August 18, 2019 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: McGrath hurls Sea Dogs to vicory
8/18 Cup of Coffee: It was a quiet night on the Red Sox farm system, with only two affiliates winning games Saturday evening. Daniel McGrath (pictured) was excellent once again as he pitched Portland to victory, while Lowell fell despite an excellent start from Chris Murphy.
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Despite notching eight hits, the Pawtucket offense was quieted Saturday night as they fell to the Mud Hens. Jantzen Witte had the best night at the plate, singling and doubling while driving in the lone PawSox run on the evening. Also collecting multiple hits were Cole Sturgeon and Bobby Dalbec, who each singled twice. Rusney Castillo notched the PawSox lone extra-base hit of the night with a double. Ryan Weber got the start and was tagged for three runs in four innings. Mike Shawaryn tossed three scoreless frames in relief, while Colten Brewer allowed two runs (one earned) in his inning pitched, and Domingo Tapia tossed a scoreless ninth.
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The Sea Dogs scored two runs in the opening inning that proved to be the difference, as the Portland pitching staff silenced the New Hampshire bats. Jeremy Rivera collected the lone Sea Dog hit of the night and stole a base, but it was Jarren Duran, and Brett Netzer who scored the opening runs for Portland. Daniel McGrath took over from there and never looked back, as the Australian surrendered one run and struck out eight in seven innings pitched. Eduard Bazardo and Dedgar Jimenez finished the game with a scoreless inning apiece, with Jimenez earning the save.
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Salem Red Sox @ Myrtle Beach Pelicans (CHC), PPD (inclement weather)
The Red Sox had their match-up with the Pelicans postponed due to rain Saturday night. The game will be made up today as part of a doubleheader.
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The Drive lost a heartbreaker, as the Crawdads stole home to win it Saturday night. The Drive had kept pace with Hickory for much of the game, thanks in large part to home runs from Brandon Howlett and Jonathan Ortega. Howlett and Ortega each added a single and two runs scored, to cap off a pair of excellent nights at the plate. Alex Scherff was solid in his start, allowing four runs in seven innings pitched. Brendan Nail followed with a scoreless inning, but Devon Fisher lost the game in the ninth.
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Lowell found themselves in a pitching duel for much of Saturday's game, but an offensive outburst in the seventh inning and silent bats doomed the Spinners. Chris Murphy got the start and continued his dominant start to his professional career by tossing four scoreless frames and striking out three. Yasel Santana relieved him and was cruising until things fell apart for him in the seventh when he allowed three runs to cap off his 2 2/3 innings of relief. The Lowell bats were quiet despite the strong pitching performance, with only Gilberto Jimenez notching multiple hits with his two single performance.
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The Red Sox emerged victorious in the first game of their doubleheader thanks to some late-inning heroics from the offense. Nilo Rijo put in a perfect shift at the plate, as he notched two hits (including a double), walked, and drove in a run. Also doubling were the rehabbing Trenton Kemp and Andre Colon, while Tommy Joseph launched his first home run in a Red Sox uniform. Starter Gregorio Reyes did not fare well as he surrendered five earned runs in just four innings pitched. However, the bullpen stepped up to seal the victory, with Jose Larez and Mason Duke combining to toss three scoreless innings and strike out as many batters.
GCL Twins (MIN) 7, GCL Red Sox 4 (Game 2)
The Red Sox found themselves quickly in a hole they could not escape as starter Aaron Perry failed to escape the first inning. Casey Sutherland relieved him with 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball, but Devon Roehdahl allowed three runs in one inning of relief to seal the Red Sox' fate. Zach Schneider closed things out with a perfect seventh, striking out the side. At the plate, Dean Miller launched his third home run as a pro as part of a two-hit night. Bramdon Perez and Daniel Bakst chipped in with two hits apiece, including a double from Perez, but the damage had already been done.
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A late-inning comeback proved the Red Sox undoing as they fell to the Astros. Yorberto Mejicano had a strong day at the dish to lead the Red Sox, as he walked three times and tripled while driving in a pair of runs. Elsewhere Eduardo Vaughan doubled, and Alixandri Alvarez notched a pair of singles. Angel Bastardo got the nod for the Red Sox and was solid, striking out four across five innings in which he allowed three runs. He was followed by Moises Castellanos, who surrendered two runs in as many innings and Adrian Hernandez who allowed an unearned run in his two innings pitched.
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It seemed like Danny Diaz was the only Red Sox batter to show up Saturday, as he provided much of the offense in the Red Sox loss. Diaz collected four hits, including his first home run since returning to the Dominican. Axel James was the only other Red Sox batter to collect multiple hits with a pair of singles. Starter Jose Ramirez got things started off well enough with four innings of one-run ball, but things soon fell apart after that. The bullpen took over from there and was battered, surrendering five runs in just four innings.
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Player of the Day: It comes as no surprise that Daniel McGrath was dominant on the mound for Portland. Despite allowing just one run in seven innings, McGrath failed to lower his ERA which sits at a crisp 1.35 on the season. McGrath continued what has been an unprecedented run of form for the Australian, who has put up career highs (and lows) in nearly every column, including strikeouts, hits, and innings pitched.
Photo Credit: Daniel McGrath by Kelly O'Connor