July 19, 2019 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Cannon breaks out; Howlett rips three doubles
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The PawSox offense generated only three hits as they were unable to take advantage of some solid pitching performances. Travis Lakins returned to the PawSox and got the opener assignment, striking out a pair and giving up one hit in a scoreless first inning. Nathan Eovaldi followed, striking out the side sandwiched around a walk in his lone inning of work. Teddy Stankiewicz gave up just three hits in five innings but was snakebitten by the long ball, surrendering four runs on three round trippers. Tanner Houck fired two scoreless innings that featured one strikeout and one particularly nasty slider.
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Denyi Reyes turned in a gem, combining with Durbin Feltman on the shutout victory. Reyes scattered four hits across seven innings of work, striking out seven and walking only one. The leap to Double-A gave the 2018 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year some difficulties at first, but he has an even 3.00 ERA in 69 innings over the last two months. Feltman bounced back from a pair of tough outings with two hitless frames to close things out. Bobby Dalbec tallied three hits, while Marcus Wilson doubled and scored twice.
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Despite all the help they could get from the Rally Skunk, a late comeback attempt fell short for Salem. Michael Osinski cleared the bases with a double in the bottom of the ninth to bring the Sox within two, but they could not come any closer in the second game of their three game set. Dylan Thompson took the loss, surrendering six runs (five earned) on nine hits in five innings. Zach Schellenger showed no signs of the control issues that have troubled him in 2019. He came on with the bases loaded in the eighth and got out of the jam with a strikeout, then punched out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.
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It was a good night at Fluor Field on Thursday, with several standout performances in the victory. Brandon Howlett (pictured, left) continued his strong play with three doubles, two RBI, and a run scored. The 19-year-old third baseman already has seven doubles on the month, bringing him to 20 for the year. Triston Casas blasted his 17th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh inning that extended the Drive's lead to 4-1. Kole Cottam doubled as part of a three-hit evening, while Devlin Granberg had two hits, a walk, and a steal.
On the mount, Brayan Bello gave up one run on six hits in six strong innings. He struck out six without issuing a walk, his second straight outing without allowing a free pass. Angel Padron gave up just one hit in three scoreless innings to get credit the save.
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The Spinners were already steamrolling the New York-Penn League before the arrival of top draft pick Cameron Cannon. The former Arizona Wildcat was 0 for 4 in his Spinners debut on Monday, but broke out in a big way by going 3 for 4 with a double, walk, two runs scored, and five runs driven in. Cannon got the benefit of being slotted behind Gilberto Jimenez, who turned in three hits of his own and added a walk and pair of runs. It was the 12th multi-hit game in 24 starts for the center fielder. Kervin Suarez was 4 for 4 with a pair of doubles out of the ninth slot in the order. Ryan Zeferjahn gave up a run on three hits in two innings, striking out two and walking one. Miguel Suero got the win in relief, going three innings and giving up two unearned runs.
Lowell completed the sweep and opened up an incredible 7 1/2 game lead in the Stedler Division after just 31 games. Luke Bandy was a catalyst at the top of the order, getting a triple, RBI, and run scored. Jecorrah Arnold doubled and drove in two as part of a two-hit effort. Kelvin Sanchez gave up just one run on one hit in 2 1/3 innings but he struggled with his control. The right-hander walked five and uncorked three wild pitches.
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After surrendering a run in the top of the 10th, the Sox stormed back with two in the bottom of the frame to walk off with the win. Daniel Belen ripped the game winning single, his fourth hit of the night. Belen doubled, walked, drove in two, and stole a base. Brainer Bonaci ran rampant in June, swiping 13 bags, but had been silent on the bases in July until getting his first steal of the month on Thursday. Eduardo Lopez scored a pair of runs despite not recording a hit as he walked three times and reached on an error. Angel Bastardo allowed four runs (two earned) in four innings in his start. Adrian Hernandez was the most effective hurler, giving up just one run on two hits in four frames.
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Bryan Gonzalez led the way in another Domincan Summer League slugfest. The right fielder was on base five times, going 2 for 3 with three walks, a double, two RBI, and a pair of runs scored. Gonzalez had been scuffling of late, going just 6 for 44 in July entering the contest. It was a wild game on both sides, with the two squads combining for 21 hits, 16 walks, eight hit batsmen, and six errors. Gregori Segovia was outstanding out of the bullpen amongst the mayhem, firing four shutout innings, giving up just two hits, striking out four and walking one.
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Player of the Day: Among several great candidates, the performance of Cameron Cannon sticks out. After a slightly frustrating start to his professional career, the shortstop got the Spinners rolling toward their eventual doubleheader sweep with a five-RBI effort. The Division I leader in doubles this season with 29 added his first as a professional.
Photo Credit: Cameron Canon, Brandon Howlett by Kelly O'Connor