July 20, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Rafaela stays hot; Coffey and Hickey power Portland
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A six-run eighth inning proved to be the difference for the WooSox on Wednesday. Ceddanne Rafaela enjoyed a productive night at the plate, going 3 for 5 with a double and a season-high four RBIs out of the three-hole. Ronaldo Hernandez and Stephen Scott each put together multi-hit games as well, as the former went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a stolen base while the latter went 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored. David Hamilton and Narciso Crook each drew two walks and scored two runs. Nick Sogard went 1 for 2 with three walks and a triple while Bobby Dalbec went 1 for 4 with two RBIs. Dalbec, Sogard, and Scott were also involved in a 5-4-3 triple play.
Kyle Barraclough improved to a perfect 5-0 in his fifth start of the season for Worcester. The veteran right-hander allowed three earned runs on four hits, three walks, and two strikeouts over six innings of work. All three of those runs came on a three-run homer off the bat of old friend Greg Allen in the bottom of the sixth. In relief of Barraclough, Andres Nunez put up a zero in the seventh and Ryan Fernandez got tagged for two runs in the eighth before Andrew Politi slammed the door on the RailRiders in the ninth.
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Another day, another double-digit strikeout game for a Sea Dogs starter. After CJ Liu struck out 11 on Tuesday night, Isaac Coffey spun a gem of his own at Hadlock Field on Wednesday. Coffey, making his fifth start of the season for Portland, punched out 10 over five scoreless innings in which he scattered four hits, one walk, and one hit-by-pitch. The 23-year-old righty finished with 96 pitches (61 strikes) and induced 15 swings-and-misses. Out of the Sea Dogs bullpen, the rehabbing John Schreiber needed just 10 pitches (8 strikes) to work a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Jacob Webb, Ryan Miller, and Joe Jones then combined for three scoreless frames of relief to preserve the shutout bid.
In the process of catching nine shutout innings, Nathan Hickey fittingly paced the Portland lineup by going 2 for 4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs, and one run scored out of the five-hole. The homer, which opened the scoring for the Sea Dogs in the second inning, was Hickey's 10th at the Double-A level and 14th of the season overall. Marcelo Mayer also doubled as part of a two-hit effort in which he scored a run. Though he did not hit a double, Corey Rosier went 2 for 4 with a run scored. Chase Meidroth recorded an RBI and Phillip Sikes stole a base for the 35th time this year.
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Bradley Blalock put together a solid outing in his fifth start of the season for Greenville. The 22-year-old righty yielded two earned runs on five hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings of work. Of the 86 pitches he threw, 58 went for strikes and 16 induced a swing-and-miss. Out of the Drive bullpen, Aaron Perry, Brock Bell, and Alex Hoppe combined for 3 2/3 scoreless frames of relief.
Three members of Greenville's starting lineup recorded two or more hits. Ronald Rosario went 3 for 5 with an RBI single and run scored. Max Ferguson went 2 for 3 with a double, two walks, and two runs scored. Out of the cleanup spot, Bryan Gonzalez doubled in a run and scored two himself. In addition to Rosario and Gonzalez, Allan Castro, Brainer Bonaci, and Alex Erro all had one RBI as well. Roman Anthony drew three walks out of the leadoff spot and stole one base while Tyler Miller walked twice and swiped two bags.
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Alexis Hernandez led the way offensively for Salem earlier in the afternoon by going 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs, one walk, and one run scored out of the three-hole. Hernandez both opened and closed the scoring by singling in a run in the first inning and then homering in the ninth for his second big fly of the year. Albertson Asigen also homered for the first time this season as part of a 1-for-4 day at the plate. Batting behind him, Claudio Simon went 3 for 4 with a triple, a run scored, and two stolen bases. Jhostynxon Garcia also tripled and swiped one bag while Juan Montero went 1 for 3 with an RBI double and a walk. Despite going hitless, Cutter Coffey recorded one RBI and scored two runs out of the leadoff spot.
Jose Ramirez went 5 2/3 innings in his 14th start of the season for Salem. The 22-year-old righty allowed four earned runs on eight hits, one walk, and two hit batters to go along with five strikeouts on 86 pitches (57 strikes). Out of the Red Sox bullpen, Marques Johnson, Cody Scroggins, and Reidis Sena combined for 3 1/3 scoreless frames of relief. For the rehabbing Scroggins, it was his first appearance at any level in more than three months. Sena, meanwhile, struck out two of the three batters he faced to notch the first save of his professional career.
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Player of the Day: With three more knocks on Wednesday, Ceddanne Rafaela extended his hitting streak to eight games. Dating back to when the streak began on July 7, the right-handed hitting 22-year-old has gone 14 for 35 (.400) at the plate with four doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, and seven runs scored. He is currently ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the organization and could be a candidate to make his major-league debut before the end of the season.
Photo Credit: Ceddanne Rafaela by Kelly O'Connor