Cup of Coffee: Dalbec, Abreu homer for Worcester; Salem wins in 11

5/31 Cup of Coffee: Bobby Dalbec and Allan Castro (pictured) were the offensive stars of the night, as Dalbec homered and Castro fell a home run shy of the cycle in Salem's extra-inning win. Wilyer Abreu also homered again for Worcester. Grant Gambrell and Noah Dean had great starts on the bump as well.

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Louisville Bats (CIN) 5, Worcester Red Sox 4
Bobby Dalbec continued his great season by going 2 for 4 with a home run and a double. It was his 11th homer of the season and his OPS is up to 1.037 on the campaign. Wilyer Abreu went 1 for 4 with his eighth long ball of the year, while Nick Sogard and Ryan Fitzgerald each went 2 for 4. Shane Drohan worked around six walks to limit Lousiville to just one unearned run over six frames. He allowed just one hit and stuck out three. Joe Jacques tossed a perfect 1 1/3 innings with two strikeouts out of the bullpen.

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Portland Sea Dogs 3, Somerset Patriots (NYY) 1
Grant Gambrell delivered a nice start, lasting six innings and allowing just one run on three hits. He walked four and struck out three, while lowering his ERA to 1.62 in three starts with Portland. The bullpen was great as well, starting with Jacob Webb's two hitless innings and ending with Luis Guerrero's eighth save of the season. Nick Yorke led the way on offense by going 2 for 4 with an RBI triple and a walk. Nathan Hickey added three hits, and Chase Meidroth had a couple hits to go along with a walk as well. Philip Sikes had a nice night with a double, a walk, his 20th stolen base, and two runs scored. Ceddanne Rafaela drove in a pair with a sacrifice fly and an RBI double.

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Hickory Crawdads (TEX) 5, Greenville Drive 1
The Drive bats were silenced, as they didn't score until the ninth inning on Eduardo Lopez' RBI fielder's choice. Brainer Bonaci and Blaze Jordan each went 2 for 4, with Jordan roping his 13th double. Juan Daniel Encarnacion surrendered five runs (four earned) over four innings. He walked four and struck out just two. Jordan DiValerio and Graham Hoffman were both tremendous out of the bullpen, as DiValerio tossed three shoutout innings without allowing a hit, and Hoffman threw the final two innings without surrendering a run either.

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Salem Red Sox 3, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (CHC) 2 (11 innings)
Allan Castro came through with the big hit for Salem in the 11th inning, belting an RBI double to give Salem the lead. Castro also had a triple and a single in this one. Luis Ravelo had a good night as well with a single, a double, and an RBI in five trips to the plate. Noah Dean was tremendous on the mound, going the first five innings without a allowing a run on just three hits, all singles. The 2022 fifth-round pick matched a season-high with seven strikeouts and he did not issue a free pass. Felix Cepeda was also great, tossing three innings in relief and surrendering just one unearned run with five strikeouts and no walks. Jonathan Brand closed it out in the 11th to earn his first save of the season, which included a pair of strikeouts. 

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Minor Notes: Mayer earns promotion to Portland

After a promising start to the season in Greenville, Boston's No. 1 prospect was promoted to Double-A over Memorial Day weekend. While that story will undoubtedly steal all the headlines, another prospect who was acquired over the winter also advanced a level. On the flip side of that, an outfielder-turned-pitcher from a notable three-teamtrade with the Royals and Mets was released. 

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Transactions

Mayer promoted to Portland

As was first reported by The Boston Globe's Alex Speier, top prospect Marcelo Mayer (pictured) was promoted from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland on Sunday. Mayer, 20, will join the Sea Dogs in New Jersey for the start of their upcoming series against the Somerset Patriots. 

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Cup of Coffee: Jordan extends hitting streak; Kavadas' power surge continues

5/29 Cup of Coffee: With Salem getting rained out, Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 0-3 on Sunday. Christian Arroyo had two hits in the third game of his rehab assignment with Worcester. In Portland, Niko Kavadas (pictured) drilled his eighth home run of the month while Stephen Scott and Christian Koss also left the yard at Hadlock Field. Greenville also lost by two runs, though Blaze Jordan did extend his hitting streak with his third and final multi-hit game of the week.

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 11, Worcester Red Sox 4

Matt Dermody went just two innings in his eighth start of the season for Worcester. The 32-year-old left-hander allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits, three walks, one hit batsman, and three strikeouts on 69 pitches (39 strikes). Norwith Gudino was tagged for four runs out of the bullpen while Ryan Sherriff and Taylor Broadway combined for 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Oddanier Mosqueda then served up a solo shot to the rehabbing Josh Donaldson in the bottom of the eighth.

