Cup of Coffee: Yairo Muñoz breaks organizational record; Yorke keeps on-base streak rolling

8/15 Cup of Coffee: There was weather all over the place on Saturday, wiping out the majority of the FCL game, while not one, but two Salem games were delayed due to Mother Nature. However, all of the remaining contests were completed as scheduled and it was not a banner day for the system. Salem was blown out and no-hit in the early half of its doubleheader with Fredericksburg, while Portland's bullpen imploded in the seventh after a tremendous start from Brayan Bello that featured nine strikeouts. In Worcester, a four-run eighth was not enough to complete a comeback, though Yairo Muñoz (pictured) extended his hitting streak to 35 games, breaking a Red Sox organization record that was set by Dom DiMaggio in 1949. Lastly, Greenville was walked off on in Bowling Green. While Nick Yorke's 21-game hitting streak was snapped in the no-hit loss for Salem, he did reach base, doing so for the 37th straight game. He would also walk in the nightcap to make it 38 in a row. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 5, Worcester Red Sox 4

While the Red Sox bullpen kept the game close, Worcester could not pull off a come-from-behind victory despite a four-run eighth. However, Yairo Muñoz set an organizational record with a single in the eighth, earning a hit in his 35th consecutive game, breaking a 72-year-old mark. His was one of five Worcester hits, with two coming off the bat of Jack Lopez. It was tough sledding on the mound for Kutter Crawford, who did not escape the fourth inning and gave up all five Syracuse runs. He did so on seven hits, with an additional two walks against four strikeouts. Four pitchers combined to one-hit the Mets the rest of the way, including two innings from Matt Andriese, who surrendered the knock, and 1 1/3 from Alex Claudio.

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Somerset Patriots (NYY) 6, Portland Sea Dogs 2

Brayan Bello twirled a gem for Portland, pitching six innings of one-run ball. He allowed seven hits but did not walk a batter and struck out nine Patriots, using a very effective changeup to keep hitters off-balance all evening. However, after Dominic LoBrutto struck out the leadoff man in the seventh, it went downhill quickly. That would be the only out he would record, as he loaded the bases with a single sandwiched around a pair of free passes before Jake Thompson was brought in for relief. All three of those runs would score, plus two more, as Somerset greeted the right-hander with a two-run double and a three-run homer. Tyreque Reed was the offensive highlight, going 3 for 4 with a double. Portland's only runs came on an error by the shortstop in the first inning, as aggressive baserunning with two outs paid dividends. 

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Bowling Green Hot Rods (TB) 4, Greenville Drive 3 (10 Innings)

It was as close as a game could be. Bowling Green added two in the second, so Greenville responded in the top of the third. Greenville took the lead in the fifth, so Bowling Green responded in the bottom half with a tally of its own. However, Greenville was not given an opportunity to re-tie the game, as Bowling Green walked it off in the 10th. The Drive notched just five hits, of which two belonged to Nick Sogard. Brandon Walter gave his team an opportunity to win, pitching five innings of three-run ball, of which two were earned. He gave up five hits and two walks, but punched out eight Hot Rods. Oddanier Mosqueda followed, pitching three innings of no-hit ball. Zach Bryant handled the ninth without incident, but a single followed by a sacrifice fly was enough to get the runner that started on second home for the walk-off win.

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Frederick Nationals (WAS) 12, Salem Red Sox 0 (7 Innings, Game 1)

Salem was no-hit in the afternoon portion of the doubleheader, though Nick Yorke continued his on-base streak with a walk in the third. He was one of four Salem players to earn a base on balls, but that was the only offense the visitors could muster. Meanwhile, there was plenty for the hosts, scoring five in each of the first two innings. Shane Drohan was on the mound and was unable to get out of the first inning, with the first five runs going on his tab. He allowed four hits and two runs in 2/3 of an inning, with both outs coming on strikeouts. He was relieved by Jordan DiValerio, who had similar troubles in the second, but he took one for the team and was able to get through the third before yielding. Yasel Santana was the only Salem pitcher to not allow a run, doing so over the game's final 1 1/3 innings. This game also featured a one-hour, 10-minute rain delay between the third and fourth innings. 

Salem Red Sox 5, Frederick Nationals (WAS) 3

Salem came back from being no-hit and earned the only win the system earned on the day, despite an 18-minute lightning delay in the middle of the fifth. They got the monkey off their back early, with Nick Yorke extending his on-base streak to an impressive 38 games with a walk, while Matthew Lugo drove him in two batters later with a single. While Fredericksburg added two in the bottom of the second, Darel Belen put his team up for good with an RBI single before Jecorrah Arnold brought him home with his third homer of the year. Gilberto Jimenez added a double and a single, as well. Bradley Blalock handled the bulk of the pitching, throwing 3 2/3 innings of two-run ball. He had plenty of traffic on the bases, with five hits and walks each, but he limited the damage, aided by six strikeouts. Devon Roedahl pitched a clean sixth and seventh to earn the victory.

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FCL Red Sox 0, FCL Twins 0 (Suspended, Rain)

It was a brutal day in Florida, as many of the scheduled games in the Florida Complex League succumbed to rain. The crosstown showdown between Red Sox and Twins was suspended after the top of the second due to rain. Only one batter reached from each team, with Nathan Hickey getting on board in the second via a leadoff walk for the Red Sox. Juan Daniel Encarnacion, who hit a batter to give the Twins their baserunner in the first, did not allow a hit in his only inning of work, but he did strike out a pair.

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DSL Red Sox Blue 3, DSL Red Sox Red 1

Despite some sloppy defense, as each team committed three errors in the seven-inning contest, pitching ruled the day, as the two teams combined for just eight hits. Jean Carlos Reyes had the more impressive outing of the starters, as he pitched four-no hit innings for Blue. He walked one and struck out three as well. He was opposed by Starlin Santos, whose five-inning start wasn't anything to sneeze at. He surrendered five hits, allowing two runs to cross the plate. He allowed a pair of free passes and struck out three. Rivaldo Avila had a two-RBI single in the first for Blue, while the game's other two runs came on a walk and wild pitch.

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Player of the Day: While it was just a single in the eighth as part of a 1-for-4 performance at the plate, that single was historic. Between June 29 and August 6, 1949, Dom DiMaggio set an organizational record, notching a hit in 34 straight games. Yairo Muñoz broke that record on Saturday, extending his hitting streak, which started July 1, to 35 straight contests. Muñoz was hitting .250/.277/.363 entering play on that day. His slash line now reads an impressive .317/.345/.446, raising each statistic more than 50 points. He has hit .396 over his streak, doing so for six weeks, which is an impressive feat.

Photo Credit: Yairo Muñoz by Kelly O'Connor

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