April 23, 2019 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Houck shines, Dalbec homers in rainy Portland victory
4/23 Cup of Coffee: In a game shortened by rain, Tanner Houck (pictured) stole the show with a dazzling performance and Bobby Dalbec did what he does best by launching his second home run of the year. Greenville was less fortunate than their northern counterparts, dropping their fourth game in five.
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Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) PPD (inclement weather)
The poor April weather continued Monday night, forcing Pawtucket to postpone their Monday night showdown with Lehigh Valley. The game will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 28th.
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The Sea Dogs did not let the rain slow them down, as they were able to do more than enough damage in the five innings played Monday night. More than half of Portland's hits went for extra bases capped off by a fourth-inning home run by Bobby Dalbec. CJ Chatham had a productive day at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored. Adding into the offensive barrage were Luke Tendler, Keith Curcio, and Jerry Downs who each added a double of their own.
On the mound Tanner Houck had his best performance of the young season, his second straight quality start. Houck went all five innings of the rain-shortened game, allowing only a single to the Yard Goat lineup and striking out nine on the way to his second win in 2019.
On the mound Tanner Houck had his best performance of the young season, his second straight quality start. Houck went all five innings of the rain-shortened game, allowing only a single to the Yard Goat lineup and striking out nine on the way to his second win in 2019.
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The Greenville bats fell silent and failed to collect a single extra-base hit. The only player to reach base twice was the recently promoted Jecorrah Arnold, who collected a single and a walk. Jordan Wren added a single and a stolen base, while Devlin Granberg drove in the only Greenville run on the night. Thaddeus Ward got the nod on the mound and struggled from the get-go. While the Greenville defense (two errors) did not help him, Ward was tagged for seven hits and walked four on his way to surrendering six runs (three earned). Coming on in relief, Alex Demchak was much sharper, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out three. Logan Browning finished the game for the Drive with a scoreless inning, striking out one.
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Player of the Night: For the second straight start Tanner Houck has shown just why the Red Sox took him in the first round of the 2017 draft. Rebounding from his Opening Day struggles, Houck has allowed only one run in ten innings pitched over his last two starts and lowered his ERA by more than ten points to a modest 5.14. While many see Houck as a reliever long term, the right-hander is working to solidify himself as a rotation arm in his second full season in professional baseball.
Photo Credit: Tanner Houck by Kelly O'Connor