August 29, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Salem walks off, Downs homers
8/29 Cup of Coffee: Each affiliate received a good starting pitching effort, as Pawtucket and Salem notched shutouts. Ryan Hanigan rehabbed with Portland in a game and saw Yoan Moncada belt a home run. Jordan Procyshen walked off for Salem, and Jerry Downs (pictured) led Lowell's offensive attack.
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The PawSox shutout the Chiefs behind some great work from starter Roenis Elias and the bullpen. Elias went the first six and did not allow a run on three hits and three walks. He punched out six and lowered his ERA with Pawtucket to 3.78. The bullpen did not allow a hit, as William Cuevas pitched two innings and Joe Kelly finished it off.
Five of nine Red Sox starters recorded multi-hit games, including three-hit games from Rusney Castillo and Deven Marrero. Castillo doubled, tripled, and scored twice. Chris Marrero went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk, and Chris Dominguez and Christian Vazquez each went 2 for 5.
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The Sea Dogs dropped a tough one in extras when Austin Maddox surrendered a pair of runs in the 11th. It wasn't entirely his fault, however, as he was hurt by an error and some tough luck on an infield single that scored two. Jalen Beeks was solid for six innings, allowing two runs. He struck out five and walked two. Jake Drehoff pitched 3 2/3 terrific innings without allowing a run.
Yoan Moncada showed a very encouraging sign by ripping a home run from the right side of the plate on the first pitch he saw of the day. Ryan Hanigan went 2 for 3 with a walk during his rehab assignment. Cole Sturgeon picked up two hits and Aneury Tavarez recorded a hit, a walk, a run, and an RBI.
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Jordan Procyshen was the hero after eight innings of zeros on the offensive scorecard. He ripped a walk-off double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give Portland the 1-0 win. Rafael Devers had another good day with a double and a walk. Jordan Betts and Jose Sermo had two hits apiece.
Like the PawSox, Salem got six shutout innings from its starter and a great effort from the pen. Daniel McGrath started with six shutout frames with four strikeouts and two walks. Jake Cosart threw the next two innings, allowing just one hit, and Jaime Callahan got the win with a perfect ninth that included two strikeouts.
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It was a quiet day for the Drive offense, as they recorded just one hit. Roniel Raudes started and went just three innings, but did not allow a run on only one hit. Austin Glorius had a rough go, allowing eight baserunners in just 2 2/3 innings. He surrendered four hits, four walks, and three runs, although he did have five strikeouts. Kuehl McEachern and Stephen Nogosek each gave up a run and Victor Diaz threw a scoreless ninth. J.T. Watkins had the only hit with an RBI single.
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Lowell had the biggest offensive day in the system with nine runs on nine hits. Jerry Downs led the way by going 2 for 4 with a home run, a walk, and four RBI. Bobby Dalbec and Yoan Aybar each went 2 for 5 with a double. The Spinners drew nine walks in this one, as Chris Madera and Tyler Hill each went 1 for 3 with a pair of walks.
Kevin Steen struggled, but still got the win. He surrendered four runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings. Algenis Martinez was great for three innings, as he did not allow a run. Jordan Weems allowed two runs in his only inning.
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Player of the Night: Jerry Downs led Lowell to a win with his third home run of the season. The 2015 15th round selection reached three times and drove in four runs. He is batting .231/.336/.354 in 38 games for the Spinners this year.
Photo Credit: Jerry Downs by Kelly O'Connor