April 27, 2018 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Dalbec and Mata lead Salem, De Jesus dominates for Greenville
4/27 Cup of Coffee: It was poised to be a light night on the farm with Pawtucket and Portland having scheduled off days, but there were plenty of intriguing performances in the lower levels. Bobby Dalbec and Bryan Mata helped lead Salem, while Enmanuel De Jesus (pictured, right) and Lorenzo Cedrola came up to help Greenville get back on track.
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Two doubles from Bobby Dalbec and a solid performance from Bryan Mata highlighted Salem's victory. Mata only went four innings but he did not allow a run and surrendered one hit. His control issues were still present as he walked two and hit two batters, but he also induced eight groundouts without allowing a fly out. Daniel Gonzalez improved to 3-0 with three innings of two-run ball, and Matthew Gorst picked up his second save with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Gorst has now allowed two runs and struck out 12 over 10 2/3 innings to start the year.
Dalbec and Jerry Downs led the offense, with Dalbec going 2 for 4 with two doubles and a walk and Downs adding three hits while driving in two runs. Of Dalbec's 15 hits this year seven have gone for extra bases. Ryan Scott, Kyri Washington, and Roldani Baldwin all had two hits as part of the 14-hit offensive attack.
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Down 7-0 after four innings, the Drive rallied but ultimately came up just short. Nick Duron was hit hard, allowing seven runs, five earned, over four innings as his ERA ballooned to 9.00. Enmanuel De Jesus was tremendous in relief, striking out eight over four shutout innings in his first appearance of the year.
Victor Acosta continued to hit the ball hard in his return from the disabled list as he went 3 for 5 with an RBI, and Kervin Suarez went 2 for 5 with two doubles. The Drive made a flurry of roster moves before the game, with De Jesus and Lorenzo Cedrola being two of the bigger additions. Cedrola led off and went 2 for 5 with a stolen base.
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Player of the Night: It was quite a season debut for Enmanuel De Jesus as he tied a career high with eight strikeouts. After starting the year on the disabled list, the 21-year-old proved he is healthy and ready to make an impact on a struggling Greenville squad.
Photo Credit: Enmanuel De Jesus by Kelly O'Connor