May 26, 2019 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Granberg knocks 3 doubles; Ward throws 7 shutout frames
5/25 Cup of Coffee: It was an up and down night for the Red Sox farm system, with performances ranging from stellar to disastrous. For the third straight start, Thaddeus Ward was superb while an offensive barrage led by Devlin Granberg (pictured) helped Greenville to sweep their doubleheader in Augusta. In Portland, the Sea Dogs came out on top against Altoona, but Salem found themselves on the wrong side of an offensive outpouring and was subsequently routed by their Winstonian counterparts.
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Pawtucket Red Sox @ Rochester Red Wings (MIN) Suspended
The rain delayed Pawtucket's misery, as their showdown with Rochester was suspended due to poor weather. This will count as little relief to start Erasmo Ramirez however, as he is still in line for the loss after surrendering six runs in his lone inning on the mound. The game will be resumed tomorrow at 5:05 p.m.
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It took a team effort for Portland to overcome Altoona Saturday afternoon, with eight Sea Dogs batters collecting a hit. Tate Matheny and Jeremy Rivera lead the way at the plate, each collecting two hits with Matheny adding a double. Batting from the two-hole, Brett Netzer also doubled and added a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Josh Tobias also drove in a run and scored. Rebounding from a tough outing. Tanner Houck was solid on the mound. The 2017 first-rounder surrendered three runs in six innings of work, while striking out seven. Daniel McGrath relieved him and put in an excellent shift, striking out two across two perfect innings. To close out the game, Brian Ellington also contributed a scoreless inning, lowering his ERA to a sizzling 1.54 on the season.
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It was a tough night for Salem, as they were routed by the Dash despite only giving up four extra-base hits on the night. Jake Thompson got the start and set the tone for the Salem pitching staff by surrendering five runs in his 4 1/3 innings on the bump. The Salem bullpen fared little better, getting roughed up for a combined 12 runs. In his debut for the Red Sox, the newly signed Edgar Corcino got off to a strong start with a solo home run and a sacrifice fly. Also chipping in for Salem were Nick Lovullo, who singled twice, and Ryan Fitzgerald, who singled and drove in a run.
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For the third start in a row, Thaddeus Ward has delivered at least seven innings of scoreless baseball for the Drive. Ward needed only 85 pitches to complete the abbreviated game for Greenville, allowing only two base runners to give the Drive the win in the opening game of the doubleheader. At the plate Grant Williams collected two hits, including a double, and has now hit safely in eight of his last nine movies. Kervin Suarez and Devlin Granberg each contributed a double apiece, while Kole Cottam singled, walked, and scored two runs.
While the opening game of the doubleheader was relatively tame, the nightcap had more than enough excitement for the fans as Greenville came out on top of an extra-inning slugfest. Devlin Granberg was the catalyst for Greenville, smacking three doubles and involving himself in four of the Drive's 16 runs. Batting right behind Granberg, Jordan Wren was not to be outdone, doubling twice, stealing two bases, and driving in four runs while batting cleanup. Grant Williams followed up on his solid effort from the early game by adding another three hits, giving him five on the day. Hunter Haworth got the start in the bullpen game, surrendering two runs in two innings. Yoan Aybar followed with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, but the Drive bullpen struggled for much of the game until Jonathan Ortega came through in extra innings with three innings without an earned run.
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Player of the Day: Since being drafted by the Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, Devlin Granberg has done nothing, but hit. With his three doubles Saturday night, Granberg has now launched 16 extra-base hits in 2019 and raised his batting average to .310. The first baseman has thrived for Greenville thus far and is looking at an early promotion from what can now be seen as a conservative assignment.
Photo Credit: Devlin Granberg by Kelly O'Connor
Photo Credit: Devlin Granberg by Kelly O'Connor