June 22, 2017 at 6:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Castillo and Longhi leave with injuries
6/22 Cup of Coffee: Potential injuries to Rusney Castillo and Nick Longhi cast a cloud over Wednesday's games, but there were still some good performances from around the system. Ryan Court and Tzu-Wei Lin (pictured) had terrific days at the plate, while Trey Ball and Marcus Walden had strong starts in the upper minors.
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A five-run ninth inning rally pushed the IronPigs past the PawSox. Marcus Walden had a good bounce-back performance, striking out six over six innings while allowing only one run. Brandon Workman followed with two scoreless innings, striking out four. Ty Buttrey surrendered four earned runs after walking three and allowing a hit in the ninth, picking up his first loss as a member of the PawSox.
The offense was carried by Ryan Court, who went 2 for 2 with a two-run home run and two walks. Rusney Castillo added another single in his two at-bats, but he left the game with a possible groin injury.
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Five hits from Tzu-Wei Lin led the 15-hit attack for Portland as they topped the SeaWolves. Lin had three singles, a double, and a triple as he raised his batting average to .299. Rafael Devers, who came into the game to replace an injured Nick Longhi, went 1 for 3 with a triple in what figures to be one of his last games with Portland. Longhi was 0 for 2 before coming out of the game with an apparent hand injury.
Trey Ball got the start and fired five innings of one-run ball, walking three and tying his season-high with seven strikeouts. Williams Jerez got the win, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. It was the fourth straight scoreless appearance for Jerez since he allowed eight runs back on June 7.
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Tri-City ValleyCats (HOU) 5, Lowell Spinners 4
The ValleyCats scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth on an error by Yomar Valentin for the walk-off win. Enmanuel De Jesus got off to a slow start, allowing three runs over four innings, and Ryan Oduber struck out three over 3 1/3 scoreless frames. Valentin and Stanley Espinal each had a single, double, and a walk in their five plate appearances, and Nicholos Hamilton went 1 for 2 with two walks.
The ValleyCats scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth on an error by Yomar Valentin for the walk-off win. Enmanuel De Jesus got off to a slow start, allowing three runs over four innings, and Ryan Oduber struck out three over 3 1/3 scoreless frames. Valentin and Stanley Espinal each had a single, double, and a walk in their five plate appearances, and Nicholos Hamilton went 1 for 2 with two walks.
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The game was suspended in the top of the ninth, with the Royals batting with the bases loaded and one out. Rafael Gomez kept the game close with four shutout innings of relief, striking out five without walking a batter. The Red Sox only managed two hits through the eight innings, with Alexander Martinez and Rafael Rincones both adding singles.
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Player of the Night: A five-hit night from Tzu-Wei Lin helped lead the Sea Dogs to victory. The five hits set a career-high for Lin, and he raised his batting average by 24 points. Lin was one of the hottest hitters in the system before going on the disabled list on May 10, but he had hit only .215/.304/.304 in 24 games since returning to the field before Wednesday's breakout.
Photo Credit: Tzu-Wei Lin by Kelly O'Connor