August 12, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Monegro strikes out 11; Rafaela homers again
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Tanner Houck looked sharp in his second rehab start, striking out three without walking a batter over three shutout innings. He threw 23 of his 34 pitches for strikes, and his velocity was consistent with his season averages. Bobby Dalbec went 1 for 2 with a walk and a steal and drove in the team's lone run with his 28th home run. Wilyer Abreu went 2 for 3, and Ryan Fitzgerald went 2 for 3 with a triple.
The WooSox blanked the Bisons in game two. Brandon Walter struck out two over the first three innings, and Ryan Fernandez followed with three strikeouts in two innings. Joe Jacques and Nick Robertson each had one clean inning in their first appearance since being optioned. After going 0 for 4 in the first game, Ceddanne Rafaela broke out in the second. He crushed a three-run home run and added a single, while Wilyer Abreu went 1 for 2 with his 16th home run. Rafaela has six home runs in nine games in August as he is slugging .805. Abreu is not far behind, with a .742 slugging percentage so far this month.
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The Sea Dogs launched three home runs as they beat up the Yard Goats. Nathan Hickey led the well-rounded attack by going 2 for 4 with a double and his 14th home run. Brainer Bonaci hit his first home run in Double-A as he went 1 for 4 with a walk. Alex Binelas added a three-run shot, and Phillip Sikes went 2 for 4 while adding his 36th steal. Nick Yorke went 2 for 4 with a walk, and Matthew Lugo went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.
CJ Liu struck out seven over 4 2/3 but allowed four runs on seven hits. Theo Denlinger earned the win by striking out three while keeping Hartford off the board over 2 1/3 innings, and Ryan Zeferjahn closed things out with two hitless innings.
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The Drive managed only four hits and committed four errors in a loss to Greensboro. Starter Dalton Rogers struck out nine over 4 1/3, but Greensboro connected on two home runs. Casey Cobb kept Greenville close, striking out four without allowing a run over 3 2/3 innings. A solo home run from Eduardo Lopez accounted for Greenville's only run. Karson Simas went 1 for 2 with a walk and two steals, and Eddinson Paulino went 1 for 3 with a walk.
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A dominant start from Yordanny Monegro went to waste as Salem was almost no-hit. Monegro had his second 11-strikeout game in seven games with Salem, and he did not allow a run over five innings. Salem did not have a hit until Mikey Romero tripled to lead off the seventh, and he scored on a sacrifice fly from Enderso Lira. Jhostynxon Garcia also tripled, and Albertson Asigen went 1 for 3.
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The Twins scored six times in the final two innings to steal a win. Four of the six runs were unearned. After Denis Reguillo allowed two runs over four innings, Wandy Abreu followed with three shutout innings. In the eighth, two errors from the Red Sox to start the inning led to three unearned runs off Abreu. In the ninth, an error to start the inning was immediately followed by a two-run home run off Simon Pacheco. On offense, Bryant Zayas hit his first career home run, and Kristian Campbell went 3 for 3 with a walk. Stanley Tucker added a triple, a walk, and a steal, and Natanael Yuten went 2 for 5.
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The Red squad blanked the Cubs after completing a suspended game from August 10. Gilberto Batista fired two scoreless innings on Thursday before the lightning started. Play resumed on Friday with three shutout frames from Daniel Nunez. Nunez improved to 2-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.15. Luis Jerez covered the final four innings, striking out four and allowing just two hits while earning the save. Andruw Musett's third home run of the year was the big hit for the offense as he went 3 for 4. Albert Chalas and Yosander Asencio both added two hits.
It was another strong pitching performance in the DSL, as the Red Sox allowed just three hits. Jesus Garcia had a great start despite not factoring in the decision. He did not allow a run over five innings while surrendering just two hits and a walk while striking out five. Ali Ascanio struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his third save. Kleyver Salazar went 2 for 3 with a double, Starlyn Nunez went 1 for 4 with a triple, and Raimundo De Los Santos went 1 for 4 with two steals. Yoeilin Cespedes drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the bottom of the seventh.
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Player of the Day: 11 strikeouts over five scoreless innings from Yordanny Monegro edged out some other strong performances. After not allowing a run over his first 15 innings with Salem, Monegro cooled off over his next three starts. He allowed nine runs over 11 2/3 with a WHIP approaching 2.00. He got back on track in a big way on Friday. The 11 strikeouts tied a season high, and he walked only one. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, but 20-year-old saw his ERA drop to 2.56.
Photo Credit: Yordanny Monegro by Kelly O'Connor