May 7, 2021 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Sea Dogs sweep, Yorke grabs two hits
5/7 Cup of Coffee: The Sea Dogs picked up their first two wins of the season with a doubleheader sweep of the Fisher Cats. Outside of that, it was a very rough night on the farm, both on the mound and at the plate. Nick Yorke had a pair of hits for Salem, and the Drive belted three home runs in game one of their doubleheader. Johan Mieses (pictured) hit a huge home run for Portland, while Worcester remains in search of their first win.
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Worcester's tough start to the campaign continued last night, as the Sox struck out 18 times and were held to just four hits, all singles. Jonathan Arauz was the lone bright spot, going 2 for 4 with a run scored. Daniel Gossett was touched up for four runs on eight hits in three innings, taking the loss. Bobby Poyner had a nice night, tossing two scoreless frames in relief. Eduard Bazardo struggled, surrendering four runs (two earned) on three hits in just 2/3 of an inning.
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Portland came roaring back from an early 5-0 deficit, using a six-run fifth inning to take the lead for good. Joey Meneses and Pedro Castellanos each went 2 for 3 to pace the offense. Ryan Fitzgerald added a double, a walk, and two runs driven in. Triston Casas singled and scored twice. Frank German did not make it out of the first inning, walking three and allowing five runs, although only one was earned. The pen picked him up, as Dominic LoBrutto tossed 2 1/3 scoreless frames, Enmanuel De Jesus struck out four in 2 1/3 innings to pick up the win, and Jose Adames grabbed the save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings to close it out.
The Sea Dogs pulled out this back-and-forth game to sweep the doubleheader. Johan Mieses played hero, hitting a go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jack Lopez doubled twice out of the leadoff spot and came around to score both times. Casas struggled in this one, striking out three times in three tries at the plate. Josh Winckowski got the start and had an up-and-down type of game, as he walked four and allowed three runs (none earned), but he also struck out four in 3 1/3 innings and only allowed one hit. Matthew Kent dominated in relief, striking out five and walking none in 3 2/3 scoreless frames.
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Danny Santana was the headline in this loss for Greenville, going 3 for 4 with a home run. He is coming off of an injury and will look to help the big league club at some point soon. First baseman Devlin Granberg also had a big day, going 2 for 3 with a home run and a double. 2019 second-round draft pick Cameron Cannon also left the yard for his first home run of 2021. On the mound, Brian Van Belle allowed three runs in four innings but had a very impressive six strikeouts and no walks. Oddanier Mosqueda also impressed during his two innings with three stakeouts, no walks, and no runs allowed. It was a tough one for Alex Scherff, who took the loss, surrendering four runs with three walks in the seventh inning.
Game two was one to forget. The Drive offense was held to just two hits, both singles. Cannon and Granberg picked up hits while Brandon Howlett drew the Drive only two walks of the night. Yusniel Padron-Artilles struggled in his start, allowing four runs on eight hits in four innings. He did punch out four and only walked one. Zach Bryant, recently picked up from the Cubs, allowed five runs in just 2/3 of an inning. The lone bright spot on the bump was Jose Espada, who struck out the side in the seventh inning.
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The Sox let this one slip away late, as Merfy Andrew allowed four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Ryan Zeferjahn had a tough start, surrendering four runs (three earned) on five hits in just 2 1/3 innings. In between Zeferjahn and Andrew, Robert Kwiatkowski and Cole Milam combined for 4 2/3 hitless innings with four strikeouts and no walks. At the plate, 2020 first-round pick Nick Yorke was the highlight, going 2 for 4 with a stolen base and two runs scored. Nick Decker walked twice and stole a bag, Stephen Scott drew three walks, and 22-year old Jecorrah Arnold tripled and knocked in a run.
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Player of the Day: Danny Santana looks to be just about ready to fully come back and help out Boston in the near future. He went 3 for 4 and hit his first home run of the season. He struggled with the Rangers in 2020, but in 2019 with Texas he hit .283 with 28 home runs and an OPS of .857. He can play pretty much anywhere on the diamond but played shortstop last night.
Photo Credit: Johan Mieses by Kelly O'Connor