June 27, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: A winless day as Wu-Yelland continues rehab
6/27 Cup of Coffee: It was a winless day in the system, as the full-season affiliates are all off, leaving just the complex league teams in action. It was a tough offensive day in the Dominican Republic, as DSL Blue was shut out and Red could muster only a pair of runs. All may not be lost, as the FCL squad will finish a washed-out game on July 17, but the Red Sox did give up a 5-0 lead after six innings to force a tie going into the ninth. Jeremy Wu-Yelland (pictured) made his second rehab appearance after undergoing Tommy John surgery and got through two innings without incident, while there were just four multi-hit outings between the three teams.
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Eight-and-a-half innings weren't enough to separate the Red Sox and Orioles, but the weather would prevent the bottom of the ninth from getting underway. The Red Sox were up 5-0 after six innings, punctuated by a four-run sixth as Armando Sierra and Karim Ayubi, who was the only batter with more than one hit, each had RBI doubles. While the Red Sox added two in the seventh, the Orioles pushed across a pair of their own in the seventh and then five more in the eighth to tie the ballgame before rain caused it to be suspended. The contest will be finished on July 17.
Jeremy Wu-Yelland made his second rehab appearance after Tommy John surgery and deuces were wild, with a pair of hits, walks, and strikeouts over two innings of shutout work. He was followed by Eybersson Polanco, who performed solidly over five innings. Two runners crossed the plate on his watch, but he had plenty of traffic, with four hits and two walks allowed.
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Red had a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Pirates snagged a pair in that frame and then walked it off in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch with the bases loaded and nobody out. The away club had eight hits on the day, paced by Yosander Asencio, Natanael Eusebio, and Yohander Linarez, each of whom had two-hit days. Cristofer Soriano was the team's best pitcher, going three innings of no-hit relief, with one walk against four strikeouts.
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Player of the Day: Karim Ayubi arrived at the plate with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and did what he needed to do, driving a bases-clearing double to put his team up five runs with nine outs to go. Originally from Curacao, Ayubi has been performing well in his stateside debut after spending two seasons in the DSL. He's hitting .350/.552/.500, though it's only in 29 plate appearances after signing for an $85,000 bonus in January 2021.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wu-Yelland by Kelly O'Connor