July 10, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Tavarez headlines Portland double-header
7/10 Cup of Coffee: On a day that featured doubleheaders by both Pawtucket and Portland, high-scoring wins by Salem and Greenville were highlights from the affiliates. Rafael Devers turned in a solid game in a twelve-run outing by the Salem offense and four players recorded at least three hits. Aneury Tavarez (pictured) stood out in Portland's doubleheader, contributing a pair of multi-hit games. Southpaw Brian Johnson impressed in the second game of his rehab assignment in the Gulf Coast League, tossing four strong innings.
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In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, the PawSox resumed Friday's game trailing 2-0 in the third inning. They were unable to mount a comeback effort, recording just two hits on Saturday on singles by Ryan Court and Dan Butler. Robby Scott threw three shutout innings, giving up four hits and no walks while fanning three. Austin Maddox allowed a run on two hits in two innings of work.
Left-hander Roenis Elias started on the mound in the second game of Pawtucket's doubleheader and took the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits and four walks in five innings. Chandler Shepherd followed him with a shutout frame in relief. First baseman Chris Dominguez was the star in the PawSox lineup, driving in two with a triple in the second inning and one more with a double in the fourth. Ryan Court was 1 for 2 with a double, two walks, and two runs.
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The Sea Dogs' bats carried Portland to victory in the first game of their doubleheader. After falling behind early, Portland took the lead and never looked back with a four-run fourth inning which featured a leadoff homer from Aneury Tavarez and a two-run double by Mauricio Dubon. Dubon was 3 for 4 with two doubles, a run scored, and two RBI. Cole Sturgeon also turned in a three-hit game, going 3 for 4 with a double, a run, and an RBI. Tim Roberson was 1 for 4 with a two-run homer in the third.
Mitch Atkins took the hill for the Sea Dogs but didn't turn in his best outing, allowing six runs on eight hits in four innings, though he did strike out seven with only one walk. Southpaw Luis Ysla followed him with three solid innings, allowing one run on one hit while punching out four to lower his ERA to 4.05 this season.
The Sea Dogs took a tough loss in the second game of their twin bill, dropping the game when Hartford walked off in the 11th inning. Nik Turley started and tossed three innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks. Jake Drehoff allowed two runs in two innings but Ty Buttrey and Ben Taylor then combined for five innings of shutout relief. Williams Jerez took the loss after allowing a run on two hits and two walks while failing to record an out in the 11th.
Portland scored three runs in the first inning on an RBI single by Jake Romanski and a two-run double by Cole Sturgeon but they were not able to accomplish much after that quick start. Aneury Tavarez led the offensive charge with a 3-for-4 game which also featured a walk, a run, and an RBI. Tzu-Wei Lin, Tim Roberson, Cody Decker, and Sturgeon each recorded two-hit nights.
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The Red Sox finished on top in a high-scoring affair against Lynchburg on Saturday. Third baseman Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and two runs. Joseph Monge set the table from the top of Salem's lineup, going 4 for 6 with two runs, an RBI, and a double. Three Salem hitters -- Nick Longhi, Mike Meyers, and Jose Sermo -- were 3 for 5 on the day, with Meyers and Sermo also hitting a pair of doubles each.
Travis Lakins struggled on the mound for Salem, pitching his way to three runs in five innings, walking five and striking out seven. The bullpen didn't fare any better as German Tavares allowed three runs on two hits and two walks in two innings and Simon Mercedes allowed five runs (four earned) in two innings of his own.
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The Drive picked up a tight win on Saturday behind a seven-run, 12-hit performance from the lineup. Greenville grabbed their first two runs on a two-run blast by catcher Austin Rei in the second inning. Josh Ockimey also homered for the Drive, belting a solo shot in the fifth inning. Third baseman Michael Chavis was 3 for 4 with a walk, two doubles, and two RBI. Logan Boyd made the start on the mound, lasting 5 1/3 innings and surrendering four runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out four. Marc Brakeman allowed two runs on two hits in 3 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking none.
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The Spinners dropped a rain-shortened loss to Connecticut on Saturday, as starting pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez was unable to escape the first inning, allowing two runs on four hits in 1/3 of an inning. Daniel Zandona allowed four runs in four innings while Pat Goetze allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning. Joe Kelly, in Lowell on a rehab assignment and pitching out of the bullpen, allowed two runs in an inning, striking out two but allowing four hits. Designated hitter Ryan Scott was one of few highlights in the Spinners lineup, going 2 for 2 with a run, an RBI, and a double.
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Raiwinson Lameda singled to drive in Nicholos Hamilton in the top of the 12th inning, leading to GCL Sox to an exciting win on Saturday. Rafael Oliveras and Yomar Valentin each delivered 3-for-5 games, with Oliveras hitting two doubles and Valentin one. Brian Johnson, who is pitching in the GCL on a rehab assignment, tossed four strong innings and allowed two runs (one earned) in four innings, striking out five and walking one. Junior Espinoza (four innings), Devon Fisher (two innings), Nicolo Clemente (two innings) combined for eight shutout innings of relief.
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The DSL Red Sox1 won in dominant fashion on Saturday, with six of their ten runs coming in a big third inning. Though the DSL Sox1 only recorded four hits in the game, they were able to take advantage of nine walks from the Dodgers' pitching staff. Juan Perez threw five excellent innings, allowing just a hit and striking out two. Geraldo Perez and Carlos Cortes tossed two shutout innings each.
Starting pitcher Gregory Santos was shaky on Saturday, allowing three runs in just an inning, walking two and allowing a hit. Warlyn Guzman threw five shutout innings in relief and Shair Lacrus tossed two more, allowing four hits and striking out two. Catcher Eduard Conde had a strong game offensively, going 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI.
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Player of the Day: Right fielder Aneury Tavarez had an excellent day in Portland's double-header on Saturday. In total, Tavarez was 5 for 8 with a walk, three runs, and two RBI. In 63 games with Portland this season, the 24-year-old is hitting .303/.358/.440 with 13 doubles and eight stolen bases.
Photo Credit: Aneury Tavarez by Kelly O'Connor
Photo Credit: Aneury Tavarez by Kelly O'Connor