April 12, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Bello pitches great, Hamilton stays hot
4/12 Cup of Coffee: Three of the four affiliates won last night, including Portland, which has yet to lose this year. Multiple hitters continued to hit very well, including David Hamilton and Chase Meidroth. Bryan Bello (pictured) also made his much-anticipated debut, and he delivered a great outing. Dalton Rogers also pitched great for Salem.
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Columbus Clippers (CLE) 10, Worcester Red Sox 3
David Hamilton continued his hot start to the season, reaching base four more times in five trips to the plate. The shortstop singled, doubled, homered, and walked. He's now hitting .462 with a 1.327 OPS this year. Niko Goodrum also reached base three times with a single and two walks. Brayan Bello was terrific in his season debut, tossing six innings while allowing just one run on four hits. He threw 81 pitches, 50 for strikes, and struck out four without issuing a walk. His velocity topped out at 97 MPH, and his next appearance will likely be at Fenway Park against the Angels. -----
Portland Sea Dogs 9, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR) 7
The Sea Dogs remained perfect on the season, winning a slugfest led by Matthew Lugo's four-RBI night. The DH roped a two-run single as well as a two-run double. Stephen Scott went 2 for 5 with a triple and a pair knocked in, while Niko Kavadas added two hits, a walk, and an RBI. Ceddanne Rafaela was in on the fun as well with a double, two RBI, and three runs scored. Wyatt Olds struggled in his start, allowing two runs in just 1 2/3 innings with five walks and one strikeout. Rio Gomez came on and was dominant for 2 1/3 innings, allowing no hits or runs with six strikeouts and no walks. Ryan Miller tossed a perfect inning, striking out the side in order.
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Greenville Drive 7, Asheville Tourists (HOU) 5
Chase Meidroth continued his scorching start to the year, going 2 for 4 with a two-run home run, an RBI single, and a walk. He's hitting .556 on the young campaign. Miguel Ugueto, Max Ferguson, and Gilberto Jimenez each went 2 for 4 as well. Juan Daniel Encarnacion started and had an up-and-down outing, only allowing two hits in 4 1/3 frames, but both were home runs leading to five runs for Asheville. He walked four and struck out seven. Nate Tellier tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Robert Kwiatkowski, Alex Hoppe, and Jaret Godman each threw a scoreless frame as well.
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Salem Red Sox 7, Carolina Mudcats (MIL) 2
Dalton Rogers, Boston's third round pick last season, was brilliant in his first appearance of 2023. The lefty started and went the first four innings, surrendering just one unearned run on one hit. He struck out eight and walked a pair. Gabriel Jackson went the next three and allowed just one run before Railin Perez closed out the last two innings without allowing a run. He punched out four. Allan Castro was the offensive star in this one with six runs driven in. The 19-year old outfielder belted a grand slam and added a pair of RBI groundouts. Roman Anthony had a nice game out of the leadoff spot, going 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, two runs, and a stolen base.
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Player of the Day: David Hamilton gets the honor, fresh off his Player of the Week award here at SoxProspects. The speedster has 12 hits in 26 at-bats this season, five of them for extra bases. He also has five stolen bases. He is fresh off a 70-steal season in 2022 for Portland and has started his Triple-A career off great.
Photo Credit: Brayan Bello by Kelly O'Connor
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Columbus Clippers (CLE) 10, Worcester Red Sox 3
David Hamilton continued his hot start to the season, reaching base four more times in five trips to the plate. The shortstop singled, doubled, homered, and walked. He's now hitting .462 with a 1.327 OPS this year. Niko Goodrum also reached base three times with a single and two walks. Brayan Bello was terrific in his season debut, tossing six innings while allowing just one run on four hits. He threw 81 pitches, 50 for strikes, and struck out four without issuing a walk. His velocity topped out at 97 MPH, and his next appearance will likely be at Fenway Park against the Angels. -----
Portland Sea Dogs 9, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR) 7
The Sea Dogs remained perfect on the season, winning a slugfest led by Matthew Lugo's four-RBI night. The DH roped a two-run single as well as a two-run double. Stephen Scott went 2 for 5 with a triple and a pair knocked in, while Niko Kavadas added two hits, a walk, and an RBI. Ceddanne Rafaela was in on the fun as well with a double, two RBI, and three runs scored. Wyatt Olds struggled in his start, allowing two runs in just 1 2/3 innings with five walks and one strikeout. Rio Gomez came on and was dominant for 2 1/3 innings, allowing no hits or runs with six strikeouts and no walks. Ryan Miller tossed a perfect inning, striking out the side in order.
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Greenville Drive 7, Asheville Tourists (HOU) 5
Chase Meidroth continued his scorching start to the year, going 2 for 4 with a two-run home run, an RBI single, and a walk. He's hitting .556 on the young campaign. Miguel Ugueto, Max Ferguson, and Gilberto Jimenez each went 2 for 4 as well. Juan Daniel Encarnacion started and had an up-and-down outing, only allowing two hits in 4 1/3 frames, but both were home runs leading to five runs for Asheville. He walked four and struck out seven. Nate Tellier tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Robert Kwiatkowski, Alex Hoppe, and Jaret Godman each threw a scoreless frame as well.
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Salem Red Sox 7, Carolina Mudcats (MIL) 2
Dalton Rogers, Boston's third round pick last season, was brilliant in his first appearance of 2023. The lefty started and went the first four innings, surrendering just one unearned run on one hit. He struck out eight and walked a pair. Gabriel Jackson went the next three and allowed just one run before Railin Perez closed out the last two innings without allowing a run. He punched out four. Allan Castro was the offensive star in this one with six runs driven in. The 19-year old outfielder belted a grand slam and added a pair of RBI groundouts. Roman Anthony had a nice game out of the leadoff spot, going 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, two runs, and a stolen base.
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Player of the Day: David Hamilton gets the honor, fresh off his Player of the Week award here at SoxProspects. The speedster has 12 hits in 26 at-bats this season, five of them for extra bases. He also has five stolen bases. He is fresh off a 70-steal season in 2022 for Portland and has started his Triple-A career off great.
Photo Credit: Brayan Bello by Kelly O'Connor