September 7, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Murphy, Zimmer propel Worcester; Anderson has first multi-hit game
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A three-run fifth-inning lifted Worcester to a come-from-behind win over Gwinnett. Held hitless to that point in the contest, Bradley Zimmer followed a Narciso Crook leadoff walk by cranking a game-tying, two-run homer for his fifth big fly with the WooSox. Five batters and one pitching change later, Bobby Dalbec came through with a go-ahead, RBI single that scored David Hamilton and gave the visitors a 3-2 lead. In addition to scoring what would prove to be the winning run, Hamilton drew three walks and stole his 54th base of the season. Ryan Fitzgerald also swiped a bag while Stephen Scott drew two walks for the second straight night.
Andres Nunez served as the opener for Worcester and gave up one run on two hits and two walks in a laborious first inning. Chris Murphy took over in the second and scattered three hits over 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball in which he punched out seven of the 18 batters he faced. Oddanier Mosqueda recorded the final two outs of the sixth inning before making way for newcomer Logan Gillaspie, who made the most of his organizational debut by retiring the side in order on just 12 pitches (10 strikes) in the seventh. Nick Robertson and Andrew Politi then combined for two more scoreless frames to close it out as the latter notched his 13th save of the year.
With the win, their second straight over Gwinnett and third straight overall, the WooSox remain 2 1/2 games back of Durham (who have won five straight) for first place in the International League East second-half standings
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Angel Bastardo went five innings in his third start of the season for Portland. The 21-year-old righty allowed two earned runs on two hits and five walks with three strikeouts. Both of those runs came by way of a two-run homer off the bat of Marcus Lee with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Of the 90 pitches Bastardo threw, 49 went for strikes. Out of the Sea Dogs bullpen, Wyatt Olds took the loss after giving up a go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning. Jacob Webb then struck out two of the three batters he faced.
Kyle Teel and Phillip Sikes were responsible for Portland's two runs, as the former went 1 for 4 with an RBI single and the latter went 1 for 3 with a sacrifice fly. Blaze Jordan recorded two hits (both singles) while Roman Anthony, Nathan Hickey, and Corey Rosier each drew a walk. In addition to the free pass, Rosier stole a base to bring his season total up to 49.
With the loss, their second straight and seventh in their last 10 games, the Sea Dogs now trail the Somerset Patriots by seven games for first place in the Eastern League Northeast second-half standings. Only 10 games remain on Portland's regular season schedule.
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It took nearly three weeks, but Zach Penrod finally fell back down to earth after tossing 17 consecutive scoreless innings to begin his career in the Red Sox organization. Making his fourth start of the season for Greenville on Wednesday, the 26-year-old lefty surrendered five earned runs on seven hits (one home run), four walks, and three strikeouts over just 3 2/3 innings. He finished with 72 pitches (40 strikes) and was charged with the losing decision. Out of the Drive bullpen, Casey Cobb, Nathan Landry, and Felix Cepeda combined for 4 1/3 scoreless frames of relief.
On an otherwise quiet night for the Greenville lineup, Eduardo Lopez and Gilberto Jimenez each recorded run-scoring hits. Lopez went 1 for 4 with a two-run double in the seventh inning. He was then singled in by Jimenez, who also went 1 for 4. Despite going hitless, Bryan Gonzalez reached base two times via a walk and a hit-by-pitch and stole his 14th base of the season. Eddinson Paulino reached base twice as well by going 1 for 3 with a walk and single to extend his hitting streak to six games.
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Four members of Salem's starting lineup recorded two or more hits in this one. Leadoff man Jhostynxon Garcia went 2 for 4 with a triple, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. Batting behind him, Antonio Anderson notched the first multi-hit game of his young career by going 2 for 3 with a pair of singles and one run scored. Natanael Yuten swiped two bases in the process of going 3 for 4 with one RBI and two runs scored. Out of the nine-hole, Albertson Asigen doubled three times while driving in and scoring one run. Albert Feliz also doubled while Johanfran Garcia walked, drove in one run, scored another, and threw out a would-be base stealer at second base.
Elvis Soto put together a strong effort in his seventh start of the season for Salem. The 19-year-old righty allowed just one hit and one walk over four scoreless innings in which he fanned six of the 14 batters he faced. Of the 50 pitches he threw, 32 went for strikes and eight elicited a swing-and-miss. In relief of Soto, Frank German picked up the winning decision after yielding one unearned run and striking out three in the top of the fifth. Nathanael Cruz and Michael Valera each gave up one run across two innings of work, but Valera held on in the end to secure the victory.
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Player of the Day: Chris Murphy has appeared in two games for Worcester since being sent back down on August 28. In that time, the 25-year-old lefty has allowed just one earned run on five hits, four walks, and 12 strikeouts over 8 1/3 innings of relief in which he has held opposing hitters to a .167 batting average. On Wednesday night, in particular, he induced a game-high 11 swings and misses.
Photo Credit: Chris Murphy by Kelly O'Connor