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Cup of Coffee: Gonzalez, Perales both in control in dominant starts

5/28 Cup of Coffee: It was a big night down on the farm, as two of the organization's top pitching prospects had strong returns to form. Luis Perales and Wikelman Gonzalez (pictured), ranked 8th and 14th in the system, combined to strike out 22 batters without a walk, surrendering just one earned run between the two of them in 10 1/3 innings. Greenville emerged victorious in Gonzalez's effort, while Salem squandered the gem from Perales. Contrasted against the top prospects in Class A, a combination of promotions and injuries led to bullpen games both for Worcester and for both ends of Portland's doubleheader. Daniel Palka and Bobby Dalbec provided enough punch to support the WooSox staff, while a Tyler McDonough walk-off helped Portland emerge with a split. 

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Worcester Red Sox 11, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 7

Faced with a bullpen game, the Worcester offense took care of business, staking starter Jake Faria to a 9-0 lead. Daniel Palka drove in six runs as part of a three-hit night, including a three-run third-inning homer. Bobby Dalbec stayed hot, blasting a solo home run as part of a 2-for-3 effort that included a pair of walks. Wilyer Abreu went deep as well, while David Hamilton ripped a double and stole his 25th base of the season. Spot starter Faria was cruising through four innings before getting reached for four runs in the fifth. In all, he allowed the four runs on four hits in 4 2/3, striking out five and walking three. Cam Booser got credit for the win, while Chase Shugart and Kaleb Ort fired a scoreless inning apiece to preserve the victory.

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Cup of Coffee: Arroyo and Chang start rehab assignments; Dobbins strikes out 10

5/27 Cup of Coffee: Portland provided the theatrics on Friday with a game-tying home run from Ceddanne Rafaela in the ninth inning preceding a walk-off win in extras. Bobby Dalbec went deep again while Christian Arroyo and Yu Chang started rehab assignments. The top performance of the day was from Hunter Dobbins (pictured), who pitched Greenville to a close victory. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 5, Worcester Red Sox 2

Another home run from Bobby Dalbec was not enough for Worcester. Dalbec went 1 for 2 with a walk in addition to his ninth home run. In his first game on a rehab assignment, Christian Arroyo went 1 for 2 with a walk. Daniel Palka reached base twice with a double and a walk, and David Hamilton stole his 24th base. 

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Cup of Coffey: Isaac Coffey fans 11 again, Mayer drives in three

5/26 Cup of Coffee: The major league club had an off-day, but there were plenty of happenings down on the farm. Isaac Coffey (pictured) turned in another outstanding start, backed by a three-RBI Marcelo Mayer effort. Nick Yorke and Ceddanne Rafaela went deep in Portland's one-run victory, while Miguel Bleis returned to the outfield in Salem's loss. Brandon Walter got a chance to follow an opener for Worcester but took the loss against a veteran Scranton lineup. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 10, Worcester Red Sox 1

The WooSox added a wrinkle on Thursday, bringing in scheduled starter Brandon Walter after an opener. Unfortunately, the change did not act as a catalyst, as the left-hander continues to muddle through a frustrating 2023 season. Joe Jacques took the mound first, firing two scoreless frames before giving way. Walter retired all three batters he faced in the third, but Scranton reached him for three runs in the fourth and four more in the sixth. Overall, the system's 10th-ranked prospect allowed seven runs in 3 2/3 innings. At the plate, eight different Worcester batters had exactly one hit apiece. Daniel Palka and Ronaldo Hernandez both doubled, while Wilyer Abreu had a single, walk, and pair of stolen bases.

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Cup of Coffee: Jordan stays hot with homer; Blalock makes first start since Tommy John

5/25 Cup of Coffee: With Portland getting rained out and Greenville playing two, Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 1-3 on Wednesday. Bobby Dalbec homered, but Shane Drohan struggled in his second Triple-A start as Worcester was blown out by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. After getting shut out in Game 1, Blaze Jordan (pictured) and the recently-promoted Dalton Rogers led Greenville to a commanding win in the nightcap of its doubleheader against Rome. Down in Salem, Bradley Blalock made his long-awaited return to the mound and Cutter Coffey doubled twice as the Red Sox fell to the Nationals.

 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 15, Worcester Red Sox 2

Shane Drohan did not have the best of times in his second Triple-A start. The left-hander was rocked for five earned runs on six hits, three walks, and one hit batsman in just 2 2/3 innings of work. Three of those five runs came on a three-run home run off the bat of old friend Franchy Cordero, who collected four RBIs as part of a three-hit day. All four relievers Worcester used gave up at least one run as well. 

