June 16, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Blalock rolls in Salem; three De La Cruzes combine for four-hitter in DSL
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Thursday's matinee featured a marquee pitching matchup that did not disappoint. Shane Drohan, emergent this season as Boston's top pitching prospect, took on Orioles phenom Grayson Rodriguez. Drohan turned in a strong outing, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings, striking out seven against just one walk. All three of the runs came via the long ball, with a solo shot coming in the fourth and a two-run blast that proved to be decisive in the sixth. Meanwhile, Rodriguez took a no-hitter through five innings. Worcester's first hit of the day was also the first for Stephen Scott since his promotion from Portland, a two-run homer in the sixth that briefly gave the WooSox the lead. The bats only could scrap one more hit on the day, dropping the pitchers' duel. Brandon Nail and AJ Politi fired a scoreless inning apiece to keep things close, but the lineup could not break through against the Norfolk pen.
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Ceddanne Rafaela ripped a pair of hits out of the leadoff spot, but little else went right for Portland in the opener to Thursday's twin bill. Joe Jones again received the assignment as the opener, pitching around a pair of walks to get through a scoreless first. Wyatt Olds was used in a bulk role for his second consecutive appearance, surrendering four runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings. At the plate, Marcelo Mayer and Phillip Sikes had a double apiece while Chase Meidroth worked a pair of walks.
Limited to the two hits in the opener, Portland managed only three in the nightcap as Binghamton completed the sweep. Both of the Sea Dogs' runs came on solo homers with Niko Kavadas going yard in the second inning and Marcelo Mayer following in the seventh. CJ Liu took the loss, allowing three runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. The bullpen proved to be a highlight. Ryan Zeferjahn struck out three in 1 2/3 hitless innings. Ryan Fernandez then walked one and struck out one in the seventh as he lowered his ERA to 1.77.
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The Drive suffered a tough 10-inning loss despite the efforts of Blaze Jordan. The 20-year-old drove in four of Greenville's five runs as he went 2 for 5 with a home run and a double. Jordan's 18 doubles and 69 hits lead the organization. Eduardo Lopez had a two-hit night of his own, driving in the Drive's other run. Isaac Coffey got the start, allowing three runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight without issuing a walk. Alex Hoppe took the tough-luck loss in extra innings, allowing only the automatic runner to score in his two frames, surrendering two hits, and striking out four.
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Bradley Blalock continues to impress as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. Blalock allowed one run on three hits in five innings to lower his ERA to 1.50. He struck out six and walked only one. The right-hander was efficient as well, throwing 47 of his 67 pitches for strikes. Felix Cepeda got the win in relief as he gave up one run on three hits in 2 2/3, striking out three and walking one. Luis Ravelo led the way at the plate, going 3 for 4 with an RBI and run scored. Allan Castro doubled, walked twice, and scored two runs, while Enderso Lira ripped a two-run double.
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A remarkable comeback fell tantalizingly short in Fort Myers, as the Pirates had a 12-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. The Sox roared back with a 10-run rally in the frame and scraped another run in the ninth, but the deficit proved too much to overcome. The Sox were able to take advantage of some ugly play by the Pirates, taking advantage of five walks, a hit batsman, and two errors. Brooks Brannon was a catalyst, scoring two runs in the inning and driving in two more with a triple. Natanael Yuten doubled as part of his two-hit day, while Marvin Alcantara was on base three times with a single and two walks. Elvis Soto took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits in three innings.
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Franklin Arias was the highlight in Thursday's loss, going 3 for 5 and driving in both of Team Red's runs. He is off to an impressive start in his first professional campaign, going 7 for 15 through four games. Both runs were scored by Claudio Evangelista, who was 1 for 4 with a triple. Starting pitcher Geiser Figueroa was saddled with the loss as he allowed two runs on three hits in three frames.
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Nicolas De Le Cruz, Darlyn De La Cruz, and Ruben De La Cruz may not be related, but the three pitched like brothers in combining for a four-hit shutout. Nicolas scattered two hits across four scoreless frames as he struck out five batters without issuing a walk. The youngest of the three, he received a $75,000 bonus out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent back in January. Darlyn followed with a matching four-inning, two-hit effort. He struck out six, walked two, and got credit for his second win of the year. Ruben finished things strong with a perfect ninth inning, striking out a pair.
The De La Cruzes (or Tres La Cruz, as Executive Editor Chris Hatfield coined them) got plenty of support in a 12-hit effort by the offense. Yoeilin Cespedes, also not related to the similarly named Yoenis or Yoelqui, delivered two doubles and a walk. The team's top international signing is off to a great start, going 12 for 30 with an OPS of 1.155 in seven games. Kleyver Salazar, who IS related to FCL utilityman Johnfrank Salazar, was 2 for 3 with a double, walk, three RBI, and two runs scored.
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Player of the Day: Generally, it's our policy not to make a Dominican Summer League contributor the Player of the Day, but there has never been any rule against honoring three of them. However, in his first year as a pro, Nicolas De La Cruz has given up just one earned run in 7 1/3 innings in his first two starts. Darlyn De La Cruz is repeating the league after a solid 2022 used mostly as a starter for the DSL Red team. He posted a 3.04 ERA in 10 appearances last year and has given up just three runs in eight innings in his first two 2023 appearances. Strangely enough, Ruben De La Cruz is also repeating the league after posting an identical 3.04 ERA to Darlyn's last season.
Photo Credit: Bradley Blalock by Kelly O'Connor