August 20, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Dalbec keeps hitting, Dubon, Atkins lead Portland
8/20 Cup of Coffee: Bobby Dalbec (pictured) continued his hot hitting in a big performance from the Lowell offense, and an absolute gem by Mitch Atkins, backed by a Mauricio Dubon homer, lead Portland to victory. The DSL teams cruised to victories, while the GCL Red Sox needed a ninth-inning rally and a walk-off wild pitch to secure a win.
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The PawSox jumped out to a 3-0 lead on RailRiders starter Luis Severino, but the Pawtucket pitching could not hold the lead. Sean O’Sullivan ran into trouble late in his five-inning outing, allowing three runs in his last two innings. O’Sullivan was actually in line for the win before Scranton/Wilkes-Barre plated four runs on reliever William Cuevas. The Pawtucket offense received strong contributions from its outfielders. Rehabbing Chris Young singled, walked and drove in a run. Brennan Boesch whacked three hits, including a double, and scored a run, and Rusney Castillo had another multi-hit performance that saw him finish 2 for 5.
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The Sea Dogs managed only three hits, but two of them were of the souvenir variety. Strong pitching by Mitch Atkins and the bullpen ensured the homers would be enough. Atkins tossed seven shutout innings of three-hit ball while striking out nine. Behind him, Jake Drehoff and Luis Ysla each threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. Mauricio Dubon provided the first firework with a solo shot in the third inning, his fourth of the season. Cody Decker followed one inning later with his 12th shot of the season. A single by Henry Ramos was Portland’s only other hit.
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It is not every day that a game passes without a single earned run being scored, but the Drive and RiverDogs managed it Friday. It was a long day for the Greenville offense, which could manage just four singles in their shutout loss. The Drive received two hits from Mitchell Gunsolus, but Kyri Washington, Roldani Baldwin and Trent Kemp all went hitless with multiple strikeouts. Drive starter Daniel Gonzalez was stuck with the tough luck loss. Not only did his offense fail to support him, his defense cost him two unearned runs in his five-inning start. After Gonzalez, Austin Glorius and Adam Lau combined for three scoreless innings.
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The Spinners, on the other hand, had no trouble generating offense. Lowell racked up 19 hits, with each starter contributing a hit and seven of the nine posting multiple hits. For the second consecutive night, Bobby Dalbec led the show for Lowell. The third baseman went 4 for 5 with his third home run in two days. Ryan Scott went 3 for 5 in front of Dalbec, and Yoan Aybar and Carlos Tovar each blasted a double and a single. The Spinners were able to build an 11-0 lead through seven innings thanks to another strong outing by starter Dakota Smith. Smith scattered seven hits in 6 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. Brad Stone struggled out of the pen, coughing up three runs and retiring just one batter. Algenis Martinez closed the blowout with two scoreless frames.
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It was a roller coaster of a game for the GCL Red Sox, who blew a 3-0 lead only to come back in the bottom of the ninth inning. A wild pitch plated the walk-off run, but a walk and three singles opened the inning. Santiago Espinal drove home the tying run with a single, finishing 1 for 4. Steven Reveles was the only Red Sox with multiple hits in the game, but Stanley Espinal reached twice, including to start the ninth inning. Kyle Hart pitched three innings of shutout ball in his second professional start, but Nicolo Clemente surrendered three runs in three innings as the Twins marched ahead 4-3. Jared Oliver picked up the win by keeping the Twins scoreless for the final three innings.
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The first DSL team would not let up, scoring runs in the fourth through seventh innings to pull away from the Marlins. Mario Campana had a monster day with a two-run home run and a single. Carlos Pulido and Ivan Houellemont each contributed multiple hits as well. Red Sox starter Eduard Bazardo lowered his ERA to 0.85 with five shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out six. Geraldo Perez did not allow a baserunner in two innings of relief.
The Red Sox used a patient eye and timely hitting to turn just four base hits into six runs. The Red Sox worked 10 walks in the game and blew it open with a four-run seventh inning. Yeison Coca finished 2 for 3 with a double, two walks and two runs scored. Reinaldo Ugueto also reached three times with a hit and two walks. Jose Gonzalez pitched beautifully, allowing one runs in six innings of five-hit ball. Rafael Gomez and Roberto Medina combined for three scoreless frames out of the pen.
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Player of the Night: Bobby Dalbec was robbed of Player of the Night honors after his two-homer performance two nights ago by a very dominant Michael Kopech, but he earned it again Friday with a four-hit performance that included another home run. There are plenty of reasons to be excited about Dalbec. He has posted a line of .373/.420/.680 through his first 75 professional at-bats and is only improving. Dalbec has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games and has gone 10 for 17 with three doubles and three homers in his last four games.
Photo Credit: Bobby Dalbec by Kelly O'Connor