September 2, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Barfield, Ball lead Portland to win
9/2 Cup of Coffee: Jeremy Barfield (pictured) produced another big night offensively, blasting a home run and a double in Portland's win. Tzu-Wei Lin had a nice game before his call up, and Trey Ball pitched well en route to his seventh win.
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Brian Johnson had a rough outing, allowing five earned runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked one during his fourth loss of the year. Kyle Martin struggled a bit with control, walking three, but limiting the damage to one run in his two innings. Brian Bogusevic had a big night, going 2 for 5 with his 12th home run and three RBI. Matt Dominguez also went 2 for 5 with his 14th home run. Tzu-Wei Lin went 1 for 3 with a pair of walks before being recalled to Boston after the game.
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Trey Ball struck out just one batter in six innings, but still managed to allow just two runs on four hits as he picked up his seventh win. Jacob Dahlstrand tossed two scoreless innings and Trevor Kelley finished it off with a shutout frame. Jeremy Barfield led the way, belting a three-run homer, his 27th of the season, as part of a 2-for-4 night. Henry Urrutia also had a nice game, going 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run. Jordan Procyshen laced a two-run double as well.
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Salem was postponed due to rain, but Frederick won again last night, meaning Salem has fallen two-and-a-half games behind. Salem has just four games left, as the makeup game will be played as part of a doubleheader on Sunday.
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Darwinzon Hernandez struggled, surrendering four runs on eight hits in just four innings, pushing his ERA over four. The bullpen kept the Drive in the game, as Robby Sexton and Jared Oliver each tossed two shutout innings, with Sexton punching out three. Jerry Downs went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBI, and Carlos Tovar had two hits including a double out of the leadoff spot.
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The Lowell bats couldn't get anything going with runners in scoring position, going just 1 for 10 with RISP and leaving 14 runners on base. Tanner Nishioka was the highlight offensively, going 3 for 4 with a double and a stolen base. Nick Duron was solid, allowing just two runs in five innings with three strikeouts and no walks. Mitchell Osnowitz also pitched very well in relief, not allowing a run in three innings with four punch outs.
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In game one, the Sox walked off with two runs on the bottom of the ninth, with the tying run scoring on a bases-loaded walk and the winning run scoring on a wild pitch. Pedro Castellanos went 1 for 2 with a double and a walk and Eddy Reynoso went 1 for 3 with a double. Fernando Rodriguez started and threw two shutout innings. Victor Garcia got a blown save and the win, striking out seven and allowing three runs in four innings.
The Sox were blown out in game two, as Edilson Bautista allowing nine runs (five earned) on eight hits, three walks, and just one strikeout in 2 2/3 innings. Hunter Haworth was much better, firing 3 1/3 shutout frames with six strikeouts, no walks, and no hits allowed. Ricardo Cubillan had the only hit for the Sox, a single.
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Player of the Night: Jeremy Barfield homered for the third consecutive game to give him 27 on the season now. Barfield has been incredible for Portland, as his 27 long balls have come in just 92 games and 384 plate appearances. The 29-year old has been a great story this year, signing a contract with Boston in May after playing Independent ball.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Barfield by Kelly O'Connor