September 15, 2021 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Wong hits two home runs; Santos stays hot
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The WooSox slugged four home runs, including two clutch ones from Connor Wong. Wong hit a game-tying home run in the eighth, and a go-ahead shot in the ninth. In all, he went 3 for 5 and drove in three runs. Jeter Downs added his 12th home run, and Johan Mieses hit his 19th. The home run was the first in 58 at-bats for Downs. Raynel Espinal pitched into the seventh inning, allowing four runs while striking out five over 6 1/3. The win went to Eduard Bazardo, who struck out four and allowed one hit in two innings. Bazardo was activated from the 60-day injured list and assigned to Worcester on Monday.
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Both of Portland's runs were driven in by Pedro Castellanos, as the 23-year-old hit a solo home run in the sixth and an RBI single in the eighth. Triston Casas went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk, with his double leaving the bat at 107 mph. The last of the four hits for the Sea Dogs was a double from Jeisson Rosario. One of Portland's best pitchers over the last six weeks has been Victor Santos, and he did not disappoint on Tuesday. He allowed just an unearned run over six innings, striking out five without walking a batter. AJ Politi came out of the bullpen again, firing two scoreless frames. Joan Martinez struck out two in the ninth to earn his fifth save.
The Somerset Patriots lost on Tuesday, so Portland is now 2.5 games out of a playoff spot with five games to play.
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The Aberdeen staff carried a perfect game into the eighth as Greenville could not get anything going on offense. A walk from Joe Davis with one out in the eighth was the first baserunner, and Nick Yorke and Stephen Scott were responsible for the only two hits. Jeremy Wu-Yelland got the start but only went one inning. He allowed two runs on three hits and threw 23 pitches. The bullpen was able to keep it close, with Jose Espada striking out six over three shutout innings. Yorvin Pantoja also had a scoreless outing with two solid innings.
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A three-run home run from Nicholas Northcut broke the game open in the eighth. Northcut also added a double, and Alex Erro went 3 for 3 with a double and an RBI. The trio of Tyler McDonough, Tyler Miller, and Nick Decker all went 2 for 4, with McDonough contributing his third triple since August 24. Bradley Blalock bounced back from a couple rough starts to open the month, as he struck out five and allowed one run over five frames.
With the Down East Wood Ducks winning on a walk-off grand slam, Salem remains one game up on a playoff spot in the season's final week.
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The teams combined to score 12 runs over the final three innings, and the Red Sox came away with a walk-off win. Daniel McElveny had the winning hit, lacing an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Cuba Bess did most of the heavy lifting, going 3 for 4 with a double, triple, and a walk. B.J. Vela made his only hit of the day count, roping a two-run home run, the first of his career. Marcelo Mayer was on base three times, going 2 for 4 with a walk and a strikeout.
Starter Angel Bastardo allowed two runs over four innings, and Adenys Bautista and Michael Gettys followed with a scoreless inning apiece. The Pirates came back against both Osvaldo De La Rosa and Gregori Segovia, as they combined to give up seven runs over the final three innings.
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The bullpen spoiled a strong start from Jean Carlos Reyes as the Rays had a comeback win. Reyes struck out seven and allowed one run over four innings. The Rays chipped away with three runs off of Royman Blanco, and then they took the lead with two runs off of Jogly Garcia. The only player with a multi-hit game was Juan Chacon who went 2 for 4 with a double. Ronny Ramirez went 1 for 3 with a walk but was also picked off first base.
The Rays jumped out to a quick lead as they tagged Yordanny Monegro for five runs in 3 1/3. They extended the lead against Carlos Velez as he gave up four more runs. The offense managed just three hits, with Chacon adding another single. The other two hits came from Jhostynxon Garcia and Diego Viloria.
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A big game from Miguel Bleis paced the offense in a blowout win. Bleis went 2 for 3 with a home run and two walks while driving in three runs. Allan Castro went 1 for 4 with a triple and a walk, while Axel James, Ahbram Liendo, and Kelvin Diaz all added doubles. Jose Ramirez led the pitching staff as he allowed one run with five strikeouts over 3 2/3. Efren Diaz finished things off with two scoreless innings.
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Player of the Day: Two big home runs from Connor Wong led Worcester to a thrilling victory. Wong's season has been interrupted by injuries and his time spent on the major league taxi squad, but he has played his best baseball of the year over the last month with the WooSox. Currently ranked 19th in the system, a strong end to the season will help position Wong as the top catcher in the system ahead of Ronaldo Hernández.
Photo Credit: Connor Wong by Kelly O'Connor