August 9, 2021 at 6:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Yorke homers twice; Bello strikes out 11
8/9 Cup of Coffee: All of the pitching performances gave the affiliates a chance to win on Sunday, with Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, Brandon Walter, and Bradley Blalock all having good games. The two offensive stars were Nick Yorke (pictured), who homered twice, and Stephen Scott who doubled and homered. Both players have an OPS well over 1.000 to start August. Matt Andriese started a rehab assignment with Worcester, where Yairo Muñoz saw his hitting streak extend once again.
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Despite another strong start from Kutter Crawford, the WooSox stumbled late to lose the series finale. Crawford allowed two runs over five innings, striking out seven without issuing a free pass. He was followed by Matt Andriese who allowed two hits in a scoreless inning in his first rehab appearance. After Kevin McCarthy struck out the side in the seventh, Kaleb Ort gave up two runs in the eighth that proved to be the difference. It was Ort's first blown save this year.
The WooSox managed only three hits, but of course one of them came from Yairo Muñoz as he extended his hitting streak to 30 games. The other two hits came from Delino DeShields who went 2 for 4 and drove in all three runs. His two-run home run in the sixth put Worcester on the board, and his RBI double in the eighth briefly gave Worcester the lead.
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The Portland offense only had three hits as well as they could not provide Brayan Bello with any run support. Bello struck out 11 and walked three over 5 1/3 innings. He was tagged with four runs allowed, though two of those were inherited runners that scored after he left the game. The talented right-hander now has a 5.08 ERA in 39 innings with the Sea Dogs, but he is striking out over 13 batters per nine innings while walking about 3.7. His results should improve once his luck evens out. Grant Williams, Wil Dalton, and Nick Sogard each had a hit, with Dalton's being a double.
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Brandon Walter allowed just one hit over five shutout innings, walking two and striking out five. After struggling in his first three starts after his promotion, Walter now has allowed just one run over his past 17 innings with four walks and 25 strikeouts. Jacob Wallace earned his third save in what was one of his best outings of the year. Wallace allowed just one walk over two innings while striking out five. The offense was led once again by Stephen Scott, as he went 2 for 3 with a double, solo home run, and a walk. Tyler Dearden knocked in the go-ahead run with an RBI double, and Elih Marrero added a double and a walk.
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Nick Yorke put on a show, going 3 for 3 with two home runs, a walk, and a steal. His second home run was a solo shot that broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth, and his hitting streak is now at 18 games. Nicholas Northcut was the only other batter to do damage as he went 2 for 3 with two doubles and two runs scored.
Finishing off the strong starting pitching performances was Bradley Blalock. Blalock surrendered just one run over five innings while striking out four. After struggling with his control early on this season, Blalock has now walked just three batters in his past 20 innings. A trio of fielding errors in the eighth inning put the game in jeopardy, but Jacinto Arredondo was able to work around them for the final five outs.
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Player of the Day: Currently the eighth-ranked player in the system, Nick Yorke had his first career multi-home run game on Sunday. It raised his line to .312/.405/.456 overall, and .369/.471/.571 since the start of June. He has 34 walks and 43 strikeouts, and many Red Sox fans are starting to wonder what he needs to do to prove he is ready for Greenville. Greenville does have a good second baseman already in Cameron Cannon, but with the way Yorke is hitting the team can find room for him.
Photo Credit: Nick Yorke by Kelly O'Connor