June 23, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Hudson leads post-Chavis Salem outburst
6/23 Cup of Coffee: Coming out of the Single-A All-Star games and with the promotions earlier in the day highlighted by Michael Chavis heading to Portland, it turned into a wild day on the farm. For awhile it looked like Salem's depleted roster would be its undoing, as it trailed 7-2 in the eighth, but a nine-run inning sparked by Bryan Hudson led a stunning comeback. Greenville and Lowell both dropped tough one-run losses, while Pawtucket is reeling right now.
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Pawtucket continued its midseason swoon, losing its seventh in a row. In the last four games, the PawSox have been outscored by a 29-4 margin. It was a rough start for Kyle Kendrick, who surrendered seven second-inning runs and 10 in total over five innings. Brian Bogusevic spoiled the shutout bid with a seventh-inning solo home run, his fourth of the season.
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No Michael Chavis was no problem for the Sox, who had 10 consecutive batters reach base as part of a nine-run eighth inning to kick off Salem's second-half calendar. The catalyst was Bryan Hudson, who tallied both the first and last hits of the rally as part of his 3-for-5 night that included a stolen base. Nick Lovullo re-joined Salem earlier in the day and picked up a triple, and Tate Matheny had a single, walk, and two steals. Roniel Raudes had allowed only one run through his first five innings, but departed after the first two batters of the sixth reached. Those two both came around to score, souring Raudes' line some. Austin Glorius got the win with two hitless innings of relief, and Stephen Nogosek pitched a scoreless ninth to get the save only a few hours after getting promoted from Low A Greenville.
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The Drive opened up their second half with a tough extra-innings loss despite some excellent pitching. Starter Daniel Gonzalez allowed a run on five hits in 5 2/3, striking out four and walking only one. Pat Goetze followed with 2 1/3 shutout frames, and Matthew Gorst had a scoreless ninth before Charleston reached him in the 10th, handing him the loss. Mitchell Gunsolus reached base four times with a single, two walks, and a hit batsman. Ryan Scott had the only multi-hit night, going 2 for 4.
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Lowell took the loss despite a trio of arms combining on a one-hitter. Dakota Smith was let down by the Spinners defense in the first, as a pair of errors led to an unearned run that proved to be decisive. Smith threw 3 2/3 hitless innings, walking and striking out two apiece. Angel Padron struck out four in three innings of relief, surrendering Tri-City's only base hit, and Jared Oliver struck out two of the four batters he faced. The Lowell offense sputtered, accumulating only four hits. Aneury Tavarez began a rehab assignment, going 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout as the designated hitter. Tenth-round pick Jordan Wren made his professional debut, striking out as a pinch hitter in the ninth.
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The Sox took advantage of the new rule that puts a player at second base at the beginning of each extra inning. Knotted 1-1 in the bottom of the 10th, Freiberg Marin was placed on second, was bunted over to third on a sacrifice by Alexander Martinez, and scored on a Keibert Petit base hit for the walk-off victory. It was a strong night for the pitching staff. Alejandro Rodriguez tossed five shutout innings, allowing three hits. The win went to Luis Rivero, who fired three hitless frames.
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Player of the Day: For Bryan Hudson, it has been a tough follow-up to a strong 2016 campaign when he posted a .410 on-base percentage and stole 26 bases. After finishing the first half on a 5-for-39 skid, Hudson got off on the right foot after the All-Star Break, going 3 for 5 with a run scored, RBI, and stolen base, highlighted by his role collecting two hits in Salem's nine-run eighth-inning explosion.
Photo Credit: Bryan Hudson by Kelly O'Connor