May 10, 2021 at 6:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Scott and Mieses hit two home runs; Ramirez pitches well for Salem
5/10 Cup of Coffee: The bats combined to slug 10 home runs across the minor league landscape, led by Johan Mieses and Stephen Scott (pictured, right) who hit two apiece. Aldo Ramirez was solid in his first uninterrupted start of the season, and Andrew Politi had an up-and-down start for Portland. Monday will be an off day all season for the affiliates, so look for the action to resume on Tuesday.
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The first start of the season at second base for Connor Wong was one to forget, as he committed three errors that led to three unearned runs in a loss for the WooSox. The pitching was otherwise dominant, combining to walk one and strike out 13. Ryan Weber struck out six and allowed four runs (one earned) in 3 1/3 innings. Bobby Poyner followed with three strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball, and Kevin McCarthy and Kaleb Ort each struck out two in a scoreless inning.
After struggling in his first three games, Jeter Downs has quickly turned things around, going 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base on Sunday. He has stolen a base in each of his last three games. After collecting three hits in two straight games, Jarren Duran cooled off by going 0 for 3 with a walk, though he did add an outfield assist. Other than Downs, the only player to have a hit was Yairo Muñoz who went 2 for 4 with a strikeout.
The WooSox now head home to Worcester where they will make their debut at Polar Park on Tuesday against the Syracuse Mets.
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A six-run eighth inning propelled Portland to victory as they won five out of the six games against New Hampshire. Johan Mieses remained locked in at the plate, going 2 for 4 with two home runs and three RBI. He already has four home runs in only 16 at-bats. Also going deep in this game was Joey Meneses, who connected for his first of the year. Other than Mieses, the hottest hitters on the team have been Jack López and Jeisson Rosario, and that trend continued on Sunday. López went 2 for 5 with three RBI, and Rosario went 1 for 4 with a double, walk, and two RBI. Triston Casas went hitless in three at-bats but did draw this first two walks of the year and scored a run.
On the mound it was mixed results for Andrew Politi as he struck out seven and walked two in 4 2/3 innings, but he also allowed two earned runs and gave up three extra-base hits. The win went to Dominic LoBrutto who tossed two shutout innings of relief.
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It was a classic minor league baseball game, as the Drive scored 15 runs on 11 hits thanks to eight walks and four home runs. Tyreque Reed and Devlin Granberg each had two hits including a home run while scoring three runs apiece. Nick Sogard and Cole Brannen also added home runs, while Tyler Dearden went 2 for 3 with two walks and four runs scored.
It was a strong start to the season for Chase Shugart who fired three scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out three. The win went to Dylan Spacke as he allowed one run in three innings, and Jacob Wallace worked around two hits to pitch a scoreless ninth inning.
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Behind the top of their order, the Red Sox earned a split in the six-game series with the Shorebirds. Leadoff man Gilberto Jimenez boosted his average over .300 on the young season with a three-for-five performance that included a double and his third stolen base of the year. Nick Yorke went just 1 for 5 but did drive in two runs, while Stephen Scott went 3 for 4 with two home runs, a walk, and three RBI. Jaxx Groshans recorded his first hit of the year count as he hit a solo shot in the ninth inning to put an insurance run on the board.
After his first start ended abruptly due to a rain delay, Aldo Ramirez was able to throw four innings in this one, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out four without walking a batter. Robert Kwiatkowski was hit hard in his two innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, but Jordan DiValerio came in and put out the fire with five strikeouts in two shutout innings to earn the win.
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Player of the Day: It looked like Johan Mieses was going to take the award but Stephen Scott was able to do just enough to beat him out. Scott was on base four times and hit two home runs to raise his season line to an absurd .462/.650/1.154. A 10th round pick in the 2019 draft out of Vanderbilt, Scott looks to be splitting his time between first base and catcher in 2021. The soon-to-be 24-year-old is a couple years older than the average player in Low-A, so it would not be surprising to see him move quickly if he is not being challenged at the level.
Photo Credit: Stephen Scott by Kelly O'Connor