August 27, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Dearden, Meidroth lead Portland romp; Rafaela doubles twice
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Grant Gambrell made a splash in his Worcester debut with 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits, striking out five and walking four. The 25-year-old righty, acquired in the Andrew Benintendi deal, leads all Red Sox minor leaguers with 121 2/3 innings pitched. Rochester rallied for three runs in two innings against Justin Hagenman, but Nick Robertson went 1 1/3 scoreless to earn the save. Ceddanne Rafaela led the way at the plate, going 3 for 5 with two doubles and three RBI. Niko Kavadas homered, walked, and scored twice as part of a 2-for-3 night. It was his first round-tripper since July 22, and it snapped a 4-for-36 skid. The win gave Worcester a 1 1/2 game lead in the International League East Division second-half standings.
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The Sea Dogs cranked out 15 hits, with every member of the starting lineup picking up at least one knock. Chase Meidroth found himself in the middle of several run-scoring rallies, driving in three runs and scoring three more as he went 2 for 3 with a walk. Tyler Dearden did not record an out as he went 2 for 2 with three walks. Nathan Hickey doubled twice and drove in three runs, finishing 2 for 5 on the evening. Blaze Jordan had a two-run homer in the second, his 18th of the year and sixth since his promotion to Portland. Isaac Coffey benefitted from the offensive explosion, cruising through seven innings. He allowed two runs, both on solo homers, striking out nine, walking two, and giving up five hits. The victory made Coffey the organization's first 10-game winner.
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The Drive missed out on their first three-game winning streak since mid-June despite the best efforts of starter Luis Perales. Boston's top-ranked pitching prospect scattered two hits across five shutout innings. He struck out five and walked three, throwing 53 of 79 pitches for strikes. Reidis Sena took the loss in relief, giving up two runs (one earned) in two innings. Greenville managed just five hits, and all of its run scoring came via the long ball. Max Ferguson hit a two-run blast in the fifth inning that briefly gave the Drive a 2-0 lead. Eddinson Paulino delivered a solo homer in the ninth that cut the deficit in half.
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A trio of Salem hurlers combined for a two-hit shutout. Jhonny Felix served as the opener in his first professional start and took to the role, giving up an infield hit to the first batter of the game before retiring the next six batters Noah Dean followed in a bulk role, firing 4 2/3 hitless. He struck out four and walked four, getting credit for the win. Michael Valera went the final 2 1/3, giving up a single in the ninth, striking out three, and walking one. Natanael Yuten led the offense, going 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Johnfrank Salazar also had a pair of hits, while Yorberto Mejicano had a double and three RBI.
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Player of the Day: Veteran outfielder Tyler Dearden had a huge day at the plate to key Portland's blowout win. It was the first time Dearden had reached base five times since July 1, 2021 while he was playing for Greenville. A 29th-round pick back in the 2017 draft, Dearden got an overslot $140,000 bonus to lure him away from a commitment to play for Penn State. His professional career has been hampered some by a series of injuries, limited him to 388 games over parts of six seasons, not including the canceled 2020 campaign. He has been particularly productive recently, with 11 multi-hit efforts in his last 27 games.
Photo Credit: Tyler Dearden by Kelly O'Connor