June 23, 2022 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Mata's rehab continues, Kavadas homers again
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As part of a 2 for 4 night at the plate, Devlin Granberg was responsible for Worcester's two of Worcester's first three runs on a pair of RBI singles in the second and sixth innings. Sandwiched in between Granberg's two hits was Connor Wong's 11th home run of the season in the bottom of the third. Wong went 1 for 4 with the homer and a walk while fellow backstop Ronaldo Hernandez went 3 for 4 with a double and run scored. Like Granberg, Ryan Fitzgerald and Grant Williams also went 2 for 4, with the former driving in a run and the latter scoring one. Christian Arroyo punched out three times while serving as Worcester's shortstop in the second game of his rehab assignment.
Thomas Pannone made his 12th start of the season for Worcester and impressed. The 28-year-old left-hander allowed just four hits and no walks to go along with seven strikeouts over 5 2/3 scoreless innings of work. Phillips Valdez, Brian Keller, Geoff Hartlieb, and A.J. Politi combined for 3 1/3 scoreless frames out of the bullpen.
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Portland Sea Dogs, Richmond Flying Squirrels (SF) PPD
Wednesday's contest between Portland and Richmond was postponed due to inclement weather. It will be made up as part of a seven-inning doubleheader that begins at 4:35 p.m. eastern time on Thursday.
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Bryan Mata lasted two innings in the fourth start of his rehab assignment. The Venezuelan-born right-hander yielded three runs on four hits, one walk, and two strikeouts on 56 pitches. All three of those runs came in Bowling Green's half of the second inning. The Greenville bullpen did not have a great night, either. Jordan DiValerio got tagged for six runs, Ryan Zeferjahn gave up one, and Austin Lambright surrendered three. Meanwhile, Brendan Cellucci and Ryan Fernandez combined for two scoreless innings to close it out.
Greenville's two runs came on a pair of solo shots from Alex Binelas and Nick Yorke. It was Binelas' 14th and Yorke's fifth of the season. Tyler McDonough (2 for 4) and Stephen Scott (1 for 2 with a walk) were the only Greenville hitters who reached base more than once.
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Niko Kavadas simply cannot be stopped right now. The 23-year-old slugger homered for the sixth time in his last eight games as part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Tyler Miller also went deep for the eighth time this season while Brainer Bonaci and Blaze Jordan both doubled. Marcelo Mayer reached base two times on a single and a walk.
Juan Daniel Encarnacion made his 12th start of the season for Salem and allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits, two walks, one hit-by-pitch, and four strikeouts. The 21-year-old right-hander pitched into the fifth inning but was unable to record an out. In relief of Encarnacion, Christopher Troye and Maceo Campbell each hurled two scoreless innings while Luis Guerrero picked up the save with a shutout effort in the ninth.
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It was a productive day at the plate for Andy Lugo, who went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and a walk. The center fielder drew his free pass in the ninth inning of a 4-4 game and scored the winning run on a walk-off single from Rivaldo Avila. Avila, Albertson Asigen, and Jose Mendez all had two hits as well. On the mound, Jean Carlos Reyes got the start and yielded three runs (two earned) over four innings. Wandy Abreu took home the win, spinning three scoreless innings of relief to close it out.
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There were plenty of hits to be had for the Red squad as they improved to 8-4 on the season. Natanael Yuten went 2 for 5 with two runs scored, Jancel Santana homered, Axel James collected three hits while scoring and driving in two runs, Frank Astacio had three hits as well, and Emmanuel Martinez went 2 for 4 with an RBI double. Alvaro Mejias allowed one unearned run and struck out four over three innings in his second start of the season. Royman Blanco recorded the save by putting together three scoreless frames.
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Player of the Day: Since the calendar flipped from May to June, Niko Kavadas is batting a superb .386/.538/.947 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs over his last 18 games with Salem. The 2021 11th-round pick out of the University of Notre Dame could be playing his way into a well-deserved promotion to High-A Greenville sooner rather than later.
Photo Credit: Niko Kavadas by Kelly O'Connor