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Cup of Coffee: Mayer homers twice; Portland and Salem each walk off

5/24 Cup of Coffee: It was a great night down on the farm, as all four affiliates won. Four different players had two-home-run games, and both Portland and Salem erased three-run deficits in the ninth inning. Stephen Scott (pictured) was the hero for Portland, while Ahbram Liendo and Roman Anthony came through for Salem. Marcelo Mayer stayed hot for Greenville as well. On the mound, Matt Dermody, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, and Chih-Jung Liu delivered terrific starts. 

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Worcester Red Sox 13, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 3

The Sox had the long ball working in this one, belting a whopping six home runs. David Hamilton and Niko Goodrum, the first two hitters in the lineup, put up identical stat lines, as they each went 2 for 5 with a pair of solo home runs. Nick Sogard belted a three-run homer, while Daniel Palka went 2 for 4 with a home run and three runs driven in. Jorge Alfaro continued his great season at the plate with a couple hits including a double, and Ryan Fitzgerald pitched in as well with a couple of two-baggers himself. It wasn't just the offense showing off, however, as Matt Dermody delivered a tremendous seven innings on the mound. He allowed three runs but struck out a season-high 11 with just one walk. Jake Faria and Kaleb Ort finished it out with a scoreless inning each, with Ort punching out three in his frame.

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Minor Notes: Drohan promoted to Worcester; Hernández acquired from the Yankees

Boston's new top pitching prospect got promoted to Triple-A last week, and Chris and Ian have already covered the news in their most recent episode of the Podcast. Elsewhere, injuries in the bullpen have led to several moves, while the Red Sox acquired an intriguing young pitching prospect from the Yankees. 

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Transactions

Drohan promoted to Worcester; Gambrell moves up to Portland

The new top pitching prospect in the system, Shane Drohan (pictured), received a promotion to Worcester. Dating back to last year, he had an ERA of 2.17 over 58 innings in Double-A, with 20 walks and 57 strikeouts. He improved his walk and strikeout rates in 2023 while adding velocity, which has allowed him to shoot up the rankings. Taking his spot in Portland is Grant Gambrell. The 25-year-old came to Boston from Kansas City as part of the Andrew Benintendi trade. He missed the 2022 season with an ankle injury but returned to decent results with Greenville to start the year. 

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Cup of Coffee: Hickey, Kavadas, and Meidroth power Portland to doubleheader sweep

5/22 Cup of Coffee: After two rainouts on Saturday, Sunday's slate featured two doubleheaders and a whole lot of offense for Boston's minor-league affiliates. Bobby Dalbec and Wilyer Abreu were among those who homered as the WooSox split their twin bill against Lehigh Valley. Nathan Hickey (pictured), Niko Kavadas, and Chase Meidroth also went deep in Hartford as Portland swept the Yard Goats in its doubleheader. Down in Greenville, Brainer Bonaci stayed hot while Wikelman Gonzalez struck out eight in a convincing win for the Drive. And finally, Cutter Coffey delivered with a clutch hit in Salem's come-from-behind win over Lynchburg. 

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Worcester Red Sox 5, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 4 (Game 1, 8 Innings)

A rehabbing Garrett Whitlock got the start for Worcester in the opener of Sunday's twin bill at Polar Park. The right-hander scattered four hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts over 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He induced nine swings and misses and finished 79 pitches (48 strikes). Ryan Sherriff recorded four outs out of the bullpen before Chase Shugart got tagged for four runs in the seventh. Andrew Politi then earned the winning decision by stranding the automatic runner in a 1-2-3 top of the eighth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Paulino slam the lone bright spot as weather rules the day

5/21 Cup of Coffee: Two of the four affiliates suffered rainouts as a bout of much-needed rain took over the Northeast, while a third suffered a shutout in a rain-shortened affair. But Eddinson Paulino (pictured) and Greenville salvaged the soggy day with a five-run inning that helped fuel the system's only victory.

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Worcester Red Sox vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) PPD

This game was postponed and is scheduled to be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday.

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Cup of Coffee: Dalbec hits 515-foot homer; Coffey strikes out 11

5/20 Cup of Coffee: Polar Park saw a thrilling game, with Bobby Dalbec putting on a show. Brandon Walter's night was a mixed bag, but he did strike out nine. Nathan Hickey and Rio Gomez led Portland to an impressive win, while Isaac Coffey was dominant for Greenville. A home run from Roman Anthony was the highlight in Salem, though the team fell short. 

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 8 (10 innings)

Bobby Dalbec was the hero, ripping a two-run single in the 10th to walk it off for the WooSox. That was not the most impressive hit of the day for Dalbec, who slugged a home run that went an estimated 515 feet. He went 4 for 5 with a walk and a stolen base while playing right field. The WooSox had six other players have multi-hit games, with Niko Goodrum and Daniel Palka each adding home runs. David Hamilton went 2 for 6 with two more steals, Narciso Crook went 2 for 5 with two doubles, and Ryan Fitzgerald went 2 for 5 with a double. 

