June 15, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Brentz and Devers go deep
6/15 Cup of Coffee: Both Bryce Brentz (pictured) and Rafael Devers continued their recent hot streaks, as both players had a home run and a double on Wednesday night. The Pawtucket and Greenville bullpens blew late leads, while the Portland bullpen was able to shut down the Curve.
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A three-run eighth inning was enough for the Chiefs to come back and beat the PawSox. Shawn Haviland got the start and allowed four runs, three earned over 5 1/3 innings. The PawSox took a 6-4 lead into the eighth, but Ty Buttrey gave up two quick hits and Kyle Martin came in and gave up a walk and a go-ahead double.
The PawSox had 15 hits on the day but went only 3 for 15 with runners in scoring position. Brian Bogusevic and Mike Miller each went 3 for 4, and Bryce Brentz went 2 for 4 with a double, home run, and a walk. The home run was his 12th of the year, and he is now hitting .412 over his last 10 games. Rusney Castillo added two doubles, and the 29-year-old now has 20 extra-base hits over his last 34 games after having 27 extra-base hits in 103 games last year for Pawtucket.
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After a rough first outing, Elih Villanueva picked up the win last night with six innings of four-run ball. Williams Jerez added two scoreless innings, while Bobby Poyner ran his scoreless streak with Portland to eight innings as he picked up his second save.
Rafael Devers went 2 for 4 with his 11th home run of the season in addition to a double and a walk. The 11 home runs ties the most he has hit in a season, as the top prospect continues to be one of the best performers in the system this month. Henry Urrutia made his Portland debut after being signed earlier in the day as a minor league free agent, and he went 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Nick Longhi was the only other player with multiple hits, going 2 for 5 with an RBI.
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Salem Red Sox vs. Carolina Mudcats (MIL), PPD
Wednesday night's game was postponed due to rain. This was the final meeting of the first half between the two teams and it will not be made up. The postponement, combined with a Lynchburg Hillcats loss, earned Salem an extra .5 of a game in the chase for the first-half Northern title. The Red Sox now sit an even two games up on Lynchburg with four games remaining.
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Columbia Fireflies (NYM) 6, Greenville Drive 2 (11 inn.)
Kyle Hart and Matthew Gorst combined to go the first seven innings and allow one run, and Stephen Nogosek came on for the two-inning save but gave up a game-tying home run in the top of the ninth. Dakota Smith took the loss after allowing four runs in the top of the 11th, with most of the damage coming from a two-run home run.
The Drive managed only five hits over 11 innings, with Ryan Scott recording two of those. Nick Lovullo went 1 for 2 with a walk, and Lorenzo Cedrola stole his 12th base of the year.
The loss to the second-place Fireflies brings the Drive to just .5 of a game ahead of Columbia and 2.5 games ahead of third-place Rome. The Drive have just four games, one against Columbia and three against Rome, to hold off their competition and claim the first-half Southern Division championship.
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The Red Sox pitching staff was wild and ineffective as they fell to the Braves. The staff walked nine on the day, with starter Luis Colmenares walking three while only recording two outs. Carlos Cortes had the longest appearance, walking three and allowing three runs over 3 1/3 innings. Alexander Martinez was the star of the day on offense, going 4 for 4 with a double and two RBI. Ronaldo Pulgar was on base three times, going 1 for 2 with a double and two walks.
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Player of the Night: While Devers and Bryce Brentz had almost identical stat lines, the fact that Brentz did not strike out tips the scale in his favor. He has been on an absolute tear after his slow start to the season, with an OPS over 1.200 over his last 21 games, with eight home runs and 15 walks with only 11 strikeouts. Brentz has always been a streaky hitter during his time in the system, but this is one of the best hot streaks of his professional career.
Photo Credit: Bryce Brentz by Kelly O'Connor