June 11, 2018 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: De Jesus, Castillo support Smith in PawSox romp
6/11 Cup of Coffee: Ivan De Jesus (pictured) had a big night and Rusney Castillo remains scorching hot to lead the PawSox 11-run assault in support of left-hander Josh Smith. Pawtucket picked up the organization's only win of the day. Kutter Crawford had his toughest start of the season, and Darwinzon Hernandez saw his control abandon him in losses by Greenville and Salem, respectively, while the long ball sunk the Sea Dogs.
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A day after right-hander Josh Smith took the loss for the PawSox on Saturday, left-hander Josh Smith (no relation) allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings of relief to earn the win. The southpaw struck out seven and walked one while giving up only one base hit. Smith followed a rehabbing Tyler Thornburg, who walked one in a hitless first inning.
Pawtucket's 11-run onslaught was led by Ivan De Jesus, who doubled twice, walked, and drove in three runs. Mike Olt hit a three-run homer, his eighth blast of the season, while Mike Miller scored three times as part of a 2-for-3 effort. Rusney Castillo was 1 for 3 with two walks, and is hitting .485/.541/.818 during his eight-game hitting streak.
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A pair of two-run homers doomed Dedgar Jimenez and the Sea Dogs, who dropped the rubber game of their series with the RubberDucks. All four runs allowed by Jimenez came on two round-trippers. In six innings, the big lefty allowed seven hits, struck out seven and walked one. Tanner Nishioka delivered a pair of doubles, his first extra-base hits since joining the Sea Dogs. Jantzen Witte clubbed a sixth-inning solo homer.
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Darwinzon Hernandez couldn't get under control, and a late Salem rally fell short. Hernandez walked four batters and uncorked a wild pitch in the first inning. He escaped allowing only two runs, but needed 45 pitches to get through the inning and did not return for the second. The bullpen put in solid work to keep Salem in the game, allowing only two unearned runs over the last seven innings. Taylor Ahearn did the bulk of the work, eating up four innings and striking out three without walking a batter. Chris Madera picked up three of Salem's eight hits, and a double by Jerry Downs was the squad's only extra-base hit on the day.
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It was a rare tough night for Kutter Crawford, as the Drive's five-game winning streak came to a halt. The 2017 16th-round pick entered with a 1.99 ERA on the year, but surrendered six runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Frankie Rios had a big night at the plate in a losing effort. The third baseman notched Greenville's only extra base hit and was on base four times, going 2 for 3 with two walks. Michael Osinski and Pedro Castellanos also had two hits apiece.
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Player of the Day: The third stint in the Red Sox organization has seen significantly more action for Ivan De Jesus. Twice traded to Boston in August at the tail end of the Triple-A season, the veteran utilityman got 28 plate appearances in Pawtucket in 2012 and nine in 2014. His two doubles on Sunday give him 1,391 hits during 13 seasons of affiliated professional baseball.
Photo Credit: Ivan De Jesus by Kelly O'Connor