April 29, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Grissom records four hits in Worcester's win; Gonzalez fans eight for Portland
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Vaughn Grissom led the way offensively, going 4 for 4 with two RBIs, one run scored, and one walk. Corey Rosier broke out of a 0 for 17 slump by going 3 for 4 with his first home run of the season. Niko Kavadas also went deep for the fifth time this year by crushing a 442-foot solo shot in the seventh inning. Eddy Alvarez drove in a team-high three runs on a two-run single and sacrifice fly. Chase Meidroth went 1 for 4 with an RBI single, one run scored, and one walk.
Justin Hagenman made his first start as a member of the Red Sox organization. The 27-year-old righty allowed two earned runs on three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings. Of the 56 pitches he threw, 32 went for strikes. Robert Kwiatkowski, Luis Guerrero, and Lucas Luetge combined for six scoreless frames of relief out of the Worcester bullpen. Kwiatkowski earned the winning decision in his first appearance at the Triple-A level while Luetge took home the save.
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Wikelman Gonzalez was solid in his third start of the season for Portland. The Venezuelan-born right-hander yielded only two earned runs on one hit, one walk, and two hit batsmen with eight strikeouts over five innings. He finished with 90 pitches (56 strikes) and induced a game-high 17 whiffs. Nick Yorke stayed hot by going 2 for 4 with a two-run double, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Eddinson Paulino and Blaze Jordan each doubled as part of two-hit afternoons as well. Matthew Lugo tripled in a run while Mickey Gasper homered for the second time this year.
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David Sandlin went four innings and took the loss in his first start since April 16. The 23-year-old righty allowed two earned runs on four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Bryce Bonnin fired two scoreless frames of relief in which he retired six of the seven batters he faced. Greenville's lone run came on an RBI double from Miguel Ugueto in the bottom of the fourth. Allan Castro went 2 for 4 with a pair of singles to extend his hitting streak to five games.
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Marvin Alcantara made his only hit of the day count by clubbing his first home run of the season in the first inning. Freili Encarnacion went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Nelly Taylor also doubled as part of a 1 for 3 afternoon in which he scored once, walked once, and stole one base. Andy Lugo drew two walks and drove in one run out of the nine-hole. Noah Dean suffered his first loss of the year after allowing three earned runs on four hits (including two homers), five walks, and two strikeouts over four-plus innings. CJ Weins followed with two scoreless frames out of the bullpen while Danny Kirwin gave up one run across two innings in his professional debut.
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Player of the Day: In what will likely be the final game of his rehab assignment with Worcester, Vaughn Grissom went off for four hits in Toledo on Sunday. The 23-year-old second baseman went 10 for 30 (.333) with two doubles, two RBIs, three runs scored, two stolen bases, five walks, and nine strikeouts over nine games for Worcester. After beginning the season on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, Grissom is expected to be activated ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the Giants at Fenway Park.
Photo Credit: Wikelman Gonzalez by Kelly O'Connor