May 18, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Mayer with two hits; Dalbec homers again
5/18 Cup of Coffee: There were three triples on the farm on Friday in the Red Sox system, while Bobby Dalbec went yard again, but it was a lot of walks and station-to-station baseball as only Portland was held to fewer than five runs. The only problem for the affiliates was their opposition was able to score too, resulting in a 3-2 record on the night. The hits were frequently concentrated within a a few players, as Marcelo Mayer was one of 13 hitters to record two or more hits, though Armando Sierra stood alone as the only one with three knocks.
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It was another high-scoring affair in Worcester, but the WooSox came out on top after the RailRiders went up 6-2 after three innings as a three-run eighth did the job. Worcester had just eight hits, including two each from Enmanual Valdez, Jamie Westbrook and Eddy Alvarez, but seven walks and a hit-by-pitch helped put runners on base and pressure the opposing pitchers. Six runs went on Richard Fitts' tab, who lasted just three innings in a starting role. He was followed by Justin Hagenman, who contributed 3 1/3 frames and built a bridge to the bullpen with just two runs allowed.
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It was just seven hits for Portland, as a two-spot in the eighth wasn't enough to seriously threaten Somerset. Marcelo Mayer and Mickey Gasper each had two hits. Mayer's double in the first was the team's only extra-base hit. Each squad committed three errors and Portland starter Isaac Coffey felt the brunt of that, as three of the seven runs he allowed over his 4 2/3 innings of work were unearned.
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Greenville got out quickly, scoring a trio in the second inning that proved to be enough to secure a victory. Seven of the nine Drive hitters had a hit, led by multi-hit outings from Mikey Romero, Ronald Rosario and Caden Rose. The starting nod went to Juan Daniel Encarnacion and he gave his team five innings of work with two runs on five hits. He struck out six. Reidis Sena and Caleb Bolden held it down out of the bullpen, as Bolden had a clean ninth and Sena scattered just one hit over three innings.
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Trailing 3-1 after six frames, Salem scored four runs in the seventh and held on for the win. The Red Sox had nine hits, but only five hitters contributed to that tally, as Miguel Bleis, Natanael Yuten, Nelly Taylor and Fraymi De Leon each had a pair of knocks. Blake Wehunt earned the start and struggled with three runs allowed over 3 2/3 innings. They came on three hits and three walks, though he did strike out four. Conor Steinbaugh and CJ Wein combined for 5 1/3 innings of one-hit ball, combining for nine strikeouts and one walk.
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The Red Sox led 6-4 after six innings, but the Twins plated six in the seventh and shut down the Red Sox offense to secure a win. All six tallies were charged to Denis Reguillo, who was able to record just one out. Wuilliams Rodriguez, who recorded the final two outs of the seventh, was the only Red Sox arm to not allow a run. Offensively, Armando Sierra had three of his team's eight hits, while Frederick Jimenez contributed with two more.
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Player of the Day: Another day, another productive performance for Marcelo Mayer. The second-ranked prospect in the system has shown his offensive prowess all season and continued that with a two-hit performance, including a first-inning double, against Somerset. He's only got three home runs but has shown plenty of gap power, as he's already up to 16 doubles on the year.
Photo Credit: Marcelo Mayer by Kelly O'Connor