August 20, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Beeks goes seven strong in win
8/20 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough day down on the farm, with only two affiliates coming away with victories. Jalen Beeks (pictured) was excellent again to lead the PawSox, while the DSL Red Sox continued their playoff push with another walk-off win. The offenses struggled elsewhere, as Greenville, Lowell, and the GCL Sox combined for only 10 hits in three losses.
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Left-hander Jalen Beeks turned in another quality start to lead the PawSox. Beeks struck out five and walked only one while surrendering a pair of runs while matching a season high with seven innings. In the 14 games he's taken the mound since his promotion from Portland, Beeks has turned in quality starts in nine of them. Tzu-Wei Lin blasted his first home run in 25 games since joining Pawtucket, a decisive two-run blast in the top of the seventh.
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With the score knotted at zero in the third inning of the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, rain tore through the southern tier. The teams will finish the game on Sunday before the regularly-scheduled contest. The other game will be made up on August 25th when Binghamton visits Portland. Before the downpour Kevin McAvoy had thrown three shutout innings.
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After jumping out to a 6-3 lead, Salem was shut down by the Lynchburg bullpen in a 12-inning heartbreaker. Starter Roniel Raudes allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings, striking out five and walking two. Conrad Gregor reached base four times, going 1 for 2 with a double and three walks. Tate Matheny delivered his seventh home run of the season as part of a two-hit night.
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It was a rare ineffective outing from Bryan Mata in the Greenville loss. The 18-year-old righty surrendered seven runs (six earned) on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. Algenis Martinez and Jared Oliver turned in a solid effort in relief, combining for 4 2/3 scoreless frames. Jerry Downs picked up 2 of the Drive's four hits, including a double for the only extra-base hit of the evening.
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Little went right for Lowell on Saturday, as the Spinners managed only two hits off New York third-round-pick Trevor Stephan and a pair of relievers. Boston fourth-rounder Jake Thompson turned in his second straight outing of two scoreless innings, with a walk and strikeout apiece. Garrett Benge and Michael Osinski notched the Spinners' two hits.
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The GCL Sox also struggled at the plate, picking up only four hits while striking out 14 times. Starter Edilson Batista was let down by his defense, as only three of the seven runs he surrendered were earned. Alejandro Rodriguez was excellent in relief, striking out five of the seven batters he faced.
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It was another walk-off win for the DSL Sox, who moved to 42-21 with the win. The winning run came when Ivan Houellemont delivered a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth. Rafael Rincones had a big day at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a double, walk, RBI, and run scored. Starter Luis Colmenares was solid, striking out six and allowing a run on three hits in four innings.
With the win, the Sox keep a 1/2-game lead in the Northwest Division and a 1 1/2-game advantage for the final playoff spot with only seven games remaining.
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Player of the Day: It has been a true breakout season for left-hander Jalen Beeks. After beginning the 2017 campaign as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the system, Beeks has a 2.69 ERA in 23 starts between Portland and Pawtucket to move into the top 10. He has struck out at least five batters and gone six or more innings in five consecutive starts, and he's punched out 81 batters in 81 frames since his promotion to Triple-A.
Photo Credit: Jalen Beeks by Kelly O'Connor