August 16, 2018 at 6:40 AM
Cup of Coffee: Jimenez hurls five hitless frames; Lopez drives in three
8/16 Cup of Coffee: It was an even day on the farm, as the eight affiliates went 4-4 on Wednesday. Greenville had 14 hits in the best offensive performance, with three different players having three base knocks. Up in Portland, Deiner Lopez (pictured) was 2 for 4 with three RBI in the No. 9 hole and Kleiber Rodriguez drove in three more for DSL Red Sox2, while Durbin Feltman surrendered his first run in Salem, and Lowell committed five errors in a loss.
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At the top of the lineup, Tzu-Wei Lin was 3 for 5 with a triple but it was not enough as Pawtucket fell on Wednesday. William Cuevas struggled with his control, walking four in five innings of work. That ended up netting the Tides four runs on nine hits. Matthew Gorst and Bobby Poyner did not do much better in relief, as each allowed a pair of runs in a pair of innings. Rusney Castillo added two hits.
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Portland blew a 5-1 lead after six innings, but they grabbed a run in the bottom of the eighth to take the win. Dedgar Jimenez pitched five no-hit innings, but he did walk four batters against six strikeouts. Jake Cosart allowed four runs (three earned) in the seventh after a scoreless sixth and Trey Ball allowed an unearned run in the eighth to tie it. Offensively, Jeremy Rivera and Deiner Lopez each had two hits, with Lopez adding three RBI.
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Salem struggled offensively all evening, only notching two hits as the Keys scored a run in each of the final four innings to take the victory. Kevin McAvoy was strong through four but allowed a run in each of the fifth and sixth innings on five hits. He walked three and struck out three as well. Durbin Feltman surrendered a run on three hits in the eighth, his first run allowed in Salem.
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Marino Campana, Pedro Castellanos, and Everlouis Lozada each had three hits as part of a 14-hit Greenville attack. Campana and Lozada each had an RBI and Kervin Suarez added two more. Angel Padron delivered six one-hit innings with two walks against five strikeouts. Lukas Young struggled in relief, allowing four runs on three hits in just 2/3 of an inning. Zach Schellenger allowed merely one hit in 1 1/3 innings and Rio Gomez completed the game with two runs allowed on two hits in the ninth.
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Aberdeen jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after two innings thanks in part to three Lowell errors and rode the momentum to victory. Grant Williams, who was 2 for 3, had an RBI, as did Xavier LeGrant. In addition to Williams, Tyler Dearden and Jonathan Ortega had two base knocks. Taylor Ahearn was pulled early after he allowed five runs in 1 1/3 innings, though only one was earned. Logan Browning came on in for 2 2/3 innings of relief, allowing two hits while striking out six. Victor Garcia, Tanner Raiburn, Francisco Lopez-Soto and Danny Bethea each contributed a shutout inning.
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Brandon Howlett and Nicholas Northcut provided the only offense the Red Sox needed, with each adding two RBI. Howlett's came on a two-run home run in the top of the first. Yasel Santana struck out seven in five innings while allowing two runs on six hits. Angel Rodriguez allowed three walks but only one hit in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Bryan Herrera finished it off with a pair of strikeouts in a perfect ninth.
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Kelvin Sanchez allowed just one run on four hits in six innings of work, walking one against six strikeouts, but it wasn't enough. Fabian Andrade had three of the seven Red Sox hits, while Gilberto Jiminez and Carlos Sanchez drove in the runs. Alvaro Leal was charged with a blown save, allowing two runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three as well.
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The Red Sox were up 6-0 headed into the bottom of the sixth, but the Pirates were able to make it interesting. Nelfy Abreu led the offense with a 4-for-6 day, while Kleiber Rodriguez was 2 for 3 with three RBI. Gregori Custodio also had a multi-RBI day. Jorge Rodriguez pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Richardson Jiminez gave up three more runs (two earned), while Hansel Viola had 2/3 perfect innings to close the game out.
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Player of the Day: It's not often the No. 9 hitter provides the production that Portland got from Deiner Lopez on Wednesday. His 2-for-4, three RBI evening included a double and helped the Sea Dogs to a one-run win. The 24-year-old Venezuelan missed the first 50 games of the season due to testing positive for amphetamines and has spent time in Salem, Portland, and Pawtucket this year. In 34 games with the Sea Dogs, he's now slashing .202/.232/.311 after his sixth double helped get him to 10 RBI on the year.
Photo Credit: Deiner Lopez by Kelly O'Connor
Photo Credit: Deiner Lopez by Kelly O'Connor