July 8, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Rafaela homers twice; Anthony doubles and homers in return
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Ceddanne Rafaela and Bobby Dalbec led the way in Worcester's win. Rafaela went 3 for 5 with two home runs and three RBI, while Dalbec went 3 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI. Rafaela had gotten off to a slow start with Worcester before breaking out in this one. It marked his third career multi-homer game. Dalbec's three hits pushed his average to an even .300 with the WooSox, and his OPS climbed to 1.067. Ronaldo Hernández went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI, and Pablo Reyes went 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Norwith Gudiño was victorious by allowing two runs (one earned) over five innings. He did not strike out a batter but also allowed just two hits. John Schreiber made his first rehab appearance after missing almost two months with a right teres major strain. He retired the first two batters before issuing a four-pitch walk and hitting his pitch limit. AJ Politi locked things down with a scoreless ninth.
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The Sea Dogs belted four home runs, and CJ Liu tied a career high with 10 strikeouts in an impressive Portland victory. Liu allowed just one run over seven innings as he scattered four hits and a walk. Taylor Broadway and Ryan Miller tacked on a scoreless inning each. The home runs came from Tyler McDonough, Corey Rosier, Phillip Sikes, and Niko Kavadas. All four were solo shots, and Rosier added a single and his 29th stolen base. Alex Binelas and Nathan Hickey both notched a double as well.
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The Drive had the tying run on third in the ninth but could not bring him home. After missing the last week with an illness, Roman Anthony was back in the lineup and did not miss a beat. He went 2 for 3 with a home run, double, and a walk, with both hits going to the opposite field. His OPS is 1.264 over 51 at-bats in Greenville. Brainer Bonaci went 2 for 4, and Tyler Miller went 3 for 4, though Miller got caught stealing, and Bonaci committed an error.
The only blemish for Juan Daniel Encarnacion over five innings was a solo home run. He walked one and struck out seven. The loss went to Nathan Landry, who allowed two runs in the seventh, while Brock Bell struck out four over two scoreless frames.
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More than Mikey Romero's debut was needed to push Salem past the Hillcats. After an eight-game rehab stint in the FCL, Romero returned to Salem, where he ended last season. He went 1 for 3 with a walk while batting second and playing shortstop. Ahbram Liendo accounted for the team's only run as he went 2 for 4 with a home run. A quality start from Jose Ramirez got wasted as he allowed two runs over six innings. He walked three and struck out seven while allowing three hits. Ramirez dropped to 1-5 despite sporting a 3.07 ERA.
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In just seven innings, the Red Sox offense put up 16 runs on 16 hits. This game produced a few wild stat lines, led by Natanael Yuten, who went 4 for 4 with a home run and five RBI. Karim Ayubi drew a walk in all four of his plate appearances while scoring three times, and Kelvin Diaz went 2 for 4 with a home run and a walk. Johnfrank Salazar, Johanfran Garcia, Deundre Jones, and Bryant Zayas all had mult-hit games as well. Cristian Nunez allowed two runs over the first three innings, and Denis Reguillo did not allow a run over 2 2/3 as he picked up a stress-free win.
The second game was closer, but the Red Sox were able to finish off the sweep. Salazar and Garcia were cogs in the offense again, with Salazar going 2 for 3 with a home run and Garcia going 1 for 2 with a double and a walk. Fraymi De Leon went 1 for 2 with a double and an RBI, and he now has hits in six of his first 12 at-bats since coming stateside. Luis Cohen struck out five while spinning four innings of one-run ball, while Stijn Van Der Schaaf and Simon Pacheco combined to blank the Twins over the final three innings.
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Red Sox pitching issued 11 walks as they fell to the Tigers. Geiser Figueroa only allowed one hit but gave up two runs in 2 1/3 innings due to five free passes. Luis Jerez was the only pitcher who did not walk a batter, as he threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Nixson Cueche and Alex Castillo went 2 for 4, and Yosander Asencio had a 2-for-5 day with a double.
While his brother Johnfrank was homering in the FCL, Kleyver Salazar went deep for the Blue squad. It was the first professional home run for Kleyver, and he also drew a walk. A triple from Yoeilin Cespedes was the only other extra-base hit. Cristofher Paniagua had the team's other two hits, and Jhoan Solarte added a sacrifice fly. Darlyn De La Cruz took the loss after allowing three home runs, and Cesar Ruiz allowed one run over the final three innings.
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Player of the Day: It is hard to pick against CJ Liu's 10 strikeouts, but two home runs for Ceddanne Rafaela give him the edge. Rafaela, the system's third-ranked prospect, was hitting just .182/.229/.364 in his first eight games following his promotion to Worcester. It's a small sample size, and the .167 batting average on balls in play showed he was due for a bounceback. That came in a big way on Friday, as his 3-for-5 performance pushed his OPS up to .828. With Miguel Bleis out for the season, Rafaela has a chance to catch him in the rankings with a big end to the year, though Roman Anthony in Greenville is closing in on both.
Photo Credit: Ceddanne Rafaela by Kelly O'Connor