Cup of Coffee: Chavis blasts 16th home run, Mata cruises again

6/12 Cup of Coffee: There were standout performances at all levels yesterday, with Michael Chavis and Bryan Mata continuing their hot streaks, while Jake DePew (pictured) launched a clutch home run for Portland. Chad De La Guerra, Danny Mars, and Josh Ockimey also had good days as they continued to pad their already impressive stat lines. 

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Pawtucket Red Sox 3, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 2

The Pawtucket pitching staff held the Bisons to three hits as they squeaked out a one-run victory. Marcus Walden improved to 6-2 on the season with six innings of one-run ball, allowing only two hits while striking out three. This was his fifth straight appearance where he earned a victory, with three of those coming out of the bullpen. Kyle Martin allowed only a solo home run over his two innings of work, and Austin Maddox picked up his first save with the PawSox with a scoreless ninth.

Bryce Brentz and Steve Selsky each launched solo home runs to lead the offense, while Rusney Castillo added two hits but was also caught stealing. Brentz now has 10 home runs on the season, with six of those coming in the last 17 games.

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Portland Sea Dogs 10, Erie SeaWolves (DET) 7

A go-ahead home run from Jake DePew in the eighth pushed the Sea Dogs past the SeaWolves. Portland was down 7-6 entering the bottom of the eighth, but a two-run shot from DePew and a two-run double from Nick Longhi gave them the lead and some insurance. Longhi added another double earlier in the game, and Mike Olt went 2 for 3 with a home run and a walk. Danny Mars also had a great day at the plate going 4 for 5 with a double while adding an outfield assist. 

Luis Ysla allowed one run on two hits over two innings to pick up the victory, and Bobby Poyner got the save with a scoreless ninth. Poyner has yet to allow a run over his first seven innings with Portland. 

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Salem Red Sox 11, Winston-Salem Dash (CWS) 1

Salem scored 10 runs over the final five innings to pull away from the Dash. The biggest hit of the day was a three-run home run from Michael Chavis, his 16th of the year, which leads the Carolina League. He also leads the league in batting average (.335), slugging percentage (.675). and OPS (1.078). Chad De La Guerra also went deep in the game, going 3 for 6 with a solo home run and a double. Josh Ockimey and Tate Matheny each had a double and a single, while Jeremy Rivera added two doubles and drove in two runs. 

On the mound Dedgar Jimenez turned in another quality start, allowing one run over six innings as he improved to 8-1, and Marc Brakeman struck out four over two scoreless innings. Jimenez has allowed only six runs over his last 39 1/3 innings, with 11 walks and 39 strikeouts. 

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Augusta GreenJackets (SFG) 2, Greenville Drive 1
The Drive could not muster up the offense to support Bryan Mata, who pitched another gem. It was Mata's third straight start of going six innings while allowing one run, and he struck out four without walking a batter. The 18-year-old lowered his ERA to 1.71 while his WHIP dropped below 1.00. Stephen Nogosek took the loss after allowing a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. Chris Madera provided most of the offense for Greenville, collecting two of the five hits while driving in the only run.

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Player of the Night: Several players had strong performances on Sunday, but Jake DePew's clutch two-run home run for the Sea Dogs was the biggest hit of the day. The go-ahead shot in the eighth was DePew's second home run of the season. The 25-year-old catcher spent the previous seven seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays system, and he has been serving as the main backup to Jordan Procyshen this season in Portland. With Jake Romanski back from his suspension DePew will likely lose some playing time, but he has been hitting the ball well, batting .275 over his last 14 games. 

Photo Credit: Jake DePew by Kelly O'Connor

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