June 4, 2017 at 9:30 AM
Cup of Coffee: Devers homers again, Johnson leaves with injury
6/4 Cup of Coffee: The DSL Red Sox opened their season with a loss, while Pawtucket came home with a win, despite an apparent injury to Brian Johnson. The remaining affiliates sputtered behind poor offensive showings. Portland scored just three runs across both games of their doubleheader, though they did manage to eke out one win. Salem lost by 10, while the Drive were held off the board by their Palmetto state rivals
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Brian Bogusevic (pictured) was the driving force behind Pawtucket's victory, as he drove in four of Pawtucket's six runs. Bogusevic finished the day 2 for 4 with a double and a triple in addition to the four RBI. Ryan Court added a double and scored two runs as part of his evening. Brian Johnson got the start for Pawtucket and started in stellar fashion, striking out all five batters he faced before being lifted in the second inning with an apparent injury. The bullpen then handled the rest of the game and Marcus Walden picked up the win. Second baseman Mike Miller closed out the ninth on the mound, despite allowing a two-run home run.
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The Sea Dogs dropped the first game of the doubleheader, as the offense sputtered behind some lackluster pitching. Rafael Devers accounted for all of Portland's offense with a solo home run in the fourth inning, part of a 2-for-3 performance. Travis Lakins struggled on the mound, allowing five runs on 10 hits and five walks in just four innings. Bobby Poyner was a bright spot out of the bullpen, striking out four in two hitless innings.
The Sea Dogs came out on top in game two, a makeup of the rained-out April 19 contest. Jeremy Barfield provided the only offense in this one, clubbing a late two-run shot in the sixth inning to give Portland the win. Rafael Devers added a double, Mike Olt walked three times, and Josh Tobias went 2 for 3. Jacob Dahlstrand took home the win with five innings of scoreless baseball, and Josh Smith closed the door with two innings out of the bullpen.
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An uninspiring pitching performance, combined with a weak offensive showing downed the Red Sox early. Daniel McGrath took home his fifth loss of the year, surrendering five runs on 10 hits in just five innings. With the exception of Trevor Kelley, the bullpen was equalling ineffective, with Mitchell Osnowitz and Austin Glorius combining to allow eight runs on five hits and eight walks in two innings of work. Kelley, meanwhile, shut down the keys with two scoreless innings to close it out. Austin Rei, Chad De La Guerra, Trenton Kemp, Jose Sermo, and Jeremy Rivera all notched doubles, though De La Guerra was the only player to collect two hits on the day.
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Kyle Hart was strong early on but took the tough-luck loss after he allowed two runs in the sixth to open the door for the River Dogs. Algenis Martinez and Pat Goetze handled the rest of the game out of the bullpen, surrendering three more runs over the last 2 2/3 innings. Tyler Spoon recorded the only noteworthy offensive performance, going 2 for 3 with a double.
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The DSL squad dropped their season opener to the Royals. The Red Sox mustered just four hits, and they all came from the bottom third of the order. Alexander Martinez notched two hits out of the seventh spot, including a double, while Keibert Petit and Rafael Rincones each added a hit of their own. Eduard Bazardo took the start on Opening Day and responded with three scoreless innings. Luis Rivero took the loss after allowing a run in two innings of work and Alejandro Rodriguez surrendered another two runs in the final four innings.
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Player of the Night: Brian Bogusevic takes home the night's honors with his four-RBI, 2-for-4 performance. A former pitcher, Bogusevic converted to the outfield in 2008 and signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in January after spending 2016 playing in Japan. The 33-year-old has struggled this year, slashing just .192/.300/.385 in 14 games with Pawtucket.