August 8, 2022 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Casas doubles twice; De La Rosa shines in Salem
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Triston Casas went 2 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI in Worcester's loss to Durham. Casas now has at least one double in four straight games. Devlin Granberg also added a double, and Franchy Cordero went 1 for 3 with two stolen bases. Eduard Bazardo allowed just a solo home run over three innings while striking out five. After AJ Politi fired two scoreless innings, three relievers combined to allow eight runs over the next three innings. Kaleb Ort was able to stop the bleeding with a scoreless ninth.
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Both Stephen Scott and Izzy Wilson homered, but it was not enough for the Sea Dogs. Wilyer Abreu went 0 for 3 but did walk twice and stole a base. Alex Binelas went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts to drop his average to .146 in Portland. On the mound, Brett Kennedy struck out four and allowed one run over three innings. Dylan Spacke followed with 2 1/3 innings of two-run ball, and Brendan Nail allowed one run over two innings.
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Yusniel Padron-Artiles turned in a quality start but he took the loss to drop to 3-9. He allowed three runs over six innings with seven strikeouts. Both Brendan Cellucci and Jacob Webb struck out two and did not allow a run over the final two innings. Max Ferguson and Niko Kavadas combined to have four of Greenville's six hits. The other two hits were doubles from Corey Rosier and Phillip Sikes.
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Hunter Dobbins allowed five runs in his second straight start as Salem dropped the first game of a doubleheader. He lasted only 2 2/3 and gave up six hits. After allowing nine runs over his first 38 innings, he has now allowed 10 over the last 6 2/3. Luis De La Rosa was nearly perfect out of the bullpen, allowing just a walk over three innings with four strikeouts. Brainer Bonaci went 1 for 2 with two walks, Marcelo Mayer went 0 for 2 with two walks, and Karson Simas went 1 for 2 with a triple and an RBI.
The bats were quiet in game two as they dropped another one-run game. Mayer went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk, and Bonaci drew two more walks in the nightcap. Wikelman Gonzalez got the start and allowed just one run over five innings while striking out four. The loss went to Felix Cepeda who allowed a two-run home run in the sixth that proved to be the difference.
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Player of the Day: With no true standout performance on the day, Luis De La Rosa gets the award for his three hitless innings out of the bullpen for Salem. Between Salem and the FCL this season, De La Rosa has an ERA of just 1.72 with 39 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. Acquired from the Royals in the Andrew Benintendi trade, De La Rosa has shown an advanced feel for his age with a four-pitch mix. He does lack premium velocity, but with his age and athleticism, there is still hope that he can grow into it.
Photo Credit: Luis De La Rosa by Kelly O'Connor