July 7, 2018 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Montero strikes out nine, Dalbec homers again
7/7 Cup of Coffee: There were several good performances on the farm last night, but none were better than Alexander Montero's (pictured) start for Lowell. Bobby Dalbec stayed hot at the plate, while Ty Buttrey, Trey Ball, and Jake Cosart all kept their good runs going. Kyle Hart had a solid outing for the Sea Dogs and Angel Maita continued to swing the bat well in the GCL.
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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 3, Pawtucket Red Sox 2
After his start got rained out on Thursday, Justin Haley got the ball on Friday, tossing three innings while allowing two runs. Josh A. Smith allowed a run for the first time in four appearances, giving up one over four innings. Ty Buttrey allowed two hits and struck out two in a scoreless ninth. The PawSox managed only four hits, with both Tzu-Wei Lin and Sam Travis walking twice and singling.
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Portland Sea Dogs 5, Hartford Yard Goats (COL) 3
A quality start from Kyle Hart and strong relief work from Trey Ball and Jordan Weems led Portland to its third straight win over Hartford. Hart struck out eight and surrendered three runs over six innings, while Ball struck out three over two shutout innings. Weems picked up his second save with a scoreless ninth. Things have clicked for Ball as of late, allowing one run over his last eight innings, walking one and striking out 10.
Tony Renda led the offense with a 2-for-4 night, with both hits going for doubles. Jordan Betts went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts, but the one hit was a solo home run.
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Salem Red Sox 5, Potomac Nationals (WAS) 4
Bobby Dalbec launched his 18th home run of the year, a two-run shot, and he now has 14 extra-base hits over his last 15 games. The home run was in support of Jake Thompson, who improved to 4-7 while snapping a four-game losing streak. He allowed three runs over five innings, walking three and striking out one. Kevin McAvoy was terrific in relief, striking out six and allowing one run over three innings, and Jake Cosart earned his fifth save with a scoreless ninth, extending his scoreless streak to 11 1/3 innings.
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Greenville Drive 7, Columbia Fireflies (NYM) 3
Despite allowing 12 baserunners over five innings, Hildemaro Requena was able to hold the Fireflies to three runs and pick up the win. Durin O'Linger made sure they did not get any closer with three shutout innings. Three Drive hitters had multi-hit nights, with Kervin Suarez going 2 for 4 with a double and a triple, while Pedro Castellanos and Marino Campana each went 2 for 4 with a double.
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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 3, Pawtucket Red Sox 2
After his start got rained out on Thursday, Justin Haley got the ball on Friday, tossing three innings while allowing two runs. Josh A. Smith allowed a run for the first time in four appearances, giving up one over four innings. Ty Buttrey allowed two hits and struck out two in a scoreless ninth. The PawSox managed only four hits, with both Tzu-Wei Lin and Sam Travis walking twice and singling.
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Portland Sea Dogs 5, Hartford Yard Goats (COL) 3
A quality start from Kyle Hart and strong relief work from Trey Ball and Jordan Weems led Portland to its third straight win over Hartford. Hart struck out eight and surrendered three runs over six innings, while Ball struck out three over two shutout innings. Weems picked up his second save with a scoreless ninth. Things have clicked for Ball as of late, allowing one run over his last eight innings, walking one and striking out 10.
Tony Renda led the offense with a 2-for-4 night, with both hits going for doubles. Jordan Betts went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts, but the one hit was a solo home run.
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Salem Red Sox 5, Potomac Nationals (WAS) 4
Bobby Dalbec launched his 18th home run of the year, a two-run shot, and he now has 14 extra-base hits over his last 15 games. The home run was in support of Jake Thompson, who improved to 4-7 while snapping a four-game losing streak. He allowed three runs over five innings, walking three and striking out one. Kevin McAvoy was terrific in relief, striking out six and allowing one run over three innings, and Jake Cosart earned his fifth save with a scoreless ninth, extending his scoreless streak to 11 1/3 innings.
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Greenville Drive 7, Columbia Fireflies (NYM) 3
Despite allowing 12 baserunners over five innings, Hildemaro Requena was able to hold the Fireflies to three runs and pick up the win. Durin O'Linger made sure they did not get any closer with three shutout innings. Three Drive hitters had multi-hit nights, with Kervin Suarez going 2 for 4 with a double and a triple, while Pedro Castellanos and Marino Campana each went 2 for 4 with a double.
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There was good pitching on both sides, with Lowell starter Alexander Montero shining the brightest. Montero struck out nine and allowed only one run on two hits over 5 1/3 innings, and he now has 21 strikeouts in just 19 1/3 innings. Alberto Franco struck out three over 1 2/3 innings but surrendered a two-run home run in the bottom of the tenth to end the game. Lowell had taken the lead in the top half of the 10th when Nicholos Hamilton, who started the inning on second base, advanced to third on a balk and scored on a wild pitch. Tyler Esplin went 1 for 3 with a triple and a walk, while Michael Chavis went 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout.
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The Red Sox drew eight walks but only could push across two runs in a loss to the Twins. Jecorrah Arnold had one of the team's four hits, going 1 for 2 with a double and an RBI, and Juan Hernandez also added a double. Ryan Fernandez struck out three over two scoreless innings and Andres Jimenez allowed his first run of the season. He now has an ERA of 0.90 over 10 innings.
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Erick Flores went 3 for 3 with a stolen base and two RBI to lead the Red Sox to victory. Fabian Andrade went 2 for 4 with a double and Carlos Sanchez launched his first career home run. Kelvin Sanchez was dominant on the mound, earning the victory with six innings of one-run ball, with a solo home run being the only blemish. He walked one and struck out five. Carlos Cortes got the save with two scoreless innings, striking out two.
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Angel Maita led the way again, going 2 for 4 with a stolen base, and Ronaldo Pulgar also had two hits while driving in four runs. Robinson Montero earned the win with three scoreless innings, and starter Irvin Villarroel was pulled with nobody out in the fifth after allowing four runs in the inning.
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Player of the Night: Alexander Montero continues to impress for Lowell, striking out nine in only 5 1/3 innings. The 20-year-old lowered his ERA to 1.86 and he has allowed only 12 hits in 19 1/3 innings. The Red Sox thought highly enough of Montero to send him right to the New York-Penn League instead of the Gulf Coast League, and he has been up to the challenge over his first four starts.
Photo Credit: Alexander Montero by Kelly O'Connor