July 19, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Rafaela homers, Sea Dogs walk it off
7/19 Cup of Coffee: The Sea Dogs won a slugfest with the Fisher Cats that ended with a walk-off win. Chase Meidroth led the offense, while Chih-Jung Liu (pictured) was great on the mound. Dalton Rogers joined Liu with a double-digit strikeout game of his own. Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu homered for Worcester, and Roman Anthony picked up two more hits.
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All three Sox runs came via the home run, but it was too little, too late. Wilyer Abreu belted his 13th of the year in the fifth inning, while Ceddanne Rafaela launched his fifth Triple-A home run in the ninth. Niko Kavadas added a couple knocks as well. Brian Van Belle, making his second Triple-A start, went the first five frames and surrendered four runs on eight hits. He struck out four and walked one. Rio Gomez and Theo Denlinger each tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout.
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Portland walked it off after entering the ninth inning trailing by two. Nick Yorke did the honors with a walk-off walk. Tyler McDonough had a huge hit as well with a game-tying double in that ninth inning. Chase Meidroth had a big night at the plate, going 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles and a triple. Philip Sikes was also 2 for 3 with his fifth home run, a walk, and three runs scored. Marcelo Mayer and Pablo Reyes each had a pair of hits as well. Chih-Jung Liu was terrific, punching out 11 batters with just one walk over 5 2/3 innings. He did allow three runs on a couple of home runs, but the 11 strikeouts are a new career-high for the 24-year-old right-hander. Ryan Zeferjahn was great out of the bullpen with 2 1/3 hitless innings.
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Another day, and another multi-hit game for Roman Anthony. The center fielder had a couple of singles, giving him his ninth multi-hit game since being called to Greenville. Bryan Gonzalez had a great night with the bat as well, going 3 for 5 with a double. Allan Castro added a single and a double. Dalton Rogers got the start and struck out 10 in 4 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and just one walk. It's the second time he has struck out double-digit hitters this year. Maceo Campbell also tossed a pair of scoreless innings without allowing a hit.
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Salem was held to just four hits, two of them from Alexis Hernandez. Jhostynxon Garcia belted his first home run of the season, while Luis Ravelo ripped a double. Gabriel Jackson started for Salem and pitched four very good innings. He allowed just one unearned run on three hits with three strikeouts. Railin Perez allowed two runs over three innings, and Jonathan Brand allowed a run in his lone inning of work.
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FCL Red Sox @ FCL Orioles, Postponed
This game was postponed due to rain.
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The Sox had 10 hits, all of which were singles. They were led by Starlyn Nunez, who collected three hits to raise his batting average to .342. Gabriel Mavarez also had a couple knocks and drove in two runs. Yoeilin Cespedes added a hit, while Jhoan Solarte reached twice with a single and a walk. Obed Balderas was terrific on the mound, tossing four shutout innings to begin the game. The righty allowed just three hits, no walks, and struck out three. Cesar Ruiz had a great outing out of the bullpen with four strikeouts, no walks, and just one run allowed over 2 1/3 innings of work.
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The Sox were shut out and had just two hits. Andruw Musett and Gerardo Rodriguez each went 1 for 3 with a single. Luis Jerez started and did not allow a run over four innings with four strikeouts and no walks. He lowers his ERA to 2.63 on the season. Oscar Sanchez threw a hitless inning in relief with a pair of strikeouts.
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Player of the Day: Chih-Jung Liu gets the nod with his 11 strikeouts, as he worked into the sixth inning. He has now had two consecutive starts with at least 10 strikeouts, giving him 21 strikeouts and just two free passes in two July starts. Overall, he has a 4.25 ERA in 16 starts this year with an impressive 97 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings.
Photo Credit: Chih-Jung Liu by Kelly O'Connor