June 7, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Mata strikes out six, Chavis collects three more hits
6/7 Cup of Coffee: Rain washed away both the Pawtucket and Portland games, but in the lower minors Michael Chavis and Bryan Mata (pictured) each had strong nights as their prospect status continues to rise. Dedgar Jimenez and Josh Ockimey also turned in good performances for Salem, while Greenville's offense could not provide any support for Mata.
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Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Syracuse Chiefs (WAS), PPD rain
Tuesday's game was rained out, and it will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday beginning at 11:05 a.m.
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Portland Sea Dogs vs. Akron RubberDucks (CLE), PPD rain
The Sea Dogs were also rained out, and they will be playing a doubleheader on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
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Michael Chavis now has multiple hits in three of the six games in June, as he went 3 for 4 with a double to lead Salem. This was his fifth three-hit game of the season as he raised his average to .346 on the season. Tate Matheny also added three hits to break out of a 4-for-41 slump, and Josh Ockimey added two singles in four at-bats.
Dedgar Jimenez improved to 7-1 on the season with six innings of one-run ball, and Trevor Kelley went 1 2/3 scoreless innings for his fifth save of the year. Kelley struck out three of the seven batters he faced, while Jimenez struck out seven while allowing eight hits.
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The Drive managed only four hits as they could not support another strong start from Bryan Mata. Mata went the first six innings, striking out six and walking one while allowing four hits. It is the second straight start where Mata has gone six innings and struck out six as the 18-year-old continues to impress. Ryan Scott had two of the Drive's four hits and drove in the only run, and Santiago Espinal went 1 for 4 with a stolen base.
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The DSL Red Sox picked up their first win of the season, tripling up the Athletics. Gregory Santos and Manuel Ramirez each threw three scoreless innings, with Ramirez picking up the victory. Freiberg Marin went 3 for 5 with two RBI and a stolen base, Jose Mejias went 2 for 4, and Ronaldo Pulgar went 1 for 2 with two walks.
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Player of the Night: The Bryan Mata bandwagon is quickly filling up, as the right-hander turned in another solid performance despite being the youngest player in the South Atlantic League. With 16 strikeouts over his first 15 innings, Mata is more than holding his own, and batters are hitting only .200 off of him. While the sample size is still very small, it is hard not to get excited about Mata, who skipped both the Gulf Coast League and New York-Penn League to join the Drive last month.
Photo Credit: Bryan Mata by Kelly O'Connor