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Cup of Coffee: Drohan debuts with WooSox; Gambrell shines in Portland premiere

5/19 Cup of Coffee: It was an exciting night down on the farm, as Shane Drohan, one of the breakout stars of the first six weeks of the minor league season, made his Triple-A debut. All four contests were decided by one run, with Drohan's WooSox prevailing in a slugfest and Marcelo Mayer powering Greenville to an extra-inning walk-off. Grant Gambrell (pictured) was outstanding in his Double-A debut as he took Drohan's old slot in the Portland rotation, but some good Yard Goats pitching and some modern extra-innings weirdness conspired to knock Portland off at Dunkin' Park. Salem also fell in a walk-off despite another strong Jose Ramirez effort.

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Worcester Red Sox 10, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 9

The much-anticipated Triple-A debut for Shane Drohan got off to an exciting start, as he retired the side in order in the top of the first inning, finishing the frame with a strikeout. He made it through three scoreless before running into trouble. Drohan surrendered a pair of two-run homers in the fourth inning and a solo shot in the fifth after allowing just one round-tripper in 34 Double-A innings. He surrendered five runs on four hits in five innings, striking out six and walking three. Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in an inning of work but got credit for the win in his first appearance since getting optioned from the big league club. AJ Politi struck out a pair in a perfect ninth inning to notch the save. 

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Podcast Ep. #282: Movin' on Up

It's everyone's favorite time of year, the start of promotion season. Shane Drohan, Chase Meidroth, Nathan Hickey and more are moving up a level, so we had plenty to say. Plus, we somehow haven't mentioned the May rankings update yet, so Chris and Ian discussed in the context of players who Ian had seen recently with the Sea Dogs and WooSox. And as always, we discussed the goings on at Fenway and answered your emails!

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Cup of Coffee: Yorke homers; Bonaci, Ravelo tally three hits

5/18 Cup of Coffee: Boston's minor-league affiliates went just 1-3 on Wednesday, with Luis Ravelo (pictured) lifting Salem to a one-run win. Elsewhere, Jorge Alfaro homered and David Hamilton tripled for Worcester, Nick Yorke homered and Corey Rosier stole two bases for Portland, and Angel Bastardo put together a quality start for Greenville by punching out seven over six scoreless innings.

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 10, Worcester Red Sox 3 (10 inn.)

What was a tight game through nine innings turned out to be a blowout loss for Worcester. Matt Dermody went six innings in his fourth start of the season and was a victim of some poor luck as the WooSox committed four errors while he was on the mound. As a result, the left-hander allowed three unearned runs on six hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts. Of the 103 pitches he threw, 66 went for strikes. In relief of Dermody, Taylor Broadway, and Kaleb Ort combined for two scoreless frames before Chase Shugart and Oddanier Mosqueda got tagged for a total of seven runs (six earned) in a disastrous top of the 10th. 

On the other side of things, Jorge Alfaro crushed a two-run shot in the first inning for his fourth home run of the season. He also drew a walk as part of a 1-for-3 day at the plate. Worcester's only other run came on an RBI single from Nick Sogard in the bottom of the fourth. David Hamilton tripled and scored out of the leadoff spot while Greg Allen and Niko Goodrum each stole a base. Allen now has 22 stolen bases on the year. 

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Cup of Coffee: Whitlock, Crawford pitch well; Kavadas, Gonzalez belt two homers

5/17 Cup of Coffee: Even on a night that saw great rehab appearances from Garrett Whitlock and Kutter Crawford, as well as another gem from Chih-Jun Liu, this night still managed to be about the offenses, as Worcester, Portland, and Greenville combined to score 33 runs. Bryan Gonzalez (pictured) and Niko Kavadas each had multi-home run games, while Nathan Hickey drove in five runs. David Hamilton and Ryan Fitzgerald stayed hot, while Bobby Dalbec went deep for Worcester. 

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 4
Bobby Dalbec led the offense in this one for the Sox, going 2 for 3 and belting his fifth home run of the year. The third baseman was also hit by a pitch and scored three runs. David Hamilton and Ryan Fitzgerald also continued their great seasons, hitting their eighth and seventh home runs, respectively. Nick Sogard and Greg Allen chipped in as well, each going 2 for 4, with Allen roping a double and Sogard adding a stolen base. 
Garrett Whitlock returned to the mound for the first time since April 22 in Milwaukee. He pitched very well in this rehab start, allowing just one run on a solo home run over four innings. He punched out four and did not issue a free pass. Kutter Crawford followed Whitlock with a very similar rehab appearance of his own, tossing three innings while allowing just a run on a solo shot, while striking out four and walking none. 

