September 6, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Teel, Anthony pick up hits in Portland debuts
-----
The Sox came storming back with four runs in the ninth inning to steal a win in exciting fashion. In the inning, David Hamilton singled home Christian Koss, who lead off with a double. Then, the game was tied when two runs scored on a fielder's choice error off the bat of Stephen Scott. Ronaldo Hernandez then knocked in what would turn out to be the game-winning run with a single. Hamilton had another hit as well and scored a run. Nick Sogard also went 2 for 4, Bradley Zimmer roped a triple, and Niko Kavadas singled and drew a walk. Rio Gomez struggled on the mound, giving up five earned run over 4 1/3 frames with three strikeouts and two walks. The Sox bullpen was great, starting with Justin Hagenman, who did not allow a run or a hit with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. Brendan Nail pitched a hitless inning, and Justin Garza tossed two innings without surrendering a run or a hit.
-----
Kyle Teel and Roman Anthony, a pair of top five prospects, made their Double-A debuts in this one and each picked up a knock. Anthony singled and scored a run while Teel drove in a run with a base hit in the seventh inning. Anthony played center field and Teel was the designated hitter. Blaze Jordan doubled and scored a run and Nick Yorke reached three times with a single and two walks. Chih-Jung Liu started and labored through 3 2/3 innings, tossing 81 pitches, He surrendered six runs, although only two were earned. He punched out four and walked three. Cody Scroggins followed Liu and did not allow a run over 2 1/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts. Christopher Troye (pictured) was tremendous for two innings, as he did not allow a run, hit, or walk in addition to four strikeouts.
-----
Greenville had a solid offensive night in the loss, pounding out 11 hits. They were led by Gilberto Jimenez, who singled, doubled, and drove in a pair of runs. Kristian Campbell also had two hits, including a two-bagger. Eddinson Paulino and Tyler Miller each went 1 for 5 with a solo shot, while Allan Castro, Nick Decker, and Karson Simas all hit doubles. Bryan Gonzalez added a couple of stolen bases. Robert Kwiatkowski started and went the first 2 2/3 innings. He allowed a run on just two hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Jordan DiValerio did not fare well, allowing six runs (two earned) in three frames. Caleb Bolden allowed one unearned run in his lone inning of work.
-----
Zack Kelly opened up this one on the mound for Salem, pitching in just his second game since the elbow injury in April. He walked a pair and gave up a run, getting only one out. Zach Fogell pitched the next 1 2/3 innings and allowed one unearned run despite not allowing a hit. The 2023 draft pick has yet to allow an earned run in his 4 2/3 professional frames. Jose Ramirez, normally a starter, pitched five innings out of the bullpen and allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts. Jonathan Brand tossed a clean inning without allowing a run or a hit with one strikeout. At the plate, Marvin Alcantara had the only RBI with a run-scoring single in the ninth inning. Johanfran Garcia had a nice night, going 2 for 3 with a triple, a single, and a hit-by-pitch.
-----
Player of the Day: It's not often that a reliever takes home this award, but there were not a ton of standout performances last night, and Christopher Troye was perfect for two innings out of the bullpen, striking out four of the six batters he faced. After a dominant run with Greenville, where he struck out 37 in 18 1/3 frames with a 1.96 ERA, Troye has been solid for Portland. He has a 4.33 ERA, but has still been a strikeout machine with 43 in 27 innings.
Photo Credit: Christopher Troye by Kelly O'Connor