June 29, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Devers and Chavis each go deep in Portland victory
6/29 Cup of Coffee: Both Rafael Devers (pictured, right) and Michael Chavis showed off their power against consensus top-100 prospect Sean Reid-Foley, with Devers launching two home runs while Chavis added one. Jhonny Peralta made his debut as the designated hitter for the PawSox, and Dedgar Jimenez finally stumbled after a tremendous June.
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After allowing 10 runs in his last start, Kyle Kendrick allowed six runs on five hits over two innings last night to take the loss. Ty Buttrey was also hit hard, allowing four runs on five hits over two innings, while Noe Ramirez went three scoreless innings. Buttrey's ERA now sits at 10.80 over his first 10 innings with the PawSox.
Mike Miller got two of Pawtucket's five hits, with one of them being his second home run of the year, and Brian Bogusevic also added a solo home run. Pablo Sandoval went 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts in his second rehab appearance, and Jhonny Peralta went 0 for 4 with a strikeout in his system debut.
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Two home runs from Rafael Devers were the difference, as the Sea Dogs won their third straight. Devers went 3 for 4 and now has 16 home runs, while Michael Chavis went 1 for 4 with his third home run with the Sea Dogs. Shortstop Chad De La Guerra extended his hitting streak to five games as he went 1 for 3 with a walk, though he also committed his first error of the season.
It was a second straight quality start for Kevin McAvoy who struck out six and allowed only three hits over six innings. Josh Smith ran his scoreless inning streak up to 10 with two shutout innings, and Williams Jerez struck out the side in the ninth.
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It was a rough end to a great June for Dedgar Jimenez, who allowed five runs on seven hits over only 2 1/3 innings. Jimenez entered the game with a 2.25 ERA over 24 innings in June, with 22 strikeouts and only three walks. A solo home run was the only blemish for Jordan Weems over his 3 2/3 innings, and Stephen Nogosek struck out one in a scoreless ninth. Tate Matheny was on base three times with two singles and a walk, and he also added his 19th stolen base.
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15 hits were not enough for the Drive, as they lost on a walk-off single. Lorenzo Cedrola and Santiago Espinal each went 3 for 5 with an extra-base hit, and Chris Madera and Tucker Tubbs each went 2 for 4 with a double. It was the first appearance this year that Kyle Hart allowed more than two runs, as he surrendered five runs on seven hits over five innings, and Hildemaro Requena took the loss after allowing three hits in the bottom of the tenth.
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It was a heartbreaker for the Spinners, as the Renegades made two impressive comebacks to steal the win. The Spinners were up by two in the bottom of the 11th, but a throwing error by Raiwinson Lameda allowed two runs to score, and the winning run came across on a sacrifice fly. Lameda did have a good day at the plate, going 2 for 5 with a double, and Yoan Aybar launched a three-run home run, his first of the season over 37 games with Greenville and Lowell. Dakota Smith allowed only one earned run over five innings, and Juan Florentino took the loss even though he did not allow an earned run.
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In the completion of Tuesday's suspended game, the Red Sox struck out 14 batters as they shut out the Rays. Rayniel Adames got the start and fired two scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Juan Perez and Francisco Lopez-Soto each added two shutout innings, while Eduard Bazardo picked up the victory with three innings of one-hit ball. Pedro Castellanos went 2 for 4 with an RBI double and Trey Ganns went 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and a stolen base.
The new extra-inning rules worked to the Red Sox advantage as they shut out the Rays once again. Five innings from Edilson Batista and two from Taylor Ahearn helped keep the game scoreless through seven, and the Red Sox started the eighth with Ganns at second base. He came around to score after two wild pitches, and Marcos Lantigua pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the save. Juan Hernandez led the offense, going 2 for 3, and Juan Carlos Abreu went 1 for 3 with a walk.
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Alejandro Rodriguez and Shair Lacrus combined to strike out eight over eight innings as the Red Sox moved to 10-9 on the season. Rodriguez went the first five innings and allowed only one hit, while Lacrus struck out four over his three innings. Marcos Martinez went 2 for 4 with a double, and Keibert Petit went 1 for 3 with a triple and a walk.
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Player of the Night: Top prospect Rafael Devers launched two more home runs on Wednesday as he moved into a tie for fifth place on the Eastern League home run leaderboard. Both Chavis and Devers have eight home runs in June, and the big day pushed Devers's OPS to over 1.000 this month. With Sandoval and Peralta currently in Pawtucket, Devers will have to wait for a promotion, but he has shown that he is ready for the next step. His current OPS of .936 is third in the Eastern League as he tries to keep pace with Indians top prospect Francisco Mejia.
Photo Credit: Rafael Devers by Kelly O'Connor
Photo Credit: Rafael Devers by Kelly O'Connor