August 22, 2021 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Mayer notches first home run, Worcester pitches shutout
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Worcester shut out Scranton on Saturday behind an exceptional outing from Connor Seabold. He scattered one hit and a walk over seven innings of dominant work, registering nine strikeouts as well. While Worcester only got four hits, Jack Lopez' two-run double in the sixth was enough to give his team the win. John Schreiber pitched the final two innings in relief without allowing a hit. He also struck out two batters
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It was the Red Sox affiliate that got shut out in Portland, as Binghamton earned the win in the afternoon game of the doubleheader. Two of the Sea Dogs' three hits came from Ronaldo Hernandez, though neither went for extra bases. All four runs went on Brayan Bello's tab, as he allowed seven hits and two walks across five innings of work. He also struck out five hitters. Enmanuel De Jesus handed the final two innings and despite two walks, he did not allow a run or a hit.
There was little joy in Portland, as the Sea Dogs were swept in the doubleheader. The home side was a little better on offense in the nightcap, as four players had a hit each, with Cameron Cannon and Jeisson Rosario each going yard to give their team three runs. Denyi Reyes did not last long, throwing just 1 2/3 innings, though he was not helped by a defense that committed three errors, as all three runs with which he was charged came unearned. Matthew Kent steadied his team, giving them 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief, but Jose Disla gave up another two scores in the sixth, allowing Binghamton to take the victory.
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Elih Marrero led the offense with a pair of hits, accounting for 40 percent of his team's offensive output, also earning a steal of home, but the rest of the Drive struggled at the plate, as the only other run came on a sacrifice bunt by Cole Brannen. Brandon Walter did not allow an earned run across his five-inning start, though two unearned tallies would come across after a fourth-inning fielding error. Walter permitted just two hits and struck out seven Braves. Brendan Cellucci struggled on the mound in relief and did not record an out in the sixth inning, as he gave up three hits and walked another. Two runs would score in the sixth, putting the game out of reach. Yorvin Pantoja and Brendan Nail closed the game out, combining for three innings of no-hit relief.
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It was a wild one in Lynchburg, as the Hillcats had to score four in the ninth to force extra innings. Nick Yorke was the star of the show, drilling two home runs and five RBI as part of a 3-for-6 showing. Matthew Lugo also recorded three hits. Nicholas Northcut, Alex Erro, and Antoni Flores also had multi-hit outings. Jeremy Wu-Yelland was uneven in his start, going 3 1/3 innings. He only surrendered three hits, but two runs came across the plate. Robert Kwiatkowski was the only Salem pitcher to not allow a run, doing so across the seventh and eighth innings.
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Rehabbing arms shut down the Twins early, while the home bats were able to get out to an early lead and withstand a late rally. Colten Brewer and Eduard Bazardo pitched two innings each, surrendering just a baserunner each. However, Bazardo notched four punchouts to Brewer's three. Juan Daniel Encarnacion went through the fifth without issue, but he ran into trouble in the sixth and only recorded two outs in the frame. He hit a batter and walked another, with three hits mixed in, netting the visiting Twins three runs. The home side scored early on a pair of RBI singles from Marcelo Mayer, who was 2 for 5 with four RBI, and Bryan Gonzalez. Mayer also went deep for the first time as a professional in the fifth as part of a seven-run inning. Gonzalez, Nathan Hickey, Eddinson Paulino, Ricardo Cubillan, Phillip Sikes, and Niko Kavadas, who hit a home run, also had two-hit outings. In all, each starter recorded a base knock and the team broke out for 16 hits overall.
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While it was the first chronologically, the Red squad was the second affiliate to be shut out Saturday, as Blue did the honors in an intra-organization battle. There was not much offense to be had as the teams combined for just seven hits. Alixandri Alvarez scored almost all of the game's runs himself, as he cleared the bases with a three-RBI double in the third. He came across the plate on a productive out to complete the game's scoring. It was a true staff day for Blue, with five pitchers combining to handle the nine innings. The second pitcher, Carlos Reyes, had the longest outing, at 2 1/3 innings, also striking out the most batters, at five. All four Blue runs were charged to Starlin Santos, who pitched four innings as a piggyback starter.
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Player of the Day: In a day with a few standout performances, including Marcelo Mayer and Nick Yorke, it was Connor Seabold who earns the nod with a downright impressive pitching performance. He retired 21 of the 23 batters he faced, giving up just one hit against nine strikeouts. With the victory, he earned his first win in the organization and pitched his best game. His season ERA is now down to 3.65 and he has struck out 48 batters over just 37 innings this season.
Photo Credit: Connor Seabold by Kelly O'Connor