September 22, 2022 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Santos tosses 7 scoreless frames in tough-luck loss to Syracuse
9/22 Cup of Coffee: With Portland traveling to Somerset for the remainder of its playoff series, the WooSox were the only show in town on Wednesday. Despite putting together his best Triple-A start to date, Victor Santos (pictured) did not factor into the decision at Polar Park as Worcester was shut out by Syracuse. Enmanuel Valdez was the only member of the WooSox lineup to enjoy a multi-hit game.
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Victor Santos, making his eighth start since being promoted from Double-A Portland in early August, kept Syracuse off the scoreboard while scattering three hits and one walk to go along with eight strikeouts over seven strong innings of work. The 22-year-old right-hander finished with a final pitch count of 92 (61 strikes) and lowered his ERA with the WooSox down to 5.35. In relief of Santos, lefty Darwinzon Hernandez yielded back-to-back run-scoring hits with two outs in the eighth and was ultimately charged with the loss. After A.J. Politi punched out the only batter he faced to end the eighth, Caleb Simpson got tagged for three runs (two earned) in the ninth.
Offensively, 40 percent of Worcester's hits on Wednesday came from Enmanuel Valdez, who went 2 for 3 with a walk. Kole Cottam accounted for his side's lone extra-base hit with an eighth-inning double. Jarren Duran went 1 for 4 out of the leadoff spot and stole his 14th base of the season. As a team, the WooSox went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.
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Player of the Day: While his WooSox tenure initially got off to a rocky start, it now appears as though Victor Santos is at least starting to find his footing at the Triple-A level. Including Wednesday's performance, the Dominican-born hurler has now posted a 1.93 ERA and .198 batting average against over his five outings dating back to Aug. 25.
Photo Credit: Victor Santos by Kelly O'Connor