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Minor Notes: Rogers earns second Player of the Week honor

Salem had the best week out of the four clubs this past week, sporting a 4-2 record. Portland landed at 3-3, while Greenville and Worcester each went 2-4. A 2022 draft pick continued his great season, earned a second Player of the Week honor. 

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Transactions

Sox acquire Pablo Reyes
The Red Sox made a deal with Oakland to bring on Pablo Reyes to help out with their middle infield situation. Cash considerations was the return back to the A's. Reyes is a 29-year old who can play second base and shortstop, and has done a very nice job so far filling in at the big league level. He is 5 for 10 a double and a walk so far, while also flashing some leather at short. He has appeared in the big leagues in four other seasons for the Pirates and Brewers. He is one game shy of 800 in his minor league career, slashing .274/.350/.419 across 11 seasons of minor league ball. 

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Cup of Coffee: Ferguson homers; Anthony drives in three as part of three-hit day

5/15 Cup of Coffee: Outside of Salem, it was a relatively quiet Sunday afternoon for Boston's minor-league affiliates. Despite getting 10 combined strikeouts from Jake Faria and Justin Garza, Worcester was held to just one hit in a shutout loss to Rochester. Ceddanne Rafaela stole three more bases as Portland salvaged a series split with Somerset. Marcelo Mayer fanned four times in his return to Greenville's lineup, but Max Ferguson was a bright spot in a loss. Down in Salem, Allan Castro homered, Roman Anthony (pictured) drove in three runs, and Albert Feliz delivered with a walk-off single. 

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Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 1, Worcester Red Sox 0

Jake Faria made the most of his first start of the season for Worcester. The veteran right-hander yielded just one hit and one walk to go along with five strikeouts over four scoreless innings of work. He induced 10 swings-and-misses and finished with 55 pitches (33 strikes). Fellow righty Justin Garza was even filthier out of the bullpen, as the 29-year-old induced 12 whiffs and struck out five of the nine batters he faced over two scoreless innings of relief. Kaleb Ort was charged with the loss after allowing an unearned run to score in the seventh. Joe Jacques followed by putting up a zero in the eighth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Rafaela swipes six bags; Jordan drives in three

5/14 Cup of Coffee: Ceddanne Rafaela's (pictured) six steals provided some early fireworks, while Grant Gambrell and Blaze Jordan led Greenville to a close win later in the day. Ryan Fitzgerald went deep for Worcester, while Roman Anthony was solid in a sloppy game for Salem. 

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Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 7, Worcester Red Sox 6

A comeback effort fell just short for Worcester on Saturday. The WooSox were down five runs entering the fifth but tied it in the sixth. A two-run double from Nick Sogard and a three-run home run from Ryan Fitzgerald accounted for all five sixth-inning runs. Edwin Díaz added a solo home run. Norwith Gudiño put the WooSox in an early hole, allowing three runs in the second and five runs overall in 4 1/3 innings. Taylor Broadway allowed just a solo home run over 1 2/3 innings, and Oddanier Mosqueda allowed one run over two innings. 

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Cup of Coffee: Home runs for Hickey and Abreu; Paez dominates

5/13 Cup of Coffee: The affiliates won three of the four contests on Friday night, led by the solid offense in the upper minors and great pitching further down on the farm. Wilyer Abreu, Nathan Hickey, Stephen Scott, and Tyler Dearden (pictured) all homered, while Jedixson Paez led a 19-strikeout performance for the Salem staff. 

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 5 (10 innings)

A sacrifice fly off the bat of Nick Sogard proved to be the difference as the WooSox won in extra innings. Wilyer Abreu had scored earlier in the inning on a passed ball. Abreu also hit his fifth home run as part of a 2-for-5 night. Daniel Palka went 2 for 3 with a home run, double, and a walk, and Ryan Fitzgerald went 2 for 5 with a double. 

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Cup of Coffee: Paulino leads Greenville rally; Worcester falls despite Alfaro effort

5/12 Cup of Coffee: The major league squad was off on Thursday, but the minor leaguers had a full slate of action, drawing a split on the day. Both Class-A affiliates were victorious. Jose Ramirez outdueled  Connecticut native Frank Mozzicato in a well-pitched Carolina League contest, leading Salem to victory. Eddinson Paulino helped spark a 10-run rally that made winners of Greenville. Jorge Alfaro (pictured) reached base five times for Worcester, including a home run, but the WooSox fell short out at Frontier Field. CJ Liu flirted with another no-hitter but lost his bid and the shutout in the fifth as the Portland lead in the division slipped to a half-game.

