August 8, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Tavarez stays hot for Portland with two homers
8/8 Cup of Coffee: Portland got great efforts from Aneury Tavarez (pictured) and the bullpen on their way to a win. Salem received big days from Rafael Devers and Joseph Monge in a 19-hit attack. Rusney Castillo stayed hot for Pawtucket.
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It was a rough outing for Sean O'Sullivan, and the PawSox offense couldn't do much other than a three-run fourth. O'Sullivan was knocked around for five earned runs on six hits in just 3 2/3 innings. Noe Ramirez finished the fourth and William Cuevas tossed the final three innings allowing just a run and striking out two.
Pawtucket did not record an extra-base hit, but scored on a two-run single by Deven Marrero and an RBI single from Rusney Castillo, who went 2 for 4. Chris Marrero and Dan Butler each went 2 for 3.
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The bullpen nailed this one down after the Sea Dogs broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the sixth. Aneury Tavarez had a monster day out of the leadoff spot, going 3 for 4 with two home runs. He's batting .330, which leads the Eastern League. Tim Roberson also went 3 for 4, and Mauricio Dubon and Rainel Rosario both went 2 for 4 with a double.
Keith Couch pitched well, going six innings and allowing three unearned runs. He gave up a three-run double in the fifth three batters after an error was made by Dubon. He punched out five and walked two. Williams Jerez and Ben Taylor combined for three scoreless innings, with Taylor pitching two hitless innings with three strikeouts.
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Salem exploded for 11 runs on 19 hits, with six players recording multi-hit games. Joseph Monge led the way with four hits and two RBI. Rafael Devers, Nick Longhi, and Jayce Ray all had three hits, with Devers smacking a triple and knocking in three. Jose Sermo had two doubles and Danny Mars added a pair of hits.
Michael Kopech was solid again, firing five innings and allowing just one unearned run. The hard-throwing righty struck out seven, but walked four. His ERA was lowered to 1.08. Mario Alcantara also struggled a bit with control, walking three in three innings, but limited the damage to one run. Kuehl McEachern, making his 2016 Salem debut, finished it off with a clean ninth.
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Greenville held off the RiverDogs for a one-run win. Roniel Raudes was terrific, allowing just a run over six innings. He surrendered just three hits and struck out three. Marc Brakeman struggled, allowing two earned runs over 1 2/3 innings, but Trevor Kelley came on to save it with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Luis Alexander Basabe had a big day, blasting his 11th home run as part of a 1-for-3 day. He also walked and scored twice. Roldani Baldwin had a pair of hits, including an RBI single. Kyri Washington went 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base, and Tate Matheny knocked in a run with a double.
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The Spinners didn't get anything going offensively, getting shutout while collecting just five singles. C.J. Chatham and Bobby Dalbec were the only Spinners to reach base twice, each going 1 for 3. Chatham was hit by a pitch and Dalbec walked.
Darwinzon Hernandez struck out eight with no walks in five innings, but gave up five hits and three earned runs. Brandon Workman pitched in his fourth game for Lowell, allowing a run in two innings with two strikeouts and two walks. Algenis Martinez struggled in his only inning of work, surrendering two runs on five hits.
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Player of the Night: Aneury Tavarez is scorching hot right now. The 24-year old left-handed hitter leads the league with a .330 batting average after going 3 for 4 with two home runs on Sunday. He also has a .375 OBP and a .498 SLG for the year. In his past 10 ballgames, he is batting .465 (20 for 43) with six stolen bases.
Photo Credit: Aneury Tavarez by Kelly O'Connor