August 16, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Requena carries Drive with solid start
8/16 Cup of Coffee: With few wins to be found in the system, Hildemaro Requena stood out with an impressive start for Greenville. Rusney Castillo (pictured) provided the little offense Pawtucket could muster. Danny Mars led a 10-hit Portland attack, but the Sea Dogs still fell. Three Lowell players participated in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game.
-----
The PawSox fell in the first tilt of Tuesday's doubleheader despite outhitting Louisville 10-9 in the game. Part of the problem was that only two of those ten hits were for extra bases. Rusney Castillo went 2 for 4 and drove in Pawtucket's lone run. Sam Travis also added a pair of hits, going 2 for 3. Justin Haley took the tough-luck loss, going the full six innings in the shortened game. He scattered nine hits, giving up three runs while walking two and striking out four.
Playing as the "home team" in Louisville as part of a makeup game, the PawSox were left wanting for slugging, collecting just six singles in the game. Castillo again drove in his team's lone run. Jake Romanski was the only Sox player to collect more than one hit, going 2 for 3. Carson Smith did not fare well in a rehab appearance, allowing two runs on three hits in just 1/3 of an inning. Marcus Walden took the loss, giving up three runs (two earned) in four innings of work.
-----
Portland racked up 10 hits, but its two through five hitters went a combined 1 for 16, quashing hopes for a rally. Danny Mars led the offense with a 2-for-5 night with two RBI. Jordan Procyshen went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Teddy Stankiewicz took the loss, despite authoring a quality start. He gave up three runs on seven hits in six innings of work. He walked two and struck out three.
-----
Salem was held without a hit from the third inning on and collected just two hits overall. Jordan Betts provided Salem's lone run with his 13th home run of the season. Matthew Kent allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. He walked four and struck out five.
-----
Hildemaro Requena impressed on the mound for Greenville, hurling six shutout innings. He gave up just four hits - all singles - walking three and striking out four. Joan Martinez excelled out of the bullpen, striking out four in two shutout innings. Brett Netzer went 1 for 3 with an RBI. Tyler Hill drove in the eventual game-winning run on an RBI groundout.
-----
All three Lowell Spinners who made the North All-Stars saw action in Tuesday's exhibition. Garrett Benge started the All-Star Game at third base, hitting fifth. He went 0 for 1 with a walk. Yoan Aybar came off the bench to play center field, going 0 for 2 at the dish. Denyi Reyes pitched the fifth inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk.
-----
A four-run ninth inning sank the GCL squad, as Jose Gonzalez could not hold on for the save. Angel Padron put together an excellent start, going five shutout innings. He allowed just three hits, walking two and striking out four. Andre Colon drove in his team's lone run. Pedro Castellanos went 2 for 4 with a double
-----
The DSL squad was held to just one hit in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader, but still managed to pull out the the win. Rafael Rincones was credited with a steal of home during a pickoff attempt. Keibert Petit, who collected the team's only hit, scored on an error. Rayniel Moreno was superb in his start, going six shutout innings. He gave up just three hits while walking two and striking out two.
A five-run third inning sank the Sox in game two. Rafael Rincones went 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Jonathan Diaz went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.
-----
Player of the Night: No one player stood out, but Hildemaro Requena impressed with his six shutout innings. The 20-year-old Venezuela native converted to a starter on July 24 and has excelled in the role. In five starts he has a 1.00 ERA in 27 innings pitched.