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Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 12, Worcester Red Sox 7

The WooSox fell back to .500 despite a monster effort from Jorge Alfaro. The veteran backstop reached base five times, going 4 for 4 with a solo home run, a double, a walk, and two runs scored. His homer was part of a back-to-back connection in the third inning, following a Wilyer Abreu drive. Ryan Fitzgerald also went deep as part of his three-hit night. Brandon Walter never got entirely on track in his start, allowing seven runs (five earned) on five hits in four innings, despite striking out eight against just two walks. Oddanier Mosqueda was a highlight in relief, striking out the side around one hit in a scoreless sixth inning.

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Cup of Coffee: Yorke and Binelas homer; Meidroth plays hero in Double-A debut

5/11 Cup of Coffee: Wednesday's slate featured plenty of late drama for Boston's minor-league affiliates. Behind a three-run home run from David Hamilton, Worcester came from behind to beat Rochester. In Portland, Chase Meidroth (pictured) came through with a walk-off single as part of a three-hit game in his Sea Dogs debut. Brainer Bonaci and Bryan Gonzalez compiled multi-hit games for Greenville despite falling to Winston-Salem. And in Salem, Dalton Rogers fired five scoreless innings as the Red Sox fell just short of a second straight walk-off win. 

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 2

Matt Dermody was solid in his fifth start of the season for Worcester. The well-traveled left-hander allowed two earned runs on nine hits, zero walks, and one hit batsman to go along with seven strikeouts over six innings of work. He induced 14 swings-and-misses and finished with 84 pitches (60 strikes). In relief of Dermody, Andrew Politi, Ryan Sherriff, and Chase Shugart combined for three scoreless frames out of the WooSox bullpen. 

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Cup of Coffee: Jordan doubles twice and homers; Salem walks it off

5/10 Cup of Coffee: Blaze Jordan (pictured) was the standout last night despite Greenville's loss, racking up three extra-base hits. Salem had a walk-off win behind another great game from Roman Anthony. Ryan Fitzgerald homered for Worcester, and Joely Rodriguez had a very encouraging rehab appearance for Portland.

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Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 7, Worcester Red Sox 3

It was a rough one for Worcester, falling behind by seven runs after three innings. The bottom of the order did their best to fight back, as Ryan Fitzgerald and Nick Sogard each went 2 for 3, with Fitzgerald crushing a ninth-inning home run. Greg Allen and Ronaldo Hernandez added two-baggers as well. Bryan Mata was roughed up in his start, surrendering six runs (four earned) over 2 1/3 innings. He gave up six hits, walked three, and punched out five before leaving the game in apparent discomfort. Jake Faria tossed 2 2/3 scoreless frames, while Kaleb Ort had a clean inning of his own with two strikeouts. 

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Minor Notes: Mayer wins several weekly awards & Liu throws a no-hitter

Greenville had a great week, leading the system by going 5-1 while Worcester also had a successful week against Buffalo going 5-2. Meanwhile, Portland and Salem split their week-long series. The teams were led by some amazing performances from the Players of the Week with several other outstanding weeks from players that fell just shy of the honors. 

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Transactions

Gilberto Jimenez to IL

Jimenez (pictured, right) was placed on the 7-day IL this week. The 22-year-old peaked on the SoxProspcets.com rankings in 2020 when he climbed all the way to fifth but his development has slowed over the past several years. In 2021, the outfielder hit .306/.346/.405 but 2022 and 2023 have been tougher, as he has posted sub .700 OPS in each season. 

James Paxton returned from rehab assignment

Injuries have derailed Paxton's career as the last time he threw more than 20 innings in the majors came way back in 2019. Working his way back, the 34-year-old has made six minor league starts this spring, going 2-3 with a 6.23 ERA and 1.57 WHIP with 26 strikeouts in 21 and 2/3 innings. 

Kutter Crawford lands on the IL and gets ejected

Crawford started the season with an awful outing, allowing seven earned runs in his season debut on April 3rd. Since then he has been lighting it up, not allowing more than one earned run over his last 6 appearances with that run totaling 21 and 2/3 innings with a 1.25 ERA. That run came to a close on May 3rd when he exited his appearance against the Blue Jays with hamstring tightness. While that injury landed him on the IL, his week was not done, as he was ejected on Sunday after a standoff with former Red Sox Matt Strahm. 

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Cup of Coffee: Mayer caps off monster week with another four-hit game

5/8 Cup of Coffee: Marcelo Mayer (pictured) headlined an eventful Sunday in which Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 2-2. Greg Allen and Phillip Sikes put together three-hit performances out of the leadoff spot for Worcester and Portland, respectively. Mayer, meanwhile, capped off an extremely productive week for Greenville with his second four-hit game of the season. Down in Salem, Noah Dean stood out on the mound and fellow 2022 draftee Roman Anthony stood out at the plate. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 4, Worcester Red Sox 2

Chris Murphy made his sixth start of the season in Sunday's series finale. The 24-year-old lefty allowed one earned run on four hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with three strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings of work. Of the 98 pitches he threw, 61 went for strikes. Out of the Worcester bullpen, Justin Garza and Joe Jacques each gave up a home run while Cam Booser and Chase Shugart combined for two scoreless frames of relief. 

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Cup of Coffee: Abreu leads WooSox twinbill sweep; Kavadas, Yorke power Portland

5/7 Cup of Coffee: Saturday's lineup featured a bevy of standout performances, particularly on the offensive side. Wilyer Abreu delivered five hits during Worcester's doubleheader sweep at Polar Park, pushing the WooSox to their ninth win in their last 10 games. Portland also continues to cruise, as a scorching Nick Yorke has been joined by a resurgent Niko Kavadas (both pictured). Marcelo Mayer continues to enjoy his opening to the month of May, sporting a cool 1.259 OPS through five games with the Drive. The only loss of the day was in Salem, despite the efforts of Cutter Coffey.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 4 (Game 1)

Ronaldo Hernandez played the hero in the opener of Saturday's twinbill. His solo home run in the fourth inning served as a preview of his walk-off three-run blast in the bottom of the eighth. Wilyer Abreu also went deep as part of a 2-for-4, three-RBI effort. David Hamilton stole his 20th base of the season, giving him a share of the lead among all minor leaguers. Hamilton was 1 for 2 with two walks and two runs scored in the opener. Bobby Dalbec got his first professional start in the outfield, batting cleanup and playing right. 

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Cup of Coffee: Liu tosses no-hitter; Palka hits two home runs

5/6 Cup of Coffee: One year to the day after Brayan Bello pitched a seven-inning no-hitter for the Sea Dogs, Chih-Jung Liu (pictured) did the same thing on Friday night. Liu's offensive support came from a three-run home run from Niko Kavadas and three RBI from Ceddanne Rafaela. Worcester saw fireworks across the lineup, with Daniel Palka having a career night. Greenville won in a slugfest thanks to home runs from Eddinson Paulino, Eduardo Lopez, and Nathan Hickey.

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Worcester Red Sox 14, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 2

Worcester's offense exploded, led by Daniel Palka's two home runs. Palka went 4 for 5 with five RBI as his OPS surged from .563 to .690. Jorge Alfaro and Nick Sogard added three hits each, with Alfaro contributing two doubles and Sogard adding a triple. Ryan Fitzgerald hit his second home run of the year, and David Hamilton went 2 for 4 with two walks and three steals. He now leads the International League with 19 steals. 

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Cup of Coffee: Drohan dominates to lead combined one-hitter

5/5 Cup of Coffee: Hits were hard to come by on a Thursday that featured two one-hitters: one doled out by Portland pitchers, and the other the Salem lineup was on the receiving end of. The Portland gem was started by the scorching-hot Shane Drohan (pictured), who celebrated his SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Month award by bringing a no-hit bid into the fifth inning and settled for his fifth win in five starts. Worcester split a doubleheader that featured an "away" game at Polar Park, while Greenville saw its rally fall short. Drohan's mastery and the silencing of the Salem bats overshadowed another strong performance by starter Jose Ramirez, who suffered a tough-luck loss.

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Worcester Red Sox 4, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1 (Game 1)

The WooSox were victorious in the opener of Thursday's twin bill, powered by a two-run fourth-inning homer off the bat of David Hamilton. It is the sixth home run of the season for Hamilton, who didn't reach that total in 2022 until July 4th. Bobby Dalbec had a double and a run scored as part of a 2-for-3 effort, and Caleb Hamilton also doubled in the win. Bryan Mata allowed one run on two hits in four innings, but his control was again a concern. He walked six batters against just one strikeout and needed 86 pitches to complete the four frames. Joely Rodriguez made his first rehab appearance as he works his way back from an oblique injury, firing a scoreless fifth inning to get credited with the win. Jake Faria and Chase Shugart also submitted a scoreless inning apiece.

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April Players of the Month: Nick Yorke and Shane Drohan

Nick Yorke and Shane Drohan have been named the SoxProspects.com Players of the Month for the month of April. Yorke (pictured) beat out the likes of Nathan Hickey and Chase Meidroth while Drohan beat out the likes of rotation mate Brian Van Belle, Jose Ramirez, and Nathan Landry for the first monthly awards of the 2023 season.

After a plethora of injuries limited him to just 80 games with Greenville in 2022, Yorke has gotten his 2023 campaign off to a strong start in Portland. In his first 18 games for the Sea Dogs, the right-handed hitting second baseman batted .284/.415/.552 (172 wRC+) with five doubles, two triples, three home runs, six RBIs, 19 runs scored, three stolen bases, 13 walks, and 17 strikeouts over 82 plate appearances. He was fittingly named the SoxProspects.com Player of the Week for the final week of April on Tuesday.

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Cup of Coffee: Mayer homers, finishes triple shy of cycle as part of four-hit performance

5/4 Cup of Coffee: Top prospect Marcelo Mayer (pictured) stole all the headlines by homering as part of a four-hit performance for Greenville on Wednesday night. Chase Meidroth also registered his third straight three-hit game for the Drive. Elsewhere, the Portland lineup was shut out in Erie while Miguel Bleis put his speed on display by stealing two bases and scoring two runs in Salem. Because Worcester was rained out, Boston's minor-league affiliates went 2-1 as a group.

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Worcester Red Sox, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) (PPD)

Due to inclement weather within the vicinity of Polar Park, Wednesday's contest between Worcester and Buffalo was postponed. It will be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader on Saturday. With another doubleheader scheduled for Thursday, the WooSox are now slated to play six games over the next four days. 

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Podcast Ep. #281: April Review

With one month in the books, Chris and Ian checked in with their thoughts on the big stories from April. Has Shane Drohan already established himself as the system's top pitching prospect? How much shine has Nick Yorke regained? And why are the guys talking about the NFL Draft? That, plus we got enough emails that we couldn't even get to them all!

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Cup of Coffee: Hamilton, Meidroth homer; Gonzalez strikes out nine

5/3 Cup of Coffee: It was a great day for offense, as Worcester scored nine runs, Salem scored 12 runs, and Greenville picked up 16 knocks. David Hamilton (pictured) had another huge game at the plate to lead Worcester to a win. Chase Meidroth also had three hits for Greenville in their win. The Drive also got a great outing from Wikelman Gonzalez. 

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 8
David Hamilton continued his tremendous season, leading the way on offense with a 4-for-5 performance. The shortstop homered for the fifth time this year and added a double and two runs scored. Ryan Fitzgerald also had a big night with an RBI single and a two-run triple. Jorge Alfaro chipped in as well with a couple of hits. The Sox were running in this one too, swiping six bases, including a pair from Alfaro and Greg Allen. Niko Goodrum and Bobby Dalbec had steals as well. Chris Murphy got the start on the mound and was hit around, surrendering seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings on seven hits and four walks. Taylor Broadway followed him with a scoreless 1 2/3 innings before Oddanier Mosqueda tossed a clean frame of his own. Andrew Politi picked up a four-out save as well without allowing a hit. 

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Minor Notes: Injury woes continue; Red Sox draftees catch on in the NFL

Boston has continued to have injury issues, as Garrett Whitlock and Yu Chang both were placed on the shelf. Despite that, a few guys in Greenville got healthy and a few former Sox draftees successfully caught on in the NFL as undrafted free agents.

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Transactions

Brayan Bello returns to Boston

Bello's (pictured) trip west on the Mass Pike lasted just four days, as Garrett Whitlock was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow ulnar neuritis on April 28 and Bello was the countermove. The 23-year-old pitched five innings the following day for Boston and surrendered one run.

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Notes from the Field: Mata, Murphy, and Walter at Lehigh Valley

This past week, I got a close-up look at a few games that Worcester played against the IronPigs in the Lehigh Valley. I was focused on watching three of the top arms in the system in Bryan Mata, Chris Murphy, and Brandon Walter, and was able to see each make a start. 

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Bryan Mata 

4/18 @ Lehigh Valley: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 K

 

First up is Bryan Mata, who had the misfortune of drawing a very cold night in Pennsylvania. The outing did not start out well, as he fell behind hitters early with each of the first three batters beginning with a 2-0 count. His misses were consistently to the glove side, pulling multiple pitches into the dirt. The contact early on in this outing was also hard, despite finding gloves. Over the first five hitters he faced, he allowed line outs to shortstop and third base, as well as a hard line out to right field. 

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Cup of Coffee: Lugo leads Portland to another win; Jordan homers to extend hitting streak

5/1 Cup of Coffee: Because Salem's game against Delmarva got rained out, only three of Boston's minor-league affiliates were in action on Sunday. Worcester closed out the weekend by winning its fourth straight thanks to a strong start from the rehabbing James Paxton and a three-hit, three-RBI showing from Daniel Palka. Matthew Lugo (pictured) also recorded three hits and three RBIs as Portland needed extra innings to pick up its fifth straight win over Erie. And although not much went right in Greenville, Blaze Jordan did homer.

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Worcester Red Sox 5, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 0

Making what might be his final minor-league rehab start, James Paxton shined on the mound for Worcester. The veteran lefty scattered just two hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in which he walked one and struck out eight. Of the 90 pitches he threw, 65 went for strikes. In relief of Paxton, Cam Booser, Joe Jacques, and Chase Shugart preserved the shutout bid by combining for 3 2/3 scoreless frames. 

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