June 17, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Jordan and Rafaela's hot streaks continue; Dobbins strikes out eight
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Worcester Red Sox @ Norfolk Tides, PPD (rain)
Friday night's game was postponed due to rain and will be made up on Saturday as part of a doubleheader.
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Ceddanne Rafaela reached base four times, going 3 for 4 with a walk and a double in Portland's win. He now has an OPS of over 1.000 in the month of June, and for good measure, he stole two bases on Friday. Matthew Lugo went 2 for 5 with a double and two RBI, and Corey Rosier went 2 for 3 with two RBI and two steals.
Grant Gambrell allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings, raising his ERA to 3.06 in six starts with Portland. Ryan Miller did not allow a run over 1 2/3 innings, and Luis Guerrero allowed just a solo home run over 1 1/3 while striking out three.
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A walk-off error gave Greenville the win in a back-and-forth affair. Hunter Dobbins left with the lead after allowing two runs over six innings, walking one and striking out eight. He induced a staggering 27 swing-and-misses. The Grasshoppers put four runs on the board in the seventh, but Greenville answered with three in the eighth and one in the ninth. The win went to Graham Hoffman, who struck out the side in the top of the ninth.
Blaze Jordan homered for the second day in a row as part of a 2-for-4 night. He is now hitting .318/.370/.529 as he eyes a promotion to Portland. Roman Anthony went 1 for 5 and plated Eduardo Lopez on the error that won the game. Ronald Rosario and Alex Erro went 2 for 4 with a double, and Bryan Gonzalez went 2 for 4 with a steal.
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Salem's 12-hit attack was well-balanced, with four players having multi-hit games. Juan Chacon, Cutter Coffey, Allan Castro, and Alexis Hernandez all had two hits, including an extra-base knock. Seven players drove in a run, led by Coffey and Hernandez, who had two RBI. It was a rare poor start for Jose Ramirez, who got tagged for five runs on nine hits in 3 2/3. That is as many runs as he had allowed in his previous seven appearances. Gabriel Jackson moved to 3-0 with 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball, and Caleb Bolden earned the save with two scoreless innings.
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The Red Sox blew a five-run lead in a tough loss to the Twins. Home runs from Johnfrank Salazar and Brooks Brannon were the highlights of a great day for the offense. It was Salazar's first, while Brannon already has three in six games. Both Marvin Alcantara and Johanfran Garcia had three hits, with Garcia adding a triple and a stolen base. Natanael Yuten and Kelvin Diaz stole two bags, with Diaz now up to seven steals in eight games. Starter Eybersson Polanco went the first four innings, allowing three runs (one earned) while striking out three. The three relievers that followed all allowed multiple runs.
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The Blue and Red squads faced off for the second straight Friday, with the Blue team getting revenge. Jesus Garcia started for Blue, allowing two runs on three hits over four innings. The trio of Jose Martinez, Juan Valera, and Ali Ascanio did not allow a hit over the final three innings and allowed just two unearned runs. A three-run double from Jhoan Solarte was the biggest hit for Blue, while Luis Arredondo went 2 for 4 with a double, and Starlyn Nunez went 1 for 4 with a triple.
Red managed just three hits, with one for Franklin Arias, Alex Castillo, and Nixson Cueche. Daniel Nunez allowed three earned over four innings, and Oscar Sanchez struck out two in a scoreless inning.
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Player of the Day: Hunter Dobbins induced 27 swing-and-misses over six innings while striking out eight. The 23-year-old now has a 44-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 41 innings. He's taken it to another level in June, where he is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA over 19 innings while striking out 23 and walking only one. The walk he issued on Friday was his first since May 20.
Photo Credit: Hunter Dobbins by Kelly O'Connor