April 21, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Mother nature delays Chavis; Moncada stomps PawSox
4/21 Cup of Coffee: Inclement weather caused a shortened schedule, as both Portland and Salem had their contests postponed. On a day where Chris Sale showed why the Red Sox were willing to give up so much for him, Yoan Moncada (pictured) dominated against the PawSox with the sort of performance that made the White Sox willing to part with their ace.
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Starter Henry Owens got off to a shaky start, surrendering a solo homer to the second batter of the game, old friend Yoan Moncada. While he allowed only one run after that point, efficiency was a major issue for the left-hander, as he needed 107 pitches just to get through 4 2/3 innings. He struck out eight, walked four, and uncorked a wild pitch. Ben Taylor made his first appearance of the season with the PawSox after making four appearances with the major league club. He surrendered a pair of runs in 1 1/3 innings. Bryce Brentz hit his first home run of the season, a ninth inning solo shot. Moncada was the catalyst for the Knights. The former SoxProspects.com top-ranked prospect scored three times and stole two bases on top of the solo home run.
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Portland Sea Dogs at Binghamton Rumble Ponies (NYM), postponed
For the second consecutive day, Portland's contest in Binghamton was rained out. The two teams will play a doubleheader on August 19th.
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Salem Red Sox at Frederick Keys (BAL), postponed
Wet grounds deprived Michael Chavis of an encore performance the day after the 2014 first-round pick hit the first three-home run game in Haley Toyota Field history. Chavis and the rest of the Sox will get their chance on Friday when the game is made up as part of a doubleheader.
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Little went right for the Drive on Thursday, as the team mustered only five hits against a trio of Rome hurlers. Yoan Aybar was the only person to reach base more than once, posting a single and a walk. Roldani Baldwin drove in the only Greenville run, plating Tucker Tubbs with a fourth-inning double. Robby Sexton carried a shutout through four innings, but gave up three runs in the fifth and an additional one in the sixth. He allowed eight hits, struck out five, and walked one.
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Player of the Day: Thursday was an evening light on baseball that really didn't have a standout performance from anyone in the minor league system, but it also gave us a unique perspective about how an ideal minor league development program works. A team will get contributions from players who turn into key parts of the major league roster, as the Red Sox did today from former prospects Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. That team will also make the difficult decision to trade from a point of strength to fill a hole on the roster. With that in mind, the shout-out for minor league Player of the Day goes to ex-prospect Yoan Moncada. Moncada showed tonight why he's an elite talent who a team hates to part with, displaying a complete offensive game that included a home run, a single, a walk, two stolen bases, and three runs scored to beat the Red Sox. It was neatly juxtaposed against the player he was traded for, as left-hander Chris Sale turned in an absolutely dominant performance, striking out 13 in eight innings of four-hit shutout ball. By developing a talent like Moncada, the parent club was able to fill a hole by trading for one of the best pitchers alive.
Photo Credit: Yoan Moncada by Kelly O'Connor
Photo Credit: Yoan Moncada by Kelly O'Connor