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June 28, 2018 at 7:00 AM

Cup of Coffee: Houck strikes out seven, Buttrey extends scoreless streak


6/28 Cup of Coffee: It was another day of tough losses for the affiliates as they went 0-5 on the day while Greenville was trailing before its game was suspended. Adam Lind hit another home run in Pawtucket, while Tyler Thornburg made another rehab appearance for the Sea Dogs. Tanner Houck was able to miss bats and limit the walks as he switched up his arsenal, and Ty Buttrey (pictured) extended his scoreless streak to 16 1/3 innings. 

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The PawSox managed only five hits, with a solo home run from Adam Lind plating their only run. Lind has now homered in three of his last four games, and he has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 starts. After snapping his five-game hitting streak yesterday, Sam Travis went 0 for 4 with a strikeout again as his average dipped to .215. William Cuevas was stellar on the mound, allowing three runs, two earned, over 6 1/3 innings. Ty Buttrey struck out two in a scoreless inning, and he now has 13 straight appearances without allowing a run.

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The tough New Hampshire lineup got to Matthew Kent, as he gave up 10 runs on 12 hits over four innings. Tyler Thornburg came on for his third appearance in six days and allowed a solo home run while striking out three over two innings. He has now allowed five earned runs over his last four appearances as the Red Sox are trying to ramp him up for a spot in the major league bullpen. 

The bottom of the order did most of the damage offensively for Portland, led by Johnny Bladel and Austin Rei who each had three hits. Nick Lovullo went 2 for 4 with a triple and drove in two runs, while Josh Ockimey went 0 for 4 and he now has two hits over his last 30 at-bats.

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Tanner Houck showed improvement but ultimately took the loss and dropped to 3-9 on the season. Houck is now back to utilizing his two-seam fastball that he threw in college, and it paid off as he struck out seven and walked only one over 5 2/3 innings. He still allowed three runs on five hits, but it was a step in the right direction for the former first-rounder. Tyler Hill collected three of Salem's seven hits, Santiago Espinal went 2 for 5 with a double, and Bobby Dalbec went 1 for 4 with a double and a walk. 

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Greenville's game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth with the GreenJackets leading 1-0. It was the second straight start where Enmanuel De Jesus had his outing cut short due to the weather, and he allowed one run over 3 2/3 innings. 

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Some rough relief pitching did the Red Sox in as they fell to the Orioles. Nick Duron made his first rehab appearance since getting injured on May 12, and he recorded two outs while also allowing a hit and a walk before being pulled with two outs in the inning due to a conservative pitch count. Jose Bens came on to make his season debut, and he walked all three batters he faced to allow both inherited runners to score. Nicholas Northcut recorded his first hit, going 1 for 4 with a single, and Juan Carlos Abreu went 1 for 3 with two walks and two runs scored. 

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A strong start from Brayan Bello was wasted as the Pirates won in a slugfest. Bello allowed only one run on four hits over five innings, but the bullpen combined to allow nine runs and walk eight over the final four innings. Angel Maita went 4 for 5 and drove in two runs while also scoring twice, and Nelfy Abreu went 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI. 

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Player of the Night: Johnny Bladel reached base four times in five plate appearances in Portland's loss to New Hampshire. The 27-year-old has had a solid start in his first taste of affiliated ball, showing strong plate discipline by walking nine times in 47 plate appearances while posting a .297 batting average. Signed out of the Atlantic League just two weeks ago, Bladel has been a regular in Portland's outfield, manning all three spots while putting up solid numbers. 

Photo Credit: Ty Buttrey by Kelly O'Connor