May 27, 2019 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Ockimey triple lifts PawSox to victory
5/27 Cup of Coffee: The affiliates went 1-4 on Sunday, with the only victory coming from Pawtucket in a split of its de facto doubleheader. Josh Ockimey (pictured) delivered the key hit, while Marco Hernandez continues to impress on the comeback trail. Triston Casas reached base three times in the Greenville loss, while Salem and Portland both stumbled to afternoon defeats.
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Things did not get off to a good start before the rain came on Saturday evening and they did not appreciably improve upon Sunday's restart. The PawSox offense managed only five hits, with the highlight being a seventh-inning solo homer off the bat of Marco Hernandez. Domingo Tapia turned in excellent work out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit across four scoreless innings. Tapia struck out two and walked one.
It was a wild win in the regularly-scheduled contest, with the go-ahead run coming in just about the least likely way possible. Josh Ockimey, sporting extreme platoon splits and less-than-blazing speed, ripped a go-ahead extra-innings triple to left field off of a left-handed pitcher. Ockimey had previously singled, walked, and scored a pair of runs in the game. Mike Shawaryn got the start and was solid after a pair of outings in which he struggled with his control. The former University of Maryland ace allowed three runs on five hits in six innings. Hernandez doubled as part of his one-for-two effort, making him 11 for 31 in eight games since rejoining the PawSox. Cole Sturgeon drove in three as part of his two-hit night.
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Jeremy Rivera led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run, giving the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead. From there on, it was all Altoona. Portland managed only two more hits, a double by Rivera and single by Brett Netzer, as Altoona delivered seven unanswered runs. Brian Johnson allowed five runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings as he continues his rehab stint. Konner Wade made his Sea Dogs debut after signing on Thursdaay out of the independent Atlantic League. Wade allowed two runs in 3 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking a pair.
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The Dash piled up 19 hits on a trio of Salem pitchers during Sunday afternoon's contest. Starter Daniel Gonzalez gave up eight runs on 14 hits in 5 1/3 innings. The bullpen was able to stop the bleeding, even as Winston-Salem continued to compile the hits. Rio Gomez scattered three througout his 2 2/3 scoreless frames, striking out two and walking one. Kris Jackson, making his Salem debut after being added from the Greenville roster, gave up two hits in a shutout inning of work. At the plate, Ryan Fitzgerald and Marcus Wilson both doubled as part of their two-hit efforts. Edward Corcino scored twice and drove in a part.
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Greenville fell Sunday evening despite the efforts of 2018 first-round pick Triston Casas. The first baseman singled twice, walked, and scored a run as he boosted his May slash line to .325/.394/.600. Dylan Hardy tripled and drove in both Drive runs, while Devlin Granberg followed up his four-double day with a single and a walk. Yusniel Padron-Artiles took the loss, giving up five runs on seven hits in five innings. Miguel Suero returned from a stint in extended spring training, making his first appearance since April 10. Suero allowed two runs on three hits in three innings, striking out four without issuing a walk.
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Player of the Day: While it was a down day on the farm both in terms of team and individual performances, the effort of Josh Ockimey led Pawtucket to the system's only victory. The first baseman's triple in the eighth innings plated the go-ahead run and also raised his slugging percentage to .590, tops among players in the system with 50 or more plate appearances.
Photo Credit: Josh Ockimey by Kelly O'Connor