July 6, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Shawaryn strikes out nine, Castillo returns to PawSox
7/6 Cup of Coffee: It was a night of low-scoring games, with solid pitching performances from Jalen Beeks, Kevin McAvoy, and Mike Shawaryn (pictured), but few standout performances offensively. Five of the eight games ended with shutouts, with the Boston affiliates coming out on top in two of those.
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Brian Johnson gave up hits to five of the first six batters as he took the loss in his second rehab appearance. Johnson surrendered three runs in the first inning, but rebounded to retire 10 of the next 11 batters. Chandler Shepherd and Jamie Callahan each struck out two in their scoreless appearances. Rusney Castillo returned from the disabled list and went 0 for 4, while Jhonny Peralta, Pablo Sandoval, and Bryce Brentz all went 1 for 3, with Brentz adding a double.
Jalen Beeks continued to rack up the strikeouts, leading the PawSox to victory in the second game of the day. Beeks struck out seven over 4 2/3 innings, walking three while striking out seven. He now has 99 strikeouts in 87 innings between Portland and Pawtucket this year. Brandon Workman made things interesting in the seventh, allowing a single and two walks to load the bases, but Austin Maddox came in and got a fly out to end the game.
Steve Selsky went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI to lead the 10-hit attack. Aneury Tavarez also went 2 for 3 after entering the game in a 5-for-33 slump.
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A strong performance from Kevin McAvoy was not enough as Portland managed only four hits. McAvoy went the first 7 1/3 innings allowing two runs, one earned, striking out six while walking a batter. In his first game since having his rehab assignment transferred to Portland, Brock Holt went 1 for 3 as the third baseman. Michael Chavis went 1 for 4, but it was the sixth straight game where he did not collect an extra-base hit.
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Control issues were the only thing holding Mike Shawaryn back from a dominant outing, as he was nearly unhittable while picking up his third win with Salem. He allowed only one hit and struck out nine over five innings, but he also walked five and hit a batter. It was the eighth time this year he had 8 or more strikeouts in a game. Gerson Bautista and Jordan Weems capped the shutout with two innings apiece.
On offense, Jeremy Rivera went 4 for 5 with a run scored, and Tate Matheny went 3 for 5 with a solo home run. The four hits are a career-high for Rivera, while the home run was the fourth of the year for Matheny.
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The Drive left 11 men on base as they were shut out by the Braves. Jhonathan Diaz pitched well, allowing one run over five innings, walking three while striking out five, and Algenis Martinez struck out four over his two scoreless innings. A double from Tyler Hill was the only extra-base hit of the game for the Drive, and Carlos Tovar went 1 for 3 with a walk but also committed an error.
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Lowell Spinners 5, Aberdeen IronBirds (BAL) 3
The Lowell pitching staff was able to limit the damage despite allowing 13 hits as they beat the IronBirds. Nick Duron started and allowed two runs over four innings while striking out three. Keith Law of ESPN.com reported that Duron was sitting 93-97 in the first inning. Joan Martinez pitched well out of the bullpen, striking out four over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. 31st-rounder Michael Osinski had his first career multi-hit game as he went 2 for 3 with a double, and Brett Netzer went 2 for 4 with two RBI as he picked up his first professional hit.
The Lowell pitching staff was able to limit the damage despite allowing 13 hits as they beat the IronBirds. Nick Duron started and allowed two runs over four innings while striking out three. Keith Law of ESPN.com reported that Duron was sitting 93-97 in the first inning. Joan Martinez pitched well out of the bullpen, striking out four over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. 31st-rounder Michael Osinski had his first career multi-hit game as he went 2 for 3 with a double, and Brett Netzer went 2 for 4 with two RBI as he picked up his first professional hit.
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Kervin Suarez continued his hot start to the season, going 2 for 4 with a double, and he now has 12 hits in his first 28 at-bats. Tyler Esplin also added two hits, and Bobby Dalbec went 2 for 4 with a double. The double is the first extra-base hit he has had in 20 at-bats since breaking his hamate bone. Ritzi Mendoza kept his ERA at 0.00 with four more shutout innings, walking two and striking out four. It was the first professional victory for Tanner Raiburn as he went two hitless innings, and Angel Padron earned the save with three innings of one-hit ball.
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A five-run fifth inning propelled the first-place Red Sox to victory. Alexander Martinez was the star again offensively, going 2 for 3 with two doubles and three RBI, and he also added an outfield assist. It was a tough night for Rayniel Moreno as he allowed four runs on seven hits over four innings, but the bullpen was able to come in and shut down the Rays. Luis Rivero earned his fourth victory with three shutout innings, and Antonio Police picked up his first save as he struck out three and did not allow a hit over two innings.
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Player of the Night: Nine strikeouts in five innings from Mike Shawaryn was enough to beat out some other good pitching performances. After striking out more than 13 batters per nine innings with Greenville, Shawaryn now has just under 10 strikeouts per nine innings with Salem. The fifth-round pick is walking people at a substantially higher rate in Salem, but he is still missing bats and allowing less than one hit per inning.
Photo Credit: Mike Shawaryn by Kelly O'Connor