August 10, 2019 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Wilson leads Portland to win
8/10 Cup of Coffee: Marcus Wilson (pictured) led the way for Portland, racking up three extra-base hits. Lowell got some tremendous pitching performances, including 2019 draft pick Ryan Zeferjahn. Triston Casas, Bobby Dalbec, and Gilberto Jimenez continued their solid years with good nights at the plate.
-----
Bobby Dalbec played first base again for the PawSox and went 3 for 4 with a double and his first home run with Pawtucket. Dalbec is now hitting .391 since being promoted to Triple-A. Rusney Castillo also had a good night, going 2 for 4 with a double and his 15th home run of the year. Tzu-Wei Lin grabbed two hits as well. Kyle Hart started and struggled, allowing four runs on six hits in just 1 2/3 innings. Tanner Houck came on in relief and punched out five in 2 1/3 innings of work while giving up a run. Travis Lakins also threw a pair of shutout frames with three strikeouts.
-----
Marcus Wilson had a huge night at the plate for Portland, going 3 for 4 with two doubles and a home run. When Wilson was called back up to Portland on July 14, he was hitting just .188 with the Sea Dogs but has since raised that to .235. Brett Netzer also had three hits, while Joey Curletta and Luke Tendler each picked up two hits. Denyi Reyes picked up his seventh win of the year after surrendering four runs over six innings of work. Eduard Bazardo struck out two in two scoreless innings before Dedgar Jimenez notched his fifth save in a clean ninth.
-----
Salem let this one slip away in the seventh when Zach Schellenger gave up four runs (three earned) in 2/3 of an inning. Jhonathan Diaz was solid to start, allowing just two runs (one earned) over 5 2/3 frames with four strikeouts and no walks. Dominic LoBrutto struck out three in his lone inning. At the plate, Devlin Granberg went 2 for 4 with a double and Ryan Fitzgerald belted his second home run of the year.
-----
Kevin Biondic had a rough go of it, allowing eight runs in five innings with four walks and eight hits allowed. Yoan Aybar was solid out of the bullpen, striking out three in two innings. Triston Casas had a big night, going 2 for 3 with a triple, two walks, a stolen base, and four runs batted in. Tyler Esplin also went 2 for 3 with a pair of walks. Jordan Wren added a double, three RBI, and two walks.
-----
Gilberto Jimenez continued his strong season with a 3-for-4 performance out of the leadoff spot. The center fielder tripled and raised his batting average to .346 this year. Marino Campana went deep for the fifth time and Antoni Flores picked up two knocks. Ryan Zeferjahn was brilliant, tossing a scoreless two innings to begin the game with five strikeouts and one walk without allowing a hit. Robbie Baker was also tremendous in relief, striking out seven without a walk in four scoreless innings. Kris Jackson finished it off with two hitless innings and two strikeouts.
-----
The Sox only had five hits, but two of them were triples, as Ceddanne Rafaela and Angel Maita each roped a three-bagger. Dominic D'Alessandro also had two hits. Blake Loubier allowed a run but struck out five in 2 2/3 innings to start. Devon Roedahl was very solid in relief, striking out four without a walk in 3 1/3 innings.
-----
The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first before play was suspended with two outs in the bottom half of the inning due to rain.
-----
Seven different Sox players had multiple-hit games in the route. Nelfy Abreu went 4 for 6 with a triple and four RBI. Brainer Bonaci also went 3 for 5 with a double and three runs scored in the leadoff spot. Darel Breen scored three times as well as part of his 2-for-5 day. Robinson Montero pitched four innings and got the win, striking out two in four innings while allowing just one hit and zero runs. Beiker Pineda struck out three in three innings and Isaias Ozoria tossed two shutout innings to end it.
-----
The second DSL team also had the bats working and were led by Luis Mota, who went 3 for 4 with three runs and two RBI. Gregori Custodio and Moises Barajas each went 2 for 4 with a double and combined for six RBI. Luis Talavera started and went the first five without allowing a run with four strikeouts. Gregori Segovia gave up three hits and a run, but was able to close it out and strikeout a pair.
-----
Player of the Night: After struggling mightily with Portland to start the year, Marcus Wilson was sent to Salem where he dominated. He earned a promotion back to Portland and has hit .297 with four home runs and nine doubles in 24 games since the recall. The 22-year old outfielder is hitting .285/.377/.516 overall in 100 games between Salem and Portland this year.
Photo Credit: Marcus Wilson by Kelly O'Connor