Cup of Coffee: Dalbec delivers decisive dinger; Pedroia and Thornburg quiet in rehab

5/20 Cup of Coffee: Despite just one win on the farm, all four starting pitchers, especially Jhonathan Diaz, pitched well while four different sluggers hit home runs on Saturday. Bobby Dalbec (pictured) had the loudest homer, hitting an eighth-inning shot that proved to be the game-winner for Salem. Dustin Pedroia and Tyler Thornburg were quiet in their rehab appearances at Pawtucket. 

Rochester Red Wings (MIN) 2, Pawtucket Red Sox 1

Mike Olt hit a solo home run in the fifth inning in what was just one of three hits for the PawSox in a loss to the Red Wings. Dustin Pedroia went 0 for 3 in his third game at Triple-A Pawtucket. In eight at-bats, Pedroia has one hit. Also rehabbing, Tyler Thornburg delivered just 1/3 of an inning of relief, allowing two walks. He threw just three of his 11 pitches for strikes. 

Justin Haley suffered his fifth loss of the season, giving up five hits, two earned runs and one walk with six strikeouts. 

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Altoona Curve (PIT) 6, Portland Sea Dogs 3

Chad De La Guerra continues to hit well at Portland, blasting a two-run home run in the Sea Dogs' loss to the Curve. De La Guerra lifted a home run to left-center field to score Danny Mars in the top of the eighth but Portland mustered just one more run in the inning in a comeback attempt that fell short. De La Guerra (2) and Mars (1) combined for three of the Sea Dogs' five hits. Tate Matheny had the other two. Portland was 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

Mike Shawaryn was the tough-luck loser on the mound, pitching six innings and giving up four hits and one earned run while striking out five. 

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Salem Red Sox 6, Wilmington Blue Rocks (KC) 5

Bobby Dalbec delivered what ended up being the game-winning run with a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth as Salem, despite giving up a home run in the top of the ninth, held on for the one-run victory. 

CJ Chatham also homered, with his being a three-run shot in the third inning. It was his first long ball of the season. Jake Thompson allowed two runs on six hits in six innings of work to pick up the win for Salem. The victory inches the Red Sox closer to .500, as they now stand at 18-20 overall.    

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Augusta GreenJackets (SF) 5, Greenville Drive 2

A tough fifth inning proved to be the difference as Jhonathan Diaz gave up four runs on four hits, a hit by pitch, and a wild pitch in the fateful inning and loss to the GreenJackets. Overall, Diaz pitched very well, allowing just those four hits and runs in the inning while striking out nine total. The 21-year-old left-hander threw 61 of his 89 pitches (68 percent) for strikes.   

The Drive accumulated only three extra-base hits as Victor Acosta (2 for 4, run) and Marino Campana (2 for 4, RBI) both tripled in the loss. 

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Player of the Day: The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Bobby Dalbec has been using his size and power to pile up eight home runs in 36 games so far this season. Dalbec added another dinger, which proved to be the difference in Salem's 6-5 win, on Saturday night. The 2016 fourth-round draft pick out of the University of Arizona could use a few more base hits, as he's hitting just .200, but has homered in three of his last five games.

Photo Credit: Bobby Dalbec by Kelly O'Connor

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