August 8, 2018 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Chavis tallies four hits; Chatham powers Salem
8/7 Cup of Coffee: It was a near split on the farm on Tuesday, with three wins, four losses, and one suspended game. Despite Portland dropping its contest, Michael Chavis continues to ramp back up after his 80-game suspension, as the third baseman posted a four-hit night. CJ Chatham (pictured) had a monster game for Salem in support of a strong Jake Thompson start. The PawSox and GCL Sox also turned in victories.
-----
Josh A. Smith turned in a strong start to lead the PawSox. The right-handed Smith went seven full innings, allowing two hits and striking out five without walking a batter. Fernando Rodriguez and Bobby Poyner each turned in a scoreless inning of relief, with Poyner getting credit for the save. Sam Travis extended his hitting streak to nine games with an RBI single in the third inning. Josh Ockimey also added a single and an RBI, while Rusney Castillo added two more hits to his International League leading total.
-----
Portland dropped its series opener at Hadlock despite the efforts of top prospect Michael Chavis. Chavis was 4 for 4 with an RBI, his first four-hit game since last August. The 2014 first-round pick raised his line since rejoining Portland from .196/.328/.411 to .250/.366/.450. Tate Matheny and Jeremy Rivera had two hits apiece for the Sea Dogs. Matthew Kent took the loss, allowing five runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
-----
A monster game from CJ Chatham and an outstanding start from Jake Thompson led the Salem romp. Chatham homered, doubled, stole a base, and drove in four runs as part of a 3-for-4 evening. The 2016 second-round pick went deep for the first time since May 22 as he broke out of a 3-for-21 skid. Thompson turned in one of his strongest starts as a pro, firing six scoreless innings. He gave up just four hits and walked one while striking out four. Brett Netzer doubled as part of a 2-for-4 evening, scoring two runs.
-----
Despite a tough loss, it was another positive development for Pedro Castellanos, who had a double as part of his third consecutive multi-hit game. The first baseman sported just a .592 OPS at the All-Star break but has hit .326/.355/.417 in 34 games since. Starter Jhonathan Diaz struggled, allowing six runs (five earned) in 4 1/3 innings. Diaz struck out five and walked two, and now has 121 strikeouts against just 32 walks on the year.
-----
Vermont Lake Monsters (OAK) @ Lowell Spinners, suspended
The finale of the four-game set was suspended by rain in the top of the fourth inning with Lowell trailing 4-1. The game will resume when Vermont returns on August 23rd, followed by the regularly-scheduled contest.
-----
The GCL Red Sox paired eight hits with eight walks to hold onto a share of first place. Keibert Petit delivered the decisive blow, a three-run fifth-inning homer that put the Sox in the lead for good. Along with his first round-tripper of the year, Petit also walked twice. Jecorrah Arnold had a pair of doubles, and Juan Carlos Abreu compiled three hits. Gregorio Reyes got the start and turned in a strong perfomance, giving up just one hit in three scoreless innings.
-----
A late rally fell short for the Sox, who trailed 7-2 in the eighth. After a couple hitless games cooled off Lewis Baez, the right fielder came back with a strong 2-for-5 effort, notching a triple and two runs scored. Gilberto Jimenez had three hits out of the leadoff spot. Miguel Suero had a rare uneven performance, giving up five runs (four earned) in four innings, raising his ERA from 0.84 to 1.54 in 12 outings split between the two DSL squads.
-----
It was a tough day at the plate, as the Sox notched only three hits off a pair of Indi-Brew hurlers. Kleiber Rodriguez had the only extra-base hit, picking up his 11th double of the season. Starter Irvin Villarroel allowed three runs in five innings, striking out five and walking two.
-----
Player of the Day: CJ Chatham has had a solid 2018 comeback after an injury-plaged start to his pro career. The shortstop entered Tuesday's play with a .294 batting average, but was engulfed in a serious power outage, with only one extra-base hit in his last 25 games. The 2016 second-round pick delivered a home run and a double along with a single to boost his average above .300 and his slugging percentage by 21 points.
Photo Credit: CJ Chatham by Kelly O'Connor
Photo Credit: CJ Chatham by Kelly O'Connor