May 8, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Bello rehabs, Bleis goes deep in Salem win
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Enmanuel Valdez and Bobby Dalbec continue to rake since being sent back to Triple-A, as each homered. Valdez was 2 for 4 and upped his WooSox OPS to 1.305, while Dalbec belted his 3rd home run, raising his WooSox OPS to 1.027. Jamie Westbrook went 2 for 4 with his third long ball of the season, and Chase Meidroth added a two-bagger. Grant Gambrell started and battled through six innings. He surrendered four runs on seven hits and three walks. He punched out five. Jorge Benitez struggled with his control, walking four in 1 1/3 frames, which led to three runs allowed. Robert Kwiatkowski got the final two outs of the eighth without allowing a run.
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Brayan Bello made his first rehab start since being placed on the IL. He threw 2 2/3 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits. He allowed one home run, walked two, and struck out five. He tossed 52 pitches, 32 for strikes. Helcris Olivarez had a very interesting outing out of the bullpen. He tossed four innings without allowing a hit, but he walked five to go along with five strikeouts. He gave up just one unearned run. He now has 24 walks and 22 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings, but with a minuscule 1.40 ERA. Jonathan Brand also tossed a pair of scoreless frames with a couple of strikeouts and no walks.
Roman Anthony had a nice night out of the leadoff spot, going 1 for 4 with a triple and a walk. Kyle Teel also reached three times with a single, double, and a walk. Mickey Gasper went 2 for 3 with his eighth double of the year, and Marcelo Mayer singled and had a sacrifice fly.
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Ahbram Liendo led the way on offense, going 2 for 5 with a single and a three-run blast. Bryan Gonzalez also had a big night, belting his fifth home run of the year as part of his 1-for-3 night. He also drew a walk and scored twice. Ronald Rosario also went 2 for 4 with an RBI double. Connelly Early started for Greenville and pitched well, giving up just one run on four hits in 4 2/3 innings. The 22-year old southpaw struck out five and walked two. The bullpen was very good, starting with Adam Smith. He tossed 2 1/3 hitless innings with three strikeouts. Zach Fogell and Isaac Stebens slammed the door with back-to-back scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth.
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Miguel Bleis crushed a solo home run in the fifth inning, and that run proved to be the game-winner. It was the first home run of the year for the fifth ranked prospect, who also added a double. Jhostynxon Garcia, Freili Encarnacion, and Fraymi De Leon all went 2 for 4, with Garcia clubbing his fifth double. Elmer Rodriguez started and and surrendered just one run over 4 2/3 frames. The righty struck out eight and walked three. Michael Sansone was awesome in relief, firing three shutout innings on just two hits. He struck out four and did not issue a free pass. Max Carlson picked up the four-out save, including three strikeouts.
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The Sox picked up their second win of the year despite just three base hits on offense. Kleyver Salazar had the biggest knock of the day, an RBI triple in the third inning to give the Red Sox the lead. Franklin Arias had a double, while Kelvin Diaz went 1 for 2 with a single and a stolen base. Andruw Musett also reached twice with a pair of walks and scored a run. Raimundo De Los Santos swiped his fourth bag of the year as well. Nicolas De La Cruz opened up the game on the mound with a clean first inning, striking out two of the three hitters he faced. Yeferson Vargas followed with three solid innings, allowing two runs with four strikeouts and just one walk. Wuilliams Rodriguez tossed two hitless innings with one strikeout before Denis Reguillo picked up his first save of the season with a clean seventh inning.
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Player of the Day: Miguel Bleis, who was recently bumped up to the number four spot in the SoxProspects.com rankings, gets the nod with six total bases, the most he has had in any game this season. The 20-year old has been hot so far in May, hitting .400/.471/.467 in five games this month.
Photo Credit: Miguel Bleis by Kelly O'Connor