May 12, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Chavis leads Salem onslaught
5/12 Cup of Coffee: Michael Chavis (pictured) led a barrage at Buies Creek, as the third baseman had two more doubles as part of Salem's 16-hit rampage. Jalen Beeks and Ty Buttrey continued to stymie Eastern League opponents, pitching in for a shutout, while the PawSox dropped a heartbreaker in the ninth.
-----
It was an inopportune time for Brandon Workman to allow his first runs of the season, as the right-hander gave up a pair in the ninth inning to take the loss. Workman entered with 12 1/3 scoreless innings between his Triple-A and major league time, but he gave up the two runs on three hits and a walk in 1 2/3. Mike Miller blasted his first home run of the year, and Sam Travis picked up a pair of hits.
-----
Jalen Beeks led a quartet of Sea Dogs hurlers who combined on the shutout. With his five scoreless frames on Thursday, Beeks has now posted 24 consecutive innings without surrendering a run. The seven strikeouts give him 48 in 37 2/3 innings, but the lefty did battle control issues more than in previous outings. Beeks walked four and hit a batter, putting him at 92 pitches through five. Josh Smith, Ty Buttrey, and Austin Maddox combined to blank Reading out of the bullpen, with Buttrey striking out four of the five batters he faced. At the plate, Nick Longhi continues to shake off his slow start to the season. Longhi drove in three in a 3-for-5 night, and he has raised his batting average by 65 points during his five-game hitting streak. Rafael Devers continued to terrorize Eastern League pitching, picking up two doubles and a walk.
-----
Salem pounded out a 16-hit, 10-run attack, and Michael Chavis led the way for the Sox. The 2014 first-round pick was 3 for 5 with two doubles and three RBI. In 10 games this May, Chavis has multiple hits in six of them, and he has racked up 16 RBI already on the month. Seven of the nine batters in the Salem lineup had multiple hits in the rampage. Kyri Washington, coming off a 16-home run breakout campaign, went deep for the first time in 2017. Veteran catcher Jhon Nunez led off the fourth inning with his first home run as a professional. Nunez, who debuted in 2013, had 140 career games before recording a round tripper. On the mound, Roniel Raudes needed 79 pitches to get through 3 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits.
-----
Right-hander Shaun Anderson had his weakest start so far of the 2017 season, which says as much about how dominant he has been as how he pitched on Thursday. The four runs allowed by Anderson were a season high, coming on six hits in five innings. The former Florida Gator struck out five and walked three. Steven Nogosek turned in two scoreless frames to pick up his eighth save of the year. With several players off to strong starts this spring, the performance of Roldani Baldwin has gone somewhat under the radar. The 21-year-old blasted his fifth home run of the season as part of his 2-for-4 evening, raising his slugging percentage to an excellent .566.
-----
Player of the Day: After recording a 10-game hitting streak, Michael Chavis had been hitless in his last two contests. He quickly dispelled any notion that the two-game slide was anything more than a blip with a monster game Thursday night, going 3 for 5 with two doubles. In 23 games played, Chavis has already racked up 15 extra base hits. Perhaps more important than the hitting alone is that he has continued to hit well while getting back into the field, getting his third start in four days at third base.
Photo Credit: Michael Chavis by Kelly O'Connor