired the final two innings to earn the save.
Pedro Castellanos had two of the biggest hits of the game, lacing an RBI double in the third and an RBI single in the fifth to plate the first two runs. Yeison Coca went 2 for 5 with an RBI single, and Angel Hernandez went 2 for 4 with a run scored.
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Player of the Night: Henry Ramos continues to drive the ball for the PawSox, and he piled up the extra-base hits last night as he hit for the cycle. While the 24-year-old has only drawn three unintentional walks in 97 at-bats in Pawtucket, he has amassed 12 extra-base hits while slugging .546 over his first 26 Triple-A games. With a reasonable batting average on balls in play and and a workable strikeout rate, Ramos is showing that he is a potential major league option after overcoming the injuries that have plagued him for the past two seasons. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this December, and performances like this will likely force the Red Sox to add him to the 40-man roster this offseason.
Photo Credit: Henry Ramos by Kelly O'Connor