April 17, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Refsnyder, Grissom rehab, Meidroth homers in Worcester win
-----
This one had a few key rehabbing players in Rob Refsnyder and Vaughn Grissom, who each went 1 for 3. Refsnyder belted a home run. Chase Meidroth also blasted his first career Triple-A home run in addition to drawing a walk in four trips to the plate. Jamie Westbrook and Dalton Guthrie each had huge nights at the dish. Wesbrook went 3 for 4 with a double and three runs scored, while Guthrie went 2 for 4 with his first long ball of the season and four RBI.
Naoyuki Uwasawa started for the WooSox and battled through five innings to earn the victory. He surrendered six hits and four runs, while punching out five and walking a pair. He was sitting 92-93 MPH with his fastball. Cam Booser continued his dominant start to the season out of the bullpen, tossing two perfect innings. The lefty faced six hitters and struck out five of them. Zack Kelly was also great in relief, picking up a two-inning save with two shutout frames and five strikeouts.
-----
It was a rough outing on the bump for Wikelman Gonzalez, who did not make it out of the first inning. He gave up six runs (four earned) on three hits and three walks. Wyatt Olds had a solid appearance, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts. He walked four, but did not allow a hit. Alex Hoppe was also very good, allowing no runs on just one hit with three strikeouts in two innings of work. At the plate, Marcelo Mayer went 1 for 4 with a rocket off the right field fence for a double. He now has an eight-game hitting streak. Kyle Teel singled and scored a run on a Blaze Jordan double, and Mickey Gasper roped a solo home run for Portland's only two runs.
-----
Caden Rose, a seventh round pick by Boston last season, led the offense in this one by going 2 for 3 with a two-run triple, a walk, and a pair of runs scored. He now has a .969 OPS on the young season. Eduardo Lopez reached twice with a single and a walk. He drove in a run and scored. Allan Castro and Cutter Coffey added two-baggers as well. David Sandlin struggled a bit in his start, allowing three runs in four innings on three hits and four free passes. He did strike out four. Gabriel Jackson and Cade Feeney each allowed two runs in relief as well.
-----
Johanfran Garcia continued to rake, going 3 for 5 with a double. The catcher is now hitting .387 with a 1.134 this season in eight games. Miguel Bleis delivered the biggest hit of the night for Salem, a three-run double into the gap in the second inning. Natanael Yuten also went 1 for 3 with a walk. Noah Dean's outing did not go well, allowing four earned runs in three innings. He struck out five and walked two. Jojo Ingrassia pitched very well out of the bullpen, striking out four without a walk in 2 1/3 shutout innings. His ERA is still 0.00 on the year in three appearances with 10 strikeouts and no walks.
-----
Player of the Day: Dalton Guthrie's four RBI give him the honor. The 28-year old outfielder was picked up in free agency by the Sox this past winter. Guthrie bounced around in 2023, playing for three different franchises in the Phillies, Giants, and Braves. He was in Triple-A the whole time, where he hit .274 with a .748 OPS.
Photo Credit: Dalton Guthrie by Kelly O'Connor