May 28, 2021 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Weber, Politi lead string of great pitching performances
5/28 Cup of Coffee: Pitching dominated throughout the system last night, as all four teams won, with none of them allowed more than two runs. Ryan Weber and AJ Politi (pictured) each went six innings with seven strikeouts. Jonathan Aruaz, Marcus Wilson, and Joe Davis each had productive days at the plate, while the Sea Dogs and Drive saw multiple hit games from eight different players.
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Ryan Weber continued his solid season on the mound with six innings of two-run ball. He struck out seven, walked two, and kept his season ERA a shade under three. Austin Brice, Marcus Walden, and Kevin McCarthy all threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen, with Brice and McCarthy punching out two each. Marcus Wilson had a big night, reaching four times with a single, a double, and two walks. Jonathan Arauz also singled, doubled, and walked twice out of the leadoff spot. Michael Chavis added two hits and a walk, while Franchy Cordero singled and walked in his first game with Worcester.
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Portland picked up their second straight win behind a terrific outing from AJ Politi. The right-hander allowed two runs over six innings with seven strikeouts and just one free pass. Dominic LoBrutto, Zack Kelly, and Josh Adames each tossed a scoreless frame, with Adames nabbing his fifth save. At the plate, Ronaldo Hernandez and Ryan Fitzgerald each doubled twice, while 21-year old Jeisson Rosario went 2 for 5 with a double and two knocked in. Fitzgerald's two doubles now have him tied for the league lead with 11.
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Four Drive hitters singled twice in five at-bats, including Christian Koss, Tyreque Reed, Tyler Dearden, and Devlin Granberg. Reed has hit safely in nine of his past 10 games, while Dearden has a knock in eight of his last nine. Brandon Howlett added a two-bagger as well. The Drive got two excellent pitching performances, as Chase Shugart started and allowed a run over four frames, while Dylan Spacke followed up with four shutout innings. Spacke lowered his ERA to a minuscule 1.26 across 14 1/3 innings so far this year.
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The great pitching continued with Salem, as 20-year old Aldo Ramirez allowed just one run over four innings with five strikeouts and only one walk. Robert Kwiatkowski came on and tossed three scoreless innings, and Ryan Fernandez closed it out with two scoreless innings. Joe Davis led the way at the plate, going 2 for 4 with his second home run of the year. Matthew Lugo also picked up a couple hits, scored a run, and drove a run in.
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Player of the Day: AJ Politi gets the nod after bouncing back from a rough outing last time out. The 24-year old right-hander has a high ERA this year, but he has an impressive 25 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.
Photo Credit: Andrew Politi by Kelly O'Connor