July 31, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Kent tosses seven scoreless for Salem
7/31 Cup of Coffee: The PawSox fell in twelve innings on Sunday despite a strong start by Justin Haley in his return to the Red Sox organization. Portland lost a high-scoring game against Harrisburg, with Henry Urrutia's four-hit game the standout performance for the Sea Dogs. Southpaw Matt Kent (pictured) struck out ten in seven shutout innings en route to a Salem win. Lorenzo Cedrola's two-run homer and Hildemaro Requena's five strong innings led Greenville to a shutout win.
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In his first start since being returned to the Red Sox organization after being selected by Minnesota in the Rule 5 draft, Justin Haley allowed one run in six innings. Austin Maddox and Noe Ramirez combined for six strikeouts in three scoreless innings of relief. Kyle Martin blew a save by allowing a run in the tenth then Chandler Shepherd took the loss in the twelfth inning. Bryce Brentz went 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and a walk.
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The Sea Dogs pushed nine runs across the plate on Sunday afternoon and Henry Urrutia was right in the middle of the action, going 4 for 5 with a double, three runs, and two RBI. Catcher Danny Bethea went 1 for 4 and slammed a two-run homer in the second. Jeremy Barfield, fresh off a big day on Saturday, went 1 for 5 with his 18th home run of the season. Starting pitcher Elih Villanueva limped through 2 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on five hits.
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Starting pitcher Matt Kent stole the show on Sunday, tossing seven scoreless frames and allowing just three hits and a walk while fanning ten. Daniel McGrath and Stephen Nogosek each threw a shutout inning in relief. Right fielder Chris Madera reached in all three of his plate appearances, going 2 for 2 with a double, a walk, and a run. Tate Matheny was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
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Center fielder and 38th-ranked prospect Lorenzo Cedrola was the entire offense for Greenville, hitting a two-run homer in the sixth to bring his line to .287/.322/.396 this season. Roldani Baldwin and Steven Reveles were the only other members of the Drive to record a hit. Hildemaro Requena threw five shutout innings, allowing one hit while walking three. Harrison Cooney got the win with two shutout innings of relief and Daniel Gonzalez picked up the save with two more.
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After trailing the entire game, the Spinners put together a five-run rally in the seventh inning but it wasn't enough to overcome Connecticut. First baseman Zach Sterry went 1 for 3 with a double, a run, an RBI, and a walk. Catcher Nick Sciortino went 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI. Yorvin Pantoja started on the mound, allowing four runs in three innings. Lukas Young gave up two runs in three innings of relief before two shutout frames by Juan Florentino.
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Player of the Day: Matt Kent led Salem to victory with a phenomenal start on Sunday afternoon. The 24-year old lefty threw seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out ten in the win. In his second season in Salem, Kent now holds a 3.91 ERA with 110 strikeouts and 29 walks in 129 innings pitched. The Red Sox drafted Kent in the 13th round in 2015.
Photo Credit: Matt Kent by Kelly O'Connor