May 27, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Brentz walks off, Mata debuts in Greenville
5/27 Cup of Coffee: Three of the four games on Friday ended in walk-off fashion, with the PawSox being the only victorious one. Bryce Brentz (pictured) had a big night at the plate and capped it with a walk-off single. Bryan Mata made his Greenville debut and impressed.
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The PawSox bullpen saved the day after receiving seven solid frames from Kyle Kendrick. The righty allowed three earned runs while striking out five and walking none. Austin Maddox tossed three shutout innings in relief to lower his ERA to 1.23. Matt Dominguez homered and Bryce Brentz went 2 for 3 with three walks and the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 12th. Pablo Sandoval was 0 for 5 in a rehab game, but made some nice defensive plays.
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The Sea Dogs dropped an ugly one, which saw them allow eight runs on 17 hits while making a couple errors in the field. Jeremy Barfield picked up two hits in his Portland debut, and Mike Olt went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Rafael Devers did not have his best night, going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and committing both Portland errors.
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The Red Sox pounded out 13 hits in a losing effort, as Chad De La Guerra, Michael Chavis, Mike Meyers, Austin Rei, and Jose Sermo each picked up two hits. Trent Kemp also belted his first home run of the season. Matt Kent was decent in the loss, going 6 2/3 innings while surrendering three earned runs and striking out seven with only one walk.
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Bryan Mata, the 18-year old 2016 international free agent signing who is ranked 15th at SoxProspects.com, made his South Atlantic League debut Friday after skipping both the GCL and short-season A-ball. He pitched well, allowing just one run in three innings with four strikeouts. He walked two, allowed three hits, and threw 69 pitches. Algenis Martinez and Jake Drehoff also pitched very well in relief, combining for seven scoreless innings. Lorenzo Cedrola had two hits including a double in five trips to the plate.
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Player of the Night: Bryce Brentz has had a rough go so far this year, batting just .191 for Pawtucket. He did his job on Friday however, reaching base five times in six plate appearances. He walked three times, picked up two hits, and drove home the winning run.
Photo Credit: Bryce Brentz by Kelly O'Connor