September 2, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Monegro dazzles in Greenville debut; Anthony drives in three
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The WooSox scored twice in the ninth but fell just short against Norfolk. Things got off to a rocky start for Oddanier Mosqueda as he allowed a three-run home run in the first inning. He followed that with a scoreless second inning before turning things over to Chris Murphy. Murphy did not allow a run over four innings while walking two and striking out five. This was Murphy's first appearance in Worcester after an extended stint in Boston that saw him pitch to a 5.03 ERA over 39 1/3 innings.
Ryan Fitzgerald started the ninth with a triple and came home to score on a double from Bradley Zimmer. David Hamilton went 1 for 4 and stole two more bags, as he is up to 51 on the year. Yu Chang went 1 for 2 with a double but got removed from the game after scoring on a Bobby Dalbec single.
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The Portland offense got stymied, recording only three hits while striking out 13 times. Tyler McDonough had a good night at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a triple and his 20th stolen base. Nathan Hickey had the only other hit, bringing home McDonough with an RBI single. Sterling Sharp allowed two runs over 3 1/3 while striking out four. Wyatt Olds turned in one of his better appearances of the year, firing 2 2/3 shutout innings while striking out three and allowing just one hit. Theo Denlinger and Dylan Spacke combined to keep the Patriots off the board over the final three innings.
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A familiar face led the offense, while a newcomer made a great first impression on the mound. After Zack Kelly struck out two in a scoreless first inning as he began a rehab assignment, Yordanny Monegro followed with five scoreless innings. Monegro walked one and struck out eight while allowing four hits in his first start since being promoted from Salem. Robert Kwiatkowski and Felix Cepeda finished off the shutout.
Roman Anthony drove in all three of Greenville's runs as part of a 3-for-5 night with a double. Eddinson Paulino went 2 for 4 and swiped two bags, Allan Castro went 2 for 4, and Kyle Teel went 1 for 4 with a walk.
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Salem had similar offensive struggles to Portland, recording four hits while striking out 12 times. Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz made his first appearance since early July, allowing one run on two hits in his lone inning. Cristian Nunez was the first out of the bullpen and allowed two runs over three innings, and Luis Talavera allowed one run over three innings. Albertson Asigen had two of Salem's four hits, while Marvin Alcantara and Albert Feliz went 1 for 3.
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Player of the Day: Making his High-A debut, Yordanny Monegro was dominant for Greenville. Monegro struck out eight over five shutout innings. It is the fifth time in 13 starts that he has struck out at least eight batters and the seventh time he has not allowed a run. Monegro debuted in the FCL on June 5th and made it to High-A in less than three months. The 6-foot-4 right-hander has risen to 29th in the rankings after entering the year outside the top 60.
Photo Credit: Yordanny Monegro by Kelly O'Connor