August 25, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Teel reaches base five times, Asigen speeds Salem to win
-----
Brian Van Belle turned in a strong start and Worcester took advantage of a pair of costly Rochester errors in Thursday's matinee. Van Belle allowed two runs on five hits in six innings, striking out seven without issuing a walk. The Red Wings clawed back a seventh-inning run against Ryan Fernandez, but Oddanier Mosqueda and AJ Politi went a scoreless inning apiece to close out the victory. David Hamilton had two of the six Worcester hits before getting ejected in the fifth inning. Ronaldo Hernandez doubled for the team's only extra-base hit, while Bobby Dalbec walked three times, scored a run, and stole a base.
-----
Angel Bastardo turned in a quality start in his Portland debut following his recent promotion from High A Greenville. He allowed three runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out four, walked two, and surrendered a solo home run in the sixth inning, coming away with the no-decision. Jacob Webb and Alex Hoppe both struck out a pair in a hitless inning of relief apiece, with Webb getting credit for the win and Hoppe notching the save.
Trailing 4-3 into the eighth inning, the Sea Dogs had a three-run rally that was highlighted by a decisive two-run homer off the bat of Matthew Lugo. Alex Binelas also went deep, launching a third-inning solo shot. Tyler Esplin doubled as part of his two-hit effort, the only player with multiple knocks in the Portland lineup.
-----
The dominant professional debut from first-round pick Kyle Teel continued on Thursday night. The backstop did not record an out in any of his five plate appearances, going 3 for 3 with a double, two walks, a run scored, an RBI, and a stolen base. It was the fourth time Teel has recorded three hits in nine games with the Drive. Roman Anthony continued to shine as well, going 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Eddinson Paulino also doubled as part of a two-hit night, driving in a pair.
Dalton Rogers turned in a strong start, giving up one run on just two hits in five innings, striking out five and walking two. Joey Stock struck out four and allowed one hit in two scoreless innings of relief. Felix Cepeda finally saw his scoreless streak come to a close. After going unscored upon in 14 innings across his first eight Greenville appearances, Cepeda added to that with a scoreless eighth before surrendering a solo shot to South Atlantic League home run leader Abimelec Ortiz.
-----
Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Albertson Asigen raced around the bases for the winning run. The right fielder reached on an infield hit to lead off the inning, followed by swipes of second and third. With two outs, Jhostynxon Garcia struck out with Asigen at third base, but as the ball bounced away from the Fredericksburg catcher, Asigen raced home for the winning run. Overall, Asigen was 2 for 3 with a walk and three steals. Garcia, following up on Wednesday's four-hit effort, had a single, triple, and walk preceding the game-winning strikeout. Second-and-third-round picks Nazzan Zanetello and Antonio Anderson made their Salem debuts, batting second and third, appropriately. Zanetello was 1 for 2 with an RBI before departing in the fifth, and Anderson went 1 for 4.
Yordanny Monegro was excellent on the mound, giving up just an unearned run on two hits in five innings. He struck out eight against two walks, lowering his ERA to 2.43 in 40 2/3 innings since his promotion to Salem. Nathanael Cruz struck out four and gave up one hit in two scoreless innings, followed by two hitless frames from Jonathan Brand.
-----
Player of the Day: There were several solid candidates, including frequent honoree Kyle Teel, but the nod goes to Albertson Asigen for his ninth-inning heroics in Salem. Asigen has quietly starred in his first season stateside, posting a .331/.448/.430 line in 47 games between the FCL and Carolina League. Those numbers have remained consistent since his July promotion, with a .330/.451/.420 mark in 33 games with Salem. He has stolen 17 bases on the year while getting caught just four times. Asigen, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Sunday, signed for just $10,000 in October 2019 out of the Dominican Republic.
Photo Credit: Albertson Asigen by Kelly O'Connor