June 5, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Mayer breaks out; Drohan earns first Triple-A win
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The WooSox closed out their road trip by picking up a second straight win in Louisville. Ronaldo Hernandez led the way offensively by going 2 for 4 with a pair of home runs and a walk. He drove in a total of three runs with his fifth and sixth homers of the season. Ryan Fitzgerald also homered and collected three RBIs as part of a two-hit showing. The rehabbing Adam Duvall went 1 for 2 with a two-run blast, two walks, and three runs scored while playing six innings of center field. Bradley Zimmer mashed a solo shot while Nick Sogard went 2 for 5 with an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base out of the leadoff spot.
Shane Drohan earned his first winning decision at the Triple-A level by going five innings on Sunday. The 24-year-old lefty allowed three earned runs on seven hits, four walks, and five strikeouts. He finished with 98 pitches (58 strikes) and induced 12 swings-and-misses. Out of the Worcester bullpen, Theo Denlinger served up a two-run home run to Nick Martini in the bottom of the seventh. Chase Shugart faced the minimum in the eighth and birthday boy Andrew Politi gave up one run on two hits in the ninth before ultimately closing it out.
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Though the Sea Dogs were walked off on in 10 innings, Marcelo Mayer finally got in the hit column. After going 0 for his first 16 at the Double-A level, Mayer broke through by recording three hits on Sunday. The talented shortstop went 3 for 4 with a double, two RBIs, one run scored, and two stolen bases out of the three-hole. Ceddanne Rafaela was the only other member of the Portland lineup to register multiple hits, as the leadoff man went 2 for 5 with a double and run scored.
Grant Gambrell was solid yet again in his fourth start of the season for the Sea Dogs. The 25-year-old righty allowed just two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts over five innings of work. Of the 84 pitches he threw, 50 went for strikes. In relief of Gambrell, Christopher Troye got tagged for two runs in the seventh. Ryan Miller and Ryan Fernandez then put up zeroes in the eighth and ninth, but it was Fernandez who allowed the automatic runner to score on a leadoff walk-off single in the 10th.
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The Drive secured a series victory with a convincing win at Fluor Field on Sunday. Ronald Rosario paced the Greenville lineup by going a perfect 4 for 4 with a double and a team-high three runs scored. Tyler Miller and Alex Erro combined for four doubles and four RBIs. Bryan Gonzalez also collected two RBIs on a two-run single in the third inning. Eduardo Lopez drew two walks and scored two runs. Eddinson Paulino and Blaze Jordan each picked up an RBI despite going hitless. Miguel Ugueto stole his seventh base of the season.
Angel Bastardo went 4 2/3 innings in his 10th start of the year for Greenville. The Venezuelan-born right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. He induced 10 whiffs and finished with 91 pitches (57 strikes). Out of the Drive bullpen, Jordan DiValerio, Alex Hoppe, and Robert Kwiatkowski combined for 4 1/3 scoreless frames of relief.
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To wrap up a tough weekend in South Carolina, Salem was held to just three hits by Myrtle Beach in Sunday's series finale. Albert Feliz (double) and Cutter Coffey (triple) accounted for two of those hits, while leadoff man Roman Anthony (single) was responsible for the other. Coffey drove in two runs with his triple and scored a run himself. Anthony, Coffey, and Karson Simas combined to draw six walks.
Jedixson Paez took the loss in his sixth start of the season for Salem. The 19-year-old righty surrendered three earned runs on zero walks and four strikeouts over five solid innings. He retired seven of the last eight batters he faced and finished with 66 pitches (46 strikes). In relief of Paez, Caleb Bolden gave up two runs in the seventh while Felix Cepeda allowed one more in the eighth.
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Player of the Day: Sunday marked the first four-hit game of Ronald Rosario's professional career. The right-handed hitting 20-year-old has hits in each of his last four games and is now batting .289/.373/.422 with three doubles, one home run, six RBIs, 12 runs scored, five walks, and nine runs scored in his first 14 games (51 plate appearances) with Greenville. He was promoted from Salem last month and originally signed with Boston for $50,000 as an international free agent in July 2019.
Photo Credit: Ronald Rosario by Kelly O'Connor