August 29, 2019 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Three hits for Osinski; Suarez homers
8/29 Cup of Coffee: It was a light day for the system, as rain swept through the northeast and wiped out two of the six games on the docket. The threat of Hurricane Dorian will cause the GCL season to end after play on Thursday and the Red Sox look to end the season on a high note after winning on Wednesday behind three-hit performances from Ceddanne Rafaela and Angel Maita. In Portland, Matthew Kent pitched five effective innings, but the sixth inning proved to be the Sea Dogs' undoing. Michael Osinski (pictured) had three hits, including a pair of doubles in Salem's lopsided loss. Kervin Suarez added a two-run home run for Greenville as well.
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Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Postponed (Rain)
The contest was pushed back to Thursday because of steady rain throughout the afternoon. A doubleheader will begin at 4:35 p.m.
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Portland scored two runs early, but a six-run sixth inning for the home side proved to be the difference. After five frames of one-run ball, Matthew Kent only recorded one out in the sixth and the first three runs of the inning went on his tab after two singles and a walk. Anyelo Gomez did not fare much better in relief, as he issued free passes to the first two batters he faced, followed by a strikeout sandwiched between two hits. Adam Lau did not surrender a hit across 2 1/3 innings to end the game. The Sea Dogs notched only two hits, of which two came from Tommy Joseph, who also recorded both RBI on a single in the second.
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Winston-Salem piled it on late as they pulled away late to top Salem. Daniel Gonzalez was touched for six runs on nine hits, including two home runs. Joan Martinez's outing underwent a similar fate, as six more runs, of which five were earned, crossed the plate on his 1 2/3-inning watch, with another pair of deep flies mixed in. Andrew Schwaab closed the game out with a scoreless eighth. The lone bright spot was Michael Osinski's three-hit, two-double performance at the plate.
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Greenville notched only three hits in the defeat, including a two-run home run from Kervin Suarez. Each of the nine batters struck out at least once. A two-out error from Everlouis Lozada extended the third inning, leading to four unearned runs charged to Alex Scherff. He gave up five runs (one earned) on eight hits across four innings. He struck out five and walked one. Yorvin Pantoja pitched 3 1/3 shutout innings in relief, surrendering just four hits. Robbie Baker completed the game with 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
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Tri-City Valley Cats vs. Lowell Spinners, Postponed (Rain)
The game will be made up as part of a twin bill on Thursday starting at 6:05 p.m.
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In their penultimate game, the Red Sox struck for a run in five separate innings to earn the win. Angel Maita was the headliner offensively, hitting 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles. Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 5 with a double, while Roldani Baldwin added two more hits as well as a pair of RBI. It was a bullpen game for the Red Sox, with six different pitchers getting work in. Gregorio Reyes pitched three innings, allowing just one hit with a pair of strikeouts against a walk. Eddie Jimenez struck out the side in his inning of work.
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Player of the Day: The system went just 1-3, but Michael Osinski stood out, despite a blowout loss for Salem, drilling a pair of doubles in a three-hit evening for the 24-year-old. Osinski has slashed .229/.346/.303 this season, but has done much better in Salem than during his short-lived promotion to Portland. Since returning to Virginia, where he played college ball, Osinski is 4 for 9 with three doubles.
Photo Credit: Michael Osinski by Kelly